How is the South of Spain (ie. Malaga) vs. the North?

Question

I was in Spain in 95 and lived in Madrid for the Summer. I am planning to go back and stay in south at Malaga (with a rental car) for 2 weeks with my wife. I am going there around New Years Eve of this year. Could someone let me know how nice the south is? Is it a complete tourist trap or are there lots of things to do etc. How expensive is it? Since it will be the winter will it be to cold? Any thoughts would be helpful.

Answer 1

I only have been to Cordoba/Seville - but I can tell you that it is definitely worth every single minute. First, you are going from a continental/temperate climate to a much warmer, Mediterranean one. Second, you will run into a lot more Arabic and Jewish heritage  and the famed architectural style of mudejar. Don't be afraid to explore also the famed Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa Maria,  with their famous sherry wines and seafood.

Answer 2

It is no worse than any other place in the world visited by tourists....Don't buy the first thing you see, always compare prices, and don't let yourself get ripped off!

There are zillions of things to do and places to visit in southern Spain... With Malaga as your base you can take day trips by car to Seville, Cordoba, Jerez de la Frontera (definitely a must for wine lovers, the bodegas are  wonderful to visit), and Granada is a must (you have to buy your tickets to visit the Alhambra beforehand...they have been limited recently because of the wear and tear of so many visitors...you can get these in internet...there is a great "day pass" that is good for visiting all of the monuments in Granada, including the Alhambra and Generalife you can find references to it in  www.granadatur.com (get the pass offered by cajagranada at 24,50 euros it's the best bet). You can also go to www.Andalacia.org and find many other things to visit.

You also might want to go (preferably by bus) to Tangiers and/or other places in Morocco, depending on how much time you have at your disposal.

As to expensive, yes the dollar has lost value facing the euro, but there are still lots of things that can be done, and all of Europe has the same problem concerning money...But it is worth it.. Once you have been here you'll want to come back to see what you didn't have time to get to on this trip!

P.S. Northern Spain is also fantastic...Santiago de Compostela,  with its ancient streets and marvelous cathedral, Bilbao with the Guggenheim, Asturias region with the mountains and lakes, and  a lot of etc.'s...but those are another story and best done in the summer...You'd need ages to visit everything that is interesting in Spain!

The weather in winter is generally the best in Europe. Evidently you may have rain, after all it is the season for it, but the temperature in Malaga is usually about 8º to 10º degrees (centigrade) higher than other parts of Spain such as Catalunya or the Basque country, and if there is any sun around it is usually in our back yard!

Spaniards travel a lot over the christmas holidays from dec. 23rd. til' jan. 7th. day after the epiphany, so take care on the highways, depending what days you travel you may find heavy traffic.

Buen viaje!

Answer 3

Have not been in the winter but temperture is related to elevation.

Seville is on the warmest cities in Europe, it sits in a bowl. Grenada is close to the mountians and can be 20 degrees (farenheit) colder than Seville. Cordoba is in between.

Regarding "tourist traps" they would on the Costa del Sol, but not Malaga as it is most expensive.  Sites not to be missed -- Granada/Alhambra, Cordoba/Mesquita, and Seville.  There is a excavated city outside Seville called Italica. I also visted Ronda which has amazing scenery being bisected by a deep gorge.

In January you can go skiing in the Sierra Nevada.

Expense is related to how much you want to spend on lodging. You don't have to spend that much for decent lodging if you don't need major Hotel ammenties.  For example, I stayed in a nice "hostal" in Granada that had double rooms for less than 50 euros. Get the book "Alastair Sawday's Special Places to Stay Spain" it has lots of great places in the South