Andalucia is the southern
region of Spain and is made up of the eight provinces of Huelva,
Sevilla, Cordoba, Jaen, Cadiz, Malaga, Granada and Almeria. There
are airports at Almeria Malaga Seville Gibraltar Jerez Granada
& Cordoba. Malaga
Airport is 5 miles west of the city of
Malaga and is the main flight path for millions of people arriving
on the Costa del Sol each year. There is a wide selection of
bars and restaurants, bank cash points, postal and Internet services
for passengers. There is also a pharmacy and a children's play
area. However there is no left luggage facility. There is a half
hourly train service to Malaga City and Fuengirola from the front
of the main Terminal. There is also a half hourly Airport Bus
and an Airport Coach Service from outside the Terminal hall to
Malaga city centre. There are always plenty of Taxis waiting
for passengers. The Spanish
railway network is run by the state owned
company RENFE (www.renfe.es). International trains from France
terminate at either Madrid or Barcelona. From there you can catch
a train to many of the cities in Andalucia, including Huelva,
Sevilla, Cadiz, Jerez, Sevilla, Algeciras, Malaga, Cordoba, Granada,
Almeria, Linares / Baeza. There are various ferry companies and routes
to choose from, depending on your base. You can either drive
to the Spanish port and park your vehicle to embark as a foot
passenger, or take your vehicle across to explore further within
Morocco and North Africa. The general procedure is to turn up
and await the next ferry, with the exception of the Cadiz-Canary
Islands route for which a cabin or seat needs to be booked.
Granada is the capital of the Granada
province, situated in the eastern part of the region of Andalusia.
It is around 30 miles inland from the beaches of the Costa del
Sol.
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The beautiful city of Granada
is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains at the
confluences of the Darro and Genil rivers. One of the most magnificent
examples of architecture is the Alhambra, a series of palaces
and gardens built under the Nazari Dynasty in the 14th C. It
is a compound of buildings with a summer palace called Generalife,
with its fountains and gardens, overlooking the city below and
the fertile plain of Granada. The hill facing the Alhambra is
the old Moorish casbah called the Albaicin, a fascinating labyrinth
of steep, cobble-stoned narrow streets, beautiful nooks and crannies
and whitewashed houses with secluded inner gardens. The Plaza
de San Nicolas, at the highest point of the Albaicin, is famous
for its magnificent view of the Moorish palace and a popular
place to relax and enjoy the sweeping panorama. |