Fiery Andalusia

Comfortable direct flight from Zurich to Malaga. At the airport your driver will be waiting with the Deluxe coach to take you on to Granada, picturesquely set in front of the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Dinner and overnight stay in Granada.

Granada was the last stronghold of the Moors and their longest-lasting kingdom in Spain. Guided walk to the Alhambra, the fortress-like palace that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is unofficially regarded as one of the wonders of the world. The Moorish-oriental palace, with its playful inner courtyards and the blooming Generalife gardens, an oasis of ponds, splashing fountains and cypress avenues, looks like a fairy tale from the Arabian Nights. The afternoon is at your leisure.

The land between Granada and Cordoba shimmers olive-green: one in every five bottles of olive oil in Europe is bottled in this region. A thousand years ago, visitors already marvelled at the splendour of Cordoba, then the seat of the caliphs and the largest city in Europe. Guided walk through the winding lanes to the magnificent Mezquita: in a forest of stone columns you will admire the richly decorated prayer niche of the former main mosque. In the evening you reach the Andalusian capital, Seville.

Tour of this vibrant metropolis. 'He who has not seen Seville does not know what wonders are,' goes the saying. In the centre of the historic old town, a UNESCO monument, the picture-book Spain lives on, with romantic courtyards, magnificent squares and white houses. The Gothic cathedral, with its unrivalled art treasures, is enormous, and the former Jewish quarter, Barrio de Santa Cruz, is charmingly old-fashioned. In the area of Maria Luisa Park and Plaza de España, the old spirit of Seville is still alive. The afternoon is at your leisure. In the evening you can attend a flamenco performance (optional).

(Optional excursion) On a full-day tour you will discover two gems of the Costa de la Luz. In a bodega in Jerez de la Frontera you are invited to a sherry tasting, and you also explore the Moorish Alcázar with its gardens. Onwards to the Atlantic and Cadiz, one of the oldest cities in Europe, founded by the Phoenicians around 3,000 years ago. The city, almost entirely surrounded by water, is affectionately known as the 'Silver Teacup'. You stroll through the historic old town with its narrow lanes and the mighty cathedral, which forms a charming contrast to the modern new town. Return journey to Seville.

You travel across the 'White Villages', whose gleaming white façades shine down from the hilltops, surrounded by olive and almond groves. Ronda appears in the midst of a bizarre mountain landscape: the old town sits on a 120-metre-high rock plateau, separated from the new town by a deep gorge. Writers such as Hemingway and Max Frisch made Ronda the setting of their works. Walk through the old town with its blend of African and Spanish traditions. Onward journey to the Costa del Sol.

City tour of Malaga, the lively port city and birthplace of Pablo Picasso. You will see the mighty cathedral, the Moorish Alcazaba fortress above the rooftops and the bustling harbour promenade. On the seafront promenade you can enjoy an espeto, sardines grilled over an open fire on skewers, a typically Andalusian treat.

Transfer to Malaga airport and return flight to Zurich, where your journey ends with your individual journey home.