Sevilla, Cádiz, Ronda & Córdoba: The Heart of Andalusia Trip

This trip takes you on a grand journey through the most historic and monumental cities of Andalusia, discovering food and wine from across the region as you go. Start in Sevilla, Andalusia’s atmospheric capital, where tapas and flamenco flow around the monuments of Spain’s imperial glory. Spend a day in the ocean city of Cádiz, famous for being settled by the Phoenicians, rising as a trading port during the New World explorations and in the height of Sherry shipping. Rebuilt in the 18th century after the Lisbon earthquake, today it stands unique among Andalusian cities. Visit the stunning hilltop town of Ronda and explore the wine of the Málaga mountains. Córdoba’s Moorish history is palpable in the narrow streets and patios of its Judería and in the Mezquita, the city’s unique mosque-cathedral. You’ll also discover the food and wine of Córdoba, including traditional and innovative cuisine and the sherry-style wines of the local Montilla-Moriles wine region.

Read the blog: Restaurants in Andalusia: Tradition and Creation

Trip At A Glance

7 Days / 6 Nights

Days 1 - 4 in Sevilla

Discover Sevilla’s cultural and gastronomic heritage. Start with a flamenco show and a tour of the city’s bustling tapas bars. The next day, an expert guide will show you the best of the city’s extensive monumental heritage on a private walking tour. Additionally you’ll discover highlights of the city’s diverse restaurant scene.

Day Trip to Cádiz

Visit the old town and the fabulous market.

Day Trip to Ronda

Visit a top winery outside of town before exploring the hilltop old town with a local guide.

Days 5 - 6 in Córdoba

Explore the food and wine richness of the countryside outside of Córdoba, visiting an olive oil producer and a Montilla-Moriles winery. You’ll get to see the traditional and modern sides of local gastronomy, both accompanied by the best local wines. And of course, the incredible Mezquita and hidden patios of the old town.

Andalucía

Covering most of the southern part of Spain, Andalusia holds a charm that no other Spanish region can claim. It is, after all, the ancestral home of so many Spanish images–flamenco, Andalusian horses, bullfighting, sherry and tapas like pescaíto frito, the fresh quick-fried fish so ubiquitous in the south. Even by Spaniards, Andalusia tends to be painted as a single culture and destination, but in truth it’s perhaps the most varied part of the country. The wild coast of Huelva and Cádiz, with windswept beach bars and fresh seafood. The classic inland Andalusian cities of Sevilla, Jerez, and Córdoba, which are sisters but differ so much in their culture, food, history, and atmosphere. The mountain hideaway of Granada, the coastal metropolis of Málaga, the white villages of the mountains. To those with some experience in other parts of Spain, coming into contact with deep Andalusia is a revelation, like discovering a new world that begins south of Madrid.

Sevilla, Cádiz, Ronda & Córdoba: The Heart of Andalusia Trip

Day 1 - Sevilla 

  • Arrive in Sevilla

  • Evening flamenco show

  • Sevilla tapas tour dinner

  • Overnight Hotel Corral del Rey, Sevilla

 Sevilla

Andalusia’s capital breathes vitality and energy: groups of people spilling out of bars and restaurants onto the streets, loud and passionate conversations and strains of flamenco floating out of windows, narrow streets and beautiful plazas stoked with orange trees ablaze in the southern sun. It’s a city of grand monuments, the riches of the Americas converted into churches and palaces and statues, but also of tiny atmospheric holes in the wall hidden away from time. To arrive in Sevilla from another Spanish city is to be transported immediately and powerfully into Andalusia. The feeling that accompanies that immersion is so strong that many find they never want to leave.

Sevilla has three World Heritage Sites: the Cathedral (the largest Gothic temple in the world), the Real Alcázar (Moorish palace which features a stunning combination of Mudéjar and Baroque architectural styles) and the Santa Cruz district (the former Jewish Quarter) with narrow streets, hidden patios and countless quaint corners.

Evening Flamenco Show

Step inside a traditional tablao flamenco for a performance of Andalusia’s most important traditional music, flamenco. Originating with the gitanos (gypsies) of southern Spain, flamenco is passionate and intense, singers and dancers being moved by the spirit of the music known as duende. There’s no better place to see flamenco than in Andalusia, where its rhythms and melodies are infused in the people and new flamenco stars make their mark. Your guide will explain to you the fundamental aspects of the music, dance, and history before you get to see Sevillano flamenco in all its glory.

Sevilla Tapas Tour Dinner

Your guide will pick you up at your hotel for an evening tapas tour in Sevilla’s historic center. Tapas "bar hopping" normally involves visiting a number of bars, trying local delicacies and sharing each dish with your companions. Your guide will take you off the tourist trail and into Sevilla's side streets and hidden plazas, introducing you to the local bars with their buzzing atmosphere and busy barmen. Taste the local delicacies and soak up the sights, sounds and smells of Sevilla!

Day 2 - Sevilla: Andalusian Grandeur 

  • Sevilla Cathedral, rooftop & Jewish Quarter tour

  • Lunch at Palo Cortao restaurant

  • Sevilla Alcázar Tour

  • Private wine-tasting dinner

  • Overnight Hotel Corral del Rey, Sevilla

Sevilla Cathedral, Cathedral Rooftop & Jewish Quarter Tour

Head into the heart of Sevilla’s old town to visit one of the most spectacular Cathedrals in Spain. Sevilla’s towering Gothic temple was built and decorated with the wealth of the Spanish kings, a testament to victory over the Moorish occupation packed with American gold. The belltower, La Giralda, is a converted minaret that rises high above the old town’s streets. You’ll tour the inside of the church before heading up to the little-known rooftop of the church, where you can still see the measurements from the church’s construction.

You’ll also have a walking tour of the oldest parts of Seville. The Santa Cruz district, an Andalusian maze of streets and hidden plazas, dates back to medieval times and offers a real feeling of what Andalusia was like in Moorish times. The old Jewish quarter’s alleys show the rich history of the city before its grand expansions as the gateway to the Spanish empire.

Lunch at Palo Cortao Restaurant

Palo Cortao is a relaxed tapas restaurant where you’ll be able to taste seasonal dishes that combine traditional Andalusian recipes with a touch of innovation. Many of the options change daily based on what fresh products are available, but expect classic tapas along with subtle preparations of vegetables, fish and meat from Andalusia. The wine list highlights Sherry and Andalusian white and red wines along with cult selections from other regions of Spain.

Sevilla Alcázar Tour

In the afternoon, tour the Alcázar, the Moorish palace just steps from the Cathedral. What was once a fortification was converted into a grand palace by the Spanish crown, combining Mudéjar and Christian decoration in a sprawling complex of galleries and gardens. The Moorish artisans who remained in Spain after the Reconquista contributed to the palace with intricate decorations. It’s a magical place, so it’s no wonder that the Spanish royal family still stops by on occasion to occupy their rooms on the upper floor.

Private Wine Tasting Dinner

Join a local wine expert at Sevilla’s oldest tavern for a wine tasting paired with tapas. El Rinconcillo is the most classic of all of Sevilla’s tapas bars, conserving the atmosphere from its founding over three centuries ago. You’ll find all sorts of classic Sevilla dishes on the menu, from excellent hand-cut Iberian ham to salmorejo to stews with deep Andalusian flavor. You’ll head upstairs, away from the noise of the crowds that fill the bar, where you’ll have a private table and the space to enjoy and discuss the wines you’ll taste. Our wine expert will guide you through a tasting that can focus on anything from sherry wines from nearby Jerez to great bottles from around Spain to a masterclass in a single region. The wines will be accompanied by a selection of plates with which to try pairing each wine. This experience perfectly combines traditional Sevillano food with excellent wine.

Day 3 - Cádiz

  • Private transfer from Sevilla to Cádiz

  • Cádiz walking tour and market visit

  • Taberna La Manzanilla tasting

  • Lunch at La Candela

  • Transfer back to Sevilla after lunch

  • Overnight Hotel Corral del Rey, Sevilla

Walking Tour and Market Visit

Enjoy a private walking tour of the old town of Cadiz, learning about the city’s growth as Spain’s port to the Americas in the 18th century and its unique architecture and geography. Stop by Taberna La Manzanilla, a traditional taberna, for a manzanilla and two olives before visiting the market in Cádiz. This market is, in our opinion, one of Spain’s best markets if only for its seafood selection. Then sit down at one of the tables just outside the market and order some tapas from the eating stalls and small shops stocked with local charcuterie, cheese and wine.

Taberna La Manzanilla Tasting

Taberna La Manzanilla, founded in the 1930s as the Cádiz outpost of a manzanilla sherry bodega (winery) from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, is the perfect place to enjoy a glass of manzanilla, amontillado, or even oloroso before eating at one of the fantastic restaurant nearby. At first glance, it’s hard to identify any changes since its founding nearly a century ago. Ancient sherry bottles and promotional items cover the walls and fill glass cases, accompanied by well-aged bullfighting posters. The main attraction, however, is the pile of barrels behind the bar. Today La Manzanilla serves exclusively sherry aged in their own barrels, which have never been emptied since the founding of the taberna. Each glass is served with exactly two stuffed olives, and the bill is tracked in chalk on the dark wooden bar. Traditionally these sherry wine bars have also sold wine straight from the barrel in bottles to go, and La Manzanilla keeps this tradition alive, with prices listed by the liter.

Lunch at La Candela

Housed in a small space just off Cadiz’s lush Plaza Candelaria, La Candela is discreet enough that you could walk right past it. If you step inside, however, you’ll find a revelation. This tapas bar serves creative market cuisine at the bar and a few tables decorated with Andalusian tiles. The fish of the day or the roast octopus are good choices, but you’ll find yourself  wanting to try all of the creations on offer.

Day 4 - Ronda Wine & Historic Village 

  • Transfer to Ronda

  • Kieninger winery visit

  • Lunch at Almocábar

  • Ronda walking tour

  • Transfer back to Sevilla

  • Dinner at Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo in Sevilla

  • Overnight Hotel Corral del Rey, Sevilla

Ronda

Ronda is the jewel in the crown of the so-called white villages, those picturesque hilltop towns that dot the mountainous areas of Andalusia. Perched on two sides of a plunging gorge where birds nest, Ronda offers stunning views over the surrounding countryside. The 17th-century Puente Nueva, an impossible looking stone bridge, crosses the gorge and leads to the old town, where narrow streets give way to enchanting plazas and hidden palaces.

In addition to its beauty and history, Ronda is one of Andalusia's most exciting and surprising wine-producing areas. Though there is a long history of wine production around Ronda, it was only in the 1980s that the current generation of wineries set up in the area. Since there were almost no vineyards left in the area the new wineries planted Spanish, French and Austrian grapes. Four decades on, the most successful grapes in Ronda have turned out to be Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Blaufrankisch and Zweigelt.

The vineyards of Ronda lie primarily in the hills surrounding the town. The high elevation brings cool nights that allow the northern grapes to thrive in the Mediterranean climate, while the plentiful sunshine ensures that the grapes ripen fully. The variety of elevations, slopes and soils enable Ronda wineries to make diverse styles. Bordeaux blends and wines made from Spanish grapes like Garnacha and Tempranillo can be full-bodied and rich, while the Pinot Noirs from the highest vineyards are stunningly fresh. The quality of the diverse styles have led Ronda to be regarded as Andalusia's premier red wine region.

There are numerous wineries to visit just outside the town of Ronda, offering idyllic countryside locations with views over the hills and valleys around the town. In addition, thanks to the efforts of local sommeliers and wine enthusiasts, there are many great places to drink Ronda wine in town. Bars and restaurants have embraced their local wine, with many offering dozens of Ronda wines to try.

Kieninger Winery Visit

Kieninger was among the first wineries of the new generation in the area. Austrian founder Martin Kieninger trained as an architect and first came to the area near Ronda in that capacity. He fell in love with the landscape and the potential of the mountains around Ronda for wine production. Kieninger brought his Austrian heritage with him, planting Blaufrankisch and Zweigelt alongside French grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and Spanish varieties like Tintilla de Rota and Garnacha. Today, his winemaking dream is fully realized. The winery building and house are surrounded by vineyards grown without any pesticides or other artificial chemicals. Bees and other insects fly through the air, and aromatic plants and trees dot the property. The winemaking is traditional, seeking to express the vineyards rather than obscure them. The result is a line of delicious and surprising wines. The Austrian grape varieties work surprisingly well in Ronda’s high elevation Mediterranean climate, bringing vibrant acidity and fruit to reds and a rosé. You’ll find more concentration in the reds made from French and Spanish grapes, but with plenty of finesse and drinkability. Kieninger is one of the great success stories of Ronda wine and continues to set the standard of the region.

Lunch at Almocábar

Enjoy lunch with your guide at one of Ronda’s top traditional restaurants.

Ronda Walking Tour

Visit the old town, where you’ll be able to see sights like the bull ring and the famous bridge spanning the dramatic gorge that splits Ronda in two.

Dinner at Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo

At the northern end of Sevilla’s old part lies Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo, one of the most unique places to eat in Sevilla. It’s a difficult establishment to classify, combining elements of a store, a tapas bar, and a restaurant in one space. You might have a glass of wine standing next to a mechanical scale, taste delicious charcuterie and cheese at a bar table, or eat a multi-course meal in a quiet dining room. The decor and service are traditional and very friendly, making you feel at home right away as you navigate the labyrinth that lies through the doorway. The most important thing about this place is that everything from the tapas to the specialties to the wine is focused on the very best Andalusian products. Don’t miss the excellent wine list featuring wines by the glass and bottle from Andalusia and the rest of Spain and a wide range of sherries.

Day 5 - Olive Oil & Wine in Córdoba

  • High-speed train to Córdoba

  • Olive Oil Mill & Andalusian brunch

  • Transfer to Córdoba

  • Wine-tasting taberna dinner in Córdoba

  • Overnight Hotel Palacio del Bailío, Córdoba

Córdoba

In the center of Andalucia, the one-time Moorish capital of Córdoba is a real hidden gem. Best known for La Mezquita–its mosque turned cathedral–and the surrounding former Jewish quarter, the city offers more than meets the eye. The traditional tabernas are temples to classic Andalusian food, highlighting dishes like gazpacho’s cousin salmorejo, stewed oxtail, vegetable pisto with a fried egg, and a galaxy of delicious tapas. Córdoba is home to Noor, a one of a kind two Michelin star restaurant where chef Paco Morales unearths and reinterprets the cuisine of Al Andalus, the Moorish empire that once reigned in Andalusia.

The countryside outside of town is rich in superb products. Some of Spain’s best olive oil is made near the city, and its influence on the cuisine here is strong. The Montilla Moriles wine region, where the local Pedro Ximenez grape grows in chalky white Albariza soils is outside of town. The wines are both dry and sweet, sherry-style, but the wineries there are also revolutionizing the winemaking and bringing out dry, non-sherry-style white wines.

Córdoba has a rich cuisine that harkens back to its Moorish history, and the city’s tabernas, traditional tapas bars characterized by dark wood and cozy interiors, are the perfect places to discover it. Classic dishes of the city include salmorejo, a cold tomato soup thickened with bread and egg that is the local version of gazpacho, and rabo de toro, stewed oxtail. You can belly up to the bar and wash these and other delicious plates down with local Montilla Moriles wine as the locals do, or sit in one of Córdoba’s atmospheric plazas and enjoy the southern sun.

Montilla-Moriles

South of the city of Córdoba, Montilla-Moriles is Andalusia’s secret wine region. Here wines of similar style to sherry are produced from vineyards planted on the slopes of the picturesque countryside. The local Pedro Ximenez grape is best known for its ability to produce black-colored long-aged sweet wines, but it’s also used to make styles of wine more associated with Jerez like fino, amontillado, and palo cortado. Its lack of international fame has left Montilla-Moriles with an intact winemaking heritage and a deep stock of very old wines. The area is rich in other products as well, most notably producing some of the best extra virgin olive oils in the world. The perfect step off the beaten path for lovers of fortified wines or simply a sense of adventure, Montilla-Moriles is one of Andalusia’s jewels.

Olive Oil Mill Visit & Tasting

Travel with a private driver to Córdoba. Once in Córdoba, set off to visit an olive oil mill outside of Córdoba and taste the single varietal oils. The countryside around Córdoba produces some of the world’s finest extra virgin olive oils. Step inside an artisan olive oil mill to discover how this liquid gold is made and what makes the olive groves here so special. Tasting exceptional olive oil right from the source is a perfect way to understand one of the key ingredients of Spanish and specifically Andalusian cuisine. Enjoy an Andalusian “brunch” of bread, olive oil, charcuterie and cheese in one of the historic farm buildings.

Wine-tasting Taberna Dinner in Córdoba

Join up with our friend and local wine expert for a deep dive into the cuisine and products of Córdoba. Head to a traditional taberna where the best regional dishes are on the menu. Your guide on this journey will pair surprising local wines with the plates, showing the richness of Córdoba’s cooking and the great potential of its wines.

Day 6 - Córdoba: The Mezquita & Noor Restaurant

  • Córdoba Mezquita & patios tour

  • Dinner at 3-Michelin Star Noor Restaurant

  • Overnight Hotel Palacio del Bailío, Córdoba

Mezquita & Patios Tour

Córdoba was once the most populous city in the world, the intellectual center of Europe, and the capital of an Islamic caliphate. Your private walking tour of Córdoba’s old city will include the 8th-century grand mosque built when Córdoba was the capital of Al-Andalus, the Moorish empire in Spain. After the reconquest of the city by the Christians, the mosque was converted into a cathedral, but the architecture of the original mosque was thankfully preserved. Walking through the ornately decorated halls, you can feel the weight of Moorish history in Córdoba. The Mezquita is one of Spain’s greatest surviving monuments from the Moorish occupation.

Visit traditional flower-filled Córdoba patios which are recognized by Unesco as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Their origins date back to the Romans and many traditional cordobés houses have conserved them in a traditional state. After the patios visit stop in at an Arabic tea house for a refreshing glass of tea.

Dinner at Noor Restaurant (3 Michelin stars)

Enjoy dinner at three-Michelin star Noor Restaurant in Córdoba (Noor received their third Michelin star in 2023). Noor (noor means light in Arabic) is most of all a connection to the past. Hidden away from the center, this small restaurant works like a time machine back to the days of the Moorish occupation of Al-Andalus. Chef Paco Morales, a Córdoba native with experience at El Bulli and Mugaritz restaurants in Spain, brings the dishes that defined different historical periods of Córdoban and Andalusian cuisine into the present. Each “season” of the restaurant is dedicated to a different era. The unique flavors of these forgotten dishes, which fuse Spanish and Moorish influences and ingredients, are one of a kind. The service, atmosphere, and impeccable preparation combine with the unique concept to make Noor an essential visit for any curious food lover traveling to Spain.

Day 7 - Departure

  • Transfer to the Córdoba train station or the Sevilla airport for departure.

Hotels

Sevilla Hotel - 4 nights

Corral del Rey - Tucked away in the narrow streets of Sevilla’s Barrio de Santa Cruz, Corral del Rey occupies three beautifully restored palaces dating back to the 17th century and offers a perfect bolthole from which to explore the old town of Sevilla. Inside the property you’ll find common areas and rooms tastefully arranged with luxurious furniture and fine art and antiquities from the owners’ private collections and world travels. The rooms feature the best of everything, from the linens and upholstery to the stunning bathrooms. The service here goes above and beyond, with expert staff there to help with anything you might need. Corral del Rey features a small restaurant for tapas in the evening if you’re so enchanted you want to stay in, but you’ll likely want to take advantage of the perfect location just a few minutes from the Cathedral, the Alcázar, and the tapas bars and restaurants of the center.

Córdoba Hotel - 2 nights

Palacio del Bailío - On a quiet street on the edge of Córdoba’s old town, the Palacio del Bailío is a world apart. Walk through the leafy entryway and you’re in a sprawling world of whitewashed walls and atmospheric patios. The building was an artistocratic palace, but its history, visible to this day, goes back to Roman times. The palace has been redone with care, yielding rooms that retain historic character while incorporating modern luxury. The public areas of the hotel are extensive and enchanting, from the outdoor pool in one of the patios to the bar’s terrace and the spa that’s included for all guests. For a night in, the surprising fusion restaurant Arbequina offers new flavors in a relaxing environment.

Andalusia Tour Includes

  • expert private guides & local specialists

  • 6 nights in luxury boutique lodgings, double occupancy

  • breakfast daily

  • 2 lunches while touring

  • 3 dinners: tapas tour dinner, wine-pairing dinner and taberna dinner (in Sevilla & Córdoba)

  • premium tastings at wineries

  • high-speed train tickets Sevilla to Córdoba

  • deluxe air-conditioned private transport

  • Epicurean Ways expertise

  • in-country support

Tour Does Not Include

  • extras in hotels such as room service, minibars, etc.

  • travel insurance

  • tips to guides and drivers (not required but appreciated)

  • flights to and from Spain

A note on winery visits, restaurant selections and hotels

All tours, experiences and hotels are subject to availability and will be confirmed upon booking the trip.

You will be accompanied by a driver-guide during your wine touring. Your visits and tastings will be private and with the winemaker, a family member or an expert who knows the winery and the wines well. We work with the wineries to make sure that you taste the best and most representative wines during each visit. It is sometimes possible to arrange extended tastings that include old vintages or rare wines. We have an extensive group of wineries whose owners we know and with whom we work regularly, so we can guarantee high-level visits even if a winery has to be substituted. If you have an interest in visiting a particular producer please let us know.

We include restaurant concierge service as part of your trip. Note that our restaurant suggestions are just that–suggestions. Places we love, places to go back to time after time. We recommend these places after years of experience eating in Spain and Portugal together with frequent research and input from our local partners. We aspire to guide your choices with information on the styles of cuisine and restaurants; the choice on where to eat is yours based on your preferences and desires. Note that the cost of the lunches/dinners is not included unless specified under the included items. Normally your included meals are with a guide while touring or tapas tours or wine-tasting meals.

We have extensive experience with hotels ranging from 5-star luxury properties to private boutique hotels. Let us know your preferences and we will tailor the hotel choices for you.

Trip Prices

Note that we can customize this trip for you. Add days in your arrival or departure city or in other locations or make changes to the experiences, winery visits, restaurants, or hotels included in the trip. Whatever it is, we’re here to work with you. Once you’re happy with the trip plan and have some idea of your dates we will calculate and send you the price.