Andalusia, Spain

[Progressive]

I've got eight days there later this month. I have accommodation (central Seville then in the hills near Antequera) and a car booked. Flying in and out of Malaga.

Planning to take in Ronda, Cordoba, Granada (for the Alhambra), possibly Sierra Nevada mountains for a day. Is Cadiz worth a day trip? Malaga itself? Old Marbella as good as people make out?

Looking for sights, culture, food, drinks, drives, hikes etc. No interest in the overly-tourist resorts along the coast. Not rubbishing them, just not that type of trip!

Any advice or tips much appreciated!

[Coot]

The food tours in Seville itself are good

https://www.mimofood.com/en

[Huertecilla]

No interest in the overly-tourist resorts along the coast. Not rubbishing them, just not that type of trip!

Ronda and Sevilla are on a par with the Torremolins as tourist tras. Just a bit different flavour.
Granada Alhambra/Realejo/Albaicin ditto.

Antequera is authentic.

The distances you plan covering in 8 days will see you driving for most of the time. I´d suggest you try see a lot more around where you have lodgings.
When near Antequera, Archidona is nice too.

Oh and be aware that off the tracks beaten down by toursts nothing much happens between about 14.00 and 18.00. Restaurants off that same track serve lunch, menu del dia, from 14.00 till about 16.00.

Have fun.

[Griswold]

Cadiz definitely worth a trip, and Malaga is excellent, cathedral and castle well worth a visit. Nerja along the coast is a great place to visit, (largely unspoilt), as are the Caves there, (a small distance outside the town - you might be lucky to drop on when there's a concert in them, they are truly spectacular and have an interesting history). A drive up into the hills from Nerja then driving across the plateau and down to Almunecar provides a contrasting view of the countryside - the winding drive down to Almunecar is spectacular! La Heradura, just along the coast from Nerja, is a nice quiet unspoilt place to stop and have lunch on the seafront, the restaurant at the far end of the beach is very good indeed.

Marbella is not what it used to be, though the old town does have some interesting bits, not somewhere I'd go now. The boats, (and wealth), have moved along the coast to Puerto Banus.

HTH

[Vanguard]

I used to live in that part of the world, I'd give Cadiz a miss but Jerez is definitely worth a look.

[Mick P]

I have two properties in Andalusia and let me assure you that you can easily spend 2 days in each of Ronda, Cordoba and Granada. To enjoy Spain you have got to learn to relax and resist the temptation of whizzing around like a blue assed fly. So do those three and call it quits and just go somewhere local and nibble at tapas etc.

One essential thing to do is to pre book the Alhambra online. It's the same price, you get a good guide and a guaranteed entrance. Doing it on spec is risky as they restrict the number of entrances.