Ronda is most dramatically located on top of a sheer limestone cliff. The nearly unconquerable town was one of the last Moorish bastions in Spain. The Puente Nuevo, a bridge spanning the 300 ft. Tajo gorge, connects both parts of town. Most of the historic sights can be visited during a walk through the older southern part of town. Ronda is also said to be the cradle of bullfighting and its bullring is one of the oldest in Spain. Every ambitious matador dreams about fighting here in September, during the Corrida Goyesca.

With a population of more than 700,000 inhabitants, Seville is Andalusia’s biggest and most exciting city. Its unique atmosphere – stylish, confident, ancient, proud, yet also sociable and intimate - makes it an absolute must for every Andalusia visitor. A couple of other must-sees are the city’s two great monuments: The Muslim Alcazar and the Cathedral with its famous Ghiralda. Both during the Moorish occupation and during the 16th and 17th centuries, this city had its high time. 1992 - the year of the world Expo - was one of the best for Seville in the more recent past, and the results of all this would definitely require more than a day to explore! But we can at least get a good idea of the area and learn a lot about this jewel on the River Guadalquivir!

The “Gate to the Algarve” got the rights to the city after the “Reconquista” in 1249. Apart from the old town, there are lots of attractive shops around and on the pedestrian walkway. The marina bars and restaurants invite you for a sundowner – port wine! Welcome to Portugal!

The name Algarve comes from Arabian “Al-Gharb” (west). Famous for its beaches, this region between the border of Spain and Cabo de Sao Vicente is different from the rest of Portugal. Culturally not really a highlight, it has much more to offer for the sun-seeking tourist: 3,000 hours of sunshine per year make this coast one of the most reliably sunny regions on earth!

A range of low, rolling hills that rarely reach 3,280 ft. stretches across the northern part of Andalusia and straddles the borders of neighboring Extremadura and Castilla-La-Mancha. The Sierra has a few mining towns, but most of it is very sparsely populated and divided between evergreen oak woodlands and scrub, and rough pasture used for grazing. The roads here guarantee a very high level of riding pleasure!

Make sure to stop for a while in this beautiful city! Being one of the oldest trading places on the Iberian peninsula, it was of great importance under the Romans. Almost 400 years under Moorish rule left traces, too. UNESCO declared the city center of Evora to be a World Heritage Site in 1986.

Famous for its Mezquita, one of the most magnificent Islamic buildings, Cordoba is one of the must-sees in Andalusia. The city was capital of Al Andalus, the Moorish Andalusia, when this region was at its political and cultural peak. Founded by the Romans in 169 BC, it became the capital of Hispania Ulterior, one of the two initial Roman provinces on the peninsula. Later it became capital of Baetica Province, (covering big parts of southern Spain) and in 711 AD, Cordoba fell to the Islamic invaders and soon became capital of Muslim Spain. In 929, Cordoba was the biggest city in western Europe (population between 100,000 and 500,000) and became a pilgrimage place for Muslims who could not get to Jerusalem or Mekka. When Cordoba was taken by Castilla’s Fernando III in 1236, much of its population fled and it fell back to the status of a provincial town of shrinking importance. Today the old city is a warren of narrow, winding streets focused on the Mezquita. Northwest of the Mezquita was the Jewish quarter (Judería), north and northeast was the Muslim quarter, and the Mozarabic (Christian) quarter was farther to the northeast. Nearly all the famous sights are concentrated in the old town.

Located at the bay of the river Tejo and built on and around seven hills, this city can be counted among the most beautiful in the world, and will leave you breathless in every way, due to its beauty, and also the steep alleys and constant ups and downs! The Phoenicians laid the cornerstone of Lisboa with a settlement at the River Tejo (“Alis Ubbo”); the Romans took over and fortified it (“Felicitas Iulia”); and the Moors conquered it and led the town to its economic and cultural high time (“Lischbuna”) until 1147. The big discoveries and expeditions of the 15th century made it to one of the richest towns in Europe. And we have the whole day to enjoy it! Get lost in the narrow streets of the Alfama, take the elevator, the Santa Justa Lift, to the Bairro Alto, or try the famous tramway 28 for a ride through the old town. Just a taste of these attractions and you will see that one day, our rest day, is not enough to truly appreciate this beauty by the River Tejo.