Suggested Itineraries

Where to go in Andalucia really depends on what you are interested in and what you like to do. There is everything from marvelous monuments, from its fascinating past, to beautiful beaches. You can explore the spectacular mountain and country areas as well as live it up after dark in the vivacious cities.

Here are a few suggestions to help you get as broad a taste of Andalucia as possible in a limited amount of time.

One Week

You have to travel fairly hard to get much of a idea of Andalucia in just one week. For the major monuments and three contrasting and fascinating cities, make a beeline for Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada. Alternatively, take an eastern or western route. An eastern trip could combine Granada with Las Alpujarras, a beautiful piece of mountainous, rural Andalucia. In the west, Sevilla can be combined with the historic port of Cadiz, or the sherry capital Jerez de la Frontera, or a couple of days on Cadiz province’s Costa de la Luz (Coast of Light). Cordoba or Malaga, another fulfilling city, could complete the either case.

Two Weeks

The Sevilla-Cordoba-Granada axis should be the centre of your trip. You could easily devote two weeks to those three cities alone, maybe with a few excursions out to places such as Carmona, Sanlucar de Barrameda or Jerez de la Frontera from Sevilla; Zuheros from Cordoba; or Las Alpujarras and the Sierra Nevada from Granada. A wider-ranging outing might include either western or eastern add-ons to the basic trio of cities: in addition to those destination already mentioned, in the west consider Ronda, Tarifa, the Costa de la Luz, Cadiz, the Sierra de Grazalemar, the Parque Nacional de Donana and the Sierra de Aracena. In the east, the architectural brilliance of Jaen, Ubeda and Baeza and the beautiful, mountainous Parque Natural de Cazorla are all worth a good few days – or go for a relaxing beach stint on the spectacular Cabo de Gata. The city of Malaga makes an interesting and lively start or end to any trip.

One Month

Travelling consistently, you could cover most of the ´Two Weeks´ option in one trip. Or, select a limited number of destinations and give yourself time to savour them properly.

Two Months

With this sort of time you can cover everywhere we’ve mentioned above at a fairly laid back pace, select some off-beaten track places of your own, and throw in some genuine relaxation time too. Don’t worry about running out of variety – the more you know of Andalucia, the more you will love it!

Planning When To Go

Andalucia can be enjoyable any time of year, though the weather between November and February is a can be a little unpredictable. For comfortable temperatures, the ideal months to visit are April, May, June, September and October. At these times the countryside is at its most colourful and you can rely on good to superb weather, yet you bypass the sometimes excessive heat and the main rush of tourists of July and August, when temperatures may rise to 45ºC inland. July and August are also the peak season for room prices in the majority of places – but, to compensate, they’re the peak months for colourful fiestas too, though there are plenty of these at almost anytime between Semana Santa (Holy Week) and October.

Most museums and places of interest stay open all year-round. If you are planning to undertake a particular activity such as walking or skiing, choose your season carefully.

What To Bring  

Everything you pack, you have to carry. You can buy most things in Spain.

Luggage

If you’ll be doing any walking at all with your luggage, a backpack is the sensible answer. One with straps and openings that can be zipped inside a flap is more and there is less risk of getting caught in escalators, stuck on handles and so on. A small daypack is a useful addition.

Writing your name and address on the inside of your luggage , as well as labeling it on the outside, increases the chance of you getting it back if it is lost or stolen.

Most Spanish bus stations have left-luggage (consigna) lockers costing 4€ to 8€ for 24hours, depending on the amount of luggage.

Clothing

In high summer (July and August), one layer of clothing should be sufficient even at 4am. In cooler seasons, layers of thin clothing, which trap warm air and can be taken off if necessary, are better than one single thick layer. You need a pair of strong shoes – at least strong trainers – no matter what type of trip you are making. It is a good idea to pack a set of good clothes and shoes other than trainers for some night spots and restaurants – they don’t have to be formal though.

Useful Items

Apart from things you may require for special types of trips (such as camping, walking and windsurfing), consider the following:

 

• An under the clothes money belt or shoulder wallet, useful for protecting your money and documents in cities.
• A small towel and soap, often lacking in cheap accommodation.
• Sunscreen lotion, which can be more costly in Spain than elsewhere.
• A small Spanish dictionary and/or phrasebook.
• Photocopies of important documents, to be kept separate from the originals.
• A pocket knife.
• Minimal unbreakable cooking, drinking and eating gear if you plan to prepare your own food and drinks.
• A medical kit.
• An adapter plug for electrical appliances.
• A torch.
• An alarm clock.
• Binoculars if you plan to do any wildlife spotting.

Post & Communications

Postal Rates

A letter weighing up to 20g costs around €0.42 from Andalucia to other European countries, €0.69 to North America and €1.11 to Australia. An aerogram costs around €0.51 to anywhere in the world.

Registered mail (certificado) costs an extra €1.05 for international mail. Urgente service, which means your mail may arrive two or three days quicker, costs around an extra €1.62 for international mail.

Sending Mail

Stamps are sold at most estancos (tobacconist shops with ‘Tobacos´ in yellow letters on a maroon background), as well as at all post offices (oficinas de correos). Main post offices in cities and towns are usually open from about 8.30am to 8.30pm Monday to Friday, from about 9am to 1.30pm on Saturday. Village offices have been known to open shorter hours. Estancos usually open for normal shop hours.

It’s quite safe and reliable to post mail in the yellow street post-boxes (buzones) as well as at post offices. Delivery times are variable but ordinary mail to other Western European countries usually arrive within a week; to North America within 10 days; to Australia or New Zealand within two weeks.

Receiving Mail

Delivery times are much the same to those for outbound mail. Poste restante mail can be addressed to you at poste reatante (or better, lista de correos, the Spanish name for it), anywhere in Spain that has a post office. It will be delivered to the place’s main post office unless another one is specified in the address. Take your passport when you go to pick up your mail. It helps if people capitalize or underline your surname. A typical poste restante address looks like this, with the name of the province following that of the town:

Jenny Jones

Lista de Correos

29780 Nerja

Málaga

Spain

Code Conduct

All Spanish addresses have a five-digit postcode, use of which should make your post arrive a little quicker. Villages, towns and small cities have one postcode for the whole place (for example, 29400 for Ronda). But the biggest cities each contain several different postcodes.

American Express

American Express card or travelers cheque holders can use the free client mail-holding service at American Express offices in Andalucia. You can get a list of these from American Express. Take your passport when you collect your mail.

Telephone

Andalucia is very well provided with street pay phones (they are blue) and they are easy to use for both international and domestic calls. The phones accept coins and/or slot-in Spanish phonecards (tarjetas telefonicas). Phonecards come in €6 and €12 values and, like postage stamps, are sold at post offices and tobacconists.

Coin pay phones inside bars and cafes – usually green – are normally a little bit more expensive than street pay phones. Phones in hotel rooms can be a lot more expensive: managements set their own rates, so you should ask about the costs before using one.

Costs

Calls from pay phones using coins or slot-in card costs about 35% more than calls from private lines. A three-minute payphone call costs around 15cents within your local area, 21cents to numbers starting 901, 39cents to other places within the same province, 45cents to numbers starting 902, 66cents to other Spanish provinces, €1.38 to other EU countries and Spanish mobile phones (numbers starting with 6), €1.68 to North America, and €4.93 to Australia. All these calls except those to mobile phones are cheaper from 8pm to 8am ( 6pm to 8am for local calls), and all day Saturday and Sunday. Calls to mobile phones are cheaper between 10pm and 8am Monday to Friday, 2pm to midnight Saturday and all day Sunday. Discounts are about 50% for provincial and inter-provincial calls and calls to mobile phones, are around 10% for local and international calls. Numbers starting 900 are free.

A variety of discount cards are available which can significantly cut call costs, especially for international calls. The majority of these are not slot-in cards but work through special access numbers.

Domestic Dialling

Spain has no telephone area codes. All numbers have nine digits and you simply dial that nine-digit number, wherever in the country you are calling from.

For an ambulance call 061. Dial 1009 to speak to a domestic operator, including for a domestic reverse-charge (collect) call (una llamada por cobro revertido). For directory enquiries dial 1003; calls cost approximately 36cents. The Spanish yellow pages can be found on-line at http://www.paginasamarillas.es/

International Dialling

To make an international call from Andalucia, dial the international dialing code (00), then the country code, area code and number you want. For international collect calls, dial 900 99 00 followed by the code for the country you are calling:

• 61 for Australia
• 44 for UK
• 64 for New Zealand
• 15 for Canada and for the USA
• 11 (AT&T)
• 14 (MCI)

Codes for other countries are usually posted up in pay phones. You will get straight through to an operator in the country you are calling. If for some reason this doesn’t work, in most places you can get an English-speaking Spanish international operator on 1008.

Mobile Phones

Use of mobile phones (telefono movil) has grown a lot in Spain. Spain uses GSM900/1800 which is compatible with the rest of Europe and Australia but not with the North American GSM 1900 or the completely different system used in Japan (though some North Americans have GSM1900/900 phones that do work here). If you have a GSM phone you should check with your service provider about using it in Andalucia, and be aware of calls being routed internationally (very expensive for a ´local`call). Every Andalucian town of medium size or larger have mobile phone shops. Movistar, found on almost any high street, sells phones for around €60, including €24 of calls.

Fax

Most main post offices have a fax service: sending one page will cost around €2.10 within Spain, €6.70 to elsewhere in Europe and €12.62 to €15.03 to other countries. However you will often find cheaper rates at shops or offices with ´fax publico` signs.

Email & Internet Access

An easy way of accessing the Internet and email while you’re on the road is by cyber cafes and other public access points. You’ll find these in many Andalucian cities and towns, especially those with student populations. Visit http://www.world66.com/netcafeguide to find out where the cafes are situated. Charges for an hour on-line range between €1.20 and €3.60. It’s easiest to use Web-based email, which you can access anywhere in the world from any internet connected computer. Several such email accounts are available free, such as http://www.yahoo.com/ or www.hotmail.com.

Travelling with a portable computer is also a great way to stay in touch with the rest of the world, but unless you know what you’re doing it’s fraught with potential problems. If you plan to carry your notebook or palmtop computer with you remember that the power supply voltage in Spain may vary from that at home, risking damage to your equipment. The best investment is a universal AC adaptor for your appliance, which will enable you to plug it in anywhere without frying the innards. You’ll also need a plug adaptor for Spain often it’s easiest to buy these before you leave home. Your PC-card modem may or may not work outside your home country – and you won’t know for sure until you try. The safest option is to buy a reputable global modem before you leave home or a local PC-card modem if you’re spending an extended time in Spain. The telephone sockets in Spain may be different from those at home, so ensure that you have at least a USRJ-11 telephone adaptor that works with your modem. You can almost always find an adaptor that will convert from RJ-11 to the local variety.

Major Internet service providers (ISPs) such as AOL (http://www.aol.com/), CompuServe (http://www.compuserve.com/) and AT&T Business Internet Services (http://www.attbusiness.net/) have dial-in nodes throughout Europe including Sevilla, Malaga and other Spanish cities. It’s best to download a list of the dial-in numbers before you leave home.

Radio & TV

Radio

The coastal areas have at least six English language radio stations. Most carry BBC or British independent radio news on the hour several times a day. You’ll get a mix of music and talk on spectrum (105.5MHz), Central (98.6MHz and 103.8MHz FM), Premier Music Radio (96.8MHz), Onda Cero International (101.6MHz) - they are listed here in approximate ascending order of audience range. There’s also Premiere Talk Radio (104.9MHz FM). Radio Gibraltar is on 91.3MHz FM. Somewhere around 99 or 100MHz FM you can often pick up BBC Radio 4 or Radio 5, broadcast for British forces.

Spanish radio stations of which there are dozens in Andalucia, are good for music and trying to improve your Spanish. El Pais publishes local wavelength guides in its Cartelera (what’s on) section. The most listened-to stations in Andalucia are Canal Sur Radio and the commercial pop and rock stations 40 Principales and M-80. The state network radio Nacional de Espana (RNE 2) has four stations including RNE 3 (Radio d’Esop), with some excellentpop and rock programs, and RNE 2 (classical music), both on FM only. For flamenco and other exclusively Spanish music, find Radio E around91MHz FM.

TV

Spaniards are Europe’s greatest TV watchers after the British. Most TVs receive between five and seven channels – two from the state run Television Espanola (TVE1 and La 2), three independent (Antena 3, Tele 5 and Canal Plus) and a couple of regional or local ones, including the all-Andalucia Canal Sur. Most of them broadcast round the clock, or nearly. Apart from news (of which there’s a respectable amount), programming consists largely of game and talk shows, sport, soap operas (telenovelas) and English language films dubbed into Spanish. Canal Plus is a pay channel: non-subscribers get bad reception on most programs.

Satellite and digital TV offer a multifarious choice and can be found in some bars, cafes and hotels. Foreign channels you may come across include BBC World (mainly news and travel), BBC Prime (other BBC programs), CNN, Eurosport, MTV, Sky News, Discovery and Disney.

Video Systems

If you want to record or buy video tapes to play back home, you won’t get a picture if the image registration systems are different. Spanish television and nearly all prerecorded videos in Spain use the phase alternation line (PAL) system common to most of western Europe and Australia. France uses the incompatible SECAM system, and North America and Japan use the incompatible NTSC system. PAL videos can’t be played on a machine that lacks PAL capability.

Photography

Most main brands of film are widely available, and processing is fast and generally efficient. A roll of print film (36 exposures, ISO 100) costs around €4.21 and can be processed for around €10.21 – there are often better deals if you have two or three rolls developed together. The equivalent in slide (diapositiva) film is around €4.80 plus €4.80 for processing.

Your camera and film will be routinely passed through airport x-ray machines. These shouldn’t damage film but you can ask for hand inspection if you are worried. Lead pouches for film are another solution.

Some museums and galleries ban photography, or at least flash, and soldiers can be touchy about it. Its common courtesy to ask – at least by gesture – when you want to photograph people.

Bright midday sun can bleach out your shots; therefore photographs are better taken earlier or later in the day.

Time

All mainland Spain is on GMT/UTC plus one hour during winter, and GMT/UTC plus two hours during the daylight-saving period which runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. Most other Western European countries have the same time as Spain year round, the major exceptions being Britain, Ireland and Portugal. Add one hour to these three countries` times to get the Spanish time.

Spanish time is normally USA Eastern Time plus six hours, and USA Pacific Time plus nine hours. But the USA tends to start daylight saving a week or two later than Spain, so you must add one hour to the time differences in the intervening period.

In the Australian winter subtract eight hours from Sydney time to get Spanish time; in the Australian summer subtract 10 hours. The difference is nine hours for a few weeks in March.

Guide to Travel Tips Puerto Banus Marbella A must read page for all you new arrivals to Puerto Banus. Opening Hours, Getting Around, Driving in Spain, Watch Out, Staying Healthy, Electricity, On the Beach, Customs advice when going home. Useful Tips Average Tips/Gratuities Restaurants (if service not included) 5-10% Cafes/Bars change Taxis 2-3% Tour Guides change Porters change Chambermaids change Hairdressers change Cloakroom attendants change Theatre/cinema usherettes change Toilets change Currency · The Spanish currency is the Euro, usually abbreviated to €. · You can change traveler's cheques and sterling at any bank, at an exchange office or at some tourist offices. Look for the Oficina de Cambio sign. · Larger hotels will sometimes change cash or traveller's cheques, as will many shops, but you'll probably get a better rate of exchange at the bank, so it's a good idea to shop around. And don't be misled by signs saying 'no commission' - you'll often find that the exchange rate is not as good. · You'll need your passport when cashing traveller's cheques. · All major credit cards are accepted in most restaurants and department stores, and at a lot of the petrol stations in main resort areas. Staff in shops and supermarkets, however, may also ask to see your passport or driving license. You'll need cash in smaller restaurants and in more rural areas. · If you have a credit card or switch card you can usually use the 24-hour automatic cash dispensers, which have instructions in English. · Tipping is optional. Around 10 per cent is acceptable in restaurants, and taxi drivers will also expect a small tip. Opening Hours As a rule, most shops open from either 9am or 10am to 1pm or 2pm. They then close for the siesta, reopening from 4pm or 5pm to 8pm or 9pm. The majority of shops remain closed from Saturday lunchtime to Monday morning although some supermarkets open on Sunday mornings. · Spanish post offices - 'correos' - are open between 9am and 2pm, Monday to Friday. A distinctive yellow and white sign makes them easy to spot. · Although times may vary depending on branch and local custom, banks are generally open from 9am to 2pm Monday to Friday and on Saturdays until 12 midday although in summer they may not open on Saturdays. · Bureau de change ('cambio') are open for currency transactions between 10am and 9pm - seven days a week. · Opening hours for tourist information offices vary according to the location and season. Most are open Monday to Saturday 9.30am till 1 or 2pm. Some open again in the evening or on Sunday - and some stay open all day in high season. Getting around · Buses and trains at pleasingly cheap prices make it easy to travel between many of the main Spanish coastal resorts. · Taxis are the easy method to get to those tucked away night spots. Call up from your hotel or hail one in the street - you'll be able to see it's for hire by the green light either in the front window or on the roof. Make sure that the meter is on for local trips and pay the price that's shown. For longer trips out of town the driver will have a price list, so do check beforehand. Surcharges for trips to the airport and extra baggage are common. · An extensive network of private buses makes light work of travelling between the major resorts and outlying villages - services run every 20-30 minutes or so and are excellent value by UK standards. They can get very crowded though! Get on at the front, buy your ticket from the driver and get off at the rear exit. Driving in Spain · Car hire in southern Spain is among the cheapest in Europe, and it's the most convenient way of exploring the coastline, inland towns and villages of Andalucia. · To hire a car, you'll need an EU format driving license, and you must carry this and your insurance documents with you whenever you're out driving. · Speed limits are 120km/h on motorways, 100km/h on dual carriageways or 80km/h on other roads outside built-up areas, and 50km/h in built-up areas. Speeding penalties are hefty - and non-residents have to pay fines for traffic offences on the spot. · You will probably see a lot of mopeds for hire around your resort. If you do hire a moped or motorbike, please make sure that you are fully covered on your personal travel insurance. · Take extra care in July and August when the roads get very busy and people drive at ridiculously high speeds - often not bothering with normal protocol like stopping at red lights. The N340 which runs through the main resorts of the Costa del Sol is especially dangerous. Always 'buckle up', even in the back. · If you do have an accident, you're required to put warning triangles out and to call a breakdown service immediately (there are SOS roadside telephones on motorways, or you should get another motorist or the traffic police to help) A new law has been created that in the instance of an accident you are required to wear a high-visibility (Reflective) vest. You only have to notify the police if there have been serious casualties. · Spanish drivers routinely flash their lights or indicators if they want to overtake other vehicles. If this happens to you don't take it personally! Watch out · Take the usual precautions: lock spare cash, jewellery and other valuables in the hotel safe, keep your wallet in an inside pocket, don't leave your car unlocked or anything on display inside, don't leave possessions unattended (even for a quick dip in the sea), mind your wallet or handbag in crowded places such as markets, and don't walk alone at night in deserted places. · Do watch out for anyone - adult or child - attempting to distract you as you may be about to be pick-pocketed. Any theft or accident must be reported to the police - remembering to ask for a signed and stamped copy of the report for insurance purposes. Staying healthy · A pharmacy (farmacia) is the place to head for the treatment of minor ailments. They are easily recognized by the large green cross and open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 8.30pm. Details of duty pharmacies open outside of these hours are posted on the window, as in the UK. · High factor suncream is a must for avoiding sunburn. Take it easy in the first few days, building up your time in the sun gradually and avoiding the hottest part of the day between noon and 3pm. Drinking plenty of liquids - ideally water or other non-alcoholic drinks - helps avoid dehydration. · Take special care when swimming in the sea as not all beaches offer life guards and/or operate flag warning systems. Keep within your depth unless you're a specially strong swimmer, check depths before diving into swimming pools and beware of slippery tiles. Children - it goes without saying - should be supervised at all times. · Private, English-speaking doctors are available at all the resorts - 24 hours a day. You'll need to bring your insurance policy and keep all receipts in the event of needing to make a claim. Your resort represetntative will be able to answer all your questions relating to doctors and insurance procedures. · A good repellent is normally an effective way of preventing insect bites and possible infection. Mosquito nets can also be a useful weapon but do make sure that all windows are closed and that lights are off in bedrooms at dusk when mozzies and other insects are especially active. · Plug-in anti-mosquito machines can be purchased from most supermarkets for a very reasonable price. Electricity · The voltage is generally 220 or 225AC, though some buildings still have 110 or 125 volts. Plugs have two pins. On the beach ·Do make sure you obey any warning flags that may be in operation - they are there for your safety. · Green means conditions are safe for all. · Yellow indicates conditions are for strong swimmers only. · Red means strictly no swimming whatsoever. Customs Advise Personal Items: Visitors can bring the following items into the country duty-free: one litre of spirits or two of fortified wine, 200 cigarettes, 100 small cigars, 50 large cigars and 250g of tobacco and any personal effects, such as jewellery, cameras, portable video and sound equipment, sports equipment, perfumes, coffee and tea. If your camera or similar is new you don't have to have the sales receipt, however it is prudent with more costly items to ask a Customs official when you enter to certify that you brought it into the country with you. Currency Spanish and foreign currency, banker's drafts and traveller's cheques can be imported and exported without being declared up to a limit of €6000.00. Pets may be brought with you as long as you have a suitable Health Certificate for the animal signed by an officially recognised vet from the country of origin, which indicates the dates of the last vaccines and, in particular, that of an anti-rabies shot. EU Customs Spain is part of the European Customs Union so expect customs controls to be stricter if you are entering from outside Europe. To be more correct if you are entering from outside the European Customs Union. Gibraltar, Andorra, Cueta, Melilla are outside this union. VAT (IVA) is payable on the importation of goods. Non EU residents who will export their holiday purchases may be able to reclaim the VAT paid at time of purchase. Larger departmant stores such as the Corte Ingles will help with the paperwork. In short, complete an application form at time of purchase, have this stamped by customs on departure, post this copy back to the shop who will make the refund probably to your credit card. ELECTRICITY Electric current in Spain is 220V, 50Hz, as in the rest of continental Europe, however a few places are still on 125V or 110V (sockets are often labelled where this is the case). Voltage may even vary in the same building. Don`t plug 220V (or British 240V) appliances into 125V or 110V sockets unless they have a transformer. North America 60Hz appliances with electric motors (such as some CD and tape players) may perform badly. Plugs have two round pins, again like the rest of Europe. WEIGHTS & MEASURES The metric system is used in Spain. Like other continental Europeans, the Spanish indicate decimals with commas and thousands with points. LAUNDRY Small laundries (lavanderias) are fairly common: they will usually wash, dry and fold a load for €6 to €12. Some youth hostels and a few budget hostales (guesthouses) have washing machines for guests use. TOILETS Public toilets are not very common in this region, but it is generally OK to wander into many bars and cafes to use their toilets, even if you are not a customer. It could be worth you carrying some toilet paper with you, as many toilets lack it.

Women Travellers

Women travelers should be ready to ignore any stares, catcalls and unnecessary comments, though in fact harassment is not frequent. Learn the word for help (Socorro) incase toy need to draw other people’s attention. Men under about 35, who have grown up in the post-Franco era, are less sexually stereotyped than their older counterparts. But you still need to exercise common sense about where you go solo. Think twice about going alone to isolated stretches of beach or country paths, or down empty city streets at night. It’s highly inadvisable for a woman to hitchhike alone – and not a great idea for two women together.

Topless bathing and skimpy clothes are acceptable in many coastal resorts, but people tend to dress more modestly elsewhere.

 

Gay And Lesbian Travellers

Gay and lesbian sex are both legal in Spain: the age of consent is 16, the same as for heterosexuals. In 1996 the conservative Partido Popular (PP) government put the brakes on a law intended to establish the legal rights of gay couples, but by 2000 some civil registrars were recording de facto gay/lesbian couples.

Andalucia’s liveliest gay scenes are in Sevilla, Granada, Cadiz and Torremolinos. The Madrid-based gay magazine Entiendes is on sale at some newsstands for €3 and has a quarterly English edition. International gay and lesbian guides worth tracking down are the Spartacus Guide for Gay Men (the Spartacus also includes the comprehensive Spartacus National Edition Espana, in English and German), published by Bruno Gmunder Verlag (Mail Order, PO Box 61 01 04, D-10921 Berlin) and Places for Women, published by Ferrari Publications in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

 

Organisations

Two good sources of information on gay places and organizations throughout Spain are Coordinadora Gai-Lesbiana in Barcelona (Tel 93 298 00 29, fax 93 298 06 18), which publishes a copy of ‘Gay Spain, Feel the Passion’ on it’s website (www.pangea.org), a guide the PP prevented being published in 1997; and Cogam, Calle del Fuencarral 37, 28004 Madrid (Tel/fax 91 532 45 17), with a website at http://www.cogam.org/. Both can provide information on help groups, places to go, bars, HIV/AIDS, and just about anything else you might want to know.

Asociacion Andaluza de Lesbianas y Gais (NOS) at Calle Lavadero de las Tablas 15, Granada, runs the Telefono Andaluz de Informacion Homosexual (Tel 958 20 06 02). It opens 10am to 2pm and 4 to 8pm Monday to Friday. Further gay links are on the Gayscape site at http://www.gayscape.com/

 

Disabled Travellers

Some Spanish tourist offices in other countries can provide a basic information sheet with some useful addresses for disabled travelers, and give details of accessible accommodation in specific places.

Wheelchair accessibility in Andalucia is improving. Fuengirola is equipping two beaches for the disabled, with specially adapted showers and sun bed areas, reserved toilets and parking, and aluminium wheelchairs that can be taken into the sea without going rusty. Nearly all Andalucian youth hostels now have rooms adapted for the disabled, but accessibility is still rare enough in other budget accommodation. All new public buildings are now required to have wheelchair access, but most public buildings predate the law. Unfortunately many hotels that claim to be accessible actually retain problem features.

The British based royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR) publishes a useful guide, European holidays & Travel Abroad: A Guide for Disabled People, which provides a good overview of facilities available to disabled travellers throughout Europe. The website for RADAR is http://www.radar.org.uk/ . Holiday Care produces an information pack on Spain for disabled people and others with special needs. Tips range from hotels with disabled access through to where you can hire equipment and tour operators dealing with the disabled.  

Senior Travellers

There are reduced prices for people aged 60, 63 or 65 at some museums and sights, and occasionally on transport. Some of the luxurious paradores sometimes offer discounts for people over 60.

 

Travel With Children

Andalucians as a rule are very friendly to children. Any child whose hair is less than jet black will be called rubia (blonde) if she’s a girl or rubio if he’s a boy. Accompanied children are welcome at all kinds of accommodation, and in virtually every café, bar and restaurant. Andalucian children stay up late and at fiestas it’s commonplace to see even tiny ones toddling the streets at 2 or 3 am. Visiting kids like this idea too – but can’t cope with it quite so readily.

Most young kids don’t like moving around too much and are happier if they can settle into places and make new friends. It’s easier on the parents too if you don’t have to pack up and move on every day or two. Spanish street life and bustle, and the novelty of being in new places, provide some distraction but most children will get bored unless some of the time is devoted to some of their favorite activities. Children are likely to be more affected by unaccustomed heat and need to time to acclimatize. Take care to avoid sunburn.

Apart from the obvious attractions of beaches, playgrounds are fairly plentiful in Andalucia, and many places have excellent special attractions such as amusement parks (for example Sevilla’s Isla Malgica, and Tivoli world on the Costa del Sol), aqua-parks, aquariums-and let’s not forget Mini Hollywood and other Western movie sets in the Almeria desert.

Most children are irresistibly drawn to the ubiquitous street-corner kioscos selling sweets or packets of gusanitos (corn puffs) for a few euros. The magnetism of these places often overcomes children’s inhibitions enough for them to carry out their own first Spanish transactions.

Nappies, creams, lotions, baby foods and so on are as easily available in Spain as in any other European country, but if there’s some particular brand you swear by it’s beat to bring it with you.

Children benefit from cut-price or free entry at many sights and museums. Those under four travel free on Spanish trains and those aged four to eleven normally pay 60% of the adult fare.