10 Best Day Trips from Malaga

The Alhambra is, without question, one of the most extraordinary buildings in the world, a 14th-century Moorish palace complex of jaw-dropping beauty. Book tickets months in advance (they sell out). Granada's old town, the Albaicín quarter and the flamenco caves of Sacromonte make this a full and extraordinary day.

Spain's most dramatic town, perched on the edge of a 100-metre gorge, connected by the 18th-century Puente Nuevo bridge. The views down into the Tajo gorge are genuinely breathtaking. Ronda also has the oldest bullring in Spain, Michelin-starred restaurants (Bardal, Tragatá) and a wonderful old town.

Spend the morning in Frigiliana, one of Spain's most beautiful white villages, with its extraordinary Moorish upper quarter. Then drive or walk down to Nerja for the afternoon: the Balcón de Europa, a swim at Playa Burriana and dinner. A perfect day.

Antequera is the most underrated day trip from the Costa del Sol. UNESCO dolmens, a magnificent Moorish Alcazaba, and 20 minutes away, El Torcal de Antequera: one of the most extraordinary natural landscapes in Europe, a vast karst limestone plateau sculpted into surreal formations.

Andalucía's capital rewards a full day, the magnificent Cathedral and Giralda tower (the world's largest Gothic cathedral), the Real Alcázar palace (Game of Thrones filmed here), the flamenco of Triana and tapas culture that rivals anywhere in Spain. 2 hours each way, but worth every kilometre.

One of Spain's most dramatic hiking experiences, a restored pathway pinned to the vertical walls of the Gaitanejo and Chorro gorges, at times just 1 metre wide and 100 metres above the river below. Not for vertigo sufferers; absolutely unmissable for those without.

A beautiful whitewashed hilltop village 30 minutes from most coastal resorts, with extraordinary views over the Mediterranean to Africa, traditional burro taxis, excellent local restaurants and a genuinely charming old town that most tourists miss entirely.

The Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba is one of the most extraordinary buildings in the world, a vast 10th-century mosque with 856 columns of marble and jasper, inside which the Catholic church built a cathedral in the 16th century. The result is surreal, magnificent and profoundly moving.

Europe's most important flamingo breeding site, a vast shallow saltwater lake hosting up to 25,000 greater flamingos during breeding season from March to July. One of the most remarkable wildlife spectacles in Europe, entirely overlooked by most tourists.

The Pueblos Blancos, the white villages of the Serranía de Ronda, are one of Andalucía's most beautiful landscapes. Drive the circular route through Grazalema, Zahara de la Sierra and Olvera: dramatic mountain scenery, impossibly picturesque villages and complete authenticity.