My husband and I are both over 60 and are considering either very extended stays or maybe even a relocation to Spain in the near future. My husband‘s dad was from Spain so he has citizenship. Anyway, we’ve been to Spain a number of times, but I’ve never visited the Andalusia region. We are looking to go in late April or late May 2027. We’ve been reading and watching YouTube videos and trying to sort out where we might like to visit for this trip. It’s actually a sort of part vacation and part reconnaissance for the future. We’ll have about a week and a half to travel. Ideally, we’d like to stay in one place and perhaps do day trips, preferably by train. But if there’s a compelling reason to stay in two different cities, we could do that. We would so appreciate recommendations.
Posted by
Surrey, UK
1088 posts
Andalucia is vast, and you do not have that long.
Perhaps you could give us an idea of your interests and the sort of place you might like to settle.
Posted by
Sacramento, CA
50 posts
A compelling reason for two cities is that arguably Granada is the best city in Andalusia, and would be my choice of city to live in in the region, but it’s not so well connected by train to the region. But of course, others will argue Sevilla is the best city in the region and is well connected to the region by train as well. I suggest staying in these two, and perhaps adding Malaga, if you’d like to experience a coastal city with character and a great food scene. Malaga has an international airport with direct flights to the US, which may also be a plus.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8767 posts
As Lin stated, Andalucía is huge. I can’t think of one, or even two cities where I’d want to spend about 10 days. Málaga, Granada, Almería, Úbeda, Córdoba, Cádiz, Sevilla are all worthy of a few days.
I’ve always had a rental car so don’t know how well the cities are connected by bus or train. What you want to do and see should determine where to stay rather than just picking a couple places at random.
Posted by
new york
1774 posts
I will add Jerez de la Frontera, but I don't really understand what you are asking....
Posted by
10326 posts
My favorite places in Andalusia were SEVILLE and GRANADA.
At least do 3 full days in Seville and 2 in Granada.
Cordoba is good and Malaga, didn't think much of the beaches in Costa del Sol.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
16094 posts
TBH you've given us very little to go on. What are your basic criteria for possible relocation? Services, climate, ease of traveling to other regions, other countries? Personally, I wouldn't consider Andalucia for relocation - way too hot in the summer and somewhat remote. Malaga has the best airport connections. Maybe Sevilla or Cordoba has better train connections. But other parts of Spain have much better connections. As others have said, this is a very large region in a very large country. There are a few day trips from Sevilla, Cordoba is the closest, but a day trip there absolutely short changes its charm and attractions. Another is Cadiz, perhaps Jerez. You can get to Arcos by taking the train to Jerez and then bus. That's about all I can think of.
Posted by
Bilbao
1072 posts
Buses (coaches), which in Spain are extremely safe, clean, modern, accessible, cheap and very frequent, are normally better options than trains. So when considering distances between cities, consider the bus (coach) option as a very feasible and logical one. For some reason, US citizens favor the train over the bus, but frequently it´s not the preferred option by locals.
Posted by
1 posts
Thank you for the responses so far, and my apologies for the vagueness of my request. We're not married to Andalusia--we're looking for someplace with good, easily accessed healthcare, as we are mature travelers; we would like mild temps (he has Hashimoto's and is not super cold-tolerant, and we live in the South, so I am over a lifetime of scorching summers); walkability, with plenty of restaurants, fresh food markets, good wine :) and a cultural scene would be wonderful; affordability is a must--we are retired and need to be reasonable, but not so cheap that there's no real infrastructure for travelling within Europe or healthcare access. We would prefer to travel (on this trip) by train/bus, but we can definitely rent a car if need be. We are also open to other areas, if anyone is in love with an area or with cities that are must-dos.
Posted by
Bay Area Ca, USA
92 posts
Andalusia is beautiful and definitely worth visiting if you haven’t been to that area of Spain. The Valencia Alicante area has become very popular for Americans to relocate. My sense is with the time you have you might want to prioritize if this is mainly a vacation or a recon for relocation. If the latter you may want to focus on areas of Spain that suit your needs and are more practical for relocation.
Posted by
Surrey, UK
1088 posts
If healthcare is of major importance, I would start by researching whaht healthcare is available to expats/non-resdents/non-nationals in several European counties.
Unless, of course, you will be bringing US health cover with you.
Andalucia is hot! In Seville today it will be 40 degs C.
So I would also do some weather rearch to find a country/region that is temperate.
Northern Spain is a possibility - Bilbao today is 29 degs C.
You should also investiagte long stay visas by country - don't forget the 90 in 180 day rule for visitors to EU/Schengen.
Posted by
new york
1774 posts
Why not look into Galicia?