Whatever brings you there, here are 10 recommended activities to enjoy your journey, published in three separate articles.

1. Explore Islamic architecture

Over 220 different archaeological sites and monuments related to the heritage period of al-Andalus, also known as Muslim Spain, or Islamic Iberia, can be found in Spain, showcasing the important dominance of the Arabs in the country as well as Portugal starting from the eighth century.

Although not much is left, at least not in original form, a few examples of Islamic architecture can still be found in some parts of the country:

Madinat al-Zahra, Cordoba

Dubbed the City of the Caliphs, Madinat al-Zahra was founded in 936 as one of the symbolic acts associated with Abd al-Rahman III’s proclamation as the first caliph of al-Andalus. The topography of where it sat, between the mountains and the Guadalquivir plain, permitted a deliberate graduation of the ground in terraces. The city was basically made up of two perfectly hierarchical areas: the Medina (the city) and the Alcazar, the residence of the caliph and government and delegation offices. The entire architectural complex was protected by a wall with towers and access gateways.

The breakdown of the caliph state at the beginning of the 11th century led to the abandonment of the city and the beginning of its destruction. In 1012, the Alcazar was ruined during a civil war.

Only around 10 percent of the city has been excavated, a process that began in 1911 according to our tour guide Lola. “Up to 90 percent is still underground due to budget issues,” said Lola.

The excavation efforts are said to have recovered about 12 percent of the Alcazar and the mosque, said to be the first in al-Andalus to be built correctly positioned, facing Mecca. No houses have been excavated in the Medina yet, although it is assumed they were not too different from those already studied in Córdoba’s outlying quarters.

Alhambra, Granada

More than 2 million tourists visit this site annually to admire, as our museum guide in Granada, Javier, described it, the last example of Islamic architecture in Spain and a kind that you could not find anywhere else.

Constructed in 1238, the current Sultan of al-Andalus and emir of Granada ordered the construction of an impenetrable, fortified castle on the hill, encircled by two rivers. “These surrounding forests didn’t exist in the Middle Ages. Building a castle on the hill was for security purposes; enabling them to see the enemy,” said our tour guide Daniel.

For centuries, Alhambra (literally, “the red”) served as a palace, a citadel and the residence of the Nasrid sultans and their senior officials. According to Daniel, an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 inhabitants used to live on the site, including royal families, servants and concubines. The establishment itself consists of four areas: the palaces, the Alcazaba (military zone), the Medina (the city) and the Generalife palace and gardens. “You would need at least one whole day to explore the entire 13-hectare area,” he added.

After the Sultan surrendered to the Christian monarch to avoid a massacre – thus ending the era of Muslims in Spain as Granada was their last capital – the Christians immediately, fascinated by the palace, decided to preserve it. “An additional Christian palace was later built after the conquest,” said Daniel, adding that some Muslims were baptized by force and other expelled.

The Cathedral of Córdoba

Now serving as the central church of the Diocese, the cathedral stands where originally stood the city’s main church, San Vicente Basilica, which was demolished in 785 to allow the construction of a mosque following the Islamic invasion in Córdoba.

Abd al-Rahman I, who was inspired by the Mosque of Damascus, started building the mosque with the traditional layout of a sahn (ablution courtyard) and a zullah (prayer hall). Over the two following centuries, it was extended by at least three different Umayyad rulers. The result is the largest Islamic monument in the Western world – and the world’s third-largest mosque –featuring a unique fusion of Islamic and Byzantine Greek architecture.

Following the reconquering of the city by King Ferdinand III in 1236, the building was reconstructed and remodeled, notably with the addition of gothic, renaissance and baroque styles.

According to Lola, the Islamic minaret, built during the reign of Abd al-Rahman II, can still be found embedded in the tower of the cathedral.

The museum foundation’s officer, Javier Rodriguez, said that after being conquered by the Christians, most Muslims in Spain went to North Africa, Marrakech, Tunisia and Algeria, while the rest converted to Christianity.

2. Olive oil touring

As the world’s top olive oil producer, parts of Spain are home to picturesque seas of olive trees. Up to 220 million olive trees can be found in the country, making it home to the world's largest cultivated areas of the plants. And, of course, a perfect destination to tour a plant.

Around 66 million of Spain's olive trees are nestled in Jaén province, Andalusia. Baeza, one of the province’s renaissance cities, is arguably the best destination to discover more about the product, since, according to the town’s mayor, Lola Marín Torres, it is currently focused on olive oil tourism.

Indeed, almost all of the town’s 17,000 inhabitants own olive trees; mostly inherited from their parents and grandparents. Some harvest the plants for their own consumption while some produce olive oil to sell either under their own brand or with a local cooperative.

Production equipment used in the old days can be found at the Museo de la Cultura del Olivo (Olive Museum) in Baeza. For instance, in the past, people used sieves to separate the olives from leaves and branches. They also used sacks and baskets to transport the olives from the field to the oil mill. These sacks and bags were carried by animals, usually donkeys. At the oil mill, the olives were weighed and stored in large compartments. Nowadays,  tractors or trucks transport items and the olives are not only weighed but also sorted according to their oil content. They are also immediately pressed after harvest to avoid diminishing the quality.

The museum also hosts some of the world's most popular varieties of olives. There are some 1,700 different varieties of olives globally and around 260 of which can be found in Spain.

“The most common variety in Jaén is Picual,” said our tour guide Selena, adding that the particular variety accounted for up to 95 percent of the 66 million olive trees in the province.

In addition to discovering more about Spain’s olives, learning to recognize the oil’s positive (high intensity of fruitiness in the smell and bitterness and spiciness in taste) and negative attributes (wine-like scent and vinegary and rancid in taste) and savoring it in local cuisine, visitors can also bring home a number of products, such as extra virgin olive oil, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and soaps.

3. Visit World Heritage Sites

Úbeda and Baeza, named UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2003, are home to picturesque historic, cultural and artistic legacies. The spirit of the renaissance is strong in both cities and visitors can expect to marvel at palaces, churches, a university, cathedral and seminary built during the XVI century by important artists of the period such as Siloé, Vandelvira and Berruguete.

When in Valencia, a stroll to the city’s main heritage site, Plaza de la Virgen, is compulsory. One of its gems is the Valencia Cathedral, which sits on the site of an ancient Roman temple that later became a mosque. Dating back to the 13th century, it features a combination of architectural styles, from Romanesque to Baroque. The Holy Chalice, said to be the one that Jesus used during the Last Supper, can be admired in one of its chapels.

The nearby 15th century Gothic civil building, Lonja de la Seda (the Silk Exchange), is also a must-visit. Also known as the Merchants Market, it used to play an important role when Valencia was a business hub, especially for the silk industry. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996, the building features impressive spiral columns in its trading hall and wood-coffered ceilings in the consulate chamber.

Explore other recommended adventures in southern Spain in the second and third articles.

Things to do in southern Spain: Stay in Renaissance hotel, hop around museums

Things to do in southern Spain: Wine tasting, explore picturesque village of Mijas

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