Andalucía in January

[cmd]

We are going to Andalucía in January for three weeks. We will have a car. Planning to spend four nights each in Seville, Cordoba and Granada. We are not interested in staying by the sea. The remainder of the time we would like to spend in the countryside in Pueblo Blancos, and driving to day trips. My question is are the small villages deserted in the winter.
Thank you for any info.

 

[Tina]

We visited some lesser know destinations at the very beginning of March. These were places people live and work, not summer beach resorts. Happy to help if you need more specific info. Weather may be an issue in January in inland areas once you leave the Seville - Cordoba plain area since anywhere in the hills is much colder than the coast or Seville , but that depends on luck. Expect it to be cold in Granada

Off the beaten track in Andalucia early spring 2024 - Trip report

A blog about travel, vacations and holidays in Italy and Spain with advice, tips and trip reports

slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com

 

[Clive Muir]

Hi CMD, I live in Grazalema, one of the white village in the Sierra de Cádiz not far from Ronda.

To answer your main question, yes the small towns and villages in this area are much quieter in January and as Tina mentioned the weather can be a lot cooler up here in the hills. (We sometimes have snow here in Grazalema in January but this is not very often Picture attached ). Expect some rain though.

Heres my info page about the Pueblos Blancos on my site about Grazalema. In the left and right columns (on a desktop) there are links to my other sites about, Ronda, Cádiz and the natural parks and wildlife of Spain.

The white villages of the Sierra de Grazalema - The Sierra de Grazalema

The 'Pueblos Blancos' or White Villages of the sierra de Grazalema. Three road routes to discover the stunning Grazalema natural park

grazalemaguide.com

 

[Tina]

Hi Clive very useful websites, especially liked the post about the wildflowers

Early summer wildflowers in the Sierra de Grazalema - The Sierra de Grazalema

Tourist Information Portal for the Sierra de Grazalema. Early summer wildflowers in the Sierra de Grazalema

grazalemaguide.com

I know it's a bit off topic but what do you think about the protests against tourism in Málaga today?

Thousands of Spaniards to descend on Málaga to protest against mass tourism

Demonstrators from popular destinations such as Granada and Seville to join protest amid anger at lack of housing

www.theguardian.com

Andalucía is one of my favourite areas and I've always found people incredibly kind and patient with me and my basic Spanish. What's the feeling like where you live?
Was planning for my next trip returning to the area between Cadiz and Tarifa for two or three weeks next March....

 

[Clive Muir]

Glad you like my sites Tina! Thanks for the kind comments.

Re the protests across Spain and the islands, I don't have a lot of sympathy really. It is a question of you reap what you sow in many cases. In Magaluf they actively promoted stag parties and in Barcelona 10,000 second home owners went in direct competition with the hotels. Now they are complaining that in Magaluf the streets are full of drunks and hotels can't compete with airb&b! The protesters are screaming that tourists should go home but 90 percent of the properties for rent are owned by Spanish business. Where does the blame lay? Here In Grazalema the town hall is attracting buses full of people who visit the village for an hour, use the toilets and leave without even buying a drink in a bar. Sorry that's just plain wrong and I have been striving for a sustainable tourism model here for almost 20 years. I think "Slowtrav" said it all really hehehehehe

As for the feeling. I have been here, as I mentioned, for around 20 years and it has its ups and downs (Especially when you are working, bringing up kids etc and not on holiday.) But, I am still here and very happy! The Sierra de Grazalema is truly a fantastic area to explore.

Here is a bit about the Sierra de Grazalema from my other project, Wildside Holidays: https://wildsideholidays.co.uk/sierra-de-grazalema/

 

[Clive Muir]

@cmd You don't mention your route across Andalusia but with the time you have you could easily add in a couple of days in Ronda or Grazalema... here is my site about Ronda: https://www.rondatoday.com/

 

[AbideTraveller]

We are going to Andalucía in January for three weeks. We will have a car. Planning to spend four nights each in Seville, Cordoba and Granada. We are not interested in staying by the sea. The remainder of the time we would like to spend in the countryside in Pueblo Blancos, and driving to day trips. My question is are the small villages deserted in the winter.
Thank you for any info.

Nah, I wont say they are deserted, but they definitely slow down in winter. Make sure to check out restaurants and sites ahead of time online just in case hours have been reduced. You can check out official Andalusia tourism website for more detailed info https://www.andalucia.org/en/home and also this guidebook might come in handy as well https://gowithguide.com/blog/tourism-in-spain-statistics-2024-your-in-depth-travel-guide-5686