As you drive across Andalucia, there is inevitably a castle up ahead somewhere. Olive groves, vineyards and fields of sunflowers stretch as far as you can see. White villages cling to hilltops in the distance, tempting you to stop and sit at a café table in the square for a while.

This 15-day route only scratches the surface of Spain’s southernmost region – Andalucia is bigger than Scotland and more than four times the size of Wales – and there is a tremendous amount to see and do, whether you’re seeking history, archaeology, architecture, mountains, beaches or the frankly fabulous food and wine. With more time than a fortnight, there’s hiking in the Alpujarras to explore on your way between Malaga and Granada, or in the Sierra de Cazorla in Jaén province. The beaches in Cabo de Gata in Almeria really deserve at least a week too. From Seville, the drive up to the Sierra de Aracena offers up chances to eat sublime jamón ibérico in a bar in every village.

In typical Spanish style, take your time, if you can – you really don’t want to be rushing around just ticking off sights while in Andalucia as that would be missing the point of this most beguiling of regions.

The itinerary is planned around spending two nights in seven places over a fortnight. If, like me, you find changing hotels every other day counterintuitive to a relaxing break, this tour is designed to be tweaked to suit your own tastes, adding days to do all the lovely extras the region has up its sleeve.

We start in Malaga, for practical reasons, as the city has by far the most (and usually cheapest) flight options from UK airports. For the thrifty among you, a car isn’t necessary until until day three, when our route leads to Granada – save a few quid by starting your rental then.

Try and get a morning flight so that you can enjoy the afternoon and evening in Malaga. Stay at the Parador de Malaga Gibralfaro for panoramic views of the city and the Mediterranean, or go for the Room Mate Valeria to be able to walk everywhere – or just hang out on its roof terrace with a cocktail.

Stroll up the elegant Calle Marqués de Larios, which is lined with shops, veering off towards the cathedral – a mishmash of Gothic, Renaissance and baroque features. Just beyond you’ll begin to unravel Malaga’s history when faced with a Roman amphitheatre, with the 11th-century Alcazaba fortress perched on the hilltop above. Having worked up an appetite, stop off for contemporary tapas at Taberna Uvedoble or jump in a taxi for sardines and shellfish by the beach at Maricuchi.

Get your energy levels up with churros and dense hot chocolate at Casa Aranda before diving into the Atarazanas food market to swoon at the superb produce arranged like artworks on the stalls. Book a market and tapas tour with Tapas in Malaga for a real insider experience.

Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga and the 50th anniversary of his death is being marked with exhibitions and events in the city throughout 2023. At the Picasso Museum, the programme includes the Matter and Body sculpture exhibition (May 9 to September 10 2023).

Saunter along the Muelle Uno waterfront promenade to the arty Soho neighbourhood. Café de Estraperlo is a welcoming spot for a coffee or a beer and the creative cuisine and lively vibe at La Antxoeta make it a great choice for dinner.

Drive up through the hills from Malaga to Granada. Book well ahead if you want a memorable stay in the Parador or go for the AC Palacio de Santa Paula, a remodelled 16th-century convent in the centre. The El Claustro restaurant there is excellent too.

Granada’s spell will start working its magic as you climb up the narrow streets of the Albayzín, the former Moorish quarter, where the cobbled lanes are flanked by high white walls, topped with tumbling flowers. Head for the Plaza de San Nicolás or the quieter Placeta de Carvajales for a breathtaking view of the Alhambra on the opposite hill.

Book your tickets for the Alhambra as far ahead as possible. The vast, hypnotic fortress was created by the sultans of the Nasrid dynasty and forms one of the best examples of Islamic architecture in the world. When the guards aren’t looking, sit on the floor and focus on the geometry of the structures before examining the intricate decoration.

Wander down into the Realejo neighbourhood, the former Jewish quarter, where the streets are packed with tapas bars, as well as Renaissance and baroque monuments that were built following the expulsion of the Moors.

You’ll have happily realised by now that you usually get a complimentary tapa with every glass of beer or wine. Taberna La Tana is a good place to linger with excellent wines by the glass.

To get to Cordoba, drive through the landscape of rolling hills, olive groves and vineyards of the Sierra Subbética, with breaks in whitewashed towns and villages such as Priego de Córdoba, Cabra or Lucena – look out for the local olive oil, cheese and Montilla-Moriles wines.

Alternatively, head northeast from Granada to see the astounding Renaissance architecture in Baeza and Úbeda (an hour and a half’s drive) in the much less touristy Jaén province, where 70 per cent of Spain’s olive oil is produced. It takes another hour and a half to drive on to Cordoba from here.

Stay at the pleasant Parador, which is modern and just outside the centre or the Hospes Palacio del Bailío, on the site of a Roman villa, which has an excellent spa and restaurant.

Spend the evening simply strolling through the cobbled lanes of the Jewish Quarter, peering into flower-filled patios before dinner at smart Bodega de Campos, which oozes Cordoban charm.

Start the day in the magnificent Mezquita. Drifting through the former mosque, where row upon row of columns of jasper, granite and marble columns are linked by horseshoe arches is totally mesmerising. With Roman, Visigothic, Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance and baroque elements – not to mention the cathedral built inside the structure in the 16th century – there is a lot to take in.

For lunch, take your pick from the gourmet food stands at Mercado Victoria. Try salmorejo, the thicker Corboban version of gazpacho, at La Salmoreteca. For dinner, treat yourselves at Noor, where chef Paco Morales has gained two Michelin stars for his exquisite dishes that trace the heritage of Andalusian cuisine. If you’re not in a fancy mood, head for El Bar de Paco Morales instead.

Driving from Cordoba to Seville only takes about an hour and a half, but it’s worth stopping for coffee – and maybe a second breakfast – in the hilltop town of Carmona to take in the rich Roman, Moorish and Mudéjar heritage.

For a luxury stay in Seville, the Corral del Rey is a palatial 17th-century residence in the central Alfalfa neighbourhood. For contemporary style and reasonable rates, try the One Shot Palacio Conde de Torrejón 09 in the buzzy Alameda barrio. The restaurant there, Lalola by Javi Abascal, has a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

To get under the skin of this most sensual of cities – and learn how to order tapas – book a tour with Shawn Hennessey, also known as the queen of tapas.

Have a look at the many treasures in the vast cathedral before climbing the steps of the Giralda, the belltower that was originally a minaret, for panoramic views. Then stroll along to the Alcázar, the extraordinary palace that was created in the 14th century by Mudéjar craftsmen and is still used as a royal residence today.

Wander into the labyrinth of lanes of the Barrio de Santa Cruz, attempting to head for Bar Las Teresas for the perfect plate of ham and a glass of fino sherry.

In the afternoon, spend a couple of hours in the shops – you’ll find you *need* some new shoes – and book a table for dinner of zingy creative Andalucian cooking at La Azotea in their new branch on Calle Conde de Barajas – with a drink first in La Tienda, their wine bar across the street.

This morning we head south to the ancient, evocative city of Cadiz on the Atlantic coast. Stay at the sleek Parador overlooking the ocean, or the more intimate and characterful Casa de las Cuatro Torres in a stylishly restored 18th-century building.

The old part of the city, which was founded more than 3,000 years ago by the Phoenicians, is at the end of a peninsula with narrow, straight streets flanked by stone mansions painted in pastel shades. Head straight for the central market to see the glistening slabs of tuna and langostino prawns – then grab a table at one of the bars to try a few things with a chilled manzanilla sherry.

There’s a lot more sherry today as we are off to Jerez on the train, which takes about 35 minutes. You could drive of course, in the unlikely event that you won’t be tasting the different sherries. Book a tour at Tio Pepe but try to fit in a smaller producer such as Bodegas Tradición, which also has an art collection with paintings by Velázquez and Goya. You might want to see the dancing horses of the Royal Andalucian School of Equestrian Art or just try a few tabancos, the taverns that specialise in sherry. Start with Tabanco Plateros or Tabanco El Pasaje, where there is usually a flamenco show at 2pm.

Take a 10-minute train ride down to El Puerto de Santa María, the seaside town that forms part of the sherry triangle (along with Jerez and Sanlúcar de Barrameda). Get an ice cream – or just drink more sherry with some superb seafood – before taking the ferry across the bay back to Cadiz in the shimmering evening light.

It takes about 45 minutes to drive to the picture perfect, hilltop town of Vejer de la Frontera, where we spend the next two nights, but you might wish to stop off on the Costa de la Luz along the way, perhaps in Conil de la Frontera. In Vejer, stay at La Casa del Califa on the pretty Plaza de España, the main square. As well as the main hotel, the Califa Group also runs the adjacent Las Palmeras and Plaza 18, which are smaller properties if you want a quieter, more luxury vibe.

To learn all about the fabulous food of the area, book a fun cooking and sherry tasting session with Annie Manson in her traditional whitewashed house. Ask for her top tips for a trawl around the tapas bars later.

Head down to the coast to explore the laidback fishing towns of Zahara de los Atunes and Barbate and have a dip at one of the splendid beaches along this stretch of the Costa de la Luz. Book ahead for lunch at El Campero, which specialises in the bluefin tuna that is caught here using the ancient almadraba method.

Back at La Califa, have a gin and tonic on the terrace and dinner in the romantic courtyard restaurant, El Jardín de Califa.

Drive down to Tarifa at the southern tip of Spain, where the Atlantic merges with the Mediterranean. Full of Moorish character, the town is a kite and windsurfing hub with a cool, boho vibe. There’s a lot of history to soak up here, but no one will judge if you just fancy sitting at one of the many laidback pavement cafés with a smoothie or a beer.

Wiggle up through the hills, with stops in pueblos blancos such as Gaucín, to reach Ronda in the late afternoon, just as the tourist coaches are leaving. Staying at the Parador, overlooking El Tajo gorge above the Guadelevín river, you get the full impact of the dramatic location. If you’d rather stay in the countryside – which is particularly idyllic here – La Fuente de la Higuera is an elegant small hotel with a good restaurant, a 10-minute drive north of Ronda.

Take your time over breakfast, perhaps reading Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, before crossing the Puente Nuevo above the gorge to explore the old town, where the streets are lined with grand mansions and churches. Drift down to the river to visit the evocative Arab Baths, which date back to the 13th century. Walk back up to have a look at the bullring, which is one of the oldest in Spain and has a museum that charts the history of bullfighting.

There are plenty of traditional tapas bars to tempt you as you wander around, but for something more creative try Tragatá, the gastrobar run by Benito Gómez, the chef who holds two Michelin stars at his Bardal restaurant nearby.

The spectacular drive down to the airport takes about an hour and a half by either the inland or coastal route. If you have time, soften the blow of leaving Andalucia with a memorable seafood lunch at Los Marinos José in Fuengirola, one of the best restaurants on the Costa del Sol.

Early spring and late autumn are the best times to visit Andalucia. Avoid the fierce heat of July and August if you can. Although it can be cold in winter – and freezing in Granada – it is still usually warm enough to eat outside during the day and even to sit on the beach in Malaga and Cadiz. The major monuments are quieter, accommodation is less expensive and there are far fewer tourist groups. If you want to see the astounding Easter processions in Seville or Malaga, be aware that hotel rates soar.

The 14-night, self-drive Discover Andalucia tour with Caminos, which includes B&B accommodation in independent hotels, car hire, app, notes and guidebook, costs from £1,450 per person based on two sharing. Flights are not included but can be arranged. Toma and Coe, who are specialists in bespoke tours of Andalucia, can arrange at tailormade holiday for you. A 14-night trip with B&B in luxury boutique hotels, private guides for walking tours in Malaga, Granada, Cordoba, Seville, Cadiz, Jerez and Ronda, all entrance tickets, visits to bodegas with wine tastings in Jerez and Ronda and a visit to an olive farm costs from €3,980 (£3,498) per person. Car hire and flights not included. Two weeks’ car hire from Malaga airport with Sixt costs from £200. Flights to Malaga from UK airports start from around £100 return including hold baggage.

While shorts are fine for sightseeing and casual clothes are the norm even in high-end restaurants, Andalucians dress very elegantly and you may find yourself wishing you’d brought more smart outfits. You never stray far from shops on this trip though, so don’t panic if you forget anything.

Read Lost Paradise: The Story of Granada by Elisabeth Grayson before you go and you’ll get a lot more out of your visit. Try and get hold of a copy of Lorca’s Granada by Ian Gibson to fall under the poetic spell of the city. The Alhambra by Robert Irwin unlocks the secrets of the monument and Victoria Hislop’s novel The Return delves into Granada’s dark secrets in the 20th century. Read Jason Webster’s The Book of Duende to feel the passion of flamenco and Andalus for an insight into the Moorish legacy. Andalucía by Michael Jacobs is an excellent companion when travelling and the author’s The Factory of Light is a wonderful account of village life in Jaén – mercifully devoid of hilarious misunderstandings with plumbers. There is a special edition of Chris Stewart’s Driving over Lemons this year with a new chapter to mark the bestseller’s 25th anniversary. The second half of Joanna Glen’s novel All My Mothers is set in Cordoba and vividly brings the city to life. For a bit of romance in Seville, read Rosanna Ley’s The Orange Grove. Dream of running away to the Andalusian hills? Escape to the Spanish Sunshine by Jo Thomas is a feelgood novel that also teaches you a lot about ham. To recreate some of the delicious things you eat, dive into José Pizarro’s Andalusia: Recipes from Seville and Beyond and Fiona Dunlop’s Andaluz: A Food Journey through Southern Spain.

• If you prefer not to hire a car, train and bus services are pretty good and this itinerary is easily doable with a bit of planning.
• When you feel a bit weary after walking around all day, a couple of hours wallowing in the warm pools of a hammam works wonders. Hammam Andalus has beautiful baths in Malaga, Granada and Cordoba.
• For a lighter version of sangría, ask for a tinto de verano, which is just red wine, lemonade and ice – a much better combination than it sounds. Or try a rebujito, which is fino sherry with lemonade and ice, usually with a sprig of mint.