Drive Through Andalusia

Southern Spain has many brilliant colors: a flash of red on a whirling flamenco dancer; the peachy pinks of tropical flowers on the walls of an Arabic-style courtyard. There's no more romantic way to see Andalusia than from behind the wheel of a car, discovering the secret gardens and hidden white villages as you go. Start in the cobblestoned streets of Córdoba, site of the renowned eighth-century Mezquita mosque. Then drive southwest to Seville, and see the labyrinthine 14th-century Alcázar palace, near some of the city's liveliest flamenco bars. East of here are two Andalusian white villages: Antequera lies behind the granite peak La Peña de los Enamorados, or "Lovers' Rock," named for a centuries-old tale of a star-crossed Christian Romeo and Muslim Juliet. And Iznájar has a 1,200-year-old ruined castle that's perfect for exploring. End the trip to the east, in Granada.