Costa de la Luz, Spain | Travel + Leisure

Costa de la Luz, Spain

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Just the right mix of nature and historic architecture along a rugged, windswept shore. By Valerie Waterhouse

Day 1
Málaga

Most major flights to the region land in Málaga, on the Costa del Sol, a 187-mile-long swath of beach crowded with high-rises and sun-seekers. Before speeding off west to the quieter Costa de la Luz, it's worth lingering for a day in Málaga, the birthplace of Pablo Picasso.

• Don't Miss The extraordinary Picasso Museum (Palacio de Buenavista, 8 Calle San Agustín; 34/90-244-3377) displays 155 of his paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and more in a 16th-century palace with a bougainvillea-draped courtyard café. Of note this summer: "Small Figure," a temporary exhibition of Picasso's casts and sculptures inspired by African and Oceanic objects.

• Where to Eat It's possible you may see Picasso's daughter Paloma at Bodegas El Pimpi (62 Calle Granada; 34/95-222-8990; lunch for two $54), a wine-and-tapas cellar in an Andalusian house, decorated with antique flamenco posters.

Where to Stay Set atop Málaga's Gibralfaro hill, 59-year-old Parador de Gibralfaro (Castillo de Gibralfaro; 34/91-516-6666; parador.es; doubles from $209) is one of Spain's oldest paradors—the gray stone façade is built partly from the ruins of a Phoenician castle. Book one of the 38 yellow-and-blue rooms with a balcony looking out on the city and port.

Day 2
Málaga to El Puerto de Santa María
(190 miles, 31/2 hours)

It's an hour-and-a-half drive inland on the AP7-E15 highway from Málaga to Algeciras, which avoids the nose-to-nose traffic on the A7 (N340), the toll-free route tracing the Costa del Sol (at Algeciras, you'll link back up with the N340). As soon as you round the bend from the town of Tarifa, where the Mediterranean morphs into the Atlantic at Spain's southernmost tip, windswept grassy dunes and grazing cows appear on the horizon.

• Worth the Detour Ten miles past Tarifa, switch over to the CAP-2216 to reach the beach at Baelo Claudia (Ensenada de Bolonia; 34/95-668-8530; juntadeandalucia.es), where you'll find the ruins of a Roman township, the best-preserved on the Iberian peninsula. The streets are still paved with the original flagstones, and you can amble past the ruins of temples and an amphitheater.

• Driving Tip Get back on the N340 and head toward Cádiz, turning off again just after Tahivilla to meet the shore, passing through maritime pine forests.

Where to Stay The town of El Puerto de Santa María, set on an estuary, is part of Andalusia's sherry triangle, and the 28-room Hotel Duques de Medinaceli (2 Plaza de los Jazmines; 34/95-686-0777; jale.com/dmedinacelli; doubles from $248) is the former residence of the prominent sherry-producing Terry family. Enter the 17th-century palace through a covered courtyard with a burbling stone fountain. In the adjoining 54,000-square-foot garden, picturesque paths wind through citrus groves.

Day 3
El Puerto de Santa María to Málaga, via Cádiz
(180 Miles, 4 hours)

• Tasting Tour The Osborne Bodega de Mora (Bodega de Mora, Calle Los Moros; 34/95-686-9100; osborne.es; reservations required) has been in the hands of the same family for six generations, and inside the cellars cobwebs decorate the 12,000 barrels. Spring for one of the individually numbered bottles of rare sherries, such as Solera India (from $200).

• Don't Miss On the way back to Málaga, stop in the enchanting city of Cádiz. Shop owner Juan José Mera Leal has spent 10 years filling his shelves at Hecho en Cádiz with regional crafts and food (Plaza Candelaria; 34/95-628-3197). The store's name translates to "made in Cádiz" and you're likely to find any number of souvenirs worth taking home, from artisanal goods (hand-knit wool ponchos) to sweet local specialties (alfajores, paper-wrapped pastries of dried fruit, honey, and spices).

Local Sign Language
Watch out for stray rocks in the road

T+L Tip One of the best local road maps is Mapa Total, Mapa de Carreteras: España y Portugal. Pick one up in Málaga before setting off.

Total mileage: 370

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