When my travel dreams drift off to Spain, they often include visions of Andalucía, the southern part of the country that feels so quintessentially Spanish. With a string of whitewashed hill towns, sunny skies, vibrant festivals, and tempting tapas, Andalucía is the soul of Spain—almost stereotypically so.
Most tourists hit Andalucía’s three great cities—Granada, Córdoba, and Sevilla—or the Costa del Sol. But for something more authentic, I like exploring the region’s interior along the Route of the White Hill Towns (Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos). This is a charm bracelet of cute villages that are more accessible and friendlier than the big cities, but still pack a wallop of traditional Spanish culture. Whether crouching in a ravine or perched atop a hill, each town—painted white to stay cool in scorching summers—has a personality and a story of its own.
