The Spain we imagine we know is Andalucía, that dream-like region of Arab palaces and whitewashed villages that run across the bottom of Iberia. For this swift run around the bases, take the high-speed AVE train from Madrid's Atocha Station. It cuts the nine-hour trip to Seville to two-and-a-half hours.

By all means, make time for a stop along the way in Córdoba (see hotels). It's a short taxi ride from the station to the most impressive single structure left by the Moors after their long occupation of Spain–the Mezquita, or Great Mosque. Imagine a roof covering six acres held high by over 800 columns and double arches–and then, conjure a Baroque cathedral plunked right in the middle! Outside, in intriguing contrast, is the neighborhood that was once the Jewish quarter, with blocks of white houses with flowers filling inner patios. One of the few synagogues surviving the Inquisition is here.

Mezquita de Córdoba

Back on the train, Seville (see hotels) is another 45 minutes away. Arguably the most romantic city in Andalucía, it was the home of Carmen and Don Juan and was inspiration for a dozen operas. Gypsies created the flamenco here and citizens dance the sevillanas at the slightest clack of castanets. Orange trees line the winding lanes of the Barrio Santa Cruz, the clatter of horse-drawn carriages bounce off the walls. You'll want at least three days to explore Seville's parks, its vast Gothic cathedral, and the palace of Pedro the Cruel.

Plaza de America in Seville

We suggest a car from this point, which can be delivered to your hotel. Drive south on the N-IV highway. Lovers of the grape will want to stop awhile in Jerez de la Frontera (see hotels). On its nearby chalk hills are cultivated the vines that are fashioned into sherry, a wine unique to this region and never successfully imitated elsewhere. Many bodegas–wine cellars–in town are open to visitors.

Heading east on scenic route 342, you will soon arrive at Arcos de la Frontera (see hotels). One of the best known of the celebrated "white villages" of Andalucía, it crowns a spike of rock that stabs high above quilted fields. At the very top is the Parador Casa del Corregidor, on a handsome plaza. The views from the balcony outside the dining room are splendid. If you plan to linger in Jerez into the afternoon, you might want to stay the night here. Otherwise, enjoy lunch and move on to another hilltop town, Ronda (see hotels), less than 60 miles away.

The great table rock that has protected the town from invaders for 2,000 years is split by a gorge over 200 feet deep, the two parts stitched together by a bridge three times higher than it is wide. The modern version of the bullfight was developed at the 1785 plaza de toros that now contains a museum of the controversial sport/spectacle. Nearby is the new Parador de Ronda, installed in the old town hall. It overlooks the gorge, with lovely gardens, and the kitchen gets enthusiastic notices.

Ronda

While the driver will have to pay close attention on the road down from Ronda, passengers can enjoy miles of dramatic terrain all the way. At the end is the Costa del Sol, and a few miles east is Marbella (see hotels), the classiest destination of this long band of resort towns. Time for a couple of days of basting in its trademark sun, around the pool or on the beach. Or, perhaps, chasing balls over a dozen demanding golf courses, many of them designed by Robert Trent Jones.

When it's time to move on, you'll drive through heavily touristed Torremolinos and Málaga (see hotels), the largest city of the coast, and on to Motril, where you turn north. After about an hour climbing the Sierra Nevada, you descend to Granada (see hotels).

On a thumb-shaped prow of rock thrusting above the city is a site unsurpassed in all Europe–the Alhambra. Far more than a building or two, it is a complex of fortifications, palaces, royal residences, and tiered gardens that span ten centuries, from the early dynasties of the Moors to the Catholic conquerors. A tour, subject to strict crowd control measures, takes visitors through chambers sheathed in colorful tiles, past reflecting pools crowded with golden carp, beneath the shuttered apartments of the harem, down to the cool subterranean baths. You won't forget it.

The place to stay is the Parador de San Francisco, a monastery that briefly sheltered the tombs of Isabel and Fernando, who died shortly after their army defeated the Arab rulers of Granada. It is much in demand, with bookings made a year or more in advance.

Parador de Chinchón

From Granada, it's an easy drive to Jaén, an attractive provincial capital with the Parador Castillo de Santa Catalina high on a promontory at the end of a long looping road. It makes a good lunch stop. Then get off the main route by heading east to the twin towns of Baeza and Úbeda, both treasures of Gothic and Renaissance architecture as yet largely undiscovered by the tourist hordes. Spend the night in the recently rehabilitated Parador Condestable Dávalos of Úbeda, a marvelously evocative 16th-century mansion. Start the evening with tapas in the tavern off the inner courtyard.

From Úbeda, it is a straight run of less than four hours back to Madrid. But don't hurry. It passes through La Mancha, land of Don Quijote and the vineyards of Valdepeñas; through Aranjuez, with a sprawling royal palace built, burned and re-built by generations of kings; and, not far away, the fetching town of Chinchón, surrounding an asymmetrical main plaza where bullfights are held during summer festivals. There, too, is the charming Parador de Chinchón, another converted monastery with a peaceful cloister, embellished with a swimming pool and a superior kitchen.

Barajas Airport is less than an hour away, reached by roads that avoid Madrid's heavy traffic, a stress-free way to catch your early afternoon flight home.

We know you'll return, for in the traditional Spanish farewell, "now you have two homes." Marketing Ahead will be ready.

Itinerary 1
Barcelona to Madrid: Artistic Catalunya and the Pyrenees

Itinerary 2
Madrid to Lisbon: Across Old Castile to the Ocean

Itinerary 3
Madrid to Santiago: Heroes and Saints on the Way of St. James

Itinerary 4
Madrid to Seville and Granada: The Glories of Andalucía