The area

You can while your time away very happily in Osuna. The town is delightful, there are bars and restaurants, churches, (some containing important art) a sports centre, riding. But there is also the whole of Andalucía on your doorstep and Osuna is an excellent base for visiting Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Ronda and lots of others.

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Antequera

Lovely town, Antequera. Park by the bullring (worth a look) and stroll through the big arch and up Alameda de Andalucía towards the alcazaba. The tourist office is in Calle Zapateros where you can pick up maps. Visit the Municipal Museum, San José and Nuestra Señora de Carmen (knock out inside). Stroll round the C13 Moorish castle and gardens and next door, the fine C16 church of Santa Maria. There's a great view of the enormous limestone crag that you will have seen when you drove into the town. Its is called La Peña de los Enamorados (Lovers' Leap) whence, as legend would have it, that two young lovers – one Christian from Antequera, the other a beautiful Moorish girl from nearby Archidona – hurled themselves to their deaths rather than renounce their love.

Antequera is full of churches, fountains and Roman remains. It also has very famous dolmens (mass tombs) the biggest of which is Cueva de la Menga, dating back 5000 years to the original Iberian peoples. The Convento de las Descalzas, on the square of the same name, like many convents, sells the traditional Andalucian pastries. You pull a rope which rings a bell, and then hear a woman's voice say "Sí", after which you give your order and place your money on the tray. The hidden nun then spins the tray around, with the pastries emerging from the door. There is also a good restaurant by the bullring, Restaurante Plaza de Toros, +34 952 84 46 62. Not cheap by Andalucian standards but very good.

The fería is in the third week of July

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Cordoba

The chief attraction is the Mezquita. And extraordinary it is too. You can trace its development through several Moorish incarnations until Carlos V plonked a cathedral inside it.

It is certainly worth visiting Córdoba just for the Mezquita but it's a charming place on its own account. It is also renowned for its patio gardens – the festival of the patios is held in the first two weeks of May, precede by the Cruces de Mayo celebration and followed by the main fería.

Granada

This is a bit of a drive away (maybe an hour and a half?) but on good roads and unmissable (really). The town is lovely but the Alhambra is stupendous. I don't know anyone who has visited it and been unmoved. Except in winter you must book. You can phone if your Spanish is up to it or use the website (there's an internet café 20 yards from the house) or pop into BBVA bank on Carrera (they sell tickets). Try "Perdonme. Quiero (=kee-ero) [uno/dos/tres] billetes (bee-yetes) para al Alhambra (=al-ambra) en Granada." Lots more to see and lots of places to eat and drink.

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Malaga

Yes the Costa del Sol is absolutely horrid, the coast road between Málaga and Marbella is truly dystopian. (Though if you have lots of money and maybe a yacht, you'll be OK). But Málaga itself is really rather pleasant. Certainly if you are flying into or out of Málaga airport, it is worth spending some time here. Visit the citadels of the Alcazaba and Gibrelafero, the Picasso Museum and the Jardin de la Concepción. And there are plenty of shops, restaurants and bars.

Markets on a Sunday and the fería in mid August is most impressive.

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Ronda

What to say about Ronda? It was much visited by the English last century - the Hotel Victoria with its wonderful views over the famous gorge ( El Tajo ) was much admired. It's a quite extraordinary situation, walking across the puente neuvo (not that nuevo) or across the puento viejo into the Arab quarter. Lots of market stalls and shops and places to eat, it's also the centre of the furniture business if you're interested. It is admittedly touristy (middle of the day is when it's at its fullest) but still very fine. Don't do the 300 step climb down to the river from the Arab quarter. It's slippery, dark and underwhelming.

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Seville

You could spend days here. The Giralda (hee-ralda) and Cathedral are worth it on their own but there is so much in Seville to enjoy (don't miss the Museo Bellas Artes). Elegant streets, Moorish, mudejar and later Christian architecture, the Jewish quarter, the Santa Ana. Then there's the night life, the tapas bars, the restaurants, Triana. And the shopping. One warning. Don't try and drive through it. Park the car at the earliest convenient spot and walk or bus or train. You can get a very efficient train from Osuna to Sevilla but the train back is a bit early.

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Other places

The wonderful medieval towns of Carmona and Estepa, further afield Arcos de la Frontera, the white villages ( pueblos blancos ) round Ronda, walking the spectacular Natural Sierra de Grazalema, watch the flamingos round the lake at Fuente de Piedra, stroll through the extraordinary limestone pavement of El Torcal, just south of Antequera. A little further away is Sanlucar de Barrameda. Lots to see in this pretty town, centre of manzanilla production, seafood to eat and in mid August, the famous horse races on the beach.

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