Spain
Spain runs on vegetables it forgets to call vegetarian — gazpacho, salmorejo, pimientos de padrón, espinacas con garbanzos. Andalusia in spring is the version we send people to first.
- Best months
- Apr – Jun · Sep – Oct
- Trip length
- 8 – 10 days
- From
- $5,400 pp
- Fly into
- Madrid · Málaga · Sevilla
Andalusia was Moorish for seven centuries, and the kitchen remembers it: chickpeas, almonds, saffron, orange blossom, cold soups built on bread and olive oil. A plant-based traveler here is not making do. They are eating the oldest food in the region.
We stay in converted palaces in Córdoba and Granada, a design hotel in Málaga’s old town, and, if you want the capital, a quiet street near the Retiro in Madrid. Every hotel gets your dietary notes before you arrive.
A route we like
012 nightsCórdoba
Flower-hung lanes, the Mezquita at opening hour, salmorejo in a courtyard. A palace hotel in the Judería.
023 nightsGranada
The Alhambra from the Generalife gardens, the Albaicín at dusk, a carmen house with a view of it all.
033 nightsMálaga
Cathedral streets, a museum afternoon, the port at sunset, and the best espinacas con garbanzos on the coast.
- Salmorejo cordobés
- Gazpacho andaluz
- Espinacas con garbanzos
- Pimientos de padrón
- Berenjenas con miel de caña
- Churros con chocolate
Jamón is everywhere, including the stock
Many “vegetable” dishes are finished with ham or cooked in meat stock. We flag it in your trip notes so you know what to ask at the bar.
Dinner starts late
Kitchens open at nine. We book hotels with a proper afternoon merienda and plan siestas into the day rather than fighting the rhythm.
Spring beats summer
May in Andalusia is jasmine, orange blossom, and 77°F. August is 104°F and the good restaurants close for vacation.
