Andalucia's most seductive city is a smart choice for those in search of history, culture and romance. Combine seeing the main sights with exploring its interesting neighbourhoods - and of one of Europe's most charming parks.

A theme park fashioned on the site of a 1990s Expo, a park as beguiling as any Europe has to offer and sleek carriages offering spiffy horse and buggy trots around the city mean the youngest visitors can be entertained when the grown-ups want to chill after cultural overload.

When money's tight, Maria Luisa Park, and the film star good looks of the Plaza de España make a wonderful playground, while the University - Carmen's one-time cigar factory - and museums devoted to archaeology and popular traditions feed the mind at no, or little, cost.

Roman ruins, a mind-blowing example of 21st-century architectural design and memories of the Spanish Inquisition are just some of the features - some geographically off the beaten path, others conceptually refreshing - that offer something different once you've seen all the city's big hitters.

Andalucia's stunning Moorish legacy reaches its apex in the stunning cities of Córdoba and Granada, home of the unforgettable Alhambra. Visit Jerez for the finest sherry and dancing horses, and Doñana, an exemplary national park, for blowing away the urban cobwebs