The Alhambra, Granada

The Alhambra is the best-preserved medieval Islamic palace complex in the world, a walled hill of Nasrid palaces, the Alcazaba fortress, the Palace of Charles V and the Generalife gardens above the Albaicín quarter. The general ticket costs about €21 and includes a timed slot for the Nasrid Palaces that must be respected to the minute; only around 6,600 tickets are sold per day and they sell out weeks ahead, so book on the official site as soon as dates are fixed. Open 08:30 to 20:00 from April to mid-October and to 18:00 in winter; from the Costa del Sol it is a 90-minute drive or an hour by train from Málaga María Zambrano, and a long but very worthwhile day.