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Andalusia or Andalucía?

The autonomous region of Andalusia (Andalucía in Spanish) is in the southern part of Spain. It spans from Atlantic coast in the west to the sheltered coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the east and from Málaga's Costa del Sol to the borders of Castilla – La Mancha the famous flat lands and Don Quixote windmill country.  With an average of 300 plus days of sunshine a year the coastal area is an all year round destination. Not so in the inland provinces of Cordoba, Jaen and Sevilla which ha ve baking hot summers that can reach +40c and cold winters which can be 0c or less overnight. The Mezquita, Córdoba Andalusia is divided into eight provinces, each with a provincial city of the same name. Some of them are far more famous than others: Almería , Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Sevilla. The three land-locked provinces are Córdoba, Jaé n and Sevilla, the rest are coastal. Each province and city is full of culture, history, traditions, fabulous monuments and cre...

Top 10 Tips For Moving To Spain

Top 10 Tips For Moving To Spain

1. British families who move to Spain with school-age or pre-school children must register at their local town hall, they should be able to advise you about schools.

2. Spanish families place high priority on giving their children a good education; consequently places at private schools are filled well in advance, and there are long waiting lists.

3. Upon successfully completion of four years of secondary education (ESO - Educación Secundaria Obligatoria) they are awarded a Grado Escolar ESO (certificate of secondary education). This may take more than four years since failure to make satisfactory progress can mean repeating the year.

4. Some fiestas are location-specific, based on a local legend or historical event. A good example of this is San Sebastian, in the Basque country, which holds a festival each January to celebrate their liberation from French rule by Lord Wellington in 1812.

5. Many aspects of the Spanish lifestyle are extremely easy to get used to: the sunshine, the wine and the sangria, the paella, the tortilla and the tapas, and the uplifting rhythms of flamenco as the sun goes down and nightlife begins.

6. Spectacular fireworks are a popular feature at the finale of fiestas, and probably the most spectacular of all are the ones that light up the skies at the Summer Solstice, when bonfires are lit to celebrate the longest day.

7. The Spanish healthcare system works well, and it is often possible to find English speaking medical staff. However, before moving to Spain you need to be sure that the costs of future medical treatment will be covered.

8. Spanish healthcare is not free, but individuals who are covered by the State system pay only a small contribution towards the cost, depending on their personal circumstances.

9. For those looking to embrace a traditional Spanish lifestyle, inland Spain has plenty of attractive villages where life is not seasonal, property prices are lower, and you will be able to join in local community life.

10. A common pattern is for people to move from the UK initially to their Spanish holiday home, and to relocate to a different part of Spain a few years later after exploring the country in greater depth. There is a richer variation in regional cultures in Spain than in any other European country. Each region has its own history and traditions, and regions such as Galicia, the Basque country and Catalunya still retain their own languages alongside Spanish.


Armishaws are one of the leading removals firms in the UK. They regularly move to Spain and the rest of Europe.

This is a sponsored post by Armishaws, I personally have not used them although I did use a removal firm (that I can´t remember the name of) when I moved to Andalucia in 1996.

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