Alcazaba and the Gibralfaro road

Málaga's Alcazaba is the best-preserved Moorish fortress in Spain, and it climbs — walled terraces, horseshoe arches, courtyards with water channels, each level giving a wider view of the city and the sea. Above it the Gibralfaro castle sits at the top of the hill with the whole bay in front.

What makes it work for a session is that the levels give you variety without walking anywhere else. Enclosed arched courtyards at the bottom, open terraces halfway up, and a panorama at the top — three registers in one ticket.

Málaga is the easiest Andalusian city to reach and the most forgiving in summer, because the sea moderates the heat that makes Seville and Córdoba impossible in August.