The Guadalquivir is a river that few people know (and few of those can pronounce). The river has a navigable stretch barely 50 miles, a half-day’s travel, and there is only one cruise ship on the Guadalquivir, and that’s MS La Belle de Cadix, part of the fleet of French company CroisiEurope.
The draw is the classical cities Granada and Cordoba within reach on excursions. British company Jules Verne, a leader in small group travel, sells the cruise as a package with flights, transfers and a tour manager who oversees the English group from the airport on the way out until arriving home.
Passing the beaches of Sanlúcar de Barrameda just before reaching the ocean
With four nights moored in Seville – two at the start, two at the end – there’s a fabulous city break feel, a contrast to later in the day when the ship heads past beach resorts and way out into the ocean, the coast in the distance, before reaching Cadiz and docking in the same city centre harbour as giant cruise ships.
The river doesn’t have the gorges and valleys of many others but excels in the hypnotic flatness of its surroundings, the paddy fields of Europe’s largest rice-growing region, desolate tracts on national park and eventually beaches, both wild and resort, all with mountainous hills rising in the hazy distance. There’s a feel of the African veldt as the occasional flock of flamingos pass by and storks glide lazily overhead.
The lounge is the heart of the ship’s entertainment and socialising
MS La Belle de Cadix has the air of a river ship – low and long – but is a combination river and maritime ship, one of very few. Taking 176 guests it is a little smaller than some river ships and decorated in an airy, sun-drenched style.
Rooms are simple, with twin beds, some with windows, some with French balconies. The large lounge with bar gives way to an open area at the front of the ship. One deck down, the restaurant is calm and roomy – there’s no buffet service so no counters to get in the way.
At the back of the ship is a smaller Panorama bar, with television, where we watched England triumph over Slovakia in the Euros, a jovial waiter even delivering our charcuterie board. The sundeck, stretching the ship’s length has loungers, chairs, tables, a shady area and a small pool for sitting back and taking the sun.
The paella evening on board was one of the foodie highlights
Exceptional, in a French way. Breakfast includes varied crusty French breads and croissants alongside eggs, cold meats and cheeses. Lunch is table service, three courses, although bull stew with mashed potatoes or sweet and sour Iberian pork with baked potatoes and zucchini gratin, even in a contemporary style, can be a bit much. We, and others, tended to sit in the sun and lunch on rolls, ham and cheese from breakfast.
Dinner is a four-course affair – a superb paella stacked with seafood and chicken, and honey-glazed duck breast on a bed of red cabbage with polenta. As with lunch, there’s no alternative but, with the menu published the previous evening, staff were happy to substitute superbly cooked fish or a vegetarian option.
The Latin-Cuban band with dinnertime entertainment
One night a becloaked Latin-Cuban trio strolling about playing Guantanamera to the sound of banging glasses and stamping feet, another and filled foot-tapping flamenco dancers, another with the staff singing, plus quizzes, flamenco lessons and bingo.
The major tours are included in the holiday price, a relaxed shipboard holiday but without too much time sailing. This is a great way to see a clutch of major sights in Spain while adding something more – and unusual.
At Heathrow we get ready to board and find Susan happily waiting to check us off the list. At the other end, Seville, still late morning, our group boards the coach but because it’s too early to board the ship we’re off on an unexpected driving tour of the city. We then get off for a guided walk around the streets, past the cathedral, getting a feel for things before late afternoon check-in and a rest before a welcome meeting for the English-speaking contingent, several Americans and Australians joining our group, involving a drink or several (it’s all included, apart from the really posh stuff) then dinner.
Cordoba’s stunning cityscape
A day out to Cordoba, a city sitting on the Guadilquivir but a two-hour drive upstream from Seville, where the river is narrow, rocky and unnavigable. The journey doesn’t shadow the river, instead passing an endless landscape of olive trees, sunflowers and wheat fields, the pink and white flowers of oleander bushes lining the route. In Cordoba we’re given a small group guided tour of the monumental Mosque-Cathedral with its 856 pillars, the sprawling eighth-century gem that was converted to Christianity in the 12th century, and the exquisite Alcázar de los Reyas Christianos palace and gardens, all included along with a three-course restaurant lunch (pork stew) with free-flowing wine.
Cordoba’s many-pillared Mosque-Cathedral
The ship docks in the heart of Seville with all attractions only a stroll away
Another look around Seville, with a tour of Real Alcázar, another of Andalusia’s spellbinding palaces, which has transformed through time and dynasties from the 10th century. By lunch we’re sailing through the giant Exclusa del Guadalquivir dam that connects the river’s arm that penetrates the city centre with the main flow. By teatime the river has widened and we’re passing the beach town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda on one side, the flamingo-filled wilds of Donana National Park on the other. We pass lofty brick, 322-step Chipiona Lighthouse as the river hits the sea but we keep going until land can barely be glimpsed, only then turning towards Cadiz. But we’re heading for El Puerto de Santa María, across the bay on the Guadalete River.
Emerging from the pretty streets, El Puerto de Santa María’s cathedral
A morning walking tour of El Puerto de Santa María which at first seems unprepossessing but with its cathedral (topped by half a dozen storks and their nests), castle and bull ring hiding behind other buildings is rather pleasant. So thought Juan de la Cosa, master of master of Christopher Columbus’s Santa María and creator of Europe’s earliest world map, who made his home here. Down a side street we find the HQ of Osborne, maker of some of the world’s finest sherry. A swift lunch on board and we’re on a coach to Jerez where the Jules Verne group gets an exclusive tour of Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera, a Moorish castle with views of the city and far beyond from its tower. Back on board and it’s an hour-long sunset cruise across to Cadiz, mooring in the sea port a few minutes’ walk from the cathedral.
The cool air of Osborne’s sherry store
Cadiz’s relaxed La Caleta beach offers a delightful break that you won’t find on any other river cruise
A morning walking tour of Cadiz, a delightful coastal city, enchantingly narrow streets and passageways filled with shops and cafes. Having visited before, a couple of us break away and head for the idyllic crescent of La Caleta beach, Castillo de San Sebastian at the end of a stone breakwater on one side, Castillo de Santa Catalina on the other. It will remain the only time I’ve swum in the sea on a river cruise.
On board, lunch starts with very moreish salt cod fritters, continues with cod and squid ink pasta and culminates in Portuguese custard tarts. It’s time to sit back for a sunny stretch across the sea before heading up river. But the day’s not over yet; closing on Seville we call at Isla Minima, a riverfront estate, for an early evening open-air show of duelling dressage horsemanship and flamenco dancing, a nip of sherry, some more dancing and back on board for dinner as we approach Seville.
A merry dance at Isla Minima
The view from the Alhambra’s terraced gardens over palace and mountains
We’re on a coach at 7am for a three-and-a-half hour journey to the ornate Moorish city of Granada; long, but spectacular the ride takes us through mountainous terrain, past sandstone ridges, and with dizzying views, looking down at the new, space-age railway track itself riding high on pylons as high-speed trains head for the city.
Arriving in 30-plus degree temperatures there’s something surreal about the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada and its ski area. By now there’s only time for a brief walkabout – and lunch rich in Spanish charcuterie, cheese and wine! – before immersion in one of Europe’s most dramatic attractions, the Alhambra a well-preserved palaces and fortresses of the Islamic world, it’s a city in itself, with countless room and treasures, and then gardens that leave one breathless.
Christopher Columbus is celebrated at the La Ribida friary
Time for one more trip, towards the coast at Huelva, and a tour of the La Rabida Franciscan friary, where Columbus planned his American jaunt, where Juan de la Cosa’s world map hangs, alongside rich frescos and more modern art, and where lifesize replicas of Columbus’s three ships sit on the Rio Tinto estuary.
Jules Verne’s Andalusia from the Water Cruise has 2025 departures on March 20, June 26, August 7 and October 2 and 23, from £2,035pp all-inclusive, with flights, excursions and a Jules Verne representative. https://www.vjv.com/europe-tours/spain/andalucia-from-the-water/
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