Huelva travel guide

Andalucía’s westernmost province tends to be passed over by visitors to southern Spain, but undeservedly so. While Huelva city is somewhat short of attractions, there’s a huge diversity of other things to see in the region, with historical associations, hill towns, scrumptious pork and glorious birdlife competing for your attention.

Huelva’s coastal areas are intimately connected with Christopher Columbus, who set sail from Palos de la Frontera. East of Huelva city is an alluring stretch of coastline with an almost unbroken stretch of sand backed by pine-clad dunes; this runs to the mouth of the Guadalquivir past the vast wetlands of the Parque Nacional Coto Doñana, one of Europe’s top birdwatching havens, and one of the last redoubts of the Iberian lynx. On the park edge is the town of El Rocío, its tranquil Wild-West atmosphere interrupted only at Whitsun, with its renowned and boisterous pilgrimage.

Along the coast west of Huelva city is a curious blend of traditional fishing villages and sprawling beachside development that ends in Ayamonte, a handsome town facing Portugal over the mighty mouth of the Río Guadiana.

Inland, a segment of the long, low Sierra Morena forms the Parque Natural Sierra de Aracena, a hilly, wooded area. Acorns from the ubiquitous cork oaks fatten up the Iberian porkers, producing some of Spain’s finest ham. Bars in these relaxed village squares are perfect for enjoying piggy products over a glass of Huelvan wine. Aracena is the region’s largest town, but it’s still a small, appealing place, while Almonaster’s mosque in a spectacular hilltop setting has echoes of the Mezquita. South of here, the awesome devastation of the Rio Tinto mines looks like the aftermath of some interplanetary war, but is well worth a visit.