Best of Southern Spain

Heading for the Costas this summer? Be sure to take a few days away from the beach and explore some of these Southern Spain highlights...

Mini Hollywood
Where it is: In the middle of the baking-hot desert of Tabernas, in Almeria province.
What's the attraction?

For many years, film-makers loved to make use of the rugged scenery of this region, which made the perfect backdrop whenever a script called for a desert.

Most famously, a number of spaghetti westerns - including classics like The Good, The Bad And The Ugly and Django - were filmed here, so the production teams decided it would be handy to have their own Wild West town for filming purposes. The buildings they built remain in place to this day and are open to visitors.

The desert heat is intense but you can cool off with a drink at the town saloon, complete with swinging doors, and actors dressed as cowboys stroll around to complete the picture. A zoo and swimming pool are recent additions to this surreal theme park.

Getting there: Granada and Malaga airports are about the same distance from Mini Hollywood - the trip from either takes just under two hours. Click here to search for flights, hotels, car hire.