Private transfer from Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport to Écija

Écija sits inland in Seville province on the River Genil, and it is famous for two things: its Baroque bell towers and its summer heat, which earns it the nickname "the frying pan of Andalusia". Eleven decorated church towers rise over the rooftops, several clad in glazed tiles, with the tower of San Juan among the most photographed. The Palacio de Peñaflor on Calle Emilio Castelar and the Palacio de Benamejí, which houses the municipal museum and Roman finds from the ancient city of Astigi, are the main visits. Plaza de España, known locally as El Salón, is the centre of daily life. Most visitors are day-trippers and culture travellers stopping between Córdoba and Seville rather than resort holidaymakers.

The route leaves the coast entirely. From Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport the driver takes the A-45 north through the mountains toward Antequera, climbing away from the sea before the land flattens into the open cereal plains of the Guadalquivir basin. From Antequera the A-92 runs west past Estepa, and the final stretch drops down to Écija on the A-4 corridor. The whole journey is dual carriageway, roughly 150 kilometres and around an hour and three-quarters. Expect long straight sections through farmland with little to break the view once past Antequera. The approach into Écija is easy until you reach the old centre, where streets narrow sharply around the churches and plazas, so the last few minutes are slower than the motorway suggests.

Book with an exact street address, because many hotels and casas rurales sit inside Écija's restricted old-town streets where large vehicles cannot pass; the driver may set you down at the nearest accessible point such as the edge of Plaza de España. In summer, travel early or late in the day if you can — midday temperatures here regularly pass 40°C and there is no shade on the plains. There is nothing coastal on this route, so if you want a rest stop, Antequera or Estepa (worth it for the mantecado bakeries) are the natural halfway points; agree it with your driver beforehand. Carry water for the drive. If you continue to Seville or Córdoba afterwards, both are under an hour from Écija on the A-4.