Andalusia comes to cruisers in two completely different products, and choosing between them is the whole budget conversation. One is a river cruise up the Guadalquivir from Seville — small ship, all-inclusive, Andalusia itself as the destination. The other is an ocean cruise that calls at Malaga or Cadiz for a day or two on a longer Western Mediterranean run. Here is what each costs in 2026.
The two products, priced
The river version: CroisiEurope sails the Guadalquivir from Seville on six-to-eight-day all-inclusive itineraries — Seville, Cordoba, Cadiz, Granada — with drinks and excursions bundled. This is European river-cruise money: expect roughly $1,800–2,800 per person for the sailing, almost everything included. You embark in Seville, so there are no tender ports and no sea days; the ship is a floating hotel that moves at night.
The ocean version: Malaga and Cadiz are standard calls on Western Mediterranean itineraries, and the fare is set by that longer itinerary — seven-night Western Med sailings run from about $739 in shoulder season to $1,100–1,800 in peak weeks, as covered in what an Amalfi Coast cruise costs. What Andalusia adds to that fare is mostly excursion money, below.
Flights
The river cruise means flying to Seville — typically $650–1,000 round trip from the US with one stop, since there are no direct flights. The ocean version embarks in Barcelona, Rome or Lisbon; Barcelona and Lisbon are usually the cheapest Spanish gateways from the US. Either way, add one hotel night at the embarkation city: $100–180 a room in Seville, more in Barcelona.
Tips
The river cruise is all-inclusive — gratuities are the one thing still extra, about €5–10 per person per day suggested. On the ocean lines, the mainstream $16–18.50 per person per day applies, plus 18–20% on bar and spa.
Excursions: the real budget
Andalusia's headline sights sit one to two hours from the ports, which is exactly the distance where excursion money matters:
- The Alhambra from Malaga port: the palace is 90 minutes inland. Ship tours run $150–220 per person; independent versions from the port run roughly half that. Entry tickets themselves are about €19 — but they sell out weeks ahead, and a sold-out Alhambra is the classic Malaga heartbreak. Whoever you book with, book the ticket first.
- Seville from Cadiz port: 75–90 minutes by road or an easy DIY train to Jerez and on to Seville. The ship's Seville day runs $120–180; the train version costs about €30 return plus entrance fees.
- DIY days: Malaga itself — the Alcazaba, the Picasso Museum, the tapas bars — is a genuinely good free-to-cheap port day, $30–60 per person all in.
The trade-off framework is in ship excursion or independent. Here the rule of thumb: Alhambra by tour (ticket scarcity), Seville by train if you are confident, Malaga on foot.
The cost nobody tells you about
For the ocean version, it is the temptation math: Malaga and Cadiz on the same sailing is rare, and seeing both the Alhambra and Seville properly usually means two separate port days on two separate itineraries — or a land trip. If Andalusia is the point, not a port call, price the river cruise or a week ashore instead of bolting two tours onto a Mediterranean sailing. Our Andalusia in a week guide lays out the land version.
For the river version, the unmentioned cost is pre- and post-cruise Seville: you will want two extra nights there, and Seville in high season is not the bargain it was.
The all-in picture
Per person, flights from the US included:
- Ocean call done carefully: about $1,700–2,200 for the week — shoulder-season Western Med interior, one big tour, one DIY day.
- Ocean call done comfortably: $3,000–4,000 — balcony, Alhambra and Seville both booked.
- Guadalquivir river cruise: $3,000–4,500 all in — sailing, flights, tips, two Seville nights.
Western Med and Iberia sailings appear in our fare database; the region medians are in what a cruise costs, region by region.
The short version
- Two products: the all-inclusive Guadalquivir river cruise ($1,800–2,800 per person), or Andalusia as a port call on a Western Med sailing (from $739 shoulder).
- Alhambra: ship tour $150–220, independent about half; tickets ~€19 and sell out weeks ahead — book first.
- Seville from Cadiz: ship $120–180, DIY train about €30 return.
- Flights: $650–1,000 to Seville; Barcelona/Lisbon are the cheap ocean gateways.
- All in: $1,700–2,200 careful ocean week, $3,000–4,500 river cruise, per person.