It may seem strange, but it is always worth wearing a swimsuit, even when you're going skiing. No, this advice is not the product of any kind of dementia typical of the bold lovers of extreme cold, but of the particular location of Sierra Nevada, the southernmost ski resort in Europe. How many natural winter sports facilities are an hour’s drive from the delicious beaches of the Mediterranean Sea? Let me help. Just one! Sierra Nevada!

Sierra Nevada is in the province of Granada in the heart of Andalusia, a region much better known for its warm sun than for winter sports. Despite this, it is a ski resort with 102 kilometres of skiing area, 30 ski lifts and over 100 slopes. It also offers sledging, Nordic skiing, ecological ice-skating, horse riding and exceptional mountain bike routes.
So much activity might be tiring just by imagining it, but there is a solution to this, which is that Sierra Nevada is also the best place to simply enjoy a discreet picnic or occupy a table in one of the many restaurants in Borreguiles and Pradollano, the resort’s urban centres.

If this all seems too busy, there is another possibility: climb Mount Veleta, with an altitude of 3,392 metres, and find yourselves skimming the horizon in search of the distant Africa. They say that on clear days you can see its silhouette in the distance.