A destination of fiesta dancers, flamenco guitars, matadors and mind boggling architecture
Spain travel offers a richness and complexity that may surprise. All the tempting postcard fantasy pictures are there in reality, side-by-side with other, less-expected ones.
Travelling through Spain you may come across fiesta dancers in a village square, a young man practicing flamenco guitar, a medieval Arab fortress, and windmills so enormous Don Quixote could be forgiven for thinking they were giants.
There’s also the Spain’s world famous Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, its mind-bending shapes like those of no other museum elsewhere, just as the exuberant architecture of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona makes it like no other church in the world.
You may see ultra-cool young Madrilenostogged out in urban chic, talking endlessly on their cell phones; international business-people hurrying to appointments; and tourists and golfers of many nations flocking to Spain’s spectacular countryside and balmy beaches. There are super-fast trains, and equally there are villages where produce comes to market via donkey. The road system in Spain is well-maintained and easy to negotiate and this makes hiring a car a very viable option of travel.
Spain today is a vibrant member of the European Union that has transformed itself from a remote backwater to a modern nation, all within living memory. A Spain travel experience is sure to impress you with its contrasts, colours and vibrant spirit.
Advisor tips for Spain
Hotels
Inter-continental La Castellana Madrid
This hotel has fantastic service even though is not centrally located. – Mary Ann
Restaurants
Astrid & Gaston -Madrid
Best Latin American restaurant inSpainwith impeccable service with almost one waiter per person. It is important to make reservation three months before to not be disappointed. – Mary Ann
El Espigon –Madrid
SpecialityAndalusiafish dishes and fantastic service with three waiters to look after you.- Mary Ann
El TImonel -Valencia Spain
Best Paella restaurant with the famous Paella with Fidue (tiny pasta instead of rice) – Mary Ann
La casa del Bacalao -Seville Spain
Best speciality on cod dishes prepared traditionally was absolutely delicious.- Mary Ann
Arzak Restaurant - San Sebastian
“Relais Gourmand” one of the best for Basque culinary delights and it is operated by a father and daughter team. Specialities such as: «pommes rôties à la graisse de foie gras» and «sole à la braise d’agrumes».- Mary Ann
El Teletipo -Madrid Spain
Traditional Vasque cuisine with fantastic service. So a picture of the son of the Spanish King on the wall. Had most delicious dish of ox meat. – Mary Ann
L’ Albufera restaurant –Madrid
This famous restaurant is an ideal place to try the exquisite rice dishes fromSpain’s east coast with 5 star service. – Mary Ann
UNSECO World Heritage sites in Spain
Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada
Burgos Cathedral
Historic Centre of Cordoba
Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid
Works of Antoni Gaudí
Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain
Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias
Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches
Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct
Santiago de Compostela (Old Town)
Garajonay National Park
Historic City of Toledo
Mudejar Architecture of Aragon
Old Town of Cáceres
Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville
Old City of Salamanca
Poblet Monastery
Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida
Route of Santiago de Compostela
Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe
Doñana National Park
Historic Walled Town of Cuenca
La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia
Las Médulas
Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona
Pyrénées - Mont Perdu*
San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries
Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde
Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula
University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares
Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture
San Cristóbal de La Laguna
Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco
Archaeological Site of Atapuerca
Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí
Palmeral of Elche
Roman Walls of Lugo
Aranjuez Cultural Landscape
Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza
Vizcaya Bridge
Teide National Park
Tower of Hercules
Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana
