Once away from the holiday Costas, you could only be in Spain. In the cities, slight twisting old streets suddenly open out to views of daring modern architecture, while spit-and-sawdust bars serving wine from the barrel rub shoulders with blaring, glaring discos. Travel is easy, lodging plentiful, the climate benign, the people relaxed, the beaches long and sandy, the food and drink easy to come by and full of regional variety. More than 50 million foreigners a year visit Spain, yet you can also travel for days and hear nothing but Spanish. Geographically, Spain's range is huge. There are endless tracts of wild and crinkled sierra to explore, as well as some spectacularly rugged stretches of coast between the beaches.
Culturally, the country is littered with superb old buildings, from Roman aqueducts and Islamic palaces to Gothic cathedrals. Almost every second village has a medieval palace. Spain has been the home of some of the world's great artists El Greco, Velazquez, Goya, Dalí, Picasso and has museums and galleries to match. The country vibrates with music of every kind -from the drama of flamenco to the melancholy lyricism of the Celtic music and gaitas (bagpipes) of the northwest. Holidays in Spain are now cheaper than ever and if you're smart about the sites you use to look for your cheap holidays you can be sure to save money. When visiting mainland Spain it's easy to make a short stopover in bustling Barcelona. This city on the Mediterranean Sea has many tourist attractions such as the Sagrada Familia, the 1992 Olympic Venue, Ramblas Boulevard and the Camp Nou stadium, home to FC Barcelona.
The name Spain is of uncertain origin from it derived the Hispania of the Roman Empire. Important regions within the modern nation are the Basque Country (País Vasco), the Catalan-Valencian-Balearic area, and Galicia. Each of which has its own language and a strong regional identity. Others are Andalucía and the Canary Islands; Aragón; Asturias; Castile; Extremadura; León; Murcia; and Navarra, whose regional identities are strong but whose language, if in some places dialectic, is mutually intelligible with the official Castilian Spanish. The national territory is divided into fifty provinces, which date from 1833 and are grouped into seventeen autonomous regions, or comunidades autonomas.
The majority of Spaniards are formally Roman Catholic, although different religious beliefs are accepted. During the history of Spain, there have been long periods of where different religious groups have coexisted, including Muslims, Jews and Christians. Still some traditions manifest more like a cultural event than a religious one. During Holy Week, many participants of the processions wear peaked, black hats as the sign of a penitent and walk barefoot, carrying a burden of some kind. Religious history is apparent in every small town, where the most grandiose building is typically the church. In the large cities the Cathedrals are almost museums.
The climate in Spain is diverse, being affected by altitude, the sea and continental effects. There is also of course a significant difference between north and south Spain. Mediterranean Spain has high sunshine levels, from 6 hours per day in the winter to 12 hours per day in summer. Winters are mild - much warmer than central Spain. Rain is very rare from June to August though the northern Mediterranean coast may be liable to occasional heavy downpours. In the south, there can occasionally occurs a very hot wind from North Africa though sea breezes may stop temperatures from rising too high. Central Spain and the Southern Atlantic coast have a generally low rainfall though winter snow can be heavy on the sierras. Summers are generally hot, especially in the Guadalquivir valley of Northern Andalucía running out to Seville where some of the highest temperatures are recorded. Sunshine levels average 5 hours per day in winter and 12 hours per day in summer. This area can be notably windy with the winds being cold if coming from snow covered sierras. North and North West Spain can be influenced by depressions from the Atlantic, particularly in the autumn and winter, making this the wettest and cloudiest part of Spain. Sunshine levels average 3 hours per day during the winter and 8 hours per day in the summer. Summer temperatures are lower than other parts of Spain but with much warm and sunny weather.
The below cities are some of the most popular cities to visit in Spain:
- Madrid: Madrid gets mixed reactions from many visitors: some find the pace of life and diversity of the city incredibly exciting, while others are daunted by the size of the city and fail to get to grips with what Madrid can offer.
- Barcelona: Barcelona is without a doubt the most popular city to visit in Spain. With its Gaudi architecture, Las Ramblas and the vibrant city life, it is a vacation in itself!
- Granada: It is amazing the amount of cool things to do that you can fit in such a small city. With its Moorish Alhambra fortress, the free tapas and Moroccan tea houses, you won’t want to leave.
- Seville: One thing is for sure: Seville is hot! And in more ways than one. Not only do the Alcazar and Cathedral enchant all those that visit it, but the temperatures in the summer often reach 120ºF!
- Valencia: Valencia is a lot smaller than you would expect from the third most populated city in Spain, but it still has enough charm to keep you busy for a couple of days. Don’t forget to try the Paella Valenciana! (Paella was invented in Valencia.)
Among the popular cities and travel destinations of Spain, there are Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Seville, Toledo, Granada, Cordoba, Zaragoza, San Sebastian, Pamplona, Alicante, Cadiz, Andalucía, Malaga, Costa Blanca, Tenerife, Salamanca etc. Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean and Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast have worldwide fame as travel destinations and must-see places of Spain.
Madrid is the capital of Spain. It's a city known for bullfighting, fiestas and flamenco dancing, and royal palaces. The top attractions of Madrid are the Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, Plaza de la Cibeles, Parque del Buen Retiro, Plaza de España, The Prado Museum, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, The Archaeological Museum etc. The Alhambra, the palace of the last Muslim ruler of Spain, located in Granada is one of Spain's major tourist attractions for exhibiting the Islamic architecture together with Christian and Jewish. The Mezquita in Córdoba is a famous tourist attraction. Tomb of Christopher Columbus in Seville is also visited by travelers. A new science centre and futuristic aquarium named L'Oceanografic aquarium are attractive places of Valencia to see.
Balearic Isles, the three main islands of which are Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca, is an exotic destination. The island of Ibiza is popular with its club scene, weather and beautiful beaches. When clubbing is talked about, it means Ibiza. The Canary Islands, the seven islands in the Atlantic Ocean, of Spain are very popular. These are: El Hierro, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma, Lanzarote and Tenerife. Gran Canaria Canary Islands is like paradise thanks to its numerous beaches, crystal clear waters and water sports.
An efficient and organized public transportation system, affordable domestic flights and well-planned urban layout suitable for biking or walking: that’s in short the Spanish transportation system.
There are about 50 airports in Spain, out of which the busiest three are: Madrid Barajas International Airport (MAD), Barcelona International Airport (BCN) and Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI). Flying is one of the best ways to get from one Spanish city to another and the fastest way to get to the islands. There are plenty of budget airlines that fly to Spain from all over Europe. Most international flights from outside of Europe arrive in Madrid or Barcelona, but there’s no shortage of domestic flights from these two hubs to the rest of Spain.
Trains link Spain (and particularly Madrid) to other European countries, such as Portugal (Lisbon), France (Paris, Montpellier), Switzerland (Zurich) and Italy (Milan). Train travel in Spain is comfortable and efficient, although these days taking the train can cost more than flying. To catch a train to the neighboring countries, you’ll usually have to spend at least one night commuting.
Buses are the cheapest way to travel to Spain. Many European countries offer direct buses to several Spanish cities: you can catch a bus from Lisbon to Madrid or Seville and Paris to Madrid or Seville. These buses usually take very long hours and are less comfortable than trains.