Barcelona Information
Barcelona has become Europe's most popular short break destination thanks to its superb location on the Mediterranean, its vibrant street life, fascinating Gaudi architecture, superb cuisine and its world famous football team. In a weekend you'll get a taste for the magnificent Catalan capital which will have you wanting to return over and over again. And why not with budget airlines offering great deals into Barcelona airport all year round and the easy accessibility of Girona airport to the north. This is a fine base from where you can explore the city's sights by day including Gaudi's masterpiece, the unfinished Sagrada Família Cathedral, and Parc Güell in the north. If you're lucky FC Barcelona might be playing at home and you can watch a match at the 98,000 seater Nou Camp stadium. In the evening there are plenty cafés and restaurants around the Ramblas but you might like to head down to the harbour to dine at Port Olímpic or in a traditional paella restaurant in the La Barceloneta area.
Valencia Information
The Valencia region is famous, or infamous depending on your point of view, for being the home of Benidorm, which never leaves people with a ‘neutral’ reaction. It is worth seeing – just to appreciate how many hotels can be built in such a condensed area and to ponder about the engineering feats involved in some of the lift constructions. There are many other resorts too, though. Places like Peñiscola in the north of the region have a very Spanish atmosphere whereas Denía and Torrevieja are much more cosmopolitan. Different in character are the smaller towns such as Altea – not a good beach unless you like stones but a lovely old town, Oropesa and Jávea. if you’re driving along the main coastal motorway, try to take one of the roads into Elche – Elx in Catalan. This city is just full of palm trees, often in lovely scenic gardens that are cool even in the middle of August. It’s also a centre of the Spanish shoe making industry so you can pick up some great bargains here.
Madrid Information
Madrid is a relative newcomer to the city break scene which is surprising as it is a fascinating city famous for its zest for life. Architecturally it doesn't have the same quantity of essential sights as Barcelona but is a fascinating city to explore and take in the atmosphere, especially around the Old Madrid of the Habsburgs including Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor. Culturally, the art scene is right up there with the Prado remaining the city's major cultural attraction and Picasso's 'Guernica' in the Reina-Sofia being the number one exhibit. Madrid is also a great place to see the traditional Spanish arts with the largest bullring in Spain at Las Ventas and a flamenco scene on a par with the traditional flamenco cities of the south. Real Madrid football club are another major attraction with thousands of visitors in the city every other weekend to see a match at the Bernabeu stadium. Time permitting, if you want to escape the bustle of the city there are a whole range of superb day excursions available to the likes of Toledo, Segovia, El Escorial and beyond.
Seville Information
For it is here that flamenco, bullfighting and fiesta are a way of life. Never more so than during the Feria de Abril (2 weeks after Easter Sunday) when everyone seems to hit the streets for a week long party. There is plenty to see including the Cathedral which is now reckoned to be the world's largest church. There are steps from inside the Cathedral to the top of the 90m high Giralda which is the minaret of the former Mosque. The climb to the top provides some great views but stay at the bottom and buy the postcard if you've got a weak heart! Next to the Cathedral is the Alcázar which is a great introduction to Moorish art especially if you're going to visit Granada's Alhambra Palace later during your visit to Spain. The area is beautiful with a wonderful atmosphere and with people all over the place ... tourists, locals, children going to school, university students. I suppose someone has had a bag snatched at some time but isn't that the case with any touristy destination? Exercise common sense as you would anywhere and you're most unlikely to run into any problems in Seville.
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Spain
A Capela Abanto-Zierbena Ainsa Alcala de Henares Alcala la Real Alcoceber Alcorisa Alfaz del Pi Alhama de Granada Alhama de Murcia Alicante Almeria Almogia Almunecar Alora Altea Antequera Arcos de la Frontera Ardales Arta Avila Aviles Ayamonte Badajoz Badalona Baena Baeza Banyalbufar Baqueira - Salardu Barcelona Baza Benalmadena Benicarlo Benicassim Benidorm Berzocana Bilbao Binibona Boadilla del Monte Bocairent Boceguillas Burgos Caceres Cadiz Cala Ratjada Calella Calpe Cambrils Campo de Criptana Campos Carmona Cartagena Castellbisbal Castelldefels Cazalla de la Sierra Chipiona Chucena Ciudad Real Conil de la Frontera Consuegra Cordoba Cudillero Denia El Gastor El Prat de Llobregat El Puerto de Santa Maria Empuriabrava Estepona Formentera Frigiliana Fuengirola Fuerteventura Gaucin Girona Gran Canaria Is. (Canary Is) Granada Guardamar del Segura Gurrea De Gallego(Huesca) Huescar Ibiza Islantilla Istan Jaca Jaen Jerez de la Frontera Jimena de la frontera La Coruna La Gomera La Seu d Urgell Lanjaron Lanjaron-Alpujarra Las Cabezas Las Palmas Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Leon Llanes Asturias Lleida Lles de Cerdanya Lloret de Mar Logrono Los Alcazares Los Canos de Meca Lugo Madrid Malaga Mallorca Manilva Marbella Margarida-Planes Mataro Mazaricos Medina del Campo Menorca Mijas Mino - A Coruna Monistrol de Montserrat Monreal del Campo Montefrio Motril Mundaka Murcia Muro de Alcoy - Alicante Navajas Nerja Noriega-Asturias Ocana Oliva Orba Osuna Oviedo Palencia Palma de Mallorca Palma del Rio Pamplona Peniscola Picos de Europa Pineda de Mar Platja d`Aro Playa del Ingles Pollensa Polopos Ponferrada Porreres Port de la Selva Port de Soller Portugalete Potes Priego De Cordoba-Cordoba Ronda Roses Rota Sabiote Salamanca Salobrena Salou San Antonio San Clemente San Juan Alicante San Sebastian San Vicente de la Barquera Sant Feliu de Guixols Santa Lucia de Tirajana Santa Perpetua de Mogoda Santander Santiago de Compostela Santiago de la Ribera Segovia Segura de la Sierra Seron Seville Sitges Tarifa Tarragona Tenerife Toledo Torre del mar Torrelavega Torremolinos Torrevieja Torroella de Fluvia Tortosa Torvizcon Tossa de Mar Trevelez Trujillo Ubeda Valencia Valencia de Alcantara Valencia-Yatova Vall d Ebo Valladolid Valls Vielha Vigo Villanueva de Guadamejud Vinaros Vitoria Xativa Zaragoza
Spain
History and geography have intertwined to create one of the most varied and rewarding cuisines in the world. Located in southwestern Europe, Spain is the third largest European country. It controls the crossroads between two seas -- the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. It is exceptionally mountainous and climatically it is much drier than the rest of Europe.
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