Spain
Travel Guide, climate:
Best: April-June, Sept, Oct, tho' the coasts and islands are
often fine and warm in winter and the north and mountains cool and
less crowded in the summer.
Worst: July, Aug for crowds and extreme heat in southerly areas. Dec-Feb
can be bitterly cold [below zero] in the north/central Spain, including
Madrid.
See Tourist Attractions for
Spain's best destinations and sights.
Spain
Festivals Guide:
Late Feb-early March, Carnival. Especially wild in Madrid, Barcelona,
Sitges and Tenerife island.
March, Las Fallas, Valencia. A crazed week-long street party.
Early April, Holy Week [Semana Santa] - impressive, colourful parades
and music. Especially in Seville, Granada and Malaga.
Late April, Feria de Abril, Seville. More celebrations in this lovely
city, but this time less restrained - to put it mildly...
July, Bull Running [Sanfermines], Pamplona. Don't be bored, be gored.
Aug [last Wed], La Tomatina, Buñol [Valencia]. The famous
tomato street battles.
For
some precise dates see: European
Festivals or Arts
Festivals.
Visa
advice:
EU citizens do not need visas, nor do many other country residents
- including USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, for visits
up to 90 days.
Electricity:
Spain electric sockets are mostly 230v and take 2 round pin plugs.
Health:
Spanish pharmacists usually speak good English and have wide powers
to prescribe medicines. i.e. try them first for small medical
problems. The sign is a fat illuminated green or red cross.
Cuisine
Guide:
Spanish foods tend to be full-flavoured, rich and leans towards
heavy protein content.
Popular with travellers are Paella [sea food with rice], Gazpacho
[cold tomato soup] and varied chorizo [sausage]. Tapas [small tasty
snacks served with drinks] used to be free but rarely are these
days, but are still a good way to eat on the cheap.
Lunch and siesta occupy much of the heat of the day, while dinner
is eaten either late or very late by locals. |
|
Why
Travel to Spain?
The country is soaked in history [conquistadors,
the empire, the inquisition...],
colourful culture [Bullfighting, Flamenco, Carmen, Don Quixote...],
Art [ Picasso, Goya, Velasquez...], wacky visionaries [Gaudi, Dali...],
grand architecture [Moorish in the south, Baroquish up north, and
recently there's Bilbao...] and of course plenty of sun, sand and
sangria.
Downside:
- Prices are no longer cheap.
- The coasts are overbuilt with high rise resorts and apartments,
while the beaches heave with German, Russian and British heavyweights
fighting for towel space.
- Petty theft such as picking pockets and bag-snatching is not uncommon, particularly
in cities such as Barcelona and Madrid.Try not to look like a tourist!
Spain
Activities Guide:
Spain mostly attracts beach bums or culture vultures, but there
are other activities available:
Hiking: Plenty of great trekking areas
from the mountains north of Madrid to the Pyrenees and Picos de
Europa. The classic pilgrim's route, El Camino de Santiago, runs
from Navarra to Santiago de Compostela. See Walking
Tours, or The
Way of St James.
Biking: hire to be found in many tourist
areas, but roads can be busy, hilly and hot. Stick to minor roads
if possible.
White Water Rafting: Aragon and Catalonia
[esp. Sort village in the Pyrenees].
Golf and tennis: just about everywhere.
Sailing: widely available, check locally.
Wind/Kitesurfing: at most beaches but
aficionados head for pretty and always-windy Tarifa, near Gibraltar.
Surfing: good waves along the Atlantic
coast of the Basque Country [Pais Vasco] but worthless waves on
the Mediterranean.
Fishing: check with Federacion Española
de Pesca for information. No website.
Climbing: plenty of big rocks around
and the Federacion Española de Montañismo has details,
but no website.
Hang/Paragliding: Castilla y Leon and
Castilla-La Mancha have some internationally famous sites for Hanging
around, while Para people like Valle de Abdalajis, North of Malaga.
Check with Federacion Nacional de Deportes Aereos.
Downhill skiing: from Dec-May, especially
at Vall d'Aran in Catalonia, Sierra Nevada near Granada and Sierra
de Guadarrama north of Madrid. Cross -country skiing also.
If
you plan to travel Spain you may find useful information on neighbours
in our other guides:
Morocco
Guide | UK
Travel Guide | France
Guide
Spain
Walking Tours | Portugal
Travel Guide |
