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Spain Travel Guide
Information and Advice

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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





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