Stretching from the mighty Pyrenees down to the sun-kissed south, with a sprinkling of fascinating islands beyond, Spain is a country you could travel for the rest of your life without ever tiring of its charms. Once a divided land of rival kingdoms, the country today retains a fascinating diversity of language and culture, cuisine and art, with a journey of just a few hours taking you through scenes of total contrast. From its Roman relics to Muslim palaces, from baroque cathedrals and Modernista constructions, the country is strewn with artistic and architectural treasures. Spain's old urban centres – spurred on by more than 30 years of democracy and rapid economic development – are a treasure trove of architectural jewels, with Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque churches, Moorish fortresses and Renaissance palaces. Here, an army of local and international architects has left a slew of daring signature buildings in Barcelona, Bilbao and Madrid. Away from the exhilarating cities – where dinner rarely starts before 9pm, and nights go on long into the early hours – Spain’s beaches form an irresistible part of Spain’s holiday offering, whether it’s the classic sun, sea, sand watersports resorts of the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol, or the quieter, rugged delights of the Costa Brava. However, while coastal and island holidays remain extremely popular, many visitors are also turning inland countryside, which is littered with medieval towns and hilltop castles, wild, windswept coasts and whitewashed villages virtually unchanged in centuries. Mountainous national parks offer stunning hiking in alpine environments, while the north coast offers rolling green hills, huddled fishing villages and isolated sandy coves.
Facts
CapitalMadrid
Airport
the main gateway to Spain is Madrid’s Barajas airport, although many airlines serve other centres, particularly Barcelona, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Valencia.
Currency
Euro (£1=1.17 Euros)
Size
195,000 sq miles
Population
46 million
Average temperature
varies dramatically from region to region, with the meseta (high tableland of central Spain), Ebro basin and Andalucia scorching in summer (up to 45 degrees Centigrade), cold and dry in winter. The Mediterranean coast and Balearic Islands get a little more rain than Madrid, and the south can be even hotter in summer. The Mediterranean, particularly around Alicante, also provides Spain’s warmest waters (reaching 27°C or so in August). Barcelona’s weather is typical of the coast – milder than in inland cities but more humid.
Local highlights
Parador hotels, housed in converted historic buildings, from monasteries and palaces to fortresses and convents; Gaudi’s iconic architecture and the Gothic quarter in Barcelona, where La Boqueria, the city’s colourful market, is also an absolute essential; the Guggenheim museums in Bilbao and Madrid; El Classico, one of the fiercest sporting rivalries on the planet, when Real Madrid take on Barcelona; the Semana Santa easter celbrations in Granada and Seville; Granada’s remarkable 800-year old Moorish architecture, including of course, the Alhambra Palace; eating tapas in village and town squares, watching the world go by; the Balearic Islands, from the spectacular Cap Formentor on Majorca’s northwest, along with Majorca’s wonderful beaches and medieval towns of Pollenca, Soller and Deya, to the crysal coves of Menorca and buzzing Ibiza; the guaranteed winter sun and surreal volcanic interior of Lanzarote, along with the other Canary Islands; hillwalking in the Pyrenees, with mountain refuges and village restaurants serving fabulous rustic boar stews washed down with home-made reds; San Sebastian, an elegant Baque city on a crescent beach; Seville, the Andalucian capital, home of flamenco and mesmerising festival parades; Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia, super coastal scenery and wilderness; the lovely hamlets of the Alpujarras in the Sierra Nevadas; the stage-set, stunning 16th century towns of Extremadura; Toledo, homeland of El Greco, with a fascinating medieval old town in heart of Castilla; Santiago de Compostela, a stunning medieval city that marks the end of a centuries’ old pilgrimage; Picos de Europa, towering above the beach-studded Asturian coast; Cuenca, with its ‘hanging houses’, seemingly dangling from the clifftops of this UNESCO-protected medieaval town.
Getting out and about
You can reach almost any destination in Spain by train or bus, and services are generally efficient and cheap. For longer distances there are plenty of domestic air services and prices have become more competitive in recent years. However, if you really want to explore, hiring a car is easily your best option, with services slowing to a trickle at weekends to many of the smaller towns and villages.
Travel arrangements
Iberia, Spain’s main national carrier, flies to most Spanish cities via Madrid. British Midland flies to Alicante and Palma de Mallorca; British Airways flies to Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga; Aer Lingus flies from Ireland to Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Seville and Valencia.