Adventure Travel in Spain
If you’re looking for adventure travel in Spain, it’s hard to beat the Pyrenees. Although there are many parts of Europe where you can find adventure travel, the Spanish side of the Pyrenees offers many activities that you’d have to travel a long way to find another place where you could do them all together.
People have populated this northern area of Spain for many thousands of years, and that also adds to the appeal of adventure travel there. You can follow ageless shepherd trails in full view of snow capped mountains, stopping along the way to take in all that adventure travel has to offer in this part of Spain. (more…)
April 15, 2008
Nightlife in Spain
The nightlife in Spain is really one of the defining features of the culture. Even taking into consideration the nightlife of other European countries, Spain is the best known country for the variety of events available to residents and visitors alike. Most people in Spain are very late eaters, with the average time to eat the evening meal around 9:00 pm, much later than other areas where 6:00 to 7:00 pm is the average final meal time.
The nightlife in Spain starts before dinner, however, with people stopping in at a local tapas bar to have a drink and sample some of the freshly prepared appetizers. It is customary to move from tapas bar to tapas bar having a small drink and a bite to eat at each one. This is the place to meet old friends and plan the rest of the evening. (more…)
April 7, 2008
Cruises in Spain
A wonderful way to see the beautiful countryside and cities along the Mediterranean coast is to take one of the many cruises that are offered either as an international or national type of cruises. By traveling via ship, tourists are able to literally live on the ship while still having the opportunity to stop in at various port cities and explore the surrounding areas. Many of the larger cruise lines have several day stopovers allowing travelers the opportunity to look around.
River cruises throughout Spain are geared to allow travelers to experience life along the fertile river valleys throughout the country. These tours may include trips to different vineyards and historical sites along the river’s course. River cruises, just like ocean cruises, provide stops at different villages and towns along the river. Guests can either stay on the river and enjoy a relaxing time of the ship or they can take time to explore the countryside, shop in local stores and markets or attend cultural events within the different areas. Most of the ports of call will have tour guides, taxis and other transportation available at the port so that guests can immediately start to enjoy their time on land. Some of the more organized river cruises will coordinate with local cities and villages to allow guests to attend traditional festivals and cultural events. (more…)
March 24, 2008
Shopping in Spain
There is very little chance that you will not be able to find whatever you may be shopping for in the larger centers in Spain. Unlike many areas where shopping is limited to only certain areas in the cities, Spanish cities tend to have plazas scattered throughout the city that provide endless shopping opportunities. Some cities are more known for specific types of handicrafts and items, but generally a larger center will have representations of most Spanish and international items in stores.
One of the many differences in shopping in Spain as compared to other cities is that there is wide variety of different types of stores. Open markets offer fresh produce, meats, cheeses, wines and olive oils, many of which are produced on very small local farms. These same products are likely not available through stores. Side street stalls or individuals stalls on the squares or plazas are often the best place to find real deals, just like in the flea markets and open markets haggling is considered to be appropriate with these types of purchases. It is important to be aware of frauds and replicas however as not all of these merchants will be above board. (more…)
March 6, 2008
Family Holidays in Spain
There are literally hundreds of places to go with a family and enjoy a holiday in Spain. The country offers everything from beautiful beaches to mountains to explore and hike along with everything in between. There are also a lot of amusement parks, theme parks, museums and cultural events that families with children of all ages will be sure to enjoy.
Planning a family holiday in Spain depends a lot on the ages of the children and their areas of interest. For example, a family that enjoys the outdoors, fishing and relaxing on the beach would most likely enjoy the area of the Costa del Sol and the Costa Blanca, which also offers shopping, golfing and sightseeing options for the whole family. In addition this area also offers water parks, amusement parks and hundreds of smaller cultural activities such as festivals and parades. These events tend to happen year round but the major festivals are often around Holy Week and Christmas, with cultural events more common in the summer months. (more…)
February 17, 2008
Camping Holidays in Spain
The beautiful weather throughout most of the coastal areas of Spain, as well as the warm summer weather throughout the country, makes Spain an ideal camping holiday destination. Not all areas have camping sites available, so researching ahead of your vacation to find out the locations of camping sites near where you want to stay is important.
There are a great number of campsites in Spain with rated sites numbering over 1000. As can be expected, the bulk of the camping sites tend to be in the most popular tourist areas, especially in the southern Andalusian areas, as well as along the Costa del Sol and the Costa Blanca areas. These campsites are open year round and are rated on a scale from one to four stars. A one star campsite has the basics and not much more, whereas a four star campsite has additional features, attractions and overall is the best possible camping accommodation. (more…)
January 30, 2008
Golf Holidays in Spain
Although not a traditional Spanish sport, golf is becoming increasingly more popular throughout the country. Several professional golfers, including Severiano Ballesteros, Sergio Garcia and José Maria Olazábal, are from Spain and have proven to be instrumental in promoting the sport within Spain, making it Europe’s premier golfing holiday destination. Of course, tourists from North America and the United Kingdom also enjoy a round of golf on holiday, so more and more golf holiday packages are being marketed.
The coastal area of Costa del Sol is the most popular golfing holiday destination in Spain simply because of the year round warm and relative dry weather, as well as the beautiful scenery. Even for non-golfing family members and friends, this is a perfect combination as golfers can spend the day on the links and the family can spend the day at the beach, shopping through the many villages and towns or visiting historical, cultural and family fun sites that are numerous along this stretch of coast. (more…)
January 9, 2008
Spain Tours
Taking a guided tour through Spain is a wonderful way to learn about the amazing history and cultural diversity of the country. Guided tours through Spain can be short or long, depending on the type of company and guide that you are using. Smaller personal tours are very popular in many of the larger cities and areas of Spain and they may be one to several days in length, depending again on the tour company and the needs of the visitor.
When booking a tour to Spain don’t be afraid to ask exactly what attractions, historical sites and areas you will visit on the tour. Many of the guides and tour companies are relatively flexible about adding stops along the way, although there is typically an additional cost for this type of personalized tour. Even with the larger bus type tours there are usually several options as to the kind of attractions that are seen along the way. Tours of wineries that provide wine tasting as well as demonstrations of wine production are very popular throughout Spain, but are particularly common around Jerez and in Cadiz. (more…)
October 9, 2007
Cheap Holidays Spain
In spite of recent changes, it is still perfectly possible to find cheap holidays in Spain. Since Spain joined the euro, it is true that prices have risen considerably, but there are still many bargains to be found.
Basically, there are so many places to be filled in hotels, apartments, etc., that it is almost always possible to find some kind of early holiday bargain or late deals, especially if you can be flexible in your vacation dates.
Where to Look
Most people who are looking for bargain holidays in Spain book a package, that is a program that includes flight, accommodation and arrival and departure transfers. Most packages are sold by travel agents, but that doesn’t mean that you have to trek out to visit all the different travel agencies in your town to compare the bargain holidays they offer.
(more…)
September 22, 2007
Vacations Spain
It seems such a natural association of words: vacations - Spain! It’s becoming harder and harder to find anyone who hasn’t taken their holidays in Spain at least once.
And it’s easy to understand why. For beach lovers there are miles and miles of coasts, some with beautiful long sand beaches, other with quiet little coves. More important, the weather is extremely reliable in the summer, so you don’t have to pack your umbrella, jumper, jacket and raincoat just in case! And since it’s such a popular destination, it’s easy to find tours of Spain and vacation packages that often work out cheaper than staying at home! You might even find yourself in a wonderful villa right next to the beach for a very reasonable price.
For nature lovers, there’s wonderful countryside: mountain ranges, gorges, lakes and wetlands, forests… The network of highways and motorways is good – and getting better all the time – so it’s easy to get from one part to another quickly and easily.
(more…)