Barcelona Accommodation

Though Barcelona always was short on hotel space before 1992, the Olympics spurred an expansion that resulted in the addition of 5,000 hotel rooms to the city's previous 14,000-room-plus hotel capacity. Expect to pay more than €300 a night for a double room at a hotel listed below as very expensive, between €190 and €300 for a double room at a hotel listed as expensive, between €75 and €190 at one listed as moderate, and less than €90 at an inexpensive hotel. Most of Barcelona's major hotels have complete facilities for the business traveller. Those hotels listed below as having "business services" usually offer such conveniences as an English-speaking concierge, meeting rooms, photocopiers, computers, translation services, and express checkout, among others. Call the hotel for additional information. In addition, unless otherwise noted, the hotels listed offer private baths, air conditioning, and in-room telephones and TV sets. All telephone numbers are in the 3 city code.
Luxury Hotels Barcelona

Arts Ritz Carlton claims that at 44 stories this, its first European property, is the continent's tallest hotel. The new 455-room luxury hotel is located in one of the two twin towers 100 yards from Platja Barcelona, the beach at the Villa Olimpica (Olympic Village). The hotel's public spaces are filled with Catalan modern art, and there's a formal restaurant, a cafe, a fitness centre, and two outdoor swimming pools. Business services are available. 19 Passeig de Marina.
Barcelona Hilton Situated on a tree-lined avenue in one of the most stylish parts of the city, this hotel's architecture is modern, the decor classic, cozy, and restful. This establishment has 300 rooms, including several executive floors, one of which is reserved exclusively for women. Popular with busi­ness travelers, in addition to a health club it offers full business services and a restaurant. 589 Av.Diagonal.

Rey Juan Carlos I Named for the current king of Spain, this modern property, near the university and the upscale Pedralbes neighborhood, has 375 rooms and 37 suites, all surrounding a large, open atrium. Facilities include a health club and an outdoor swimming pool, three restaurants (one of which is Japanese), and two bars. Business services are available.
Ritz - Built in 1919, this deluxe, refurbished aristocrat boasts a new face, and once again lives up to its reputation for superb service in an elegant, charming atmosphere. It's the hotel of choice for many international celebrities. All 161 rooms have high ceilings. There also is a fine restaurant. Business ser­vices are available. 668 Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes (phone: 318-5200; fax: 318-0148).

Hotels in Barcelona

Almirante - This small, modern hostelry is in the centre of the city near the cathedral. There are 80 oversize rooms with luxury bathrooms, and a restaurant is on the premises. Business services are available. 42 Via Laietana.
Avenida Palace - Polished brass and fancy carpets lend a tasteful, Old World atmosphere to this deluxe property. The 169 rooms are cheerful yet quiet, and offer mini-bars. The public areas are adorned with sedate paintings, fine reproductions, and interesting antiques. There is a gym and a sauna, as well as a restaurant; business services are available. The staff is well trained and extremely attentive. 605 Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes.


Calderon - Another long time favourite with the business crowd, most of its generously proportioned 264 rooms have been equipped with the conveniences frequent business travellers expect. In addition, business services are available. There is a restaurant on the premises, and the rooftop swimming pool, sauna, and sun terrace command a splendid view of the city. 26 Rambla de Catalunya.

Claris - The former 19th-century Vedruna Palace, with its original regal facade intact, has been renovated with marble floors and teak panelling. Owner Jordi Clos owns the most important collection of Egyptian art in Spain, and he has installed 70 pieces of it in a second-floor gallery of the hotel. There are Egyptian or Indian pieces of art in the 124 rooms; the hotel also boasts two restaurants, a bar, an outdoor swimming pool, a sauna, parking facilities, and business services. 150 Carrer Pau Claris.

Colon - A renovated old favourite in the Barri Gotic, right in front of the cathedral. Clean and pleasantly decorated, it has 146 rooms with high ceilings. Ten rooms on the sixth floor have terraces; three of these face the cathedral. A restaurant is on the premises. Business services are available. 7 Av. de la Catedral.

Condes de Barcelona - Modrnista outside and modern inside, it's in a striking building that was transformed into a luxury hotel in the mid-1980s, and proved so popular that it is already undergoing an expansion. The 183 rooms and suites contain all the expected amenities. Its location in the heart of the Eixample is ideal, and its Brasserie Condal is a good dining spot. Business services are available. 75 Passeig de Gracia.

Derby - This is an elegant establishment done in hushed colours, with diffused lighting and impressive wood trim and ornamentation. Affiliated with Best Western, it offers 117 rooms; those on the top floor have large terraces. The intimate piano bar adds an extra special touch; there's also a restau­rant on the premises. Business services are available. 21 Carrer de Loreto.
Diplomatic - Dedicated to businesspeople with its excellent conference facilities, this modern 217 -room establishment is conveniently located near the Pedrera and the Passeig de Gracia shops. It has an outdoor pool and a restaurant. Business services are available. (122 Carrer de Pau Claris).

Ducs de Bergara - Stepping into the foyer, you'll find yourself 100 years back in time. Located next to the Placa de Catalunya, this charming hotel boasts marble floors, pillars, cut-glass mirrors, moulded ceilings, and 56 modern and stylish rooms, as well as a restaurant. Business services are available.

Gran Hotel Havana - This luxury establishment has a neoclassical facade but a completely modern interior, featuring a dramatic six-story central atrium lined with shops, a piano bar, and a restaurant. Its 141 rooms are decorated with Italian marble and are equipped with satellite television. On the top floor are 10 deluxe suites and a private terrace garden. Business services are available. 647 Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes.
Melia Barcelona Sarria - Near Placa de Francese Macia, this is a favourite with business travellers. All 312 rooms have king-size beds. The executive Piso Real ("Royal Floor") features its own concierge. A restaurant is on the premises. Business services are available. 50 Av. de Sarria.

Le Meridien Barcelona - A large (210-room), imposing link in the international chain, it provides expected standards of comfort and service. The Renaissance Club rooms on the top four floors are the finest accommodations, featuring computer terminals. Ideally located near the Barri Gotic, it has two restaurants. Business services are available. 111 La Rambla.

Presidente - This 156-room modern luxury establishment is located away from the centre of town but is, nevertheless, bustling with businesspeople, film stars, and other personalities. A restaurant offers Catalan and international fare. Business services are available. 570 Av. Diagonal).

Princesa Sofia - Big, bustling, and modern, this convention-oriented hotel has an indoor swimming pool, a gym, a sauna, and restaurants. It could be anywhere in the world, but is out near the university and the Estadi Camp Nou. The 511 rooms, decorated in contemporary style, have large tile bathrooms and mini-bars. Business services are available. Placa de Pius XII.
Rivoli Rambla - Conveniently situated on La Rambla, this hotel is within easy walking distance of the Barri Gotic, the Placa de Catalunya, Passeig de Gracia, and the waterfront. The 87 rooms are furnished in low-key contemporary style, with room safes, mini-bars, and personal computers in the suites. There is a small fitness centre, an attractive restaurant called Le Brut show­casing specialties from all over Spain, a rooftop terrace, and the Blue Moon piano bar. 128 Rambla de Is Estudis

Sports and Fitness Barcelona

In addition to the Anell Olimpic, built for the 1992 Summer Olympics (see Special Places), the city boasts many major sports facilities, including the 120,000-seat Estadi Camp Nou, Europe's largest sports stadium, and the Piscines Municipals B. Picomell (B. Picornell Municipal Pools) on Montjulc.

Catalans claim to abhor bullfighting and, in fact, most of the spectators in the arena are Spaniards who have moved to the area-or tourists. The gigantic neo-Mudejar Plaqa de Toros Monumental (743 Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes) has fights on Sundays from April to late September at 6:30 PM. Additional fights are held on Thursdays in August at 6:30 PM. Advance tickets are available (at 24 Muntaner, at the corner of Carrer d'Aribau;). The city's other bullring, Les Arenes, at the other end of the same avenue, is used for pop shows and exhibitions.
One recommended fitness centre is the Squash Diagonal (193 Carrer de Roger de Flor) which has a pool, sauna, and gym, in addition to squash courts.

Golf Barcelona

There are several golf courses around Barcelona. The Club de Golf EI Prat, southwest of town near the airport, is the area's best course, used on the European pro tour. Club de Golf Sant Cugat is 20 km away and hard to find in the hilly suburbs to the west, and Club de Golf Vallromanes is 24 km along the Masnou-Granollers road.




Football Barcelona and the Nou Camp Stadium

Football is the major passion of born and bred Barcelonans. The Futbol Club (F. C.) Barcelona embodies the spirit of Catalonia, especially when the opponent is long time arch rival Real Madrid. The world's greatest stars are signed up to play for the club, and infants are enrolled as club members at birth. More than 120,000 fans regularly attend home games, played at the Estadi Camp Nou. Espanyol, the other, less popular "major league" club in town, plays at Estadi de Sarria (2 Ricardo Villa;).

Swimming Barcelona

Take a dip in the waters that hosted the 1992 Olympic swimming events at Piscines Municipals B. Picomell (B. Picomell Municipal Pools; on Montjulc, near the main stadium). There's an admission fee; Most people swim without hesitation at Platja Barcelona, the beach by the Villa Olimpica (Olympic Village), though some are wary of pollution and will not swim near the city.


Tennis Barcelona

Tennis courts are sometimes available at the Centre Municipal de Tenis del Vall d'Hebron (178 Passeig Vall d'Hebron). The nearby seaside town of Castelldefels, a few miles beyond the airport, is the site of many tennis clubs that rent courts to non-members. It's fun to play there, and then go to the beach. Also just outside the city, in Sant Just d'Esvern, is Club Canmalich which is easy to reach by hire car from Barcelona Airport.

Theatre Barcelona

The city has a strong theatrical tradition in Catalan, but it still embraces foreign playwrights such as Shakespeare and Chekhov. At the Teatre Lliure (Free Theater; 47 Carrer Montceny;), Fabia Puigserver's co-operative troupe is so dynamic that language is no barrier when the works are familiar. Another Catalan troupe is the Companyia Flotats, led by Josep Maria Flotats, whose repertoire tends to be lighter (115 Poliorama Rambla;). Experimental theatre can be seen in the impressive Mercat de les Flors (59 Carrer de Lleida), the old Flower Hall built on Montjulc for the 1929 International Exposition. Higher up the hill, the Teatre Grec (Greek Theatre; Passeig Santa Madrona, Montjuic; ), an open-air amphitheatre, hosts a festival every June and July, with classic Greek tragedies and other works. Many companies from around the world now make appearances. The city's main opera house (and one of the great opera houses of Europe), the Gran Teatre del Liceu, was destroyed in a fire in early 1994, and totally reconstructed.

Music Barcelona

Barcelona is a music centre year-round. From November through May, opera and ballet dominate, but there is a festival of some sort every month, from medieval music in May to the Festa Internacional de Musica in October. The Palau de la Musica Catalana (just off Via Laietana, at the corner of Carrer de Sant Pere Mes Alt and Carrer d'Amadeu Vives) is a gem of Art Nouveau style (see Special Places). The Orquesta Ciutat de Barcelona (Barcelona City Orchestra), among other groups, can be heard here. There are two concert halls in the Plaqa de les Arts complex, located near Placa de les Glories Catalanes.



Nightclubs and nightlife Barcelona

Barcelona has plenty of action, but be careful while roaming through the most popular after-dark centres, since the city also has its share of muggers and purse snatchers. Be wary of thieves on motorcycles and minibikes, who snatch purses from pedestrians and out of cars parked or stopped at traffic signals. The city's pubs, bars, and cafes begin to fill up between 10 and 11 PM, but these establishments merely serve as a warm-up for the clubs and discotheques, which open even later and only kick into high gear at 1 or 2 AM. For flamenco, try El Cordobes (35 La Rambla;) and El Patio Andaluz (242 Carrer d' Aribau;). Shows are continuous from 10 PM to 3 AM, but really get going after midnight, when the performers and the audiences are both warmed up. Popular clubs include the Up and Down (179 Carrer de Numancia; ), with loud music downstairs and a restaurant and a more "sophisticated" club upstairs, and Studio 54 (64 Av. del ParalIel;), a weekends-only favourite, boasting lots of elbow room and the best light show in town. For sheer spectacle and good music (no dancing), Las Torres deAvila (Av. de Marques de Comillas, Poble Espanyol, Montjulc;) features an astral theme, with an electric moon circling the wall in sync with the music on one side and an electric sun setting slowly on the other. There's also a rooftop terrace.

Barcelona also boasts a number of what can only be called dance bars, trendy places with contemporary-style interiors by some of the city's best designers and architects, full of young people, with loud rock music ­ although dancing is usually downplayed (these aren't discos per se)-and lots of drinking and flirting. If this sounds like your sort of thing, two worth visiting are Nick Havana (208 Carrer del Rossel), the original of the genre and much copied; and Velvet (161 Carrer de Balmes;), small, rather loony, and fun. Other possibilities in the same style: Otto Zutz (see above), 292, KGB (55 Carrer Alegre de Dalt;), Network (616 Av. Diagonal;), Rosebud (Carrer Adria Margarit; ), Universal Bar (Carrer Maria Cubi;), and Zeleste (122 Carrer Almogavers;). The Eixample area has a greater concentration of bars than other neighbourhoods.

Barcelona shopping and museums

Cultural centre of the Caixa Pensions Bank Foundation
Though not strictly speaking a museum, this beautiful exhibition space is a must for art lovers; there is always a well-mounted and sophisticated show here, and there are chamber music concerts in an enclosed garden area, plus a contemporary-style arts bookshop and cafe. The building itself is one of modernista architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch's best, with hints of Moorish and Catalan Gothic architecture incorporated seamlessly into the turn-of-the-century facade.
The Science Museum Barcelona

A popular, hands-on museum with a small planetarium and an innovative children's section, which features experimental exhibits about the body, matter, communication, and movement.




The Barcelona Football Club Museum




One of the most popular attractions in this sports-mad town, this is a small museum of trophies and videos highlighting the local soccer club's illustrious history. It's located in the 120,000-seat Estadi Camp Nou, the largest stadium in Europe.






Pedralbes Monastery and Museum

A 14th­century Gothic church known for its stained glass windows, choir stalls, unusual three-story cloister surrounded by galleries, and its overall elegant simplicity of design. This gem of medieval architecture also contains an impressive collection of Italian-influenced Catalan paintings and other art. The monastery is now the permanent home of 80 paintings and eight sculptures from the renowned Thyssen-Bornemisza art collection, formerly in Lugano, Switzerland and the bulk of which is now in Madrid's Palacio de Villahermosa Museum.
The Music Museum




An odd collection of antique musical instruments from many countries, dating from the 16th century to the present, in a modernista building by Puig i Cadafalch.




The Museum of Bullfighting

A collection of bullfighters' costumes and other memorabilia, including trophies, posters, and bull-ranch branding irons.







Shopping Barcelona

Barcelona has been a textile centre for centuries, and it always has been a good place to buy leather goods. More recently, it's become a source of up­to-the-minute fashion as well.
Passeig de Gracia and Rambla de Catalunya are lined with elegant shops selling leather goods, furs, accessories, and jewellery for men and women, as well as with boutiques carrying Spain's moda joven (young fashion). More boutiques are housed in shopping centres or indoor arcades, of which the best known is the original Bulevard Rosa (55 Passeig de Gracia)-an entire city block filled with 100 shops selling everything from clothing and hats to unusual jewellery and paper goods. This complex has been so successful that a second Bulevard Rosa was opened-a much smaller complex with 40 stores (474 Av. Diagonal). At 55 Passeig de Gracia is the government-sponsored Centre Permanent d'Artesania where changing exhibitions of crafts by contemporary Catalan artists and artisans are held. What's on display is for sale, although it can't be taken away until the show closes. For more traditional crafts, don't fail to visit the Poble Espanyol, the model village on Montjulc, where there are some 35 stores featuring pottery, carvings, glassware, leather goods, and other typical folk crafts made by artisans from every region of Spain. Also visit the Ribera-El Born quarter around the Museu Picasso on Carrer de Montcada, known as the artists' and craftsmen's quarter.

There are two El Corte Ingles stores (Plaza de Catalunya; and 617 Av. Diagonal;) in the city. Branches of the country-wide department store chain, they're known for quality in everything from Lladro porcelain and leather gloves to other clothing, records, and books; best of all, they are open during the long Spanish lunch hour, when smaller shops are closed. A 376,000-square-foot retail centre called L'IlIa Diagonal (565 Av. Diagonal) boasts over 200 shops and includes such well-known foreign names as Marks & Spencer, Benetton, and Foot Locker. There are also offices and a hotel in the block­long edifice.

Somewhat smaller, but still carrying a wide range of merchandise, are the two Galerias Preciados stores (on Porta de l'Angel; and Plaza Francesc Macia;) Top avant-garde Spanish clothing designers are represented, as well as everyday goods from children's clothes and toys to food.
A visit to at least one of the city's markets is a colourful must, whether La Boqueria food market (see Special Places) or the Mercat de Santa Caterina (Caner Francese Cambo, near the Gothic cathedral), where the fresh, tempting produce puts big-city supermarkets to shame. Els Encants is the principal Barcelona flea market (held Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from dawn until dusk), on the Plaza de les Glories Catalanes. An outdoor art market is held on the Plaza de Sant Josep Oriol on Saturdays.

Spend Sunday mornings in Plac;a Reial among the stamp and coin collectors (9 AM to 2:30 PM) or at the Mercat de Sant Antoni, leafing through old books and magazines (10 AM to 2 PM). There is an unusual organic food market, featuring bread, cheese, honey, tea, and such from the nearby mountains, on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from 10 AM to 2 PM on the Placa de la Sagrada Familia.

Book Shops Barcelona

More than 150 antiques shops are spread along the narrow streets of the Barri Gotic in Barcelona. Major periods as far back as the 12th century are represented. One of the best shops is Alberto Grasas (14 Carrer Banys Nous and 10 bis Carrer Palla;), which sells antique paintings, furniture, and decorative objects, principally porcelain. For ceramics, one of the city's top showrooms is Arluro Ramon (25 Carrer Palla). Its prize possessions include 18th-century furniture, as well as the highly prized ceramics from Manises. Look for the monthly subastas (auctions) at Sotheby's (2 Passeig Domingo). A Barri Gotic antiques market, formerly held on the Placa Nova, now takes place on the Placa del Pi every Thursday (except during August) from 10 AM to 10 PM.

It is no coincidence that Catalonia has the highest literacy rate in Spain and can claim to be the only city in the country where the patron saint's day (the Festa de Sant lordi, April 23) is celebrated with gifts of books to friends. In Barcelona, it seems as if there's a bookshop on every block. A good collection of English-language books can be found at Ben Books (277 Arago; ) and The English Bookshop (52 Calaf;). For secondhand books in English, try K.G. and Simon's (13 Carrer La Granja;).

Car hire Barcelona Airport and transport in the city

Car hire at Barcelona Airport can be pre-booked and picked up from the airport terminal. Every major car hire company is represented at Barcelona Airport including Hertz, Avis, Helle Hollis, Europ Car, Holiday Car Hire, 121 Car Hire and Niza Cars, plus Auriga Crown and Sixt.

Funiculars and Cable Cars Barcelona

In addition to the funicular to Tibidabo there is also a funicular making the climb from the Para I-lei subway stop up to Montjuic, where it connects with the Montjuic teleferic that swings out over the Parc d'Atraccions de Montjuic (Montjulc Amusement Park) and makes one interim stop before depositing passengers at the castle, belvedere, and restaurant at the top. Another teleferic connects Barceloneta's Muelle de los Astilleros with Miramar, at the foot of Montjulc, making an interim stop at the Torre de Jaume I, a 512-foot tower built on the Moll de Barcelona in 1930 as part of the teleferic system and named after the 13th-century ruler responsible for having the old city walls constructed. The trip is a spectacular one across the harbour passengers swing out over the cruise ships and hang over the water as though in a slow-moving aeroplane. Rides are available afternoons daily in summer.

Barcelona Taxis

Taxis can be hailed while they cruise the streets or picked up at one of the numerous paradas de taxi (taxi ranks) throughout the city. During the day, Lliure or Libre in the window indicates that a cab is available; at night, a green light shines on the roof. The city is divided into various fare zones, and fares generally are moderate, but if you want to explore Barcelona and the outlying areas, it is more economical to hire a car from Barcelona Airport.



Barcelona Trains

Barcelona is served by trains operated by RENFE, the Spanish national railway. There are four railway stations, all undergoing long-term refurbishment. Local, national, and international departures constantly are being changed, so it is vital to check and double-check before any journey. The stations are Estacio Barcelona Sants, at the end of Avinguda de Roma, the main station for long-distance trains within Spain; Estacio de Frana, on Avinguda Marques de l'Argentera, for international trains; Estacio Passeig de Gracia, on Passeig de Gracia at Carrer d'Arago; and Estacio Plaza de Catalunya, beneath the Plaza de Catalunya. For fare and schedule information, go to the RENFE office at Barcelona Sants or call the 24-hour-a­day information service.

Festivals and ferias Barcelona

Religious holidays and saints' days are occasions for numerous festivities in Barcelona, many of them associated with elaborate pageantry and also (since food is very important in Catalan life) with special pastries, confections, or other foodstuffs. The Cavalcada de Reis (Cavalcade of Kings) is held on January 5 with a parade of floats from the waterfront to Montjulc commemorating the journey of the Wise Men (or Three Kings) to visit the baby Jesus.



Barcelona Carnival

Barcelona Carnival commences every year on Dijous Gras (Fat Thursday), the week before Dimecres de Cendra (Ash Wednesday, in Spanish Miercoles de Ceniza), and runs for six days and nights with non­stop parades, concerts and theatrical performances, costume balls, and ceremonial gluttony (a traditional dish of the holiday is a stew of pigs' trotters, veal, pork loin, sausage, and hard-boiled eggs). On March 19, the Festa de Sant Josep (Feast of St. Joseph), Valencian residents of Barcelona recreate the falles, or ritual bonfires, for which their own city is famous, and everybody eats crema catalana, Catalan "burnt cream" (custard with a caramelized sugar topping), also known as crema de Sant Josep.

Festa de Sant Jordi Barcelona

On April 23, the Festa de Sant Jordi (Feast of St. George, the patron saint of Catalonia), Barcelonans traditionally give gifts to one another­books to friends, roses to lovers (real or hoped for). The Sunday after the Festa de Sant Jordi is the Dia Universal de la Sardana (Universal Day of the Sardana), celebrated all over Catalonia and dedicated to performances of the region's evocative traditional dance and its accompanying music. Bonfires, fireworks, dancing, and revelry mark the nights before the Festa de Sant Joan (Feast of St. John) and Festa de Sant Pere (Feast of St. Peter), on June 24 and 28, respectively, and every bakery dispenses its version of the coca de Sant Joan, a large rectangular pastry covered with candied fruit, on the former occasion. On Thursdays from June through September, the Guardia Urbana (City Police) don scarlet tunics and white plumed helmets for a riding exhibition at 9 PM at the Pista Hipica La Fuxarda (Fuxarda Racetrack) in Montjulc. The narrow streets of the Gracia neighborhood are elaborately and colourfully decorated for the Festa Major de Gracia (High Feast of Gracia); for a week beginning on August 15 there are open-air concerts and theatrical performances. September 11 is La Diada, Catalonia's national day perversely commemorating the defeat of the Catalans at the hands of the Bourbon king Felipe V and the fall of Barcelona in 1714.

Festa de la Merce and Christmas in Barcelona

La Festa de la Merce (The Feast of Our Lady of Mercy) is Barcelona's most extravagant annual festival. The feast day itself is September 24, but the week leading up to it is great fun-noisy, exhausting, and full of general gaiety. Included in the festivities are folk dancing, wine and gastronomic fairs, free concerts (often by major international stars) in squares and other public spaces all over the city, fireworks displays, and casteller (human pyramid) competitions. Other observances include a Ball de Gegants (Giants' Ball), With parades of flamboyantly costumed papier-mache figures 15 feet high and more, and the remarkable Correfoc (Fire Run), in which crowds ceremonially confront and try to turn aside fireworks-wielding teams of men and women dressed as dragons, devils, and other fantastical characters. Nadal (Christmas; Navidad in Spanish) is heralded by the two-week Fira de Santa Llucia (St. Lucy's Fair), when stalls selling greenery, decora­tions, gifts, and figurines for nativity scenes are set up in front of the Gothic cathedral and the Sagrada Familia.

Things to do around Barcelona

The Citadel Park Barcelona

Citadel Park was created just over 100 years ago for the International Exhibition of 1888, on the site of the hated citadel built by Felipe V in 1716 and razed in 1868. Popular with Barcelonans, the park features gardens, an artificial lake with an elaborate fountain and cascade (co-designed by Antoni Gaudi early in his career), and a zoo. There's also the Palau de la Ciutadella (Palace of the Citadel), which houses the Catalan Parliament and the Museu d'Art Modern (Museum of Modern Art); the Museu de Zoologia (Zoology Museum) housed in a modernista building by Domenech i Montaner and the Museu de Geologia (Museum of Geology). Barcelona's oldest museum, with a large mineral collection and paleontology exhibits.

The Museum of Modern Art Barcelona

Housed in the Palau de la Ciutadella, the collection includes a few works by such well­known Catalan artists as Dali, Mira, and Tapies, but consists mostly of 19th­century and early 20th-century paintings, graphic works, and sculptures by such less famous but talented local artists as Ramon Casas (a great portrait artist), Santiago Rusinyol, Isidre Nonell, Miguel Utrillo, Pau Gargallo, and Josep-Maria Sert-all of whom deserve more attention today than they are generally accorded.

The Sierra de Montserrat

The Sierra de Montserrat lies 40 miles 164 km) northwest of Barcelona, in the geographical and spiritual heart of Catalonia. The many legends that surround Montserrat, which inspired Wagner's opera Parsifal, undoubtedly arose from the strangely unreal appearance of these impressive mountain peaks. Tucked within the mountains is the Benedictine Monestir de Nostra Senyora de Montserrat Monastery of Our Lady of Montserrat), whose Marian shrine has attracted pilgrims for over 700 years. La Moreneta the Black Madonna), a polychrome statue of the Virgin Mary that dates from the 12th century, represents the spiritual life of the province and is an emblem of Catalan unity. The Santuan de Nostra Senyora de Montserrat, the basilica where the Virgin sits, is open daily, and no admission is charged, but a donation is welcome. The monastery's famous Escolania, a boys' choir that claims to be the oldest in the world, sings at 1 PM each Sunday and on special occasions. There is also a museum at the site. From the monastery, paths and funiculars lead to the Santa Cova, the cave where the statue is supposed to have been found, and to the isolated hermitages of Saot Miquell St. Michaell, Sant Joan 1st. John and Sant Jeroni 1st Jerome). The belvedere provides breathtaking views that stretch from the Pyrenees to the Balearic Islands.

Barcelona tourist information offices

Brochures, maps, and general information are available at Oficina de Turisme. It's closed Saturday afternoons and Sundays. Between late June and the end of September there's also a tourist information office in the Barri Gotic at the Ajuntament (City Hall), on Plaza de Sant Jaume, which is closed Saturdays after 2 PM and Sundays. The tourist information offices at Estacio Barcelona Sants and the train stations and at Aeroport del Prat international arrivals hall are open year round.The "Casacas Rojas "-red-jacketed tourist guides who patrol popular areas such as the Barri Gotic, the Passeig de Gracia, and La Rambla­supply on-the-spot information from approximately mid-June to mid-September. The tourist offices provide good free maps and brochures. The weekly Guia del Ocio and monthly Barcelona city magazine, Vivir en Barcelona, both available at newsstands, provide comprehensive listings of museums, nightspots, restaurants, and other attractions, in Spanish (the latter include some information in English in high-season editions). Watch the news in English on TV3 during the summer.

Barcelona Airport

Barcelona's airport for both domestic and international flights is known as Aeroport Barcelona en Frat de Llobregat, commonly known as Aeroport del Prat, and is located 12km southwest of the city, or about 30 minutes from downtown by taxi. Trains run between the airport and Estacio Barcelona Sants, the central railway station, connecting with the subway lines, every 20 minutes; the trip takes 15 minutes. Shuttle flights to Madrid leave every hour on Iberia and other carriers such as Air Europa and Spanair. Budget airlines now also fly to Barcelona including Easyjet from the UK. Car hire can be pre-booked and picked up directly from Barcelona Airport.

Boat Ferries Barcelona

Boat Ferries leave Barcelona for the Balearic Islands daily in summer, and less frequently in winter. Ticket sales and departures are at the Estacio Maritima de Baleares at the Muelle de Barcelona near the Monument a Colom. Golondrinas, or "swallow boats," making brief sightseeing jaunts in the harbour (out to the breakwater and back) depart from directly in front of the monument throughout the year. The trip takes only about 15 minutes; buy the ticket from the office at the water's edge. Three or four times a day, golondrinas also leave from the Portal de la Pau to tour the Olympic harbour.


Information about buses in Barcelona

Although more than 50 routes crisscross the city, the system is easy to use, since each stop is marked with a map of the routes that pass there. The best deal for the visitor is Bus Cien, the No. 100 bus that constantly travels among 12 well-known sites, including the cathedral and the Sagrada Familia. A flat-rate, full-ticket (bought on the bus) lets you get on and off as often as you like, and also entitles the bearer to a discount at museums. Buy the tickets at the public transport kiosk in the Estacio Universitat (Metro LI) or at the Estacio Sants (Metro L5), where the Guia del Transport Public de Barcelona (Guide to Barcelona's Public Transportation) also is available, or at any other metro station. After boarding the bus (enter through the front doors), insert the ticket in the date­stamping machine. There is also bus service every 15 minutes between Plaza de Catalunya and the airport. Long-distance domestic and international buses also serve the city.

La Rambla accommodation Barcelona

Whatever type of accommodation you are looking for in La Rambla, Barcelona, you will find it in the maze of streets which run off the main thoroughfare. Hostels, hotels and guesthouses sit side by side and you can find accommodation to suit all budgets and requirements, from five star hotels to cheap bed and breakfast accommodation.

La Rambla is the city's favourite, and liveliest, promenade - the main artery feeding its animated street life. Originally a drainage channel (a rambla is a watercourse), it is now a wide, tree-lined pedestrian esplanade, with a single lane of traffic and a sidewalk on each side, running at a gentle down­hill angle from the Plaza de Catalunya to the harbour.

Though popularly known simply as La Rambla or Les Rambles, the boulevard in fact changes its name en route (Rambla dels Caputxins, Rambla de Sant Josep, Rambla de Canaletes, and so on). A brisk 20-minute trot will cover it all, from the Plaza de Catalunya to the harbour, but the whole idea is to take it much more slowly, examining the flower stands, thumbing through books and magazines at the numerous news-stands (which sell everything from Arabic­language newspapers to German brides' magazines), reading a favourite newspaper or magazine at a sidewalk cafe, or merely strolling and chatting with friends amidst the inevitable din. Notice the sidewalk mosaic by Mira at the Plaza de Boqueria, and be sure to visit La Boqueria, the city's extraordinary main food market.

On the right side of La Rambla (facing the sea), almost at the harbour, is the new Centre d'Art Santa Monica, not a museum, but a beautiful contemporary art exhibition space designed by Albert Viaplana and Helio Pinon on the site of a former convent. Hours vary according to the shows. Also see Gaudi's first major modernista work, the Palau Guell (3 Carrer Nou de la Rambla), a few steps off La Rambla and now serving as the Institut del Teatre. Unlike some of his later work, the Palau Guell interior tends toward the massive and heavy. Of particular note is the remarkable roof, crowned by 20 cone-shaped mosaic chimneys. Guided tours are available. Just off the port, the triangle between La Rambla and the Avinguda del Parallel, with its little alleyways, is known as the Barri lines (Barrio Chino in Spanish), literally "Chinese district" or "Chinatown"-but it is actually the red-light district and should be avoided at night, when it can be quite dangerous.

La Boqueria Barcelona

Officially known as the Mercat de Sant Josep (St. Joseph's Market), this is one of the most attractive and richly stocked public food markets in Europe. A huge, covered 19th-century ironwork structure that looks quite a bit like a turn-of-the-century French train station, it features displays of the finest food products of Catalonia and the rest of the world in an abundance and variety that are simply breathtaking. Mountains of bright vegetables, mounds of earthy mushrooms, oceans worth of fish displayed on ice, treasure chests of candied fruit and nuts, thick screens of sausages dangling from the butcher stalls-it's one glorious sight and smell after another. Merchants are happy to sell a single piece of fruit or a tiny bag of olives or almonds, so even the casual visitor can sample the wares. The market building itself is open 24 hours a day, but the individual shops and stands are open mostly from early morning to mid-afternoon.
Waterfront Barcelona

Waterfront Barcelona is by far the largest port in Spain, and has become a port of call for major international cruise ships. The Moll de la Fusta (Wooden Wharf), the quay where the Barri Gotic meets the harbour, boasts a pedestrian promenade complete with palm trees, park benches, and unusual­looking contemporary bridges, as well as a row of indoor/outdoor restaurants and bars. Many locals consider most of these restaurants too expensive to patronize. Continue walking along the waterfront and beach of Barceloneta to the Port Veil (Olympic Port), site of Platja Barcelona. There's also a yacht basin here and a long, raised pier featuring several good restaurants that offer fine meals at moderate prices and lovely views of the sea. Below the pier along the edge of the yacht basin are more modest cafes with tapas and outdoor seating. Barcelonans flock to this seaside spot to swim, sunbathe, and stroll.

The Columbus Monument Barcelona

Barcelonans are very fond of Christopher Columbus (Cristofol Colom in Catalan, Cristobal Colon in Spanish), who allegedly first reported on his exploration of the Americas to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in this city (some even claim Columbus was actually Catalan himself). This 200-foot high column and statue at the harbour end of La Rambla, anchoring one end of the Moll de la Fusta, is the tallest tribute in the world to the noted explorer. Together with Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, it is an emblematic symbol of Barcelona. Take the elevator to the top floor for an extraordinary view.


The Maritime Museum Barcelona

The old low, stone buildings with the gables behind the Monument a Colom are the Drassanes Reials (Royal Shipyards), fine examples of medieval Catalan industrial architecture. Built in the 13th and 14th centuries, they are believed to be the largest intact medieval ship­yards in the world. Ships carrying the red-and-yellow Catalan flag to the far corners of the world were launched from these yards years before Columbus's bold discovery. Fittingly, the Museu Maritim, considered one of the city's finest museums, now occupies the yards. The immense and varied collections include old maps (including one drawn by Amerigo Vespucci) and navigational instruments, ships' figureheads, models of ancient fishing boats, freighters and other vessels.

Barceloneta

Created in the early 18th century on what had been an empty spit of land jutting into Barcelona harbour, lively "Little Barcelona" was originally a resettlement area for citizens who had been displaced by the huge citadel built by Felipe V to keep rebellious Barcelonans in line. Today, it is virtually its own little town, bustling and colourful, and almost romantically tacky. The Passeig Nacional, lined with bars and every kind of eating establishment imaginable, forms the area's waterfront promenade on the city side. Behind it is a grid of streets strung with laundry drying from bal­conies and encompassing a few leafy plazas stretching to the Platja de la Barceloneta, the beach on the Mediterranean side. To reach Barceloneta, walk all the way around the waterfront from the Monument a Colom past the Moll d'Espanya; take the subway (Line No.4) to the Barceloneta stop and walk from there; take any of several buses; or take the Barceloneta teleferic from Miramar, at the foot of Montjulc.

Things to see and do in Barcelona

Montjuic

Built for the 1929 International Exposition and revitalized for the 1992 Olympics, this is a five-acre museum village (called Pueblo Espanol in Castilian) whose streets and squares are lined with examples of traditional buildings from every region of Spain, most of them recreations of actual structures, from Galician casonas (cottages) to white­washed Andalusian villas with wrought-iron grilles. A walk through the "town" illustrates the diversity of Spanish architecture and offers a chance to see traditional artisans at work-their carvings, pottery, glass, leather, and metalworks are sold in the village's 35 shops.

There also is an interesting Museu de les Arts Grafiques (Graphic Arts Museum), with displays of printing and engraving equipment both old and new, and samples of posters, playing cards, hand-printed books, and other items; and a Museum of Popular Arts, Industry, and Tradition, containing historical and ethnological material from all over Catalonia and other parts of Spain, including a reconstructed antique pharmacy. Nightlife aficionados should take a look at the popular, high-tech Torres de Avila club here. The grounds are open daily till the wee hours of the morning, but the shops, restaurants, museums, and other enterprises within the village keep their own shorter hours.

The Art Museum of Catalonia

Occupying a portion of the Palau Nacional.(National Palace) and now having been remodelled by Italian archItect Gae AulentI (who turned an unused train station in Paris into the magnificent Musee d'Orsay), this museum is often referred to as "the Prado of Romanesque art." Its collection of Romanesque and Gothic altarpieces and sculpture is superb, but its chief treasure, a series of 12th- and 13th­century frescoes removed by Italian craftsmen from dank little churches in the Pyrenees and reinstalled magnificently here, is unparalleled in the world. The museum also contains works by Tintoretto, El Greco, Zurbanin, and the Catalan painter Antoni Viladomat.

The Joan Miro Foundation Barcelona

Set up in an ultramodern building designed by the late Catalan architect Josep Llufs Sert, this is a light, aIry tnbute to Cataloma's surrealist master, Joan Miro (who died in 1983 and is buried nearby in the Montjulc cemetery). Numerous painted bronze sculptures are displayed on terraces of the museum's upper level; in the gallery, artworks of various styles are displayed, including a haunting Self Portrait, whIch the artIst began in 1937 and did not finish until 1960. The Fundacion hosts frequent special exhibitions, and also has a library, a well­stocked art bookstore, and a very good snack bar.



The Archaeological Museum Barcelona

The Archaeological Museum, Barcelona, exhibits relics found in the excavation of the Greco- Roman city of Empuries on the Costa Brava; other remnants of Spain's prehistoric cultures; and a fine collection of Carthaginian, Greek, Iberian, Roman, and Visigothic artefacts, mosaics, and sculptures, most of them found in present-day Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. There is also is an archaeological library.





Barcelona Pavilion

The Barcelona Pavilion was designed by world-famous architect Mies van der Rohe as the German pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition, this sleek, spare, very contemporary building has been called one of the landmarks of modern architecture. Among the meagre furnishings are a sensuous standing nude sculpture by Georg Kolbe and two prototype examples of the Barcelona chair-probably the most famous chair design of our century, done originally for this space and first sat in (according to tradition) by Alfonso XIII, the last king of Spain before the Franco era. Disassembled and put into storage in the 1930s, the pavilion was redIscovered after 50 years and reconstructed in 1986.

The Olympic Ring Barcelona

Some 63 years after hosting the 1929 International Exposition on its slopes, Montjulc was designated as the principal site for the 1992 Summer Olympics. The sports facilities within the Anell Olimpic, from which there is a panoramic view of the Mediterranean, include the main 70,000-seat Estadi Olimpic (Olympic Stadium), built for the1nternational Exposition but completely remodelled in the late 1980s by a team of top Catalan and Italian architects. Also within the Anell Olimpic are the 17,000­seat domed Palau d'Esports Sant Jordi (St. George Sports Palace), designed by noted Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, and the Piscines Municipals B. Picornell (B. Picornell Municipal Pools), open-air pools with seating for 5,000.

The Universitat d'Esport (University of Sport) was built by controversial architect Ricardo Bofill and his associate Peter Hodgkinson in a neo­classical-post-modernista style. Alongside the stadium is the Galeria Olimpica, with videos, photos, and medals from the 1992 games.

The Military Museum Montjuic



Since time immemorial, there has been a fortress at the top of Montjulc, and the 17th- and 18th-century castle currently occupying the spot now houses military uniforms, toy soldiers, models of castles and fortresses, and a collection of 17th- to 19th-century firearms. The castle can be reached by road as well as aboard the Montjulc cable car.

Attractions in Barcelona

The Church of Santa Maria Barcelona
At the foot of the Carrer Montcada, where it meets Passeig del Born, is the back of what many consider to be the most beautiful Gothic church in Barcelona if not in all Spain. Once the preserve of the city's wealthy shipbuilders and merchants, the church dates mostly from the 14th century. Walk around to the front entrance on the Plaça Santa Maria and note the perfectly pro­portioned and simply (but attractively) detailed facade. The interior of the church draws its great beauty from its simplicity and its high, slender proportions.


The Catalan Music Palace Barcelona

The Catalan Music Palace is not far from the Barri Gotic, this is quintessential modernisme, the Catalan variation on the Art Nouveau theme. Designed by Luis Domenech i Montaner (considered a modernista genius on par with Antoni Gaud!) and built from 1905 to 1908, this concert hall is every bit as colourful as anything designed by the more famous GaudL But it's also less bizarre and, therefore, in the opinion of many, more beautiful. Gaudi himself is said to have likened it to what heaven must be like.

The interior, which was renovated and expanded by noted Barcelona architects Oscar Tusquets and Carlos Diaz, is partially illuminated by an elaborate stained glass dome, and is full of mosaics and rife with ceramic rosettes, garlands, and winged beasts. Tours are given in several languages and schedules vary, but attendance at a portion of a rehearsal by the Orquesta Municipal de Barcelona (Barcelona Municipal Orchestra) often is included.
The Passeig de Gracia Barcelona

Running from Plaça de Catalunya to Plaça de Joan Carles I, where it is cut off by Avinguda Diagonal, this is the widest boulevard in the grid-patterned district that grew up in the 1860s and 1870s after Barcelona's old walls were torn down. Lined with boutiques, banks, hotels, cinemas, and art galleries, it links the Barri Gotic to what once was the old village of Gracia, and it provides a pleasant backdrop for a stroll. Note the [anals­bane, combined lampposts and mosaic benches. Of much greater interest, however, are the modernista buildings located here; the clashing styles of the three avant-garde structures on one block, between Carrer del Consell de Cent and Carrer d'Arago, has earned it the nickname manzana de la diseordia ("apple of discord," a pun which can also mean "block of discord").



Casa Lleo Morera

On the corner of Passeig de Gracia and Carrer del Consell de Cent, this is one of the three noteworthy modernista buildings occupying the "block of discord." Designed by Domenech i Montaner, and built in 1905 at the peak of the Catalan modernista movement, it has stone balconies carved in flower designs and winged lions. The facade is monochromatic, but step across the street to see the ventilator on top, which looks like an elaborate bonnet with a green, pink, and yellow flowered hat band. The interior is not open to the public.

Casa Amatiller and Casa Batillo

These two buildings, both designed as apartment complexes, make up the remainder of the "block of discord." The Casa Amatller (41 Passeig de Gracia), completed in 1900, was designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, perhaps the best-known and most prolific of modernista architects and designers after Gaudi and Domenech i Montaner. With its Italian-style grafitto decoration and Flemish-style stepped gable adorned with fanciful sculpted animals engaged in human activities, the building contrasts dramatically with its immediate neighbour, the Casa Batllo (43 Passeig de Gracia), which was designed by Antoni Gaudi, leader of the modernista movement. Built circa 1907, it's a fairy-tale abode with mask­shaped balconies, sensuous curves in stone and iron, and bits of broken tile in its upper levels. Both buildings are closed to the public, though it may be possible to take a peek in the lobby.

Casa Mila

Casa Mila is only a few blocks from the "block of discord," on the other side of the Passeig de Gracia, is this apartment house, which is regarded as the classic example of Gaudi's modernista architecture. Popularly known as La Pedrera (the "stone quarry"), this sinuous yet geometric building seems to be making an almost sculptural attempt to distance itself from the harsh, square lines of its turn-of-the-century neighbours. Barcelona novelist Joan Pirucho once wrote that the Casa Mila "gives the impression of a mountain eroded by the wind and the ruin, excavated right into its entrails by the pIercing blast of atmospheric accIdent." Be sure to visit the rooftop terrace, wIth Its strange chImney caps. There is no elevator, but the six flights of staIrs are worth the effort to see details of doorknobs and banisters en route.

Park Goel Barcelona

Originally planned as a real estate development by Gaudl and his frend Count Eusebi Giiell, a noted Barcelona industrialist and civic leader, Pare Gilell is now a public park, located to the north and west of The Eixample. At its core, resting on 86 pillars and edged with a stone bench "upholstered" with a mosaic quilt of broken glass and tIles, is a plaza that was meant to be the development project's marketplace. Only two of the development's houses-the gingerbread cottages flanking the park entrance-were ever built; a third, not designed by Gaudi but his home for the last two decades of his life, has been turned into the Casa-Museu Gaudi, containing drawings, models, furniture, and a number of his .belongings. South of the park, the Passeig de Gracia ambles past some Impish turn-of-the-century houses.

The Church of the Holy Family Barcelona

Antoni Gaudi was killed in a tram accident in 1926 before he could complete this religious edifice, his most famous and controversial work and a structure that has come to be an emblematic symbol of Barcelona in much the same way that the Eiffel Tower is of Paris or Big Ben is of London. Started in 1884 by Francesc de Pau Villar in a neo-Gothic style, in 1891 it was taken over by Gaudi, who changed the style dramatically. Sagrada Famlia is in the great Gothic tradition of Flamboyant swirls, jutting gargoyles, allegorical facades and lifetimes of construction. Gaudi's estimate that the completion of his final project would take 200 years may prove to be overly optimistic. Under construction for more than a century, the church still doesn't have four complete walls or a roof. Only the tall spires, stained-glass windows, and sculpted figures of the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and the infant Christ was actually completed before Gaudi died.

Take the elevator up to the dizzying heights of the spires for views of the city and close-ups of the amazing architectural details. Steps go even higher, but beware if you suffer from vertigo (or from claustrophobia, as the stairways are dark and close). The audiovisual show in the Museu Monografic, located in the crypt, traces the history of the church. There's also a scale model of the structure as it will be one day, although we may never be able to compare it to the real thing.

Places to go in Barcelona

Barcelona Cathedral

Barcelona's cathedral, often called La Seu by locals, is dedicated to St. Eulalia, one of the city's patron saints, martyred in AD 304 at the age of 14. It's an excellent example of Catalan Gothic architecture, begun in 1298 on the site of two earlier cathedrals. Though most of the present-day cathedral was completed by the mid-15th century, the facade and spired cupola that rises over it were added between 1887 and 1913, although they follow the original plans.

The interior is laid out in classic Catalan Gothic form, with three aisles neatly engineered to produce an overall effect of grandeur. The church is comparatively bright inside, thanks to the flickering of thousands of votive candles and the shafts of light pouring through the stained glass windows.

In the enclosed choir are 14th- and 15th-century wooden stalls bearing the coats of arms of the Knights of the Golden Fleece. Also worthy of note is the 16th-century choir screen depicting scenes from St. Eulalia's life. The saint is interred in a marble crypt in front of the Altar Major (High Altar). The Capella de Sant Benedicte (Chapel of St. Benedict), the third one beyond the caskets, is among the most notable of the many in the cathedral; it contains the nine-panel Altarpiece of the Transfiguration by the 15th-century Catalan artist Bernat Martorell. Another of the cathedral's treasures is the 15th-century polychrome tomb of St. Ramon of Penyafort. The cathedral museum has an assortment of reliquaries, altarpieces, and the gold throne of Marti I, a benevolent 15th-century Count of Barcelona who ruled Catalonia and Aragon.

The adjoining cloister is a homey surprise. Reached from within the cathedral through the Capella de Santa Lucia (St. Lucy's Chapel) or through doors from the street, it is an oasis of greenery, full of palm trees and inhabited by numerous pigeons and a gaggle of white geese who reside beside a fountain and a pool. The cathedral is open daily. There are separate admission charges to the enclosed choir and to the museum.

The Palace of the Catalan Governmrcent Barcelona

This 15th­century Gothic structure was the seat of the ancient Catalan parliament and now houses the executive branch of Catalonia's autonomous government. Among the notable rooms are a 15th-century Flamboyant Gothic chapel; the Capella de Sant Jordi (Chapel of St. George), with splendid 17th­century vaulting; and the 16th-century Sala de Sant Jordi (St. George Hall), in which the most important decisions of state have been handed down over the centuries.
Like the Palau de la Generalitat across the square, the city hall is a fine example of Gothic civil architecture. The facade on the square is 19th-century neoclassical, however. Walk along the Carrer de la Ciutat side to see the building's original
14th-century Flamboyant Gothic facade.



The Great Royal Palace Barcelona

This is the former palace of the Counts of Barcelona, who ruled the Catalan-Aragonese Confederation­and through it much of the Mediterranean world-from the 12th through the 15th centuries. Actually a complex of buildings, dating mostly from the 14th century but built on 12th-century foundations, it is most notable for its magnificent dining hall, which is over 50 feet high and 110 feet long, and is defined by six immense arches spanned by wooden beams. The Catalan Parliament met here for several years in the 1370s, and it is popularly believed that Columbus was presented to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella here to report on his voyage to the Americas. The room is closed to the public unless there is a concert or exhibition; then it is worth the price of admission just to see it and the stylized painting of the "Catholic Monarchs" sitting on the palace's great steps, surrounded by the heroic Columbus and the American Indians he brought home on his return voyage.

The palace is entered from the Plaça del Rei, a small and beautiful square almost completely surrounded by buildings, with a flight of shallow rounded stairs in one corner. The acoustics are excellent here, and the landing atop the stairs is sometimes used as a stage for jazz or chamber concerts.

The Museum of City History Barcelona

The city's history museum, on Plaça del Rei, is housed in the Casa Clariana-Padellas, a 16th­century Gothic merchant's house. Begin a tour in the basement, where pathways thread through an actual excavated section of Roman Barcelona, past remains of houses, storerooms, columns, walls, and bits of mosaic pavement. Upstairs rooms contain paintings, furniture, and municipal memorabilia, including the 16th-century Gran Rellotge, one of the six clocks that have occupied the cathedral bell tower. The museum also incorporates part of the Palau Reial Major (see above).


The Museum of Frederic Mare


Part of the Palau Reial Major, this is an important collection of medieval art, particularly sculpture, which was donated to the city by Frederic Mares, a prominent local sculptor. The painted wooden religious statues, peculiar to this part of Spain, are outstanding. On the upper floors, a display of artefacts ranging from costumes and combs to pipes and purses invites visitors to discover what everyday life was like in la Catalunya Vella (old Catalonia).



The Picasso Museum Barcelona

Although Malaga-born Pablo Picasso lived in France for 69 years, Barcelona was where he spent his student days, and it occupied a warm place in his heart throughout his life and served as artistic inspiration (in one of his better-known paintings, the Demoiselles d'Avignon, the damsels are actually prostitutes from a brothel in Barcelona. This museum was founded in 1963 when Jaime Sabartes, a native of Barcelona and friend of Picasso's, presented his collection of the master's work to the city. Picasso himself donated 58 paintings.

Housed in the beautiful 15th-century Palau Aguilar, which is nearly as interesting as the artist's works, the museum is not strictly within the Barri Gotic, although it's quite near. A lovely Gothic-Renaissance courtyard opens to the roof, surrounded by tiers of arcaded galleries with pointed arches and slender columns. Lithographs and early works from the artist's years in Malaga and Barcelona constitute most of the collection, but there are a few special pieces. One is the large exhibition of 44 variations on Las Meninas, the famous Velazquez painting in Madrid's Prado. Also notice examples of Picasso's warm and unpretentious ceramic work.

Barcelona Spanish city

Today, Barcelona, in some ways the most European of Spanish cities, is big (pop. 1,755,000), rich, and commercial. Catalans are famous throughout Spain for their business acumen (and in some quarters parodied for their supposed stinginess), and young people seeking commercial advancement are drawn here from all parts of the Iberian Peninsula. In addition to being the country's major port and second-largest city, Barcelona is the publishing and literary capital of Spain. It's also a political centre, as the large and active autonomous government of Catalonia, the Generalitat, is based here.

Exaggerated catalanisme on the part of a militant minority, though, could threaten to increasingly squeeze out the use of Spanish in educational, political, and cultural life, and mire Catalonia in cultural and linguistic parochialism (a few Catalans will even refuse to speak to foreign vIsItors in Spanish).

El Bulli Restaurant Barcelona

But in spite of such flaws, Barcelona has a vitality and resilience that bodes well for the future. It has become a favoured destination for Europeans who lIke theIr bIg cItIes to have more than just a cathedral and an art museum. Scores of excellent restaurants attest to the Barcelonan love of good food and the vanety of the regIonal dishes. If you are a lover of great food and you plan to hire a car from Barcelona Airport, drive two hours north to Roses where you will find the fantastic restaurant, El Bulli. With three Michelin stars, El Bulli was voted ´best restaurant in the world´ in 2008 by Restaurant magazine. Chic designer fashion boutiques attract.

Visitors, as do some of the finest Art Deco-style buildings in Europe, including the Palau de la Musica Catalana, the embodiment of modernisme. This building reflects the city's love of music; many residents belong to choral socIetIes and choIrs, and the young usually join societies to learn regional dances such as the sardana.

Barcelona spent hundreds of millions of dollars as host of the 1992 Olympic Games to let the world know it was ready for the 21st century. In addition to hosting a feast of sport, the games triggered a massive clean-up and improvement of the city. Working class areas like Vall d'Hebron now have sports facIlItles and the Villa Olimpica (Olympic Village) remains as a living community. The CIty spent over €100 million on the construction of 20 new hotels and built a €150-million terminal at Aeroport del Prat which is second in passenger numbers only to Madrid Airport.

But while impressive, all the Olympic-inspired construction fails to capture the essence of the city. To find this, you must see the sardana, or walk through the Barri Gotic some evening at dusk, when voices are sometimes heard softly singing medieval madrigals as though the spirits of the past were alIve. Such moments embody the true spirit of Barcelona.

Things to see and do in Barcelona

There are excellent panoramic views of Barcelona, its harbor, the foothills of the Pyrenees, and the Mediterranean (on a clear day you can see the Island. of MaJorca, some 125 miles away) from the top of Tibidabo, a 1,745­foot hIll on the northwest side of the city. Tibidabo is crowned with an amusement park; a quasi-Gothic church (built early in this century), which is lit up at night; and the needle-like Torre de Collserola, an 800-foot telecommunications tower designed by noted British architect Norman Foster to symbolize Barcelona's perception of itself as "the city of the future." To get to Tlbldabo, take the FFCC train to Avinguda del Tibidabo, change to the blue tram, and take It one stop to Peu del Funicular, where you can take the funicular to the Parc d'Atraccions del Tibidabo (Tibidabo Amusement Park).

Check the park's opening hours wIth the tourist offIce before setting out, however, because It´s not open every day and it closes fairly early. At other times, do as the locals do and get off after the tram ride and walk across the square at the foot of Tibidabo to La Venta (an old cafe expanded into a large restaurant with an attractive terrace, where the contemporarily accented Catalan and Basque dishes are decent but pricey). Or stop for drinks at one of the bars across the square.

Places to visit in Barcelona

The city's oldest buildings of historic and artistic interest are located in the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter), the old medieval heart of Barcelona. Just southwest of the Barri Gotic is the city's most colourful and animated promenade, La Rambla (also known, in the plural, as Les Rambles-in Spanish, Las Ramblas), alternately sordid and sophisticated as it stretches from the Plaça de Catalunya down to Barcelona harbour. In 1858, after the walls of the old city had been razed, Barcelona expanded north and west into the Eixample (Ensanche in Castilian-literally "enlargement" or "expansion"), a grid pattern of wide streets, grand boulevards, and chambered blocks designed by visionary city planner Ildefons Cerda.

The Avinguda Diagonal and the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, two of modern Barcelona's major streets, cut across this chessboard, which is the city's special pride because of the unparalleled late 19th- and early 20th-century architecture found here, including a number of Gaudi's most interesting works. To the south of the Barri Gotic and the Eixample, beginning to rise almost at the foot of La Rambla, is Mt. Montjulc, a 700-foot hill that provides a seaside counterpoint to Mt. Tibidabo at the other end of the city (the name, according to one theory, means "Jewish Mountain" because at one time it was the site of a Jewish cemetery). Here you'll find the Parc de Montjuic, the city's playground, with several museums, illuminated fountains, a sport and recreation area, and the site of the 1992 Olympic complex. Buildings put up to house exhibitions for the 1929 World's Fair still scale its slopes, and at the summit, the huge Palau Nacional (National Palace) overlooks the sea.

Keep in mind that, as in other Spanish cities, it is common for churches, museums, historic sites, and other places of touristic interest in Barcelona to close for one to three hours at some point between noon and 5 PM each day; hours are usually shorter on weekends than on weekdays, and schedules may vary with the season. Closing days tend to be Sundays or Mondays. When possible, it's best to call ahead for exact hours, or have a hotel or tourism office staff member do it for you. Names of historic and other sites in this chapter are usually given in Catalan, with their Castilian Spanish form, if any, in parentheses.

Barcelona tourist information

The Sardana Dance Barcelona

For a glimpse of the soul of Barcelona, witness the ancient regional dance called the sardana, often performed on Sunday afternoons in front of the stately Gothic cathedral and in other of the city's squares. The circle of ordinary men and women moving in simple, slow steps to traditional music of flute and drum provides an apt metaphor of the city and its people.

The sardana-once described by a poet as a dance "of people going forth holding hands"-is indicative of the sense of community (some might call it clannishness) and passion for music that is typical of Barcelona.

Barcelona has long been a great Mediterranean port and Spain's "second city," but its strongest identity is as the capital of the fiercely individualistic and communal people of Catalonia, the Catalans. It has served as a stronghold of Catalan nationalism in more repressive times, and the locus of Catalan representation vis-a-vis the government of Madrid in freer ones.

There always has been a strong regional identity and pride here. After the death of Generalissimo Francisco Franco in 1975 ended his 36-year right­wing dictatorship, the lilting Catalan language, no longer suppressed as it was under Franco, quickly regained its place as the dominant one of the region. Streets and place-names were changed back from Castilian to Catalan, and with the democratic constitution of King Juan Carlos, the region of Catalonia-encompassing the provinces of Barcelona, Girona (Gerona in Castilian Spanish), Lleida (Urida), and Tarragona-was designated one of the country's 17 comunidades autonomas (autonomous communities).

Thousands of visitors a year fly into Barcelona Airport from all over the world, to discover the magic of the city and also to explore the Costa Brava with its beachside towns including: Blanes, Tossa de Mar and Lloret de Mar. For travellers who want to enjoy the area at their own pace, cheap car hire, taxis and good public transport links are available from Barcelona International Airport.

Given its position across the Pyrenees from France, Barcelona has a history and language that link it as much to France as to Spain. Catalan is closely related to the French langue d'oc, or Provenal, and is spoken in French Catalonia as well. The Castilian Spanish gracias (thank you) becomes gracies (pronounced "grah-see-ehss") in Catalan, and buenos dias (good morning or good day) is bon dia; to wish someone goodbye, sayadeu instead of adios.

The history of Barcelona

The history of Barcelona dates back to 218 Be, when Hamilcar Barca, a powerful Carthaginian (and Hannibal's father), founded a settlement named after him called Barcino. The Romans developed the town, throwing up walls, parts of which are stilI visible. The Visigoths fought over it in the 5th century AD; the Moors in the 8th century. In 801 Barcelona was conquered by Charlemagne, and it became the dividing line between Christian Europe and Muslim Spain. During the 9th and 10th centuries, local lords, the Counts of Barcelona, became strong enough to establish their independence and drive the Moors from the lands to the south, and by 1100 Barcelona had dominion over all of Catalonia (thus giving rise to Barcelona's proud title of Ciutat Condal, "City of the Counts"). When Ramon Berenguer IV, a 12th-century Count of Barcelona, married an Aragonese heiress and became King of Aragon, the city became the capi­tal of the combined Catalan and Aragonese kingdom.

At one point, Barcelona was a major Mediterranean power, a force whose might is still evident today in the medieval streets of the city's old Gothic Quarter, the Barri Gotic. During the 1400s, Barcelona rivaled Genoa and Venice in Mediterranean trade. At the end of the 15th century it was assimilated into the new Spain of the Reyes Catolicos ("Catholic Monarchs") Ferdinand and Isabella. The opening of the Western Hemisphere, however, proved disastrous for Catalonia. As trade moved from east to west, Cadiz and other Spanish ports on the Atlantic rose in importance, and Barcelona declined, even as the influx of treasure from the Americas fuelled inflation ruinous throughout Spain.

Thereafter, the question of Catalan autonomy became a consistent theme in Barcelona's history, and the city and region often picked the wrong team in making a stand against the rest of Spain. They rose up against the Spanish crown during the Thirty Years War in the 17th century and failed in an attempt to set up an independent nation. In the early 18th century, they backed the Habsburgs in the War of the Spanish Succession, prompting the victorious Bourbons to put an end to what Catalonian autonomy remained. Only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries did Barcelona begin to recoup. Success in industry fostered a cultural revival-the Renaixenqa-and a newfound sense of Catalan identity. Architects such as Antoni Gaudi i Cornet (1852-1926) and his contemporaries designed and raised buildings of astonishing creativity in new city quarters. Barcelona was as much a centre of Art Nouveau as Paris or Vienna, although here the style was called modrnisme. Catalan, Spanish, and other European artists, including Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso, and Juan Gris, attracted by the city's life and colour and the spirit of its people, made it a meeting place. Anarchism and other political radicalism flourished, and Barcelona became the capital of a short-lived autonomous Catalan government set up in 1932. Then, during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), it became the seat of the Republican government from November 1937 until its fall to Franco's Nationalist rebels in January 1939.

Visiting Budapest – the most beautiful city in Central Europe

The visitor to this, the most beautiful city in Central Europe, will be enchanted by the many faces of the capital: the changing light on the Danube, the majestic river that runs through the city; the fragrance of the large flowering paulownia trees in the public gardens; the delicious pleasure of slipping out to enjoy a morning dip in one of Budapest’s many outdoor thermal pools. May is without doubt the best month to see Budapest for the first time.


You won’t ever see Budapest in the same light twice, depending on what season of the year you visit it It enjoys nearly 2,500 hours of sunshine a year a similar amount to that of more southerly countries. Winter may offer the unusual sight of the Danube frozen over—something that happens every three years or so—when ponds in the city and nearby suburbs are transformed into skating rinks frequented by young winter-sports aficionados. Spring is the season of music festivals and folkloric events, when the entire city is in full celebration. It’s a perfect time to discover the narrow Baroque streets around Empress Maria Theresa’s former palace on the hills of Buda or to admire the urban planning and virtuosity of nineteenth-century architectural styles in the Pest neighbourhood, on the left bank of the river built over a large plain that marks the start of the Carpathian Basin.


The history of this capital city (in reality three cities joined in one) is linked to its geographical site. It’s an ancient settlement; Roman legions guarding the limes (the frontier of the Roman empire) set up a fortified camp here in the early first century cc., which was later expanded by the Emperor Hadrian. There are well-preserved remains of the Roman city in Obuda, the northern part of the modern city. The city has suffered a turbulent history since then.The Mongols conquered it in the thirteenth century. Buda enjoyed a brilliant renaissance during the reign of King Matihias Corvinus (Matyás) in the second half of the fifteenth century. The Ottoman Turks occupied the city from I 526 to I 686, and in I 698 Prince Eugene of Savoy, at the head the imperial army, incorporated it into the Austrian Habsburg empire.


Buda, with neighbouring Pest and buda, flourished under the Habsburgs.The urban, economic, and cultural developments that took place during the nineteenth century were some of the most remarkable on the entire European continent. However, it was not until 1873 that the three cities of Buda, Pest, and Obuda came together as Budapest. The Hungarian capital thus created was a dynamic Counter balance to the proud city of Vienna during the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy, established in 1867 by Emperor Francis Joseph. The Parliament building constructed on the Pest side of the river between 1884 and 1904 became the symbol of a determined urban and national ambition, combining as it did a neo-Gothic facade that imitated London's Houses of Parliament with an interior decorative plan designed to glorify Hungarian history and traditions.

Budapest has retained a dual outlook derived from its composite heri­tage and contrasting geography. Long regarded as the last Western bulwark against the Ottoman Empire, the city is easier to comprehend when it is also seen as the gateway to the distant Middle East. This confrontation between Western and Eastern traditions, and the city's central location in the heart of Europe, have created a unique lifestyle, a blend of hedonism and determination, abandonment and rigor; in which every­one finds something to identify with Visitors from all over the world succumb to the powerful charm of this city that has contrived to absorb and assimilate into a single melting pot the elements of various waves of conquest.



Budapest lifestyle


The best way to get an overall sense of the urban development of the last three centuries is from the Citadel on top of Gellert Hill (Gellert hegy). From here, the view stretches out across buildings and bridges to the majestic landscape fashioned by the curve of the river.

In the foreground rises Castle Hill (Var hegy) , where Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, built Buda Palace (Budavari Palota) in the eighteenth century; it has been remodelled many times since and was largely rebuilt after the devastating bombing during the siege of Budapest during the winter of 1944--45. Hungarians often visit the castle, as it houses the vast collection of the Hungarian National Gallery, several other museums, and the National Szechenyi Library. Slightly farther away on the same hill is the Matthias (Matyas) Church, transformed many times during its proud one-thousand-year history and in its present form representing the dynamic architectural syncretism of late-nineteenth-century Budapest. Its glazed-tile roofs and other features borrowed from diverse stylistic tra­ditions were integrated into the building at the request of Emperor Francis Joseph and Empress Elizabeth-the famous Sissi, beloved by all Hungarians during the restoration of I 873. Around the church, the facades of medieval and Baroque houses offer a human backdrop to a neighbourhood otherwise dominated by church and royal architecture. They shelter behind ramparts and bastions built during the Turkish occupation, as well as turn-of-the-cen­tury revival buildings, like the Fisherman's Bastion, an astonishing contem­porary neo-Romanesque reconstruction of the Matthias Church.

In the distance, still on the right bank of the river; you can see the hills of Buda. The slopes are initially fairly clear of vegetation, but the trees grow Denser toward the top. This lovely stretch of greenery is a select neighborhood for the city's wealthiest residents. The many villas, mostly built between 1850 and 1930 (or in the I 990s as part of a recent surge in real estate and home construction), reflect the quality of life in this section of Budapest. Breezes disperse the clouds of pollution that hang over the lower town and cool the air during the often blisteringly hot summers. Large homes with rough-cast fa~ades in shades ranging from ocher and pistachio to brick red are representative of the colors to be found all over Central Europe. A few writers and intellectuals also have homes here, although they tend to be more modest. Among them is a remarkable couple who have created an outstanding private collection of traditional art, housed in a lovely apartment in the Hill of Roses (Rozsa damb). It contains masterpieces of Hungarian, Romanian, Austrian, Serbian, and Croatian art.

Buda's charms extend farther than its intellectual and moneyed neighborhoods. Just a few steps from the art collection on the Hill of Roses is an octagonal mausoleum constructed four centuries ago by a Muslim holy man as his final resting place; the view of the river from here is spectacular. The Tomb of Gul Baba remains a pilgrimage and religious site for Muslims. Thanks to Saudi funding, it has undergone a recent but excessive restoration.

After this initial excursion into Buda, let’s cross the river, taking one of the five bridges visible from the promontory of the Citadel. The most famous is the Chain Bridge (Szechenyi lanchid), a favorite land­mark among Budapest residents, as it was the first stone bridge to span the 1,310 feet (400 meters) across the Danube prior to the Revolution of I 848. It was built on the initiative of Count Istvan Szechenyi, a major urban planner of the Hungarian national revival. It was destroyed during World World II, but rebuilt in its exact original form.

If you're looking for a culinary break, the Gundel restaurant is the place to stop. Opened over one hundred years ago, this national monument to Hungary's gastronomic tradition is worth a visit, if only to enjoy the unique decor: the bar, dining room, small private rooms, and the terrace (where the sound of the big cats from the nearby zoo can be heard during summer months) are all worth a look. The wine cellar deserves mention, as George Lang, the restaurant's owner and author of a classic book on Hungarian cooking, is also a wine connoisseur who will share his knowledge with you, along with a certain number of specially selected vintages.


The nearly one-and-a-half-mile-Long thorough fare of Andrassy Avenue, with its banks, luxury bou­tiques, trendy restaurants, traditional cafes, influential cultural institutions, and Bohemian-chic apartments, perfectly symbolizes this section of the city It was designed in the I 870s by the major Hungarian architect Miklos Ybl to link Erzsebet Square near the river to Heroes Square, and is a model of urban street design, featuring well-designed intermediary squares and side lanes. Hungarians love to stroll along its tree-lined sidewalks. Inside some of the numerous distinguished private mansions and elegant old-fashioned bourgeois apartments of Andrassy Avenue you may catch glimpses of staircases decorated with frescoes (unfortunately often in bad condition, but restoration work has picked up considerably in recent years), and inner courtyards. Many have balconies enclosed with finely worked wrought-iron railings. These are an important feature of apartment life in Pest. There is scarcely a novel or short story by such assiduous observers of the capital's intimate life as Gyula Krudy, Dezsu Kosztolanyi and Gyorgy Konrad that does not describe these open-air theatres of the human comedy, where emotional crises and passions are acted out in public view.


As you stroll up Andrassy Avenue from Heroes Square along one of the old riding paths beside the lovely, although somewhat dilapidated, Italianate villas, do not fail to notice circular Kodaly korond, one of the most beautiful squares in Pest, surrounded by four large residences that reflect the neigh­borhood's aristocratic tradition. Past Oktogon, a major intersection of Andrassy Avenue and the Great Boulevard, you'll enter the heart of the capital's artistic life, symbolized by the Academy of Fine Arts, a neo-Renaissance building built in I 875. An Oriental-style gallery runs around a pale-yellow atrium on the upper floor, accessed by a beautiful stone staircase and marble balustrade. Enclosing it is an ornate wrought iron grille topped by a pulpit, a rather unexpected element. Geometric stained-glass windows provide a subdued light that plunges the bronze busts into mysterious shadow. These busts stand out against the colour marble, the domed ceiling decorated with allegorical figures, and the medallion portraits of women in the gallery.

Things to do in Spain

Spain isn't just for seeing, it's also for doing. Whatever you get up to, whether it's bargaining in Madrid's Rastro market, betting on ajai-alai game in the Basque Country, or dancing the sardaiia in Barcelona, you will be absorbing the vitality and passion of the people, their pastimes, and their rich, colourful culture.

With its seas and mountains, Spain offers every kind of sporting and leisure opportunity, as strenuous or relaxing as you choose, summer or winter. In Andalusia you can even ski in the mountains and swim in the sea on the same day.

Spain boasts hundreds of miles of sandy beaches, and pebbled and rocky shores excellent for snorkelling. As can be expected, the best beaches are often the most developed, and will offer a full range of facilities: watersports, parasols, deck -chairs, changing rooms, showers, bars, restaurants, and cafes. With the introduction of budget airlines and cheap car hire from Malaga Airport, Barcelona Airport, Madrid Airport and Alicante Airport, Spain is now much more accessible to travellers from all over Europe.

With a little enterprise you can still discover near-deserted coves, or head off to the less developed coasts such as the Costa de Almeria or Costa de la Luz.

Popular water-sports in Spain include:

Windsurfing - This is a hugely popular sport. Tuition, equip­ment, and maybe wetsuit hire are available at most good re­sorts. Advanced windsurfers should go to Tarifa, southern Spain or Jandia peninsula on Fuerteventura (one of the Canary Islands).

Waterskiing - An expensive pursuit these days, waterskiing is still available at large resorts-as is parascending. The Balearics and east-coast resorts at La Manga, Costa Dorada, and Costa Brava are all good places to try this exhilarating sport.

Scuba diving - There is good diving off the Costa Brava, Costa de Almeria, and Balearic Islands. Local dive operators can arrange tuition, permits, and equipment hire.

Boating - Most tourist beaches have a variety of craft for hire -light catamarans are very popular. Sailing is particularly good off the Costa Brava, the Balearic and Canary Islands, in the Bay of Cadiz, and at Santander and Laredo on Spain's north coast.
Golf - Spain is world famous for golf, with over 100 courses on the mainland and islands. Not every pro is a Seve Ballesteros, but the quality of instruction, should you want it, is generally high. The greatest concentration is on the Costa del Sol. On the east coast, the Valencian courses of EI Saler and EI Escorpian are highly rated and of good value; the La Manga Club on the Costa Calida has three championship courses. Of the islands, Majorca has a number of fine courses, while Gran Canaria boasts Spain's oldest golf club in a stunning setting.

For an overview of what's available, request a golfing map of Spain from the national tourist office.

Tennis - Tennis is another favourite sport in Spain but, unless you know you will be able to play under floodlights, it may be best to avoid playing in the hottest months of the year. Many ho­tels, apartments, and villa complexes have their own tennis courts and some even a resident professional. The Costa del Sol is probably the biggest centre for tennis tuition; the east coast La Manga Club is one of the best tennis centres in Europe.

Horse Riding Spain - There are ranches and equestrian centres all over Spain. Many offer tuition and a range of outings on horseback from a gentle seaside trot to a stimulating cross-country excursion or overnight treks.

Skiing Spain - Spain's many ski resorts are attracting an increasing number of devotees. Over half of these are in the Pyrenees (including Andorra), with another four resorts in the Picos de Europa. Europe's sunniest skiing takes place in the Andalusian Sierra Nevada.

Walking, hiking, and climbing - Spain offers numerous opportunities for the outdoor type in a network of national parks and nature reserves. There are two mountain parks in the Pyrenees and another in the Picos de Europa, with walking trails, hiking paths, and climbing for enthusiasts of all abilities. Other favourite outdoor centres include the dunes and wetlands of the Doñana National Park, in the southwest, and the volcanic badlands of Tenerife. A natural wall, perfect for climbing, at Mijas, Andalusia, in the foothills of the Serrania de Ronda.

Shopping in Spain

Modern Spain has long since shed its image as the bargain base­ment of Europe. However, fans of the truly kitsch should have no fear, for amongst the genuinely tasteful souvenirs of a Spanish holiday-ceramics, leather goods, food treats from olive oil to nougat -the straw donkey and bullfight poster are stilI alive and kicking.

For a quick survey of what Spaniards are buying, browse through the big department stores: El Corte Ingles and the Galerfas Preciados. There are branches of both stores in most sizeable towns. Unlike the majority of Spanish businesses, these chains stay open non-stop across the lunch-and-siesta break until about 9:00 P.M. in the evening, and often later in summer. For quality crafts, more than a dozen cities have branches of Artespafia, the official showcase for items created by Spanish artisans.

Here are a few suggestions for best buys in Spain:

Antiques - You will find few bargains in genuine antiques shops or stalls, but the open-air bric-a-brac markets, such as Madrid's Rastro, provide plenty of fun for browsers.

Artificial pearls - Made in Majorca, these are so convincing often experts are fooled, until they feel them. Rub them along your teeth - the real ones are rougher.

Ceramics - Each region produces its own distinctive designs and differing colour schemes. Hand-painted azulejos (tiles of Moorish origins) are also a popular collectable.

Damascene and Toledo steel - This is a speciality of Toledo, though the art of damascene (inlaying the steel with intricate gold designs) originated in Damascus.

Embroidery and lace - Look for lace mantillas, those lightweight shawls used for covering shoulders. However, be wary of gypsy street sellers offering bargain prices; their goods are generally of much poorer quality and made anywhere but in Spain.

Glassware - Majorca is the centre for glassmaking. The typical blue, green, or amber bowls, glasses, and pitchers are sold in many mainland stores.

Leather- Top quality Spanish leather products ranging from sturdy belts, wallets, and riding boots to elegant handbags and jackets are an excellent buy.

Valencian porcelain - Lladro figurine collectors can stock up at the company's Madrid showroom. Less detailed models from the same work­shop go under the name Nao.

Nightlife in Spain

Since Spaniards don't usually start thinking about their dinner until 9:00 or 10:00 P.M., Spanish nightlife tends to keep going far later than in other countries. After a leisurely meal, it's on to the music bar (occasionally live music, but generally a video screen pumping up the volume), for a drink and a chance to catch the latest football score before deciding where to go next. Only then will they actually hit the disco or nightclub-around 2:00 A.M. Currently, Barcelona is one of the most fashionable nightspots in Europe. Madrid is the city that never sleeps, and Ibiza is the leader of the pack in the Mediterranean.

Throbbing guitars, snapping fingers, stamping heels, and soul­stirring songs lure local enthusiasts and visitors to Spain's flamenco nightclubs. There are two main groups of songs: the bouncier, more cheerful type is known as cante chico; the cante jonto deals with love, death, and human drama in slow, piercing style. The purists have little time for the show-biz style tablaos flamenco (floorshows) of Madrid and the resorts. For the real thing, you have to head for the specialist bars and clubs of Andalusia, the home of flamenco.


Bullfighting Spain

To the Spanish, the bullfight (corrida) is neither a sport nor a contest between two equals. It's about the ritualistic slaughter of the bull, and each stage of a bullfight is clearly laid out and understood by the crowd.

First, the matador gets the measure of the bull with the aid of his large red and yellow capote (cape). Then the picadores (mounted spearmen) arrive and attempt to lance the bull's neck muscles in order to lower the head and make the matador's kill easier. The banderilleros, on foot, then plant long, coloured darts into the hump on the bull's neck. Finally, the matador returns and taunts the bull with the small, dark red muleta cape. When the matador thinks he has achieved domination and the moment is right, he delivers his coup de grace-in theory, a single, swift sword stroke over the bull's horns and down between the shoulder blades into the heart. In practice, it often takes more than one attempt. The season for the corrida lasts from March to October.

Cultural activities Spain

Spaniards take opera very seriously, and there are three great venues: Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu; Madrid's Teatro Real; and Seville's new Teatro de la Maestranza.

For concerts, Madrid's Auditorio Nacional de Musica, inaugurated in 1988, is home to the Spanish National Orchestra. Check with local tourist offices for details of concerts and recitals in other cities. They often take place in historic surroundings such as churches and palaces. For drama, Spanish as well as foreign plays-classical and contemporary ­can be seen in theatres all over the country.

Foreign films are generally dubbed before they are shown in a Spanish cinema, but in major cities and some resorts, cinemas may show films in their original version with Spanish subtitles.

Things to do for Children in Spain

Long, sunny days and soft, sandy beaches mean that much of coastal Spain is a favourite family destination. Many hotels have special features for junior guests, ranging from organized poolside games and outings to babysitting facilities. When seawater and sandcastles start to wear thin, you can try some of the following:

Make a splash - Water parks are a highly popular alternative to a day at the beach. While the energetic kids hurl themselves down waterslides and ride the machine-made waves, the less ac­tive types can top up their tans in landscaped gardens. Addition­al attractions often include ten-pin bowling and mini-golf.

Go-karting - A favourite with the kids (not to mention their parents), go-kart tracks are common along the Costas.

A night out - The Spanish take their kids out at night, so why not do likewise? Older children will probably enjoy a colourful flamenco show, and there are few restrictions, if any, on children accompanying adults into bars, restaurants, or cafes.

Fiesta - Older children will love the firework displays and music, while the younger kids watch the dancers and giant papier-maché figures wide-eyed. Carnival is always a colourful event where the local children usually wear the best costumes. There is nothing to stop you from also dressing up and joining in. It's great fun and you're sure to be welcome.

The fun of the fair - Most big towns or resorts have a parque de atracciones where the rides range from the old-fashioned carousel and big-wheel to high-tech thrills. Barcelona's two fun fairs, Montjulc and Tibidabo, deserve a special mention for their first-class rides and tremendous views.

Animal life - The Barcelona Zoo, with its famous albino goril­la and a killer whale and dolphin show, is acclaimed as one of the finest zoo parks in Europe. Elsewhere on the Costas, marine parks with performing dolphins, sea lions, and other animal shows are becoming increasingly popular.


Eating out in Spain

The Spanish take their food very seriously; you will rarely be disappointed by the variety, the tasty flavour, or the hearty portions served in local restaurants throughout Spain. Each region has its distinct culinary strengths, from the seafood creations of the north to the rice platters of the east, from the roasts of the central area to the succulent hams and fried fish of the south. And for every dish, there is usually a locally grown wine to match.

Spanish restaurants are graded by the "fork" system. One fork is the lowest grade, five forks is the elite. These ratings, however, are awarded according to the facilities and degree of luxury that the restaurant can offer, not for the quality of the food.

If you are in search of the type of restaurant which specializes in local food rather than fancy napkins, look out for the word tipica. For good value, all Spanish restaurants should offer a menu del dia (daily special). This is normally a three-course meal, including house wine, at a very reasonable set price.
The prices on the menu usually include a service charge and taxes, but it's customary to leave a tip of 5-10 percent if you've been served efficiently. Bars and cafes, like restaurants, usually include a service charge, but additional small tips are customary. Prices are 10-15 percent lower if you stand or sit at the bar rather than occupy a table.

Two notes of caution: the prices of tapas, those tasty bar snacks, are not always indicated and can be surprisingly expensive - so do ask before ordering. Also, ask how much your bill will be when ordering fish or seafood, which is priced by weight and can be expensive.

Meal times are generally later in Spain than the rest of Europe. The peak hours are from 1:00 to 3:30 P.M. for lunch and from 8:30 to 11:00 P.M. for dinner. In some parts of the country (like Madrid) meals are taken very late, only starting at around 10:00 P.M. However, in tourist areas or big cities, you can get a meal at most places just about any time of day. Breakfast, for Spaniards, this is the least significant meal of the day and will probably just consist of tostada (toast) or a roll and coffee. If you have a sweet tooth, churros are deep-fried sugared temptations.

To make their guests feel at home, most hotels offer breakfast buffets with a selection of cereals, fresh and dried fruit, cold meats, and cheeses, plus bacon and eggs.

Lunch and Dinner in Spain

The classic Spanish dish is paella, named after the black iron pan in which the saffron rice base is cooked in stock. The cook then adds various combinations of squid, chorizo (spicy sausage), chicken, mussels, prawns, shrimps, rabbit, onion, peppers, peas, and so on, according to what is on hand, or the type of paella advertised on the menu. It is always cooked to order (usually for a minimum of two people).
There are two other national favourites well known to visitors.

The first is gazpacho, a delicious Andalusian chilled soup made with chopped tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, and fried croutons. The second is tortilla, or potato omelette. There are many variations on this theme, served hot or cold.

Regional Tastes

Every province and almost every town in Spain seems to have its own locally produced sausage, cheese, variation on paella, and their own secret ingredients for cacido, a rich cold-weather meat and vegetable hot-pot. Here are a few suggestions for what's cooking around the country, moving roughly north to south.

Galicia: Great seafood; caldo gallego (a hearty vegetable soup); empanada (flaky pastry parcel stuffed with meat or seafood, served hot or cold).

Asturias: Fabada asturiana (big white bean and sausage casserole); merluza a la sidra (hake in cider sauce); queso de Cabrales (pungent, piquant, creamy blue cheese).

Basque country: Seafood is king here: bacalao al pil pil (fried cod in hot garlic sauce); chipirones (tiny squid); marmitako (spicy tuna, tomato, and potato stew).

The Pyrenees: Hearty, warming meat dishes in chilindron sauce (tomatoes, peppers, garlic, ham, and wine); game dishes, and mountain trout.

Catalonia: Esqueixada salad (grilled or baked vegetables in olive oil); grilled fish with sauce Romesco (nuts, chili, toma­toes, garlic, and breadcrumbs); seafood stews like zarzuela and suquet de Peix.

Castile: Try sopa castellana for starters (a baked garlic soup with chunks of ham and an egg poaching in it); cochinillo asado (suckling pig); cordero asado (roast lamb).

The east coast: Valencia is the home of paella, also arroz con costra (rice with pork meatballs).

La Mancha: Quixote country is famed for its game dishes; to junto (rabbit stew); pisto manchego (an extravagant ratatouille-like vegetable stew with aubergines, tomatoes, and courgettes); queso manchego, Spain's favourite cheese.


Extremadura: Country-style pork and Iamb; countless varieties of sausage.
Andalusia: Gazpacho and ajo blanco (or gazpacho blanco, made from garlic and almonds gamished with grapes); fritura mixta or pescaito frito (pieces of fish fried in a light batter); huevos a la fiamenca (egg, tomato, and vegetable bake with chonzo, prawns, and ham).

The Spanish islands: Canarian specialities include papas arrugadas (new potatoes baked and rolled in rock salt) served with mojo picon (piquant red sauce); mojo verde (green herb sauce served with fish). On Majorca, sample tumbet (ratatouille and potato type casserole with meat or fish).

Spanish Tapas

A tapa is a small portion of food which encourages you to keep drinking instead of heading off to a restaurant for a meal. Once upon a time, tapas were given away, but that is rare these days. However, bars that specialize in tapas are more popular than ever.

Bonafide tapas bars, and indeed many others, have a whole counter display of hot and cold tapas, making it easy to choose. Just point out one you like the look of-anything from olives, meatballs, local cheese, prawns in garlic, marinated anchovies, or chorizo (spicy sausage) to meatballs or tortilla (wedges of Spanish omelette). On portion control: una tapa is the smallest amount; una racion is half a small plateful; and una porcion is almost a meal in itself.
Sweet-Tooth Speclals

The ubiquitous Spanish dessert isfian (creme caramel). The Cata­lans do a deluxe version, crema catalana, which is flavoured with lemon and cinnamon, and many towns have their own recipes for yemas, a monumentally sweet egg-yolk and sugar confection. Otherwise, you can head for the pastelerias (cake shops) for a vast repertoire of cakes, tarts, and pastries. Mazapan (marzipan) and turron (nougat) also come in various guises with regional variations.

Spanish wine and drinks

Spain has more square kilometres of vineyards than any other European country. Vintage pundits confidently compare the best Spanish wines with the most respected foreign classics, causing controversy in some global wine circles. On the other hand, much of the crop is plonk, intended for home consumption and never meant to grace the glasses of experts.

The better Spanish wines are regulated by the Denominacion de Origen quality control. If a bottle is marked DOC, you can be sure the wine was made in a particular region and its producers followed the strictest rules. Regarding table wine, the oldest and most vigorously protected denominacion is Rioja, and some truly distinguished reds (tinto) are grown along the Ebro valley in northern Spain. East of La Rioja, Aragon contributes some powerful Carinena reds. The best-known wines from central Spain, the splendidly smooth reds of Valdepenas, come from La Mancha.

The Penedes region of Catalonia is acclaimed not only for its excellent still wines, largely whites (blanco), but also for its cava, a sparkling wine made by the methode champenoise. In the southwest, Jerez de la Frontera is the home of sherry. As an aperitif, try a chilled, dry fino or medium­dry amontillado. A dark, sweet oloroso goes down well after dinner.

Spain also produces several sweet dessert wines, such as moscatel. A good moscatel, from Malaga, say, will taste of sultanas and honey. Spanish brandy is often sweeter and heavier than French Cognac. It is a vital ingredient in sangria, probably the most popular tourist drink in Spain. It's a mixture of red wine, orange and lemon juice, brandy, mineral water, sugar, sliced fruit, and ice.

Beer (cerveza) is generally fizzy and not very strong. There are plenty of Spanish brands, and foreign beers are widely available. A small beer is una cerveza pequefia; una cerveza grande is about the same size as a British pint. Freixenet is one of Spain´s most prestigious producers of sparkling cava wines.

The Spanish usually drink coffee (cafe) as opposed to tea (te) This can be either solo, small and black; con leche, a large cup made with milk; or conado, a tiny cup with a little milk. Spanish coffee is nearly always strong. If you prefer it weaker, ask for nescaje.

Mineral water (agua mineral) is either sparkling (con gas) or still (sin gas). Ice-cream parlours (heladeria) sell granizado, slushy iced fruit juices, and fresh orange juice (zumo de naran­jas), though the latter can be surprisingly expensive considering oranges are one of Spain's main crops.

Spain is an incredible country just waiting to be explored. If you have the time, explore the country by hire car, which you can pre-book and pick up from any Spanish Airport.

The Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands Spain

Spain's alluring island archipelagos have both received mediocre press in recent years due to over-development, but you have only to look beyond the new buildings to find wonderful scenery, vibrant local colour, tranquillity, and peace. In the western Mediterranean, the Balearics comprise a sunny cross-section of landscape from mountainous Majorca to low-slung, sleepy Formentera. The volcanic Canaries in the Atlantic, just off the coast of North Africa, thrive as a semi-tropical escape for those in search of winter sun. And within each of the archipelagos, every island has its own character.

The Balearics Majorca

For decades, Majorca (Mallorca in Spanish) has been Europe's playground. The largest tourism concentration in the world focuses on the southern Bay of Palma and, to a lesser extent, on the northern Bay of Alcudia. Outside these areas, there's still plenty of unspoiled Majorca to delight in, and the scenery is fantastic.

The island measures 72 km (45 miles) by 96 km (60 miles), and well over half of the total population lives in the animated and cosmopolitan capital city of Palma de Mallorca. Palma's tree-shaded central promenade, Es Born (the islanders speak a Mallorqui dialect of Catalan), is the hub of the city's social life.

Rebuilt for the medieval kings of Majorca after the Reconquest, the Palacio Almudaina now houses a local history museum in one wing. Overshadowing the palace's delicately arched and covered balconies, the magnificent Gothic cathedral, La Seu, founded in 1299, is more than a match for anything the mainland can offer. For great views, head for the cylindrical keep of Castillo de Bellver, which has commanded the land and sea approaches to the city since the 14th century.
Exploring Majorca's 965-km (600-mile) coastline clockwise from Palma, Port d' Andratx lies close to the western tip of the island, on a sheltered bay popular with yachtsmen. Near Banyalbufar, boasting of some of the finest terraces on the island, is La Granja, a cross between a stately home, craft centre, traditional farmhouse, and museum of rural life.

Frederic Chopin and George Sand stayed at the monastery of Sa Cartuja, near Valldemosa, in 1838-1839. Today, coach loads of curious visitors descend on the monastery to see the garden suite the couple rented and displays of related memorabilia. Deia, a pretty hilltop town built with honey-coloured stone, is probably the island's most attractive town, and a good base for visiting the Tranmuntana region in the northwest. A favourite haunt of the independent traveller, there are few beaches here, but a spectacular (if hair-raising) corniche road affords magnificent views.

The town of Soller is linked to Palma by a delightful narrow­gauge railway. Its polished wood carriages make the hour-long journey through orchards and terrific mountain scenery. An old San Francisco-style open tram then travels the short journey down to the seaside and the pretty harbour of Port de Soller.

Port de Pollença is the sort of seaside resort that has given Majorca a good name with its lovely beach and inoffensive accommodation. A road runs from here to the cliffs of Cabo Formentor, the northernmost projection of the island. The most popular tourist excursion on Majorca is a trip to the caves peppering the east coast. A two-hour guided tour of the Cuevas del Drach (Dragon's Caves) takes in all sorts of dramatically lit formations. It is said the Cuevas de Art so impressed and inspired author Jules Verne that he went off and wrote Journey to the Centre of the Earth.


Minorca Spain

Minorca (Menorca in Spanish) is one-fifth the area of Majorca, and receives a smaller fraction of the visitors. A tranquil, low- key island, Minorca's main tourist development is in the west. The north is more scenic, but many beaches, both to the north and south, can only be reached on foot or by four- wheel drive vehicle.
The main town and deep-water habour of Mahon was occupied by the British for a large part of the 18th century. The little city clusters on the cliffs above the port, and buildings in the older quarter of town have a distinctly Georgian appearance. A boat trip around the harbour makes a fun excursion.

Ciudadela (Ciutadella), on the west coast, also has a fine harbour, but is more akin to Andalusia than old England. Ses Arcades, the street leading to the Gothic cathedral built in the 14th century, is all archways and completely Moorish. Visit the city museum in the town hall (Ayuntamiento) for its rather curious rag-bag of island history. The best beach and resort on the island is Cala Santa Galdana, a beautiful horseshoe-shaped cove developed in a restrained fashion. Fornells, on the north coast, is another relaxed resort and still an active fishing port.

Ibiza Spain

Once the favourite of Europe's hippies, Ibiza now caters to the seriously hip, from assorted rock stars and artists to dance-crazy youths who pack the high-rise hotels and nightspots of the island's busiest resort development at San Antonio Abad. Dalt Vila, is a cobbled maze on a hillside packed with whitewashed houses, tiny bars, shops, flea markets, and restaurants serving local fare. If you are planning to tour Ibiza, you can pre-book cheap Ibiza car hire from the airport.

The capital, Ibiza Town has two archaeological museums boasting a treasury of Carthaginian art. One, the Puig des Molins, is built adjacent to a necropolis, and tours of the burial chambers are given. The beaches start immediately south of town, but the best, and certainly the trendiest, on the island are generally agreed to be those at Las Salinas. Other good spots include Portinatx and San Miguel in the north. You can see regular displays of folk dancing and visit caves at San Miguel.

Formentera Spain

The 11-km (7-mile) sea voyage from Ibiza takes 75 minutes by boat, or around half that by hydrofoil. Either way, it's often a bumpy ride. There is no airport here, and very little water, which has hindered any large-scale development. Building on Formentera is restricted to a maximum of four storeys. Once the sole retreat of the backpacker and laid-back beach bum, Formentera is now catering for package tourists. They come for much the same reasons - unimpaired horizons and endless beaches. Windsurfing aside, Formentera is the perfect resort for families who want to avoid the hustle and bustle of the busier Spanish islands.

Tenerife Spain

The largest of the Canaries, Tenerife offers more attractions and more contrasts than any of its island neighbours. The busiest local package tourism destinations are Los Cristianos and Playa de Las Americas, in the southwest. Santa Cruz de Tenerife (northeast) is the capital and admin­istrative centre of the westerly Canaries. Though not a beauty, it has undeniable Spanish charm and several picturesque squares and gardens, such as flower-bedecked Plaza Weyler at the end of Calle Castillo, the main shopping street. A short walk away, the Parque Garcia Sanabria is famous for its fountains and floral clock.

The city's best museum is the Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes, which displays some fine Spanish and Flemish works. The adjacent church of San Francisco is also worth a visit. Close to the seafront, the Iglesia Matriz de la Concepcion dates from the 16th century and contains historical relics. North of town, the island's best beach, Las Teresitas, stretches in a golden crescent of Saharan sand for almost 1 km (I mile).

On the north coast, Puerto de la Cruz is a popular resort where the lack of a decent beach has been remedied by the wonderful Lago de Martianez. This 3-hectare (8-acre) seafront complex has swimming lagoons and sunbathing terraces which are landscaped with palms. The charming pedestrianised street of Calle de San Telmo descends into town, passing the majestic 17th-century Iglesia de la Pefia de Francia (Church of the Rock of France). The many cafes, restaurants, and shops on Plaza Charco, the main square, are busy at all hours.

At Loro Parque, the world's largest collection of parrots (over 230 species) is on show in beautiful sub-tropical gardens. Other attractions include flamingos and performing dolphins. The oldest local attraction is undoubtedly the Jardin Botanico, founded by royal decree in 1788, and located on the road to Orotava. On the same road, Banafiera EI Guanche is a working banana plantation with a great collection of exotic flowers, trees, shrubs, and cacti. Cheap airport car hire is available from both Tenerife airports and can be booked before you travel.

Above Puerto de la Cruz, the well-preserved town of La Orotava, with a nice collection of stately mansions, ancient churches, and cobbled streets, is dominated by the Byzantine dome of the Iglesia Nuestra Senor de la Concepcion. Don't miss the 17th-century Casa de Los Balcones (House of the Balconies) for its lovely courtyard, restored apartments, and handicraft displays.

The highlight of the island in every sense, Mount Teide is a volcanic cone in the Las Cafiadas del Teide National Park, and Spain's tallest mountain at 3,717 metres (12,200 feet). Particularly beautiful in May and June when the wildflowers are in bloom, the park's spectacular scenery makes for great hiking. There is a visitor centre with details of walking trails, including one to the top of Mount Teide. You can take the cable car (teleferico) to with­in 160 metres (500 feet) of the summit (long queues in summer).

Gran Canaria Spain

Almost circular in shape, Gran Canaria is small enough to explore within a week, yet it has been described as a continent in miniature. The coastline ranges from awesome cliffs to golden dunes; inland, you can choose between stark mountains and tranquil valleys. It is also well-supplied with beaches, shopping, and sophisticated nightlife.

Bustling Las Palmas is a major commercial centre, cosmopolitan resort, and seaport all in one. The heart of the city is Santa Catalina Park: one gigantic outdoor cafe that buzzes night and day. The 3-km (2-mile) sandy beach, Playa de las Canteras, is protected by an offshore reef. Though often lumped under the collective title of Maspalomas, each of the three smart, new south-coast resorts has its own distinct characteristics: San Agustin is quiet and tidy; Playa del Ingles is more robust, with plenty of fun-and-sun package tour hotels plus some 50 discos at the last count; while Maspalomas is famous for its dunes, which are sufficiently large and unspoiled to constitute a sort of mini-Sahara. Maspalomas is known as an unofficial nudist beach.

Palmito Park, situated in a picturesque gorge some 13 km (8 miles) to the north of Maspalomas, provides an excellent family
day out. There are a variety of colourful caged birds in the beautiful gardens-parrots and other exotic free-flying residents, including toucans.
The mountainous heart of Gran Canaria offers wonderful views, as you clamber up through the almond groves and thick pine forests. The most popular vantage point is Cruz de Tejeda, at 1,463 metres (4,800 feet). Here, the panorama includes two rock formations. The most distinctive is the statuesque Roque Nublo (1,817 metres/5,961 feet) and the other is Roque Betaiga. Both were once worshipped by the Guanches, the original inhabitants of the Canaries who migrated from North Africa.

Lanzarote Spain

A later arrival on the tourist scene than either Gran Canaria or Tenerife, Lanzarote's development has been more controlled. It is a startling island, pock-marked with over 300 volcanoes. Still, the locals manage to grow onions, tomatoes, potatoes, melons, and grapes, which spring in abundance from the volcanic ash.

The island's main resort is Puerto del Carmen. Its long, golden beach stretches for several kilometres and comfortably accommodates visitors. The Costa Teguise, just to the north of Arrecife (Lanzarote's undistinguished capital), offers modern holiday accommodation and several good beaches. The Playa Cucheras is notable for water sports.

Follow the east-coast road north to Guatiza, where prickly pears abound. The beautiful Jardin de Cactus here was designed by Cesar Manrique. And there is more Manrique magic at the caves of Jameos del Agua, where a short fantasy journey through a landscaped grotto and underground lagoon takes you to a South Seas paradise. The highlight of a trip to Lanzarote is a visit to the Montaiias de Fuego (Mountains of Fire) in the Timanfaya National Park.
The stark but scenically magnificent park starts just north of Yaiza. The bizarre landscape of lava flows and rust-red mountains was largely formed over 16 months of cataclysmic volcanic activity during 1730-1731.

Just inside the volcanic malpais (badlands) of the park, you can take a camel ride up the slope of the volcanic cone. There is an information centre and car park at Islote de Hilario. Coach tours of 50 minutes depart from here every hour to explore the incredible lunar landscape.

Fuerteventura Spain

Situated less than 100 km (60 miles) off the coast of North Africa, Fuerteventura is a beach bum's paradise, courtesy of the Sahara. There are miles of golden sandy beach, and the winds that originally blew the sand here still ensure superb windsurfing. land Betancuria is an attractive oasis. Fuerteventura's first capital, it boasts the splendid 17th-century church of Santa Maria. At the southern tip of the island, the Jandia peninsula offers terrific beaches, the best of which are on the less-developed Costa Calma. The Playa de Sotavento is a world-famous wind­surfing area, and has terrific dunes.

La Gomera Spain information

A short boat trip to the south of Tenerife, Gomera remains an unspoiled island of steep, green terraced hills and tranquil val­leys. Boats and hydrofoils dock at San Sebastian, the chief town, notable for its connections with Christopher Columbus, including a local church where he prayed and the house where he supposedly stayed in 1492. A delight for walkers, the Garajonay National Park is a World Heritage site, and home to the Alto de Garajonay, Gomera's highest peak (1,487 metres/4,878 feet). The island's one and only beach resort is in the south, at the low-key Playa de Santiago.

La palma Spain

The most northwesterly of the Canaries, La Palma is lush and green. Santa Cruz de la Palma, the capital, is an appealing small town. There are two routes to choose from: a northern loop, which culminates at the world-renowned Palma observatory (closed to the public) on top of the Roque de los Muchachos, the
Highest peak in Palma (2,423 metres/7,950 feet). The highly recommended southern loop takes you to the magnificent Caldera de Taburiente. This giant crater has a circumference of some 27 km (17 miles) and drops around 700 metres (2,300 feet) into a fer­tile valley. It is perfect walking country with marvellous views.

El hierro Spain

Until the voyages of Columbus, EI Hierro was considered the end of the world, and little seems to have changed since. Few visitors arrive on the daily flight from Tenerife and tourist facilities are limited. Valverde is the tiny, quiet capital. The Mirador de la Pena, 8 km (5 miles) west of the airport, has fine views and good restaurants. There's a stretch of coast too, El Golfo, which is part of a partially submerged volcano.

Valencia Spain

The rice in your delicious paella probably comes from the Ebro Delta. Valencia, founded by the Romans in 138 B.C., later flourished as the capital of a far-flung Moorish kingdom until EI Cid captured it at the end of the 11th century. No sooner had Christianity been restored than plans were laid for the cathedral, La Seo. A patchwork of architectural styles, its landmark octagonal Gothic tower, known as the Miguelete or Micalet, is a symbol of the city.

Valencia's Longa de la Seda (Silk Exchange), built in the 15th century, is a masterpiece. Here, silk merchants once did business. Across the street, the Modernist-style central market (built in 1928) is a cornucopia of comestibles-fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat destined for the city's kitchens. Valencia boasts several museums. The Museo Nacional de Ceramica, housed in an astonishing old palace, has assembled hundreds of glorious glazed tiles (azulejos) among its treasures. The city's major art collection, at the Museo Provincial de Lapped by an ocean of orange trees, Valencia is Spain's third­biggest city. Its crowded historic centre is framed by parks and Bellas Artes, exhibits paintings by Bosch, EI Greco, Goya, and Velazquez, and has a definitive collection of 15th­century Valencian art.

Valencian architecture is entering the modem age via the city's new Arts and Sciences Park (La Ciudad de Las artes y Las Ciencias). The sprawling complexes of futuristic buildings and parklands on the southern edge of the city is dedicated to fun and learning. L'Hemisteric, a plantetarium built in the shape of a gigantic open eye, was designed by Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava, and opened in April 1998. Other attractions in the park include the Art Palace and Science Museum, also designed by Calatrava, and the Universal Oceanographic Park. Arabs introduced azulejos (decorative ceramic tiles) to Spain in the 12th century.

Gandia Spain

A town in two parts, Gandia has a busy resort on a vast beach down on the coast and a splendid 14th-century palace tucked away in its inland town centre. Birthplace of Duke Francisco de Borja, 16th-century noble turned Jesuit priest, the Palacio de los Duques is now a showcase for splendid tapestries, paintings, and antiques, many of them amassed by the pious duke.


Visit the Costa Blanca Spain

Named Akra Leuka (White Headland) by ancient Greek trades­men who founded a colony here 2,500 years ago, the brilliant light, hot, dry climate and miles of fine, sandy beaches and temperate water make the "White Coast" one of Spain's liveliest tourist zones.

The beaches sprawl to the north and south of the town of Denia, named after a Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Diana. Farther south, the family resort of Javea has a fine beach and a pleasant old quarter; Calpe is a former fishing village with pleasant sandy beaches in the lee of the Penon de Ifach, an imposing volcanic outcrop; and Altea's old houses climb steeply to a carefully preserved old quarter, virtually unchanged in the face of the tourist tide, and home to a thriving artistic community.

The very name Benidorm has come to symbolize the worst excesses of package tourism. There is a skyline akin to Manhattan, and high season queues to get on to the beach-all 7 km (4 miles) of it! But Benidorm knows what the package-tour invaders want, and provides it cheerfully and efficiently, round the clock, and without pretension. Surprisingly, the old fishermen's quarter still exists, a major saving grace. Likewise, there are sweeping views from the attractive Balcon de Mar encompassing the town's truly impressive crescent of beaches backed by the wind-sculpted mountains.

Just offshore, boats visit the Isla de Benidorm, a bird sanctuary; the Moorish eagles' -nest village-fortress of Castell de Guadalest, which is situated 28 km (17 miles) northwest, is a favourite excursion. With a population of over a quarter of a million, Alicante is a typical bustling Mediterranean port with a splendid palm-lined promenade, lots of outdoor cafes, and surprisingly few foreign tourists. The spacious beach of Playa Postiguet is a bonus.

Alicante's imposing clifftop Castillo de Santa Barbara was built on the site of a Carthaginian fort founded in the third century B.C. Below the castle, the old Barrio de Cruz is atmospheric and full of character. Here, you will find the Baroque facade of the 14th-century church of Santa Maria next to the Museo de
Arte de Siglo XX (Museum of 20th-Century Art), focussing on the Spanish artists Mira, Picasso, and Dali.

On many road signs, the town of Elche appears as a terse Elx, which is what the Moors called it. Elche is famous for is its date plantation, the largest in Europe. The Parque Municipal is shaded by superb palms (naturally) as well as a citrus alley and a noisy frog pond. The tourist office is on the edge of the park, which is bordered by a group of fine his­toric buildings, including the Palacio de Altamira, a former royal holiday residence now occupied by an archaeological museum. The museum has a replica of the famous Dama de Elche sculpture; the original is in Madrid. There are yet more palms in Elche's prettiest precinct, the Huerto del Cura (Priest's Grove), as well as pomegranates, orange trees, and a small forest of cacti.

The Costa Calida Spain

The southern portion of the Costa Blanca is known as the Costa Calida (Warm Coast). Its most famous stretch is the Mar Menor (Little Sea), a vast lagoon almost completely sheltered from the Mediterranean by a 22-km (14-mile) spit. High-rise resort facilities have multiplied on the sandy breakwater, including the famous Club La Manga holiday sports complex.

Cartagena, named after the Carthaginians, is an important port and naval base with a well-protected harbour overlooked by the ruins of the 14th-century Castillo de la Concepcion. It's worth driving up here for the views. Then, take a stroll around the old town and down to the port. On the front is a submarine directly from the pages of a Jules Verne novel, built by local in­ventor Isaac Peral in 1888. Catedral de Santa Maria, built in the 14th century, is one of Spain's finest, adorned with a fabulous Baroque facade. The outstanding Velez chapel is a highlight of the interior, and in the museum there are wood sculptures by Francisco Salzillo (1797-1883), Murcia's greatest artist. There are more of his works in the Museo Salzillo. Among Murcia's other museums, the Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts) is the best.

Costa de Almeria Information Spain

This is Spain's dustbowl. A searing and parched corner of the Mediterranean coast, development has been kept at bay until very recently. The fledgling resorts of Mojacar, Roquetas da Mar, and Garruche lie just inside the borders of Andalusia. Inland, the dramatic, desolate, desert-like landscape is a favourite with spaghetti-Western film-makers, who have nicknamed it Mini-Hollywood. A modem city, Almeria reveals its Moorish origins in the gigantic eighth-century Alcazaba fortress which over­hangs the town and port. The city's crenellated outer walls and a section of the turreted ramparts remain standing amongst the 35 hectares of ruins. The waterfront Paseo de Almeria is ideal for strolling and shopping. Just inland from the harbour, the fortified Gothic cathedral was completed in the mid-16th century.


Visit the Costa del Sol Spain


West of Almeria, the famed "Sunshine Coast" unfurls in a dense strip of resorts, hotels, urbanizaciones, holiday villages, and timeshare developments spilling on to impressive beaches. However, with an estimated 326 days of sunshine per year, everybody wants a piece of the action and a place in the sun - from the package tourist to the rich and famous. East of Malaga, Nerja, the only sizeable resort of note, is popular with holidaymakers, who can still discern a hint of old Spain. Hotels cluster around Ne!ja's clifftop Balcon de Europa, an attractive palm-fringed promenade.

The area's principal attraction is the Cueva de Nerja, a truly cavernous cave complex, just 4km east of town. Wall paintings and archaeological finds indicate that the stalactite-encrusted cave (home to the world's longest stalactite at 59 metres/195 feet) has been inhabited intermittently since the days of Cro­Magnonman.

Malaga-the busiest airport gateway in the region, has a busy harbour overlooked by an Alcazaba built by the Moors. Ramps and pathways lead up through the attractive landscaped ruins to a modest archaeological museum. At the top of the hill, the sprawling Gibralfaro fort affords spectacular views out to sea and inland to the mountains.

Situated a short distance from Malaga's grandiose but rather gloomy cathedral, the Museo de Bellas Artes has a worthy assortment of Spanish paintings and a room devoted to Picasso, who was born nearby at Plaza de la Merced 15. The traditional costumes and folk arts displayed in the entertaining Museo Artes y Costumbres Populares are well worth a quick detour. They are housed in an inn built in the 17th century near the Guadalmedina riverbed.

Torremolinos is the official fun capital of the Costa del Sol, and has a massive gay following. The old town is not altogether unattractive, and locals (many of them ex-patriates) take good care of package tourist business. A few local fishermen still put to sea in gaily painted wooden fishing boats from La Carihuela beach, and then unload their catch into the lively beach­front restaurants.

The adjacent resort of Fuengirola is a similarly popular place, but more family orientated than Torremolinos. The aristocrat of the Costa del Sol resorts, royalty and celebrities have gravitated to Marbella for decades. As a result, prices are higher here than anywhere else along the coast, but standards of accommodation, service, and cuisine are superior too. The 28-km (17-mile) beachfront is built up with expensive hotel complexes, and the spacious marina sees more than its fair share of luxury pleasure craft. Across the main road, the old town is an attractive warren of twisting streets and alleys full of shops, restaurants, and the odd historic church.

Puerto banus is Spain's answer to Saint-Tropez. This chic 1970s marina-shopping-entertainment complex is full of tasteful bars, pricey boutiques, classy restaurants, and nightclubs. Its waterfront parade is a catwalk for "beautiful people," many of whom arrive aboard the massive yachts berthed in the harbour.
The last of the big resorts on the western flank of the coast, Estepona provides all the essentials for a sporty, modem holiday-beaches, golf courses, marina-all in an engaging small­town atmosphere. Of Roman origin, Estepona preserves the remains of Moorish fortifications and watchtowers.

Costa de la Luz Spain

The Atlantic-facing coast of southern Spain, the "Coast of Light" receives a mere trickle of tourists compared with the bustling Costa del Sol. It is extremely blustery and tourist facilities are limited, but to make up for that, there are long, uncrowded beaches, easy access to Seville, and Spain's best national park. The windsurfing capital of Europe, Tarifa is just 13 km (8 miles) across the water from North Africa. Morocco's Rif Mountains hang on the horizon, and Tangier is often clearly visible. Parts of Tarifa's old Moorish walls still stand, as does a I0th­century fortress, the Castillo de Guzman el Bueno. Accomplished windsurfers revel in the ideal gusty conditions at Tarifa beaches.

Cadiz Spain

Rolling Atlantic waves crash against the rocky defences of this narrow peninsula city that basks in the sunshine. Its protected harbour was settled by Phoenician traders around 3,000 years ago, making it one of the world's oldest cities. Christopher Columbus set out on his second and fourth voyages to the Americas from here. Later, Cadiz grew rich on the New World trade, and attracted the attention of Sir Francis Drake, whose 1587 at­tack on the city "singed the king of Spain's beard."

A "salty seadog" sort of place, Cadiz has an old town district well-supplied with shops and outdoor cafes. The excellent Museo de Cadiz exhibits Phoenician and Roman artefacts and paintings by Zurbaran, as well as local crafts. Overlooking the ocean, the Baroque cathedral has a landmark dome that glitters like gold in the sunshine, and a lavish treasury. Situated at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River on the Atlantic coast, Sanhicar is a popular getaway for families from Seville. The town is also famed for its vineyards which produce the grapes for Manzanilla, a rich wine similar to sherry. The sea breezes are supposed to supply Manzanilla's distinctive salty tang.

The Doñana National Park

The largest and most famous of Spain's national parks, this wild conservation zone is made up of three environments: sand dunes (where parts of Lawrence of Arabia were filmed), pine woodlands, and marshes. More than 250 bird species can be seen here, including rarities such as purple gallinule, imperial eagle, and crested coot. Mongoose, deer, wild boar, and Iberian lynx also roam free. You can visit the park by guided tour from the reception centre at El Acebuche. It is worth touring the area of the Doñana National Park. Easy access is available from Cadiz and you can pre-book cheap car hire from Jerez Airport and Malaga Airport.

The Spanish Costas

From the Costa Brava at the eastern end of the Pyrenees all the way round to the Costa de la Luz and the border with Portugal, the famous Spanish Costas attract millions of holidaymakers every year. The coastline stretches for some 2,500 km (1,562 miles), from the sheltered Mediterranean to the blustery Atlantic. There are rocky coves and glorious stretches of golden sand, family resorts and jet-set ports. In spite of the much-reported ravages of extensive development and building, you can still find many charming spots along the coast. The Costas offer cheap and cheerful holidays, and a sun-and-fun atmosphere will always be a major attraction.

The Costa Brava Spain

Perhaps the prettiest coastline in Spain until package tourism arrived here in the early 1960s, the cliffs and coves of the "Rugged Coast" still conceals a handful of traditional fishing villages and secluded beaches in the north of the region. You will find the major tourism development concentrated in the south (at the Lloret de Mar resort, for instance).

Cadaques may look like the typical Spanish, whitewashed fishermen's village, but it attracts a distinctly atypical crowd of chic, monied holidaymakers. Although it is still a working port, without a decent beach, the village has developed into something of an artists' haunt. In fact, Salvador Dali built a modest retreat here on the edge of Cadaques at Port Lligat in 1929.

On top of the old town, the 17th-century church, with a rich al­tarpiece, was built as a replacement for its predecessor, burned down in 1543 by Barbarossa, the infamous Barbary pirate. Art en­thusiasts can admire a selection of modern masters in the Perrot­Moore Museum (founded by Dali's ex-secretary); and the local
Museu d'Art also includes works by household names.

Ampurias was built by the Greeks, improved by the Iberians, and then greatly ex­panded by the Romans. The site was perpetually occupied for some 1,500 years. An archaeologist’s delight, here ex­cavations have uncovered the remains of villas, temples, and marketplaces of the different civilizations. You will also find lovely sea views.

The most sensational find was a statue of Asclepius, the Greek God of medicine, which was sculpted in marble from an Athenian quarry. The original has been removed to Barcelona, but a copy stands in the ruined temple. The on-site museum displays local finds, from ceramics and jewels to household items and weapons.

In the dramatic cliff country south of Bagur, Tossa de Mar was an artists' colony before it metamorphosed into a fully developed international resort. The town remains surprisingly attractive, its Vila Vella (Old Town) enclosed by brooding 12th-century walls and guarded by three great towers. The museum here boasts paintings by Marc Chagall and other artists who visited the town.

Gerona (Girona) is the inland gateway to the Costa Brava, and is a pleasant day trip destination from the coast (30 km/20 miles west). The old town is fun to explore, with its typical medieval streets such as Caner de la Forla, once the heart of the Jewish quarter. Gerona's Gothic cathedral is said to have the widest nave in the world at 22 metres (72 feet), and the treasury, Museu Capitular, is crammed with precious gold- and silverwork, rare illuminated manuscripts, statuary, and tapestries. Close by, the 12th-century Banys Arabs (Arab Baths) are the best preserved in Spain after those found at Granada. L´Estartit, Roses, Tossa de Mar, Lloret de Mar and Blanes are among the busiest tourist resorts in the Costa Brava.

Costa Dorada

The Costa Dorada derives its name from the fine golden (daurada) sand beaches which stretch almost without a break for 241 km (150 miles) south of Barcelona. The city of Tarragona, midway down the coast, attracts visitors from all over Europe. The neo-Gothic Palau Mar i Cel (Palace of the Sea and Sky) house a fine collection of paintings and objets d'art from around the world, plus boasts romantic sea views through picture windows.

Adjacent, Cau Ferrat (iron lair) is one of Spain's most exquisite small museums. Works by EI Greco and Picasso, ceram­ics, crystal, and much more are imaginatively displayed. Another good museum is the Museu Romantic, in an aristocratic mansion lavishly decorated in 19-century style.

By far the biggest resort on the Costa Dorada, Salou has few pretensions. It is a well-ordered, no-frills playground for north European package holidaymakers, offering them huge beaches and a good range of facilities and entertainment. Salou also boasts a brand-new theme park, the Port Aventura, which promises a journey of adventure through exotic lands, plus all sorts of rides, restaurants, and live entertainment. During the early evening, crowds assemble to watch the town's illuminated fountain, designed by Carlos Buigas, who is also renowned for the famous "dancing fountains" in Barcelona.

Salou's more classy neighbour is an attractive fishing port turned resort. Cambrils has a long seafront and a charming oddi­ty in its large fleet of baus-small fishing boats carrying some­what oversized lamps for night duty. Their daily catch is bought up by the many good waterfront fish restaurants. Cambrils is a Catalan gourmet town with a garland of Michelin stars.

The Ebro delta is the largest wetlands in Catalonia and, after France's famous Camargue, the most important aquatic environ­ment in the western Mediterranean. It is a major breeding ground for waders, waterfowl, and sea birds. Some 7,700 hectares (19,000 acres) of the delta wetlands have been set aside as a protected National Park, truly making this a bird­watcher's paradise.

There is a tourist office at Deltebre which can supply general information, maps, details of boat excursions, and birdwatching sites. Non-bird­watchers can enjoy the wide open spaces, the glittering green rice paddies (the basic ingredient for paella is grown here), and glimpses of the sleepy rural lifestyle.

Tortosa held a key strategic role for centuries as the last major town before the sea, guarding the Ebro River. The fortress at the top of the town, La Zuda, was built by the Moors. Later it became a royal residence of the Aragonese kings. The cathedral in the old town was built between the 14th and 16th centuries, and is a fine ex­ample of Catalan Gothic. Inside are a beautiful triptych and two carved stone pulpits.

Costa del Azahar Spain

The "Orange Blossom Coast" begins south of the Tarragona provincial border and stretches for 112 km (70 miles) down a section of coast well-endowed with beaches backed by citrus groves and olive orchards.

Crowned by a medieval castle, picturesque Pefiiscola is built on a rocky promontory jutting out into the sea. Its sloping streets of whitewashed houses are regularly invaded by tourists, but it's still a pretty place, and looks even better when it's floodlit at night.

The castle, built by the Knights Templar on the ruins of a Moorish fortress, has two claims to fame: Pope Benedict XIII found asylum here after being dismissed from his position until his death in 1423; and the castle featured in the film EI Cid, starring Charlton Heston. There's a museum and terrific sea views from the restored ramparts. To the north, there are two popular, but much less crowded, fishing-port-cum-beach resorts, located in Benicarl and Vinaroz.

The nine-month siege of Sagunto (Roman Saguntum) by the Carthaginian general Hannibal in 219 B.C., ignited the Second Punic War. The inhabitants burnt the city and themselves to avoid capture, but when Saguntum was eventually retaken, the Romans redeveloped it on a grand scale. Today, Sagunto's Roman monuments include the heavily restored Roman theatre. Nearby, a modest archaeological museum exhibits Iberian, Roman, and medieval relics. From the hilltop acropolis, known as Castell de Sagunt, sweeping views reach over the citrus orchards to the sea.

The Costa del Sol Spain

The Costa del Sol (or more literally Sun Coast) is a region in the south of Spain that attracts visitors from all over the world. The Costa del Sol is situated in the autonomous community of Andalusia and it comprises coastal towns and communities along the Mediterranean coastline in the province of Malaga. The Costa del Sol is situated between two lesser known Costas – the Costa de la Luz to the west and the Costa Tropical to the east. Formerly made up of small fishing villages, the region has been completely transformed by tourism. Tourist resorts in the Costa del Sol include Torremolinos, Malaga, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Mijas, Marbella, San Pedro de Alcantara, Estepona, Manilva, Velez-Malaga, Rincon de la Victoria, Nerja and Torrox, plus the communities of Sotogrande, San Roque and La Linea de la Concepcion. Malaga Airport serves the Costa del Sol and if you plan to tour the area you can pre-book cheap car hire from at Malaga Airport.

The Costa Blanca Spain

The Costa Blanca, with its wonderful beaches attracts millions of tourists every year. In the north the Costa Blanca starts with Denia and Javea two wonderful towns at the bottom of a mountain. In the south the Costa Blanca goes down to Guardamar and Torrevieja, and includes Elche, the palm tree capital of the world. You can travel along the Costa Blanca by hire car from Alicante Airport, along the national motorway, which runs all the way along the coast. Tourist attractions include the Terra Mitica Entertainment Park in Benidorm, the bays of Altea and Calpe, and small villages such as Villajoyosa just south of Benidorm. Old world villages and modern facilities combine to make the Costa Blanca one of Spain´s most attractive tourist resorts.

Andalusia southern Spain

Andalusia is an autonomous region composed of Spain's eight southernmost provinces, adding up to one-sixth of the country's total population and area. It is the home of flamenco and bullfighting, and the guardian of the Spanish soul. Andalusia's snow-clad mountains, pueblo’s blancos (white villages), olive groves, and its historic Moorish cities provide an alluring backdrop to the tourist resorts and the packed high-rise Costa del Sol. This clockwise circuit of inland Andalusia starts in the hills west of Marbella.

Ronda and Jerez information Spain

Dramatically clinging to a clifftop 150 metres (500 feet) above the Tajo gorge, Ronda was both an Iberian and, later, a Roman settlement. Under the Moors it proved impregnable for seven centuries. The Puente Nuevo spans the gorge, which connects the new centre with the old town from where Ronda's Moorish kings and its Christian conquerors ruled at the Palacio de Mondragon. Behind a Renaissance portal, the elegant courtyards, horseshoe arches, and Arabic inscriptions reveal the origins of this stately structure. The town's main mosque survives a short walk away as the Santa Maria la Mayor church.

Back across the bridge, seek out the Neo-Classical Plaza de Toros (bullring). It is one of the oldest in Spain and venerated as the cradle of the corrida. A Ronda man, Francisco Romero, spelled out the rules of bullfighting in the 18th century. There's a small museum here that is also entertaining for the non-aficionado.

Old wines and young horses have brought fame to Jerez de la Frontera, the largest town in Cadiz. The English, never very good at foreign languages, corrupted Jerez to "sherry" and shipped out the locally produced wine by the barrel-load. Several of the many bodegas (wineries) in Jerez welcome tourists to their dark, aromatic halls. The helpful tourist office can supply more details.

As for the horses, the Real Escuela Andaluza de Arte Ecuestre (Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art) puts its star pupils through a beautifully choreographed dressage show, and there are week­day training sessions. The highlight of the equestrian calendar is the Spring Horse Fair, when the town is full of dandified horses and their even more elaborately dressed riders.

Below the Moorish Alcazar fortress, built in the 11th century, the 18th-century Colegiata holds a precious image of Christ of the Vineyards. The Mudejar church and beautiful Renaissance chapter house on Plaza de la Asuncion are worth a visit. There are also museums of flamenco and clocks. Ronda is just one hour´s drive from the busier resorts of Marbella and Puerto Banus on the Costa del Sol, and the town can be easily explored if you take advantage of cheap car hire at Jerez Airport and Malaga Airport.

Sexy Seville Spain

Spirited and sexy Seville, Spain's fourth largest city, is the capital of flamenco, the birthplace of Velazquez and Murillo, a bastion of bullfighting, and backdrop for the operatic temptress, Carmen. Seville has many faces, Moorish and Christian; the medieval streets of the barrio contrast with impressive modem buildings erected for the Expo '92 world's fair.

Highlights include a stunning altar screen overlaid with 3,500 kilos (7,716 pounds) of gold; the Plateresque Capilla Real (Royal Chapel); and, of course, the celebrated Giralda Tower. It is a hike up the tower's 34 stone ramps (designed for horses) and a flight of steps to the observation deck (98 metres/322 feet), but, if you make the effort, you'll be rewarded with a tremendous panorama across the city.

Pedro the Cruel's palace, the Alcazar, is a sumptuous monument dating back to the 14th century. The ceilings and walls of its halls provide a magnificent concentration of Mudejar art; the terraced gardens, scattered with pools and pavilions, are an attraction in their own right. Bordering on the Alcazar, the labyrinthine streets of the Barrio de Santa Cruz exude history and charm. On the border of this district, more Mudejar sensations await in the 16th-century Casa de Pilatos.

The royal tobacco factory where Bizet's infamous femme fatale, Carmen, is supposed to have rolled cigars on her thigh is now part of the University campus, not far from Maria Luisa Park. Here, the vast semi-circular Plaza de Espana was constructed for the 1929 Spanish-Americas Fair. Its walls are decorated with lovely painted tiles (azulejos), as are the bridges across the ornamental canal. You can hire boats and be part of the scene. In the park, pavilions house the Museo Arqueologico, which displays many impressive remains from the Roman occupation (a good excursion 10 km/6 miles northwest) and the Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares (Museum of Folk Arts and Costume).

South of the Giralda, the Hospital de la Santa Caridad (Holy Charity Hospital) was founded in the 17th century. The interior of its church is hung with paintings by Murillo, who also designed the dazzling azulejos on the exterior. Art lovers should also visit the Museo de Bellas Artes.

Cordoba Spain

Although Cordoba was once the biggest Roman city on the Iberian Peninsula, today it has a strong Moorish character. By the 10th century, the capital of the caliphate was as big and brilliant as any city in Europe. It was a renowned centre of culture, science, and art. After the Reconquest, the Spaniards customarily levelled mosques and built churches on top of the rubble. In Cordoba, happily, they spared one of the world's biggest and certainly most beautiful mosques, the Mezquita-Catedral, so called because Charles V saw fit to build a cathedral inside it.


The original Great Mosque, founded in 785, grew to its pre­sent proportions under the 10th-century leader, aI-Mansur. Its un­prepossessing exterior gives no hint of the richness within. The dimly lit interior appears as an enchanted forest of marble, onyx, and jasper columns. At the end of the main aisle, tendrils of stone twine around the 10th-century mihrab where the caliph attended to his prayers. In the very centre of the palatial mosque, the cathedral, a Gothic and Baroque sequel, pointedly rises far above its surroundings.

Southwest of the mosque, on the river, the Alcazar was actually built by a Christian king, Alfonso XI. There are pleasant patios, Roman relics, terraced gardens, and Wonderful views from the ramparts. Cross the river via the Roman bridge, to visit the 14th-century Torre de la Calahorra, now a historical museum.

To absorb the full flavour of Cordoba, there is no substitute for Wandering the narrow streets and alleys of the Barrio de la Juderia (Jewish Quar-
ter), in which a small 14th­century synagogue can stilI be found. To the east is the town's best historical museum, the Museo Arqueolgico. Other places of interest include the Palacio del Marques de Viana, possibly one of Cordoba's finest houses, and two museums: the Museo Taurino

Jaen Baeza and Ubeda east of Cordoba Spain

The province of Jaen, east of Cordoba, provides Some of Spain's finest scenic contrasts. Here, harsh mountains stare down at gently undulating hills dotted with olive groves, and the provincial capital, Jaen, spreads beneath a picturesque Moorish castle, now converted to a parador. Jaen's sights are pretty low-key: a museum specialising in archaeological finds; a cathedral with a vast Renaissance facade; and the largest Arab baths in Spain.

In 1401, the Great Mosque of Seville was razed to make way for a colossal cathedral, which became the largest Gothic church in the world.

The real reasons to venture to this little-visited region are two beautifully preserved medieval towns which flourished as Christian strongholds in the Reconquest. Baeza, with more than 50 listed historical buildings, is the smaller of the two. Ubeda is just as engaging, and its showcase square, the Plaza Vazquez de Molina, is surrounded by a host of magnificent Renaissance palaces (one of which has been converted to a sumptuous parador) and churches. Here, the town hall is housed in the Palacio de las Cadenas (Palace of Chains), so called for the chains round its forecourt, and the Sacra Capilla del Salvador (Chapel of the Holy Saviour) is the town's finest church.

Granada Andalusia Spain

The last Moorish outpost in Spain, Granada, lies at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. For more than two centuries (until 1492), Granada remained a self-sufficient island of Islam, where Moors, many of them craftsmen seeking safety from vanquished Cordoba and Seville, combined their talents to make medieval Granada a showcase for Moorish art.





The Alhambra Palace Granada

The famous Alhambra ("The Red One") is actually a series of palaces, with origins way back in the ninth century when the sturdy Alcazaba (fort) was founded. The main palace, the Alcazar, was constructed in the 14th century, and this is where you find the celebrated gems of Moorish architecture. The grand tour leads via the Arabian Nights-style Patio de los Arrayanes (Court of the Myrtle Trees) to the Salon de Embajadores (Royal Audience Chamber), its walls finely decorated with filigree and calligraphy. The fountain courtyard of the Patio de los Leones (Court of the Lions) is edged by beautiful chambers on every side; the writer Washington Irving once had rooms around the Daraxa Garden patio. Irving's Tales from the Alhambra (1829) revived interest in the Alhambra and helped save it from ruin.

The Palacio de Carlos V, which is definitely a distinguished piece of Renaissance architecture, still looks like a leaden lump next to the Moorish palace. However, it houses two museums of which the Museo Nacional de Arte Hispano-Musulman (the Hispano-Muslim Art Museum) is the best, featuring exquisite examples of Moorish arts and crafts. The Alhambra's famous gardens, the Generalife, surround a modest summer palace where the kings of Granada would take refuge from the pomp and protocol of the Alhambra, musing among the fountains, trees, and flowers. If you intend to visit Granada, you can fly into Malaga Airport or Granada Airport and hire a car by pre-booking.

Facing the Alhambra hill, the Albaicin, Granada's oldest and most picturesque quarter, is fun to explore, affording glimpses of the Alhambra between whitewashed houses, outdoor restaurants, and cafes. At the bottom of the hill are some Arab baths which are rarely visited. In the town centre, Granada's white-and-gold cathedral stands next to the Capilla Real, a Renaissance masterpiece built to house the white marble tombs of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, their daughter Joanna the Mad, and her husband Philip the Fair. Among the treasures in the sacristy are Ferdinand's sword and Isabella's crown, plus superb works of art from Isabella's personal collection.

Sierra Nevada ski resort Spain

About an hour's drive south of Granada, the road across the Sierra Nevada mountains rises to over 3,352 metres (11,000 feet), making it Europe's highest navigable road. It's quite a test of driving and the views are tremendous, but the goal for most visitors who come this way is the ski resort of Sol y Nieve. There is a ski jump here, but the slopes are more suitable for beginners or intermediate skiers.

The Alpujarras Mountains are the south-facing slopes of the Sierra Nevada. They are probably the wildest part of all southern Spain; possibly that is why it was here that the Moors made their final retreat after the fall of Granada. Consequently, the villages still look as Moorish as the pueblo’s blancos in the lower valleys. Do try to pay a visit to Capileira.

If you are the active sort, this is marvellous skiing country, and the Alpine World Skiing Championships were held in the Sierra Nevada in 1996. The town is just 2 to 2.30 hours drive from most towns on the Costa del Sol including Marbella and Fuengirola.

Extremadura Spain

The harsh, open landscape of the Spanish west is as beautiful as it is unyielding, and the southern portion, known as Extremadura (the "land beyond the Rio Duero"), is one of the least visited regions of Spain. Extremadura reached a brief zenith during Roman times, when a provincial capital was established at Merida, but its real fame comes from being the "Cradle of the Conquistadores;' the adventurers who colonized the new continent of the Americas.

Zafra is the most attractive of southern Extremadura's towns, and its white houses converge on two arcaded plazas, recalling its Moorish origins. So, too, does the design of the medieval Alcazar, now a sumptuous parador, where adventurer Heman Cortes stayed before setting off to conquer Mexico. The gateway to Portugal, built-up Badajoz, is the biggest city in Extremadura. The ancient Puerta de Palmas fortified city gate leads into the medieval walled city. Another arch used to bar the way to the citadel overlooking the Guadiana River, where the rulers of the Moorish kingdom of Badajoz held sway.


The cathedral, founded in the 13th century, with its heavy walls and pinnacled tower, is largely Gothic with Renaissance additions. Inside are impressive choir stalls, paintings, tapes­tries, and tombstones. The Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes, which exhibits some good Flemish tapestries, is on the same square.

Today, Merida is a sleepy modem town, but once it was an imperial capital dubbed the "Rome of Spain;' and it can stilI lay claim to the greatest number of Roman remains in any Spanish town. The piece de resistance is the partially restored first-century B.C. Teatro Romano with seating for more than 5,500 spectators. In summer, Greek and Roman plays are produced here. The elliptical Anfiteatro next door (also known as the Circus Maximus), was designed to hold 15,000 spectators for gladiatorial contests and chariot races. At times it was even flooded, to host recreations of great naval battles.

Don't miss the award-winning Museo Nacional de Arte Romano. Its beautifully displayed collections include examples of Roman statuary, locally minted coins, and paintings discovered on the podium of the arena. Around town are many other Roman monuments: a temple to Diana; a Roman theatre and amphitheatre; an aqueduct; and a 0.8 km (half-mile) bridge spanning the Guadiana. From afar, the turrets, spires, and crenellations of the rambling Monasterio de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe announce an impressive shrine. From nearby, it overwhelms Guadalupe, the tiny town spread at its feet. Surrounded by a huddle of small streets and squares, the monastery is Spain's fourth most important pilgrim site and guardian of a precious wooden statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron saint of the conquistadores.

New World gold paid for the construction of the huge monastery complex, covering an area of about 2 hectares (5 acres). It's an architectural hybrid, with a flamboyant facade flanked by stern defensive towers, Mudjar and Gothic cloisters, and a church founded in the 14th century and enlarged four centuries later. Guided tours visit the cloisters, an embroidery museum, chapter house, and sacristy, housing a remarkable collection of paintings by Zurbaran, among others.

Although Spain has historic towns with far more Imposing architectural monuments, Trujillo is a beauty, and a worthy monument to its conquistador patrons. The eccentrically-shaped Plaza Mayor is a meeting place of both distinguished and ordinary buildings. On the southwest corner, the Palacio del Marques de la Conquista was built by a renowned local soldier, Hernando Francisco Pizarro, conqueror of Peru, riding high over Trujillo's Plaza Mayor. Pizarro - an equestrian statue of his half-brother, Francisco, stands on the square.

There are half a dozen other palaces around the town, decorated with heroic portals, historic escutcheons, and pretty patios -all worthy of investigation. Storks' nests crown the clock tower over the Gothic church of San Martin, which has a long, dark nave paved with ancient tombstones.

The Romanesque and Gothic church of Santa Maria la Mayor boasts a fine Hispano-Flemish style retable. The two imposing stone seats on the balcony were built for Spain's Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. There are marvellous views from the heavily fortified castle on the hilltop, which began as a Roman fort and later became a Moorish Alcazaba. Above the keyhole-shaped main gate, a niche contains a statue of the Virgin of Victory, the local patron saint. The view over Trujillo from here is the best in town.

Once a Roman settlement, the walled city of Caceres offers a magnificent assembly of mellow stone churches, palaces, and towers. A provincial capital and college town, it is much livelier than Trujillo. The Plaza Mayor is the hub of local life, especially during the evening paseo, when the historic buildings are illuminated, providing a dignified backdrop to the relaxed ritual.

The skyline of Caceres is a forest of towers, a popular feature with the local stork population. One of the most visible examples is part of the Toledo-Moctezuma mansion, formerly home to a follower of Cortes who married the daughter of the Aztec emperor.

Go through the Arco de la Estrella (Star Arch) into the Old Town and wander down the warren of streets lined with imposing buildings sporting ostentatious heraldic shields. The Casa de las Veletas (Weathervane House) has been turned into an excellent provincial museum featuring archaeological finds and displays of historical costumes and local customs.

In its day, the magnificent six-arched Roman bridge over the Tagus near Alcantara was a world-renowned engineering feat. No less than 194 metres (636 feet) long, with extraordinarily high arches, it is altogether so impressive that the town was named after it: in Arabic al-Qantara means "the bridge."

The Tagus has been dammed east of Alcantara, giving the landscape a dramatic facelift. Besides its aesthetic contribution, the lake is also a popular recreation area.

In the Castilian province of Salamanca, La Alberca is a national monument with a difference. This modest rural village is Old Spain personified. Heavily-loaded donkeys clatter down the main street; simple, whitewashed homes cram into alleys, their flimsy-looking wooden balconies weighed down by flowerpots; and the bean harvest is dried in the Plaza Publica. The highlight of the local calendar is the Feast of the Assumption (August 15), when the entire population turns out in traditional costume to celebrate.

You can walk all the way around the hill town of Ciudad Rodrigo in no time. Just take the 2-km path that follows the medieval defences past the old castle (now a parador). There are some dozen worthy old mansions in town, most with interesting stone carvings and perhaps an inviting patio. The Plaza Mayor is distinguished by the Casa Consistoral (Town Hall), a 16th-century arcaded palace with a belfry, while the exterior of the cathedral is full of fine sculptural details.

Bilbao Aragon and the northern border of Spain

The area from Bilbao on the Bay of Biscay (Mar Cantabrico in Spanish) across to the mountains of northern Aragon-including the Basque Country and the Pyrenean province of Navarre-is remarkable for its diversity. It embraces both the main point of entry from France and some of Spain's most rugged terrain.

The Spanish Basque Country

The Spanish Basque Country (Pals Vasco) is an autonomous region, with its own language, traditions, and what many gourmets consider to be the finest cuisine in Spain. The city of Bilbao is the capital and the industrial heartland of the Basque Country, and is the most important port of Spain. Its bustling and thriving central district, broad boulevards, and leafy parks compensate to some extent for the smoke-stacks. The Casco Viejo (Old Quarter), is full of good, cheap eating and drinking places.

For tourists and art lovers in particular, there is one sight that clamours for attention. The Museo Guggenheim, inaugurated in October 1997, was designed by California-based architect Frank Gehry. The massive structure, funded primarily by the Basque government, is now one of Bilbao's foremost land­marks, rising above the banks of the Nervión River. Inside, spacious galleries accommodate works predominantly from the 1950s to the present, including site-specific pieces and works from the renowned Guggenheim collections of New York and Venice.

The Museo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum) is one of the country's very best collections. It offers a rich survey of Spanish classics (El Greco, Goya, and an honest, "warts and all" portrait of Philip IV by Velazquez), as well as Flemish and Italian masterpieces. The museum's upper floor is devoted to Basque and international 20th-century art.

The city of Vitoria (Gasteiz) founded by the Navarrese king Sancho the Wise in 1181, lies somewhat off the main tourist trail on the plains south of Bilbao. In 1200, the town passed into the hands of Castile, later growing rich on its wool trade.

The medieval town centre, laid out in a concentric pattern on the fortified hilltop, is home to the 14th-century Catedral de Santa Maria. Nearby, the Museo Provincial de Arqueologia features Iron Age and Roman relics. The prosperous merchants built gracious Renaissance mansions and fine churches such as San Miguel, on Plaza de la Virgen Blanco (White Virgin Square) to the south. Here, the Battle of Vitoria monument commemorates the Duke of Wellington's 1813 victory, which sent Jose I hightailing across the border back to France. Just east of this plaza, the city's spacious main square, Plaza de Espana, is a classic l8th­century Spanish ensemble, with the town hall on the north side.

About San Sebastian Spain

San Sebastian (Donostia), the "Pearl of the Cantabrian Coast," lies on the magnificent Bahia de la Concha (Seashell Bay), a semi-circle of sandy beaches flanked by two peninsulas. Formerly a fishing and trading port, San Sebastian was elevated to the heights of favoured royal seaside resort in the mid-19th century.

The charming town centre has little in the way of historical monuments, but numerous belle-epoque villas and buildings. The Miramar Palace and sweeping beachfront promenade along Playa de la Concha lend an undeniable cachet to this popular family resort. It is often referred to as one of Spain's most beautiful cities. In the lee of Monte Urgull, the colourful streets of the Parte Vieja (Old Quarter) radiate from the arcaded Plaza de Ia Constitución. The atmosphere still recalls something of an old-time fishing village, and the narrow streets are the focus for the early evening walkabout, when locals and visitors cram the multitude of bars and restaurants.

The city's oldest church, San Vicente, stands here, as well as Museo San Telmo, which displays municipal art collections with sections on local history and crafts. Not far from the fishing port (summer-season boat trips to the Isla de Santa Clara in the bay), the church of Santa Maria has an ornate Baroque facade. If you want to learn more about Basque seafaring, take a look around the Palacio del Mar, which is an aquarium and two museums.

Navarre and Pamplona Spain

Moving from west to east, the Pyrenees gain altitude, and the Basque character of the countryside and the people recede. Navarre once extended into France, but the mountains now form a natural border between France and Spain.

Pamplona is world-famous for its July encierro (running of the bulls), and is also recommended on the non-festival days. Its compact old centre, easy to explore on foot, is well-supplied with restaurants and bars. The city was supposedly founded by the Roman general Pompey; there are some exquisite Roman mosaics, plus interesting Romanesque and Gothic artefacts dis­played in the fine Museo de Navarra.

Situated between the old and new parts of the city is Pamplona's main square, the Plaza del Castillo-an attractive spot with shady trees, benches, a bandstand, and outdoor cafes along the edges. To the northeast, the huge cathedral complex backs onto the city wall. Its overblown 18th-century west facade conceals a gloomy but impressive I 4th- to 15th-century interior. In contrast, the beautiful Gothic cloister is an oasis of sunshine and calm, with some notable sculpture. Make sure you don't miss the Ayuntamiento (City Hall), a gloriously extravagant Baroque construction.

Estella is an unspoiled medieval town with beautiful Romanesque buildings. "Estella la Bella" was a favourite pilgrim stop on the road to Santiago de Compostela.
On Plaza de San Martin, a 12th-century palace faces the church of San Pedro de la Rua. The church's portal features an unusual, scalloped arch with both Moorish- and Christian­inspired elements. The remains of the church's Romanesque cloister are decorated with fine carved capitals. Another note­worthy pilgrim church is the unfinished Iglesia del Santo Sepulcro, which has a superlative Gothic portal. Across the river, the church of San Miguel Arcangel has a portal richly decorated with carved biblical scenes and figures designed to inspire pilgrims on their way.

Just 3km (2 miles) south of Estella, the Monasterio de Irache was another important stop on the Pilgrim Way. A Benedictine foundation, it was once a university. Its 12th-century church has an "old" and a "new" cloister, the latter with fine Plateresque details.

You can see the high tower of the cathedral in Thdela from miles away, yet once you're inside the labyrinth of narrow streets you may have to seek directions. Built soon after the Reconquest on the ruins of a mosque, the 12th- to 13th-century cathedral is a classic of the earliest Gothic style. It boasts three monumental portals, the Capilla de Santa Ana, a Baroque spree with flights of angels flying up the walls to the chapel's dome, and a Romanesque cloister.

The ancient, strategic town of Sanguesa guards a crucial bridge across the Rio Aragon, which was much disputed during the struggle against the Moors, and later a crossing point on the Pilgrim's Way.

There are many handsome medieval buildings in the town, but the piece de resistance is the church of Santa Maria la Real. Its south portal is a masterpiece of stone carving, decorated with biblical scenes and crowds of figures.

Northern Aragon Spain

Mountain homeland of the medieval kings of Aragon, this sparsely populated and visually striking region really is "undiscovered," rugged Spain. With the exception of visitors to the Ordesa National Park, foreign tourists are few and far between. The tallest peaks of all the Pyrenees belong to Aragon, and there are several good ski resorts in Asttin, Candanchti, and Formigal.

Gateway to the Aragon Pyrenees and an old stop on the Pilgrim Way, Jaca has been fraught with military significance for at least twelve centuries, ever since it figured in one of the earliest victories over the Moors. The enormous, low-lying 16th-century fortress at the edge of town is a symbol of its former strategic importance. Jaca's other notable monument is its cathedral, which dates from the 11th Century and is one of the oldest in Spain. Take note of its fine Romanesque frescoes, as well as Renaissance sculptures and a Plateresque retable.

Ordesa National Park Spain

Reckoned to be one of Europe's best-kept secrets, this spectacular mountain park is accessible from the village of Torla (60 km/37 miles northeast of Jaca). Graceful Pyrenean chamois perch on the cliffs here, as do wild goat, roe deer, wild boar, and the only ibex (a mountain goat with back-curved horns) surviving in the Pyrenees. A national park for 70 years, the dramatic I, 000-metre (3,250-fool) Ordesa valley canyon walls dwarf forests of ancient beech, silver fir, and mountain pine. You can enjoy the canyon from the comfort of your car, but to truly appreciate its beauty and scale, bring hiking gear. The park information office and local stores have maps and details of suggested walks requiring varying degrees of fitness and proficiency. During summer the park can become quite busy, but snow cuts off all access from around October to April.

Zaragoza Spain Information

Capital of Aragon and the one relatively big town of the region, Zaragoza can trace its origins back to the Iberians. The Romans arrived in 25 B.C., spanned the River Ebro with a bridge, and founded the city of Caesaraugusta. Subsequently, the Moors held the city for 400 years. The Ebro is at its best here, more than halfway from its source in the Cantabrian Mountains on its way to the Mediterranean.

Backing onto the river is Zaragoza's favourite church, the cathedral-basilica of Nuestra Senora del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pillar). Vast and bright, it is always packed with pilgrims. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared here in A.D. 40, standing on the jasper column housed in the elaborate CapilIa del Pilar. The cathedral's superb main retable is the greatest work of the sculptor Damian Forment.

The Plaza del Pilar has recently undergone a facelift and been expanded to become the largest square in Spain. Complete with fountains as well as floodlights, it is edged by several religious souvenir shops and outdoor cafes. Just off the plaza, the Aragon tourist office occupies the Zuda Tower, a 14th-century Mudejar relic.

Zaragoza's other cathedral, La Seo, was built in the 12th century. Although it is mainly Gothic, the cathedral also features Romanesque remnants, Mudejar decorations, and striking Baroque postscripts, plus a 17th-century belfry displaying one of the finest tapestry collections in Spain. In 1988, workmen stumbled on the site of a Roman Forum, built in the third century, in front of the cathedral. This archaeological dig now reveals the remains of a temple, homes, shops, and offices, plus assorted statuary and general artefacts.

West of the city centre, the beautifully restored Moorish AI­jaferia Palace was founded in the 11th century, then adapted by the Christian kings of Aragon after the Reconquest. Across the moat (now a sunken garden) you enter the world of Muslim Spain, something rarely seen this far north.

Orense and the West coast of Spain

The road from Santiago de la Compostela to the rias cuts through the village of Padron, believed to be the place where the vessel carrying the remains of St. James arrived. Legend has it that the vessel was attached to a mooring stone, which is now displayed beneath the altar of the local church.

The rias themselves form a jagged coastline dotted with fishing ports and small resorts such as La Toja, a holiday island of pines and palms which has also expanded into a popular resort.

A strategic port since the Middle Ages, Pontevedra is one of Galicia's most charming towns, with many fine old buildings, gardens, and spacious squares. The city's pride and joy is the Plateresque Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor in the old fishermen's quarter. Its sculpted facade is divided into compartments, each telling a New Testament story.

The patron saint of Pontevedra, the Pilgrim Virgin, is commemorated in the curvaceous 18th-century Iglesia de la Virgen de la Peregrina. Nearby, the Iglesia de San Francisco was founded in the 14th century; the provincial museum, housed in interconnecting historic mansions, offers departments of archaeology and art, and some enlightening exhibits on the Galician seafaring way of life.

The inhabitants of Bayona (Baiona) were the first to learn of Columbus' landing in the New World on I March 1493. Today, the town is an attractive resort, largely undiscovered by the masses. This delightful fishing port is full of traditional houses and tapas bars. Set on a ria, it overlooks a wooded promontory where an ancient castle has been transformed into a parador with wonderful views. Bayona's beaches are small and get crowded in season. A few miles out of the village lies the wide beach of Playa de America.

Set amidst beautiful countryside, the provincial capital of Orense is a fairly unprepossessing place. Still, it is worth visiting the historic hub and cathedral, built in Romanesque-Gothic style and consecrated at the end of the 12th century. Of special interest is the triple-arched Portico del Paraiso (Paradise Portal), patterned after the Door of Glory at Santiago de Compostela. Nearby, the down-to-earth, no­frills bars crammed into narrow Calle de Lepanto give a good impression of the unaffected nature of the people of inland Galicia. Orense today attracts thousands of visitors from all over Europe, and if you are planning to visit Orense, you can fly into Orense and hire a car directly from the airport.

The medieval centre of Lugo is enclosed by almost 2 km of the best-preserved Roman walls in Spain. Old Lugo is a pleasant place for a stroll, with a big, tree-shaded main square and historic houses and churches, including a cathedral founded in 1129. The Museo Provincial, housed in an old palace, has a good fine arts collection, and incorporates the cloister of the convent of San Francisco.

Asturias Spain

This is a wild, rugged province known for its fiercely independent people and potent cider. They say Asturias is the true Spain, because it was the only corner of the country which did not succumb to the Moors: after the seemingly invincible Moors had overrun most of Spain in the eighth century, a band of Christian soldiers, led by local hero Pelayo, descended from the mountains and initiated the Reconquest with a small but significant victory over the Moors at the Battle of Covadonga in A.D.722.

A modem statue of Pelayo stands in the main square of Covadonga, and his remains are interred in the Santa Cueva (Holy Cave), where he saw a vision of the Virgin Mary that inspired his victory. It is a place of pilgrimage for Asturians.

Oviedo Spain

The initial impression of the Asturian capital is of an ugly, industrial city. However, press on to Oviedo's compact historic centre and you will find many a fine monument, plus a host of friendly sidrarias, bars serving the lethal, potent local cider (sidra). Oviedo's cathedral culminates in a flourish with a tall flamboyant Gothic tower. Its Camara Santa (Holy Chamber) shrine was built by Alfonso II to house holy relics brought from Toledo after it fell to the Moors. Behind the cathedral, the Museo Arqueologico is housed in a splendid old palace-convent with a gorgeous Plateresque cloister.

Beyond the city centre, you will find two remarkable examples of Visigothic architecture. A short walk to the northeast, the church of Santullano, built in the ninth century, is claimed to be the oldest pre-Romanesque church in Spain. On the wooded slopes 3 km (2 miles) northwest of Oviedo, Santa Maria del Naranco is believed to be the reception chamber for a palace built for Rarniro I in 842. Just up the hill, part of the former palace chapel, San Miguel de Lillo, has beautiful Byzantine-influenced carvings.
Cantabria Spain information

There is plenty of variety in Cantabria, where the sea and the snow-capped heights of the Picos de Europa can both be covered in a day's excursion. As well as fishing villages, ports, and miles of seafront wilderness, the coast of Cantabria also offers several popular summer resorts, such as Castro Urdiales, Laredo, and Comillas.

Just 25 km (16 miles) from the coast, behind steep green pastures coloured with wildflowers, the great wall of the Cantabrian Mountains (Cordillera Cantabrica) rises to a height of 2,600 metres (8,530 feet), culminating in the spectacular Picos de Europa.

The N621 cuts through the dramatic Desfiladero de la Hermida gorge along the River Deva to Potes, the main gateway to the eastern Picos. Here you can pick up maps and walking suggestions from the tourist office. Wonderful wildflowers adorn the mountains, and there is good bird-watching, too. Chamois and bears also roam around here, but are rarely seen.

A perfectly preserved medieval village of golden stone houses, cobbled streets, farmyards, and patrician mansions, Santillana del Mar has been described as "the prettiest village in Spain" by none other than Jean-Paul Sartre. At the north end of the village, the Colegiata (Collegiate Church) is dedicated to St. Juliana (Santil-lana is a contraction of her name), whose tomb is inside. Its 12th­century Romanesque cloister is a real beauty. In the convent at the other end of the village, the Museo Diocesano specializes in carvings of saints and angels gathered together from outlying churches.

Discovered in 1868, just 2 km inland from Santillana, the AItamira cave complex contains some of the finest and most inspiring ancient works of art in Europe. They were painted very long ago-though that is not the sole reason they are rated so highly. These paintings of bison and other beasts are an example of astonishing draughtsmanship, in which their creators used the curvature and protuberances in the rock to give added life and motion to their subjects.

The actual caves are closed to the general public, but there is a museum containing the 30,000-year-old remains of a cave­man. At Puente Viesgo, 29 km (18 miles) out of Santander on the Logroiio road, there are four caves open to visitors. The main one, Cueva del Castillo, features bison and curious hand­prints thought to be the artist's signature.

The city of Santander successfully combines the roles of major port and tasteful resort, though there is little of cultural or historic interest here. Two-thirds of the town was destroyed by fire in 1941. After the fire, the cathedral overlooking the ancient port was reconstructed to resemble the medieval original, a mixture of fortress and watchtower above a Romanesque crypt. The Museo Provincial de Prehistoria displays notable finds from excavations around the province, and the town also boasts a fine Museo de Bellas Artes, featuring some powerful works by Goya.

The beach suburb of El Sardinero, with its flower gardens and numerous seafood bars, contributes to the city's resort mood. Overlooking the sea from the rugged peninsula is the Victorian-style Magdalena Palace, built for Alfonso XIII as a summer escape, housing a host of architectural eccentricities.

Travel to Inland Spain

If your idea of Spain is Costas lined with high-rise buildings, British pubs and swirling flamenco dancers, then think again. For inland Spain this is a very different country: a green, rural, Celtic land of fishermen and farmers, where the rain in Spain falls, mainly-hence the verdant landscape.






Galicia Spain

The ancient kingdom of Galicia, in the northwestern comer of the Iberian peninsula, is rugged and isolated, its coastline characterized by narrow, rocky crags (sea inlets) battered by the Atlantic. It was Galicia, not sunny Andalusia, that attracted Spain's first tourists; millions of sandal-shod medieval pilgrims hiked here from all over Europe to the shrine of St. James at Santiago de Compostela.

Galicia's scalloped coastline is perfect for boating, fishing, and, when the sun does shine, swimming. Although the Atlantic coast south from La Coruna has the more spectacular views, the northern indentations, the Rias Altas, are home to several unspoiled resort towns and quiet beaches.

The medieval village of Pontedeume is an old-fashioned resort with a long sandy beach. Ortigueira is noted for its fine beach and lush hills. EI Barqueiro, a picture-postcard fishing village, has a white sand beach and Viveiro's monuments offer some fascinating sights for visitors.


La Coruña Spain

Very built-up nowadays but worth a visit for its historic port and old town, La Coruña possesses Spain's oldest lighthouse, the Torre de Hercules, said to be the only Roman lighthouse still in operation. Now clad in an 18th-century shell, it affords splendid Atlantic vistas from the lookout 242 steps above ground.
The Spanish Armada sailed for England (and disaster) from La Corona's busy port in 1588. Behind the port, Avenida de la Marina curves east to the old town, dense with historic churches and monasteries. The 16th-century Castillo de San Anton, guarding the harbour approaches, serves as an archaeological museum.


Santiago de Compostela Spain

The one major town of the region and the terminus of the Pilgrim Way, Santiago is the third holiest shrine in Christendom (after Jerusalem and Rome). It is also a lively and attractive place with beautiful buildings, colourful cafe-filled plazas, and a largely pedestrianised heart ideal for sightseeing and relaxing.

The best-known view in Santiago is of the main facade of the cathedral, looming high above the plaza with Baroque adornments and twin towers - all its surfaces stained with rust­coloured moss. Historically, this is supposed to be the spot where the ninth-century Asturian kings built churches over the tomb of St. James (Santiago). The present largely Romanesque edifice was undertaken after the Reconquest.

Just inside the main entrance, the 800-year-old Portico de la Gloria (Door of Glory) is a marvel of Romanesque sculpture by the artist known as Master Mateo. A 13th-century poly­chrome statue of St. James takes the spotlight on the main altar, standing above the crypt; it is said to contain St. James's remains. Pilgrims pass behind the statue and touch its shoulders through special holes.

At a right angle to the cathedral's main entrance on Plaza del Obradoiro, the Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos has a stupendous facade. Founded by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1499 (hence the name), the former pilgrim hostel is now a luxurious parador.

Wherever you wander in Santiago de Compostela, you will be in sight of a historic church or monastery. There are plenty of bars and restaurants serving seafood fresh from the rias. For an added insight into local customs, crafts, and folklore, visit the Museo do Pobo Gallego housed in the old convent of Santo Domingo.

Southern Spain Travel

Soria and Sigiienza Spain

Soria, the smallest provincial capital of Spain, spreading along a poplar-shaded bend of the Rio Duero, is Old Castile at its most poetic. A pedestrianised street links the main square with the Alameda de Cervantes city park, where a small chapel, the Ennita de la Soledad, contains a treasured 16th-century wooden statue of Christ. Across the street, the Museo Numantino (Museum of Numancia) specializes in relics found in the Roman ruins just north of town. Numancia was a Celtiberian city.

Soria's collection of churches, all in toast-coloured stone, is bountiful and beautiful. All date from the 12th century. Among the most important are: Santo Domingo, with an expansive Romanesque facade; San Juan de Rabanera, with Byzantine touches and an early hint of Gothic; and the Catedral de San Pedro, with a Plateresque portal and a Romanesque cloister.

All but hidden on the left bank of the river, San Juan de Duero used to be a monastery of the Knights Templar. The remains of the original Romanesque-Oriental cloister reveal finely carved capitals, and the church now serves as the medieval section of the Museo Numantino.

A sleepy town northeast of Madrid, Sigiienza is home to a classic fortress, an outsized (for this small town at least) cathedral and the lovely Plaza Mayor, one of the most beautiful main squares in Spain. Founded by Visigoths and occupied by Moors, Sigiienza's fort was reconquered by Christian forces early in the 12th century. It became the headquarters of the bishops of Sigiienza, and housed around 1,000 soldiers and more than 300 horses during the 15th century. Today, it is a parador.

At first sight, the crenellated cathedral also resembles a fortress. However, it contains a wealth of sculptural features, of which the most celebrated is the sepulchre of "EI Doncel" ("The Page"). Commissioned by Queen Isabella, it honours a young servant killed fighting in Granada in 1486. Opposite, the Museo Diocesano de Arte packs its 14 halls with everything from pre­historic axes to an ethereal rendering of the Virgin by Zurbaran.

Teruel Information Spain

Teruel, the capital of Lower Aragon, is a prime showcase for Mudejar-style architecture. When Alfonso II of Aragon captured the town from the Moors in 1171, most Muslims chose to stay until their enforced expulsion at the end of the 15th century. This was time enough for the creation of lasting works of Mudejar art.

The city's cathedral has some intriguing Mudejar elements, especially the finely decorated 13th-century brick tower and the lantern in the dome. There are also two other local towers which are considered to be classics of this style: the Torre San Martin and Torre del Salvador.

Spanish tourists are likely to make a bee-line for the Gothic Iglesia de San Pedro (St. Peter's Church), but not for its 13th­century Mudejar tower. Adjoining the church is a chapel containing the mausoleum of the Lovers of Teruel, a star-crossed 13th-century couple whose tale of love lost and early death has inspired generations of Spanish writers.

Away from the main highways in the hill country of eastern Castilla La Mancha, pretty Cuenca is a favourite on many tourist itineraries. The old town occupies a dramatic site perched on a precipice above the rivers Huecar and Jucar. It is here that Cuenca's famous medieval Casas Colgadas (Hanging Houses) literally hang out over the void.

Visitors are also drawn to Cuenca's Museo de Arte Abstracto Espafiol, a collection of outstanding contemporary Spanish paintings and sculptures installed in the old town. And there is the Museo de Cuenca, a provincial archaeological museum occupying a 14th-century mansion near the cathedral. Construction of the cathedral began right after the Reconquest, from a Gothic plan with some Norman features attributed to itinerant medieval architects. Among the treasures here is a 14th-century Byzantine diptych embellished with precious stones, said to be the only one of its kind in Spain.

Although it's a significant dot on the map, Ciudad Real is, in truth, a distinctly underwhelming "Royal City." Sightseeing focuses on the remains of the 14th-century town wall, specifically the Puerta de Toledo, a Mudejar gate. There are also three Gothic churches, including the cathedral, noted for its choir stalls. The church of San Pedro features fine Mudejar and Gothic portals.

If you're planning to spend a few days following the footsteps of Don Quixote, the town of Almagro (25 km/16 miles east of Ciudad Real) is a preferable overnight stop and Teruel and Toledo are easily accessible by hire car from the airport.

La Mancha Information

The vast, parched plain of La Mancha, with its endless horizons and shimmering mirages, was the perfect setting for the adventures of author Miguel Cervantes' myopic, idealistic knight, Don Quixote, and his squire, Sancho Panza.

Cervantes was born on the very edge of La Mancha, at Alcala de Henares, in 1547. The son of an itinerant doctor, his education was minimal. Later, travels took him to Italy and then to Algeria, as a prisoner of the Turks after the Battle of Lepanto (1571).

Back in Spain, it is said he wrote the first draft of Don Quixote in the prison of Argamasilla de Alba (northwest of Almagro). It was published in 1605 to great acclaim, and has been translated into more languages than any other book except the Bible. A sequel appeared in 1615, but a year later Cervantes was dead. The names of several of La Mancha's villages and towns appear in the text of Don Quixote, none more important than EI Toboso (in Toledo province), the home of Dulcinea, the woman of Quixote's dreams. Dulcinea's house is open to the public.

Travel in Central Spain

Central Spain is home to the most soul-stirring and archetypal Spanish landscape. The great, windswept plains of the Castilian meseta (plateau), the wine country of La Rioja, and atmospheric La Mancha-Don Quixote's stomping ground-are dotted with isolated castles and ancient windmills. Here, vast spaces open up with a scale and grandeur unrivalled in Europe.

Salamanca Spain

Dating from Iberian times, Salamanca is one of the greatest cities of Spain. During the Roman era the city walls were constructed and a bridge (still standing) was built across the Rio Tormes. Later, Moorish and Christian forces fought intermittently over the city, until, in 1178, Ferdinand II of Leon assembled his parliament here, ensuring Salamanca's future importance and prosperity.

At the heart of the town, the Plaza Mayor (Main Square) built in the 18th century, is considered to be the most perfect plaza in Spain. To the south, Salamanca's two cathedrals, which throw up a thicket of spires and turrets, are contiguous; you enter the old through the new. Construction of the Catedral Nueva began in 1513. Inside, the triple-naved cathedral has marvellous Baroque choir stalls and 18 side chapels, most notably the Capilla Dorada (Golden Chapel), with 110 sculptures.

After the grandeur of the New Cathedral, the Catedral Vieja seems as intimate as a private chapel. Highlights of this Romanesque building include the 15th-century main altar; a retable featuring a fine 12th-century statue known as the Virgen de la Vega; and the unusual Mudejar dome in the Capilla de Talavera. The Diocesan Museum in the old chapter house has a notable collection of paintings by Fernando Gallego, an underrated mas­ter of 15th-century Hispano-Flemish style.

The Universidad (University) of Salamanca, founded in 1218, was one of the greatest centres of learning in medieval Europe. The main building's 16th-century Plateresque facade is unbelievably intricate, and the lecture halls around the central patio illustrate centuries of architectural and decorative detail. Nearby, the Patio de las Escuelas is surrounded by Plateresque buildings. Make sure you don't miss the terrific 15th-century Casa de las Conchas (House of Shells), just south of Plaza Mayor; its exterior walls are studded with hundreds of scallop shell motifs.

Zamora Spain

A strategic walled stronghold above the right bank of the Rio Ouero, the often besieged city of Zamora changed hands many times in the centuries of the Reconquest. For the best view of this appealing, historic city, cross the Ouero by the 14th-century bridge. From the south bank, you can admire the Byzantine cupola of the cathedral, built in the 12th century and roofed in curved stone tiles laid like fish scales. Its interior features a notable retable by Fernando Gallego, and there is a tapestry museum in the cloister.

East of Zamora, the medieval hilltop town of Toro is a national monument. Besides some splendid Romanesque churches, convents, and mansions, and a ruined tenth-century castle, Toro's greatest pride is the Iglesia Colegiata de Santa Maria la Mayor (Collegiate Church of St. Mary the Great). A Romanesque classic, it houses a most unusual 16th-century painting entitled The Virgin and the Fly, which is widely considered to be the best-known likeness of Isabella of Castile.

Leon information Spain

Leon is a prosperous, modem city with a welcoming ancient heart. It does not receive too many tourists, but those who do make the effort to visit are amply rewarded.

The most magnificent monument in the town is the 13th-Century Catedral de Santa Maria de RegIa. Clearly inspired by the French Gothic cathedral at Chartres, it has the most glorious complement of stained glass in all Spain-125 huge windows and 57 smaller glassed areas dating from the 13th through 20th centuries. The west facade sports mismatched towers and elaborately carved portals. Tours of the cloister, an elegant mix of Gothic and Renaissance elements, lead to the Diocesan Museum, which exhibits archeological finds as well as fine and applied arts.

A few streets west of the cathedral, an equestrian statue of St. Isidore crowns the south side of the Colegiata de San Isidoro (Collegiate Church). In the Moorish invasions, the saint's relics were evacuated to Leon from Seville, where he had been archbishop, and still attract pilgrims to this day. Next door, the naIve frescoes in the Panteon Real (Royal Pantheon), burial place of several kings and princes, are so wonderful it has been dubbed ''the Sistine Chapel of Romanesque Art."

The former Monasterio de San Marco rejoices in a formidable Plateresque facade. Intended as a hospice for the medieval pilgrims, Ferdinand the Catholic spared no expense in turning it into a showpiece for the Knights of St. James; today it is one of Spain's finest paradores. Non-residents are welcome to explore. The cloister and sacristy of the monastery house the Museo Arqueologico Provincial. Its collections run the gamut from Roman mosaics to Romanesque sculpture.

Valladolid Spain

The biggest and most industrialized city of this region, Valladolid may lack the historical charm of Leon, yet there is much here for students of architecture and sculpture, and there are also glimpses of Cervantes and Columbus. Valladolid is one of the hotbeds of the Isabelline style-a form of overblown Plateresque expressed in extravagant, florid ornamentation. It is named after Isabella of Castile, whose fateful marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon took place
in Valladolid in 1469.

Visitors plunge right into the mainstream of Isabelline decoration at the Colegio de San Gregorio, proud possessor of an unusually elaborate facade. The college houses the Museo Nacional de Escultura (National Museum of Sculpture), the "Prado" of religious statuary, with works ranging from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The star here is the woodcarving genius of the Spanish Renaissance, Alonso Berruguete, said to have studied under Michelangelo. His martyrs seem to shed real tears and blood.

Visitors to Valladolid can hire a car directly from the airport to make the most of this intriguing region.

Another talent on show is Juan de Juni, an Italian-trained Frenchman of the mid-16th century. Juni's altarpiece in the cathedral is the highlight of a rich display of art contained within walls designed by Juan de Herrera, Co-creator of Philip II's Escorial complex.

Some famous names are linked with the city, including Philip II and Philip IV, who were both born here. In 1506, Christopher Columbus died in the arcaded two-storey Casa­Museo de Colon (House-Museum of Columbus), now restored to display relics and documents relating to the Age of Discovery. The Casa de Cervantes commemorates author Miguel Cervantes, creator of Don Quixote, who lived for several years in this ivy-covered house.


What to do around Valladolid

Coca Castle lies 63 km (39 miles) south of Valladolid. In Castile it is only natural to expect to see castles, but few if any are finer than this masterpiece of Spanish Mudejar military architecture in the small town of Coca. Constructed in the late 15th century for the Archbishop of Seville, Alonso de Fonseca, it has three layers of walls surrounding an impenetrable keep, and there are towers and clusters of battlements at all levels. Although it is now a forestry school, it is still open to the public.

From afar, Pefiafiel Castle (35 km/22 miles east of Valladolid) looks like an improbable shipwreck. It's over 200 metres (220 yards) long, but less than 25 metres (28 yards) across, and sits stranded high on a lonely hilltop. The formidable stronghold has a double set of ramparts and 30 towers and turrets-enough to make any enemy think again. According to legend, when King Sancho reclaimed it from the Moors in the 11 th century, he is said to have announced that "Henceforth this shall be the faithful rock (pefiajiel) of Castile." In the village below, the big, open, sandy plaza is used for bullfights in August.

Burgos Spain

The one-time capital of the kingdom of Castile, Burgos is a beauty. One of the most significant resting places on the Pilgrim Way, it is still an excellent spot to stop today. The best approach is from the south, crossing the lazy Rio Arlanzon to the most flamboyant of the old city gates, the Arco de Santa Maria. Along the river here, promenades and flower gardens follow the path of the original city wall, and it is a favourite spot for the evening paseo (stroll).

The great cathedral of Burgos, the third-biggest cathedral in Spain (after Seville and Toledo), was begun in 122. Bristling with lacy spires, its treasures are many and varied, from Gil de Siloe's altar of St. Anne to his son Diego's exquisite golden stairway inside the Coroneria portal. Don't miss the splendid Constable's chapel, burial place of Hernandez de Velasco, Constable of Castile during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs. EI Cid, the local hero and legendary 11th-century warrior, is buried beside his wife beneath the cathedral's dome.

Burgos is a wonderful city to amble through. There are busy shopping streets, inviting squares and parks, and distinguished medieval houses. Outstanding amongst the latter is the Casa Cordon, Plaza de Calvo Sotelo, where Ferdinand and Isabella welcomed Columbus back from his second voyage to the New World. To the south, there's a stirring equestrian statue of EI Cid before the San Pablo Bridge, and, across the river, another noble Renaissance house, the Casa Miranda, serves as the municipal museum.

On the western outskirts of Burgos, the Convento de las Huelgas was founded in the 12th century. Behind fortress-like walls, the complex is something of an architectural hybrid, with Romanesque elements and a superb Mudejar-Gothic cloister. Kings were crowned and buried here, and a small museum displays some of the ecclesiastical treasures and artworks amassed by the convent's powerful abbesses.

A few miles east of Burgos, in a forest park, is the 15th-century Carthusian monastery of Cartuja de Miraflores founded by Juan II. It features the alabaster sepulchre of Juan and his second wife Isabella of Portugal, which is housed in the white granite church. The work of master sculptor Gil de Siloe, it is considered to be one of the finest tombs in all Spain.

About Logroiio Spain

The leafy main square of this spacious modern city is big enough for a fiesta, and when it's fiesta time in Logroiio you can be sure of a certain amount of wine tasting, for this is the lively capital of Spain's premier wine region, La Rioja.

Among medieval pilgrim travellers, the province of La Rioja was renowned for its cheerful and attentive hospitality. Their first stop would have been Santa Maria de Palacio, dating from the 11th century and topped by a tall, graceful, pyramid-shaped tower. A few streets to the south of the church, the cathedral, which is considerably younger, features a generously sculpted main portal. Behind the cathedral lie the atmospheric narrow streets of the old town.

Barcelona Spain information

Spain's second largest city, Barcelona is the capital of semi-autonomous Catalonia, a dynamic and strongly independent region with its own language, history, traditions, and folklore. Industrious Catalans can take or leave siesta, and they dance the stately sardaiia rather than engage in the histrionics of flamenco-but they do have a passion for all things Catalan, including their language, which is almost always spoken in preference to Castilian. Catalans also like to live well, so you will find plenty of good shopping, fine restaurants, and a pulsating after-dark scene in Barcelona's bars and nightspots.

Barcelona flourished in the 12th-14th centuries when the superb medieval old town, the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter), was founded. Industrialization provided a further economic and cultural boost in the late 19th century, which also saw the Moderniste architect Antoni Gaudi adorn the city with his fantastic creations. Franco's repressive regime aimed to suppress traditional Catalan culture and language. Since his death, however, Barcelona and the region as a whole has undergone a form of renaissance-a process crowned by the hosting of the Olympic Games in 1992.

Barcelona's many attractions are widely spread around the city. The Bus Thristic (mid-June to September) provides a handy hop-on, hop-off service around the main sights, and includes free cable car, funicular, and tram rides for Montjulc and Tibidabo, plus reduced admission to several sights. Details are available from any tourist office. There is also an excellent metro (subway) system.

La Rambla shopping and things to do in Barcelona

The city's main downtown thoroughfare, La Rambla, is more than just a street-it's an event. Part traffic jam, part Promenade, part flower market, it links the city centre Plaza de CataIunya with the harbour. It also divides the historic delights, tempting shops, and friendly tapas bars and restaurants of the Barri Gotic from the rundown and distinctly less appealing Barri Xines. Midway down La Rambla, La Boqueria, the 19th-century covered market, is a city highlight, with mounds of glossy fruit and vegetables, seafood, sausages, meat, poultry, herbs, spices, and sweetmeats.

A short step away, heading for the harbour, the famous Liceu opera house is a local institution. A little farther on, Gaudi's fortress-like Palau Giiell, on Nou de la Rambla, was built for his major sponsor in 1885. Across the main street, a passage leads into the cafe-filled arcades of the fine Plaza Reial. Down by the harbour, the Monument a Colom, honouring Christopher Columbus, is not far from the Museu Maritimo, which traces 700 years of maritime history.

In the Port Vell, a ten-minute walk from the bottom of La Rambla, you will find the L'Aquarium de Barcelona. This modern complex is one of Europe's largest aquariums, and recreates an array of particular marine habitats in addition to a vast oceanarium representing the Mediterranean in general. Children also love the play area, equipped with lots of fun (and free) marine-oriented games.

The narrow alleyways and historic buildings of the Barri Gotie cluster around the imposing Cathedral, founded in the 13th century. Its 19th-century facade overlooks sudden out­breaks of the sardaiia on summer weekends; there is also a graceful garden cloister. Nearby, there are two fascinating museums; the Museu d'Historia de Ia Ciutat (City History Museum) and the Museu Frederic Mares, with its eclectic miscellany of religious objects and art from around the world.

Among the galleries on Carrer de Montcada, the Museu Picasso is the city's most popular museum; a short walk brings you to the pure, Gothic beauty of Santa Maria del Mar church near the waterfront. To the east, the spacious, green expanse of the Pare Ciutadella, its name derived from an 18th-century French prison torn down with much glee in 1869, encompasses paths, gardens, and ponds, an elaborate Gaudf fountain, and one of Europe's better zoos.

Barcelona's historic Jewish community once lived on the slopes of Montjulc (Hill of the Jews), which looms up behind the harbour, not far from the Museu Maritimo, which traces 700 years of maritime history.

Among the galleries on Carrer de Montcada, the Museu Picasso is the city's most popular museum; a short walk brings you to the pure, Gothic beauty of Santa Maria del Mar church near the waterfront. To the east, the spacious, green expanse of the Parc Ciutadella, its name derived from an 18th-century French prison torn down with much glee in 1869, encompasses paths, gardens, and ponds, an elaborate Gaudf fountain, and one of Europe's better zoos.

The Montjuic Castle offers spectacular views of the city and also houses a military museum. Other attractions clinging to the city's steep hillsides include the Parc Atraccions Montjulc fun fair; witty abstract art in the form of the Fundación Joan Miro; a brace of state-of-the-art Olympic arenas; and the Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village), which showcases Spanish architecture and traditions with miniature replicas of palaces, castles, and churches, plus artisans' workshops, concerts, and evening flamenco performances. Art lovers should not miss the world-class collections of Romanesque and Gothic art displayed in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (Catalan Art Museum). Nearby is the Plaza Carlos Buigas, the centrepiece of spectacular weekend light shows held from April to September.

To get to grips with Gaudi's unique architectural style, the surrealistic Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) church is a must. An unfinished masterpiece started in 1882 (and still in progress), its 100-metre (330-foot) towers are local landmarks. Other Gaudian highlights include tours of the Casa Mila rooftops at Passeig de Gracia 92; the facade of Casa Battls, down the street at number 43; and the fascinating Parc Giiell.

On the western edge of the city, the beautiful Monastir de Pedralbes deserves a special mention. Founded by Queen Elisenda in 1326, it has a charming cloister and an exceptional selection of paintings on loan from the Thyssen-Bornemisza art collection. And then last, but by no means least, the popular amusement park at Tibidabo combines the best in old- and new­technology rides, offering spectacular views from its perfect perch on a 542-metre (I,778-foot) peak in the western hills overlooking Barcelona.

If you want to hit the beach in summer, it is preferable to head out of the city: either north to the cliffs and coves of the Costa Brava, or south to the sweeping sandy beaches of the Costa Dorada. Barcelona is one of the most popular cities in Spain, and whether you are planning to head off to the Costa Dorada or the Costa Brava, or stay in Barcelona and soak up the fascinating city atmosphere, you are bound to have a great time. If you want to combine a Barcelona city break with a trip to the beaches of the Costa Dorada, hire a car from Barcelona Airport and take your time to look around.

Things to do near Barcelona

For 700 years, pilgrims have been climbing a mighty rock formation to the monastery of Montserrat, the spiritual home of Catalonia and one of Spain's most important pilgrim sites, just 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Barcelona. There have been hermitages here since medieval times, possibly built to escape Moorish invasion; in 880, the Benedictines founded a monastery on this site, 1,135 metres (3,725 feet) above the Llobregat river valley.
During the 12th century Montserrat became the repository of La Moreneta, a Black Madonna statue said to have been made by St. Luke and brought to Barcelona by St. Peter, and pilgrims have come to worship here ever since.

In 1808, Napoleon's troops destroyed the original monastery; the present building dates from 1874. Montserrat is still an active monastery; visitors may only enter the beautiful Gothic cloister, the basilica, and the museum. A highlight of any visit is a recital by the famous Escalonia Boys' Choir, while the museum features artworks by El Greco, Picasso, and modem Catalan artists, as well as interesting archaeological treasures. Sadly, rampant commercialization has invaded Montserrat's grounds. However, it is easy to escape the crowds on one of the four well-signposted walks to former hermitages and the Santa Cova (the Holy Cave, where La Moreneta was allegedly discovered) in the magnificent protected mountain parkland.

Once you have seen one monastery, you have definitely not seen them all. The medieval monastery and fortress of Poblet contrasts sharply with Montserrat.
For a start, few tourists crowd Poblet (133 km/83 miles west of Barcelona), though it is the largest and best preserved Cistercian monastery in Europe. Founded in 1151 by the Count of Barcelona, Ramon Berenguer, as a gesture of thanksgiving for the Reconquest of Catalonia, it sprawls amid fertile hills. Loyal royal patronage ensured fame, fortune, and historical importance for the monastery. Once 200 monks lived and worked here; today there are just 30.
As you enter the grounds, Poblet's facade is a majestic sight. A guided tour leads past the wine cellars, library, chapter house, and refectory into the Romanesque- and Gothic-style church and spacious cloister with a rose garden.

Tarragona Spain

The Romans came ashore at Tarragona (95 km/60 miles south of Barcelona) in the third century B.C., and rapidly established it as an important military and political headquarters. Tarraco, as it was then known, quickly grew to a population of 30,000, minted its own currency, and by 27 B.C. was the capital of Hispania Cite­rior, the largest Roman province on the Iberian Peninsula. Local archaeological finds and monuments-some of the finest to have
survived from this period-include the city walls, the amphithe­atre, a great aqueduct, and the contents of several good museums.

Tarragona's most impressive Roman monument is the first­century Pont del Diable some 4 km north of the town centre, off the N240 towards Lleida (Lerida). The "Devil's Bridge" is actually a perfectly preserved two-storey aqueduct, which spans 217 metres (712 feet) and rises to a height of 27 metres (88 feet) above ground. The Rambla Vella (Old Rambla) neatly divides Tarragona in half. To the north is the old walled city; to the south is the Rambla Nova (New Rambla) and the newer part of town. Take a walk along the Passeig Arqueologic which follows the top of the old city walls that enclose a maze of charming medieval streets.

In this atmospheric corner of town, the Museu Arqueologic, Plaza del Rey, hosts a modern, well-designed exhibition of delicate mosaics and other ancient artefacts. Next door, the Pretori Roma (Roman Praetorium), is thought to have been part of the original complex belonging to the provincial administration. It was restored in the Middle Ages and today houses the atmospheric Museu d'Historia (History Museum).

Walking from here towards the sea brings you to the ruins of the Roman amphitheatre built into the hillside. Gladiators fought here; the first martyrdom of Christians in Spain took place at this site in A.D. 259. Tarragona's most important ancient site beyond the city walls, the Necropoli Museu Paleocristia (Necropolis and Paleo-Christian Museum), stands at the place of the city's early Christian burial ground. Excavations have uncovered over 2,000 graves; you will find the best archeological discoveries displayed in the museum.

Medieval Tarragona's pride and joy is its cathedral, the largest in Catalonia, founded in 1171. The 12th- to 13th-century cloister is an attraction in its own right; the Museu Diocesa harbours a fine collection of art treasures and Flemish tapestries. The antique cobbled streets around the cathedral exude an air of picturesque decay. Here you'll find the Casa Museu Castellarnau, an 18th­to 19th-century mansion with sumptuous period fittings.

Back in the modem part of town, the Balco del Mediterrani looks down onto Tarragona's commercial port, one of the busiest in the Mediterranean. The adjacent fishing port is worthy of a visit for its fish restaurants. Situated on a fertile plain, half-way between Barcelona and Tarragona, (54km/34 miles southwest of Barcelona), Vilafranca lies at the heart of one of Spain's best-known wine regions. The tourist office can supply a list of welcoming vineyards nearby.

You will find the Museu dei Vi (wine museum), housed in a medieval palace once owned by the counts of Barcelona and the kings of Aragon. Dioramas illustrate the story of wine through the ages. The wine museum shares its quarters with the Museu Municipal, which is devoted to archeology, natural history, and Catalan religious art. From the third-floor windows, you may see a monument to another of the town's passions-a human pyramid of castellers. A type of Catalan folk troupe comprised of men and boys, the castellers climb barefoot on each other's shoulders to form precarious human towers up to seven storeys high.

Vilafranca's leafy rambla and old town centre are full of character, particularly on a Saturday, when they host one of the region's most colourful general markets. Also visit the splendid basilica of Santa Maria, the adjacent Palais Balta, and the church of Sant Francese, famous for its Catalan Gothic treasures.

Where to go in Spain

Madrid

It was Philip II's decision to rule from the very heart of his kingdom that set the previously undistinguished town of Madrid on the road to fame and fortune in 1561. Modem Madrid is a mix of grandiose architecture and world-famous cultural highlights, with a hospitable hotbed of cafes, restaurants, and nightclubs. It is the world capital of bullfighting, a shopper's delight, and a terrific base for trips to many of the historic and charming Castilian towns.

It may not be one of the largest or most historic cities in Europe, but Madrid is the highest city at 640 metres (2,100 feet) above sea level. Temperatures see-saw between blisteringly hot in summer and bitingly cold in winter-so come prepared. The best way to get around town is to hire a car from Madrid Airport, or use the cheap and efficient metro (sub­way). Free maps are available from stations and the tourist offices at Plaza de Espana, Plaza Mayor, and the main rail station.

There is so much to see in Madrid that a half-day guided tour may prove a worthwhile orientation exercise. Once you have your bearings, there is one area of the city that demands to be explored on foot: Old Madrid. The Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun) is a good place to start, at the hub of ten converging streets. This is literally the crossroads of Spain, known as "Kilometre 0" in the country's highway system, and home to a statue depicting Madrid's coat-of-arms (a bear standing against a madrono tree).

A few blocks west, off Calle Mayor, is the Plaza Mayor (Main Square), a 17th-century architectural masterpiece. Its broad arcades surround a vast, traffic-free, cobbled rectangle, once used as the inner-city showground where bullfights, pageants, and even public executions took place. Today, an equestrian statue of Philip II surveys ranks of outdoor cafes and lively summer-season festivals.

Continuing west on Calle Mayor, Plaza de la Villa juxtaposes stately 16th- and 17th-century buildings of differing styles. These include the lovely Casa de Cisneros, which belongs to the ornate and delicate style of architecture known as Plateresque (platero means silversmith), and the towering Habsburg-era Ayuntamiento (City Hall).

South of Plaza Mayor, Calle de Toledo leads past the Catedral de San Isidro, badly damaged during the Civil War, and on to EI Rastro, site of the city's famous Sunday-morning flea market. Just to the north of here, the mid-18th century Basilica de San Francisco el Grande is very grand indeed. Dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi, the 3D-metre (100-foot) inner diameter of the basilica's dome is larger than that of St. Paul's in London.

Calle de Bailen runs north from San Francisco, via Calle Mayor, to Plaza de Espana. En route it passes the Palacio Real (Royal Palace), set among formal gardens on a bluff overlooking the Manzanares Valley. Philip V commissioned this imposing French-style palace on the site of the old Moorish fort, and furnished its 2,000 rooms (more than any other European palace) in a suitably regal fashion. A working palace, its opening hours are unpredictable. Check with the tourist office, and try to join one of the hour-long tours which visit around 50 rooms, including the overwhelmingly Rococo Gasparini Room, the Ceremonial Dining Room with seating for 145 guests, and the Throne Room with its stunning ceiling frescoes. Other diversions to see include the Royal Armoury, Pharmacy, and Library (additional entry charges).

Lined with shops, hotels, restaurants, theatres, cafes, and nightclubs, the main thoroughfare of Madrid, Gran Via, cuts a broad path west-east from Plaza de Espana to the traffic maelstrom around Plaza de la Cibeles, so named for the Cybele Fountain, which has a sculpture of a Greek fertility goddess. Midway along Gran Via at Plaza del Callao, there are two excellent pedestrianised shopping streets, Calle de Preciados and Calle del Carmen. Art lovers should also stop off here to inspect the treasures housed in the 16th-century Convento de las Descalzas Reales.

Back at the Puerta del Sol, head east along Calle de Alcala for the Museo de la Academia Real de Bellas Artes (Museum of the Royal Academy), which boasts a fine collection of paintings by Goya, among others; or head southeast for the fabulous Museo del Prado via Carrera de S. Jeronimo.

The Prado Museum Madrid Spain

The Prado houses what is indisputably the world's greatest collection of Spanish paintings, and a particularly strong set of Italian and Flemish masterpieces. If time is short, plan ahead and decide what you want to see beforehand. Likely top-of-the-list sights are works by EI Greco (1541-1614), Ribera (c. 1591-1652), Zurbaran (1598-1664), Philip IV's court painter Velazquez (1599-1660).The Prado museum boasts the world's greatest collection of Spanish paintings, including Goya's "Maja Desnuda."

Of the Dutch and Flemish masters, be sure not to miss works by Hieronymous Bosch, called "El Bosco" here, and Rubens. The Italian Old Masters include Raphael, Titian, and Tintoretto. Nearby, a Prado annexe, the Cason del Buen Retiro, houses the museum's treasure trove of 19th-century Spanish art, while directly opposite the main museum, the Fundacion Thyssen­Bornemisza spans 700 years of artistic endeavour from the Italian primitives to Pop Art. The latter forms part of Madrid's "Golden Triangle of Art" with the Prado and the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, which boasts important collections of modern art and Picasso's monumental Guernica, inspired by the horrific Civil War bombing of a Basque village.

If the sightseeing and the bustle get too much, the enormous city centre Parque del Retiro behind the Prado is a favourite spot for Madrileños out for a stroll. Originally a 17th-century Habsburg hunting ground, it offers 121 hectares (300 acres) of leafy avenues, flower beds, and park benches, including a rose garden, boating lake, and Sunday morning sideshows. There are also cafes, exhibitions in the Palacio de Cristal and Palacio de Velazquez, and a botanical garden founded by Carlos III in 1781.

Toledo Spain

Set on a Castilian hilltop 70 km (43 miles) southwest of Madrid, overlooking a loop in the River Tagus, Toledo is the religious centre of Spain, with a pedigree dating back to the first Christian councils, held here as early as A.D. 400. An incomparable treasure-house of architecture and the arts, Toledo, like Madrid, is also a town to wander in. Take time to explore its maze of back -streets and drink in the atmosphere.

When the city was recaptured from the Moors in 1085, many mosques were turned into churches. Then, in 1222, work began on the magnificent Gothic Catedral, hemmed in by a clutter of back streets. The basilica's coro (choir) and main altar are marvels of woodcarving. Just behind the main chapel, Narciso Tome's Baroque Transparente is an 18th-century masterpiece. In the Sala Capitular (Chapter House) there is an intricate ceiling in the Mud6jar style. Don't miss the Tesoro (Treasury), or the Sacristy with its religious artworks, includ­ing 18 paintings by EI Greco.

The Alcazar, a fortress destroyed and rebuilt many times since the Roman era, now houses an Army Museum and has displays relating to a 72-day Civil War siege. Just to the north, the main square, Plaza de Zocodover, derives its name from the Moorish market (Zoco) held here in the Middle Ages. Beyond the horseshoe-shaped arch, in Calle de Cervantes, the 16th-century Hospital de Santa Cruz (Holy Cross Hospital) now houses a museum displaying a wide selection of EI Greco's works.

West of the cathedral and topped by its landmark Muctejar tower, the church of Santo Tome exhibits EI Greco's Burial of the Count of Orgaz. A magical fusion of the mundane and the spiritual, it depicts local noblemen at the count's funeral, which was attended, according to legend, by St. Augustine and St. Stephen.

El Greco spent the most productive years of his prolific painting career in Toledo. Just downhill from Santo Tome, a house in which he is said to have lived has been reconstructed and linked to a museum. The EI Greco House was originally built by Samuel Levi, a 14th-century Jewish financier and friend of King Peter I of Castile. As devout as he was rich, Levi built a synagogue next to his home, La Sinagoga del Transito. Muslim artists adorned the walls with intricate fili­grees and Hebrew inscriptions from the Psalms. Today, it's a national monument. Attached to the synagogue is the Museo Sefardi (Museum of Spanish Judaism).

Finally, a Toledo church with regal connections: Ferdinand and Isabella built San Juan de los Reyes (St. John of the Kings) in a mix of Muctejar, Gothic, and Renaissance styles. On the facade, look out for the chains once used by the Moors to secure their Christian prisoners. There is also a superb double-layer cloister with elaborate stone carvings.

Toledo today offers visitors a wealth of things to see and do, and the best way to get around this beautiful region of Spain is to hire a car from Toledo Airport visit the attractions at your own leisure.


Avila Spain

If you are visiting Madrid in summer, you will appreciate the cool, refreshing mountain air of Avila (112 km north­west of Madrid), which is situated 1,128 metres (3,700 feet) above sea level. Nominated as a national monument in its entirety, the town is encircled by 2 km of fairy-tale 11th-Century battlements punctuated by 88 towers and no less than 2,500 niches suitable for sentries or marksmen.

Forming part of the eastern defences, the 12th- to 16th-century cathedral combines Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance elements. Just outside the city walls, the Basilica de San Vicente, commemorating Vincent of Zaragoza and his two sisters martyred in the fourth century, is noted for an extraordinary tomb topped by a bizarre Oriental canopy.

A melancholy history surrounds the royal Monasterio de Santo Tomas, sponsored by Ferdinand and Isabella. Their only son, Don Juan, died here at the age of 19. His two tutors are buried in a small chapel near the tomb of the prince. This monastery was also the headquarters of the highly notorious Torquemada, Spain's first Grand Inquisitor. Many visitors stop in Avila to honour Santa Teresa of Jesus. Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada was born in Avila in 1515, and the convent of Santa Teresa marks the site of her birthplace. The frail but tireless reformer spent 30 years in the Convent of the Incarnación (outside the city walls) as a novice and later as prioress.

After you have seen Avila up -close, drive or take a bus across the Rio Adaja, and visit the monument called Los Cuatro Postes (The Four Posts). This rocky hill offers a panoramic view of the whole of medieval Avila. At sunset, this walled city, wrapped in a time warp, looks almost unreal.

El Escorial Spain

Sheer statistics cannot do justice to the extravagant scale of this 16th-century royal palace complex 49 km (30 miles) northwest of Madrid. EI Escorial comprises living quarters and a church, monastery, mausoleum, and museum all under one roof. In a distinctly Spanish version of the Italian Renaissance style, this massive edifice boasts 86 stairways, more than 1,200 doors, and 2,600 windows, summing up the physical and spiritual superlatives of the empire's Golden Age. Of the dozens of works of art collected in the great basilica, none attracts more admiration than Cellini's life-sized marble crucifix. Philip II, who ordered El Escorial to be built, died here in 1598. He is buried in the royal pantheon, together with the remains of almost all Spain's monarchs and their families from the 17th century onwards.

The library contains some 40,000 rare books, plus priceless and beautiful manuscripts. From here, tours progress on to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) and a succession of lavishly decorated rooms, notably the Sala de las Batallas, adorned with frescoes depicting complex battle scenes. The tapestries are also a highlight. The apartments of Philip II are modest in comfort but rich in art work, and include a fantastic triptych by Hierony­mus Bosch. In addition to the treasures of EI Escorial, the New Museums display masterpieces by Ribera, Tintoret­to, Vehizquez, and EI Greco.

Segovia Spain

A vision of medieval Spain with a fairy-tale castle at its heart, Segovia (88 kIn/55 miles northwest of Madrid) juts out from a high plateau adrift in the rolling Castilian landscape.

Marching through the centre of town, Segovia's Roman aqueduct is both a work of art and a triumph of engineering. This granite aqueduct is nearly I km (half a mile) long and up to 30 metres (99 feet) high, it has been transporting water to the town for over 100 generations.

Founded in the 12th century, Segovia's royal castle, the Alcazar, was the venue for Philip II's marriage to Anne of Aus­tria in 1570. In truth, the castle's romantic superstructure dates from the late 19th century, when it was restored after a fire.

Begun in 1525, and topped by a plethora of pinnacles and cupolas, the cathedral was the last of the great Spanish Gothic churches. Fine stained-glass windows illuminate the interior. Other attractions around town include the 12th-century church of San Martin, a Romanesque beauty on Segovia's most charming square. Just outside the 11th-Century city walls, stretching for 3 km, the 12-sided church of Vera Cruz dates from the 13th century. Perhaps the best of the town's many fine ancient chapels, this is where the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre held court in the circular nave.

Segovia boasts a new museum, dedicated to Abstract-Expressionist artist Eseban Vicente. Housed in the newly renovated 15-Century Palace of Don Enrique IV in the heart of the city, the Esteban Vicente Contemporary Art Museum contains some 142 works by the Spanish-born, New York artist. Segovia now attracts thousands of visitors every year from all over the world, and you can find a fantastic range of accommodation, airport car hire, hotels and places of interest in this fascinating city.

The history of Spain

Spain's history is as rugged and colourful as the land itself. It is a tale of Moorish domination and a glorious Golden Age; of empires and colonies conquered and defeated; brave knights and foolish kings; and a bloody and destructive Civil War that saw Spain excommunicated from the international community for some three decades of the 20th century.

The earliest inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula were Paleolithic people who probably arrived via a land bridge linking Europe and Africa between Gibraltar and Morocco. As Europe moved into the Ice Age, the first Spaniards put on their bearskin coats, stoked up their fires, and fed off deer, bison, and wild horses just like those depicted on the walls and ceilings of caves discovered in Cantabria, near Altamira, which date back at least 15,000 years.

During the Bronze Age, Celtic immigrants settled in northern and central Spain, while the south and east were inhabited by various Iberian tribes of North African origin. The Iberians had their own written language, sophisticated industry, and tools, and they created fine artworks such as the stone sculpture of a goddess, known as La Darna de Elche (The Lady of Elche), a star attraction at Madrid's Archaeological Museum. The Celts and the Iberians interacted where their territories overlapped and developed a distinct Celtiberian culture for which the Celts supplied the brawn, and the Iberians the brains. The Celtiberians soon gained fame as soldiers and it is said that they invented the two-edged warrior's sword (later to become standard equipment in the Roman army, and to be used against them).

Important dates in Spanish history include:

3,000 B.C. Bronze Age: Celts seem in north, Iberians in south.
1,100 B.C. Phoenicians found Gadir (Cadiz).
3rd Cen. B.C. Carthaginians conquer much of Spain. first cen. B.C. Romans complete conquest of Spain. first cen. A.D. Christianity introduced.
4th Cen. Decline of Roman Empire.
6th Cen. Visigoths make Toledo their capital.
711 Moors invade Andalusia; control most of Spain.
722 Christian Reconquest at Covadonga.
758 Cordoba becomes Moorish capital.
1474 Ferdinand of Aragon marries Isabella of Castile.
1478 Inauguration of the Inquisition.
1492 Jewish and Arab expulsion. Columbus' voyage.
1516 Charles I inherits Spanish throne.
1556-1598 Philip II rules from Madrid.
1588 Defeat of Spanish Armada. 1618-1648 Thirty Years' War.
1701-1714 War of Spanish Succession. Philip Vwinscrown.
1804-1814 War of Independence. Ferdinand VII re-throne.
1833-1876 internal strife: Carlist Wars.
1898 Spanish-American War: end of empire.
1914-1918 Spain is neutral in World War I; domestic unrest.
1923-1930 Primo de Rivera's dictatorship supported by king.
1931 Anti-monarchist election victory; king into exile.
1936 Left-wing government elected; start of Civil War.
1939 Republicans defeated; Franco in power.
1975 Franco dies; King Juan Carlos accedes. Democracy.
1986 Spain joins EU.
1992 Barcelona Olympics; Seville hosts Expo '92
1996 General Election won by Popular Party. Jose


In the meantime, Phoenicians, sailing from bases in North Africa, founded several colonies in southern Spain. The first of these, founded in about 1100 B.C., was Gadir (present-day Cadiz). Carthage, which was itself a Phoenician colony, established an empire of its own that spread as far north into Spain as Barcelona. The profit-seeking Carthaginians exploited Spain's silver and lead mines and drafted the country's young, able-bodied males into their army.
During the third century B.C., the Carthaginian forces under Hannibal were defeated by the Romans in the Second Punic War. This left the way open for Rome to take control of the peninsula, though it took nearly 200 years to subjugate the stubborn Celtiberians.

Spain and the Roman Empire

Second to the homeland itself, Spain was to become the most important part of the Roman Empire. All over the country, the stamp of Roman civilization remains in walls and roadways, villas, monuments, and vineyards. Three living Spanish languages are descended from Latin: Gallego (Galician), Castilian, and Catalan. Roman law forms the foundation of the Spanish legal system, and Spain gave birth to Roman emperors as memorable as Trajan and Hadrian, as well as the writers Seneca and Martial.

The Romans divided the peninsula into two: Hispaniae Ulte­rior and Hispaniae Citerior ("farther" and "nearer" respectively). When it was later carved into three provinces, the capital cities were established at what are now Merida (Extremadura), Cordoba (Andalusia), and Tarragona (Catalonia). Christianity came to Spain early in the Roman period. The word may have been carried by St. Paul himself (he is said to have preached both in Aragon and at Tarragona). However, the Christian community suffered considerable persecution.

The Visigoths in Spain

Overstretched and increasingly corrupt, Rome watched its far-flung colonies disintegrate. Germanic tribes, some with a deserved reputation for barbarism, hastened into the vacuum. The Vandals had little to contribute to Spanish culture. However, the Gaulish Visigoths from France did bring a certain constructive influence. Former allies of Rome, they ruled from Toledo, where they displayed their intricate arts and built opulent churches.

The 300-year regime of the Visigoths never achieved any measure of national unity, and eventually foundered on the thorny question of succession. The commendably democratic principle of elective monarchy fostered a web of intrigue and assassination as contenders attempted to secure the crown. These, as well as other problems were often blamed on the handiest scapegoat: the industrious and successful Jews. They had fared well under the Romans and early Visigoths, but at the start of the seventh century non-Christians were forced either to convert to Catholicism or face exile.

Moorish Spain

During A.D. 711, an invited expeditionary force of around 12,000 Berber troops from North Africa sailed across the Straits of Gibraltar and poured ashore into Spain. The expertly planned invasion was led by General Tariq ibn Ziyad (the name "Gibraltar" is a conuption of Gibel Tariq- Tariq's Rock). His ambition was to spread the influence of Islam.

Within just three years, the Moors or Moros (as North African Muslims are usually called in Spanish history) had reached the Pyrenees. Due in part to the Visigoths' military disorganization, the Moors' initial success was also assisted by ordinary citizens attracted to promises of lower taxes and a chance of freedom for serfs. Spanish Jews welcomed the Moors as liberators since, initially at least, the occupation stipulated religious tolerance. However, conversion to Islam was thoroughly encouraged, and many Christians chose to embrace the Muslim creed.

The most tangible relics of this time are now among Spain's greatest tourist attractions: the exquisite Moorish palaces and mosques of Cordoba, Granada, and Seville. The Alhambra Palace in Granada is Spain´s most visited tourist attraction, and you can hire a car from Malaga Airport or Granada Airport and drive into the city. Thanks to the irrigation techniques imported from North Africa, crops like rice, cotton, and sugar were planted, and lush orchards of almonds,
Pomegranates, oranges, and peaches thrived. Other Moorish innovations made possible the production of paper and glass, and the art of medieval Moorish artisans is preserved in today’s best Spanish craft buys -ceramics, tooled leather, and intricate silverwork.

Christian Spain and the Reconquest

The Moorish juggernaut that trundled north from Gibraltar in 711 met no serious resistance. It was eleven years before the fragmented defenders of Christian Spain won their first battle. Exiled to the northern territory of Asturias, the Visigoth nobles, led by Pelayo, joined with local mountain folk to strike the first blow for the Reconquest (or Reconquista). Further Christian vlctories would be a long time coming, but Pelayo's success at the Battle of Covadonga (the village is now a shrine) gave heart to a struggle that was to simmer for centuries.

In the middle of the eighth century, the Christians of Asturias, under King Alfonso I, took advantage of a rebellion by Berber troops to occupy neighbouring Galicia. Here, at SantIago de Compostela, the alleged discovery of the tomb of the apostle St. James (Santiago) was to become the religious focal point for Spanish Christians and a rallying call to defenders of the Christian faith throughout Europe. More breathing space from Moorish pressure was won in what became Catalonia. Charlemagne, King of the Franks, established a buffer zone between Islamic Spain and France, south of the Pyrenees, and captured Barcelona. Spanish Christians then seized the advantage and expanded south and west into the area between Catalonia and Asturias, which soon had so many frontier castles it was called Castile.

The Reconquest see-sawed on for hundreds of years, as each side gained and lost political advantage and military initiative under a succession of leaders. Over the centuries, squabbles amongst the Moors resulted in alliances of convenience with the Christians, and the intermingling of the two cultures was commonplace. Christians who thrived in the Moorish regions, known as Mozarabes, and the Moorish inhabitants of Christian enclaves (Mudtjars) gave their names to the two most important art styles of this period.

Early in the tenth century, the Asturian capital was transferred approximately 120 km (75 miles) south from Oviedo to Leon, a symbolic step deep into former "infidel" territory. However the Muslims were far from on the run. United under the dictator al­Mansur ("the victorious"), they reclaimed Leon, Barcelona, and Burgos, and, in a severe blow to Christian morale, sacked the town of Santiago de Compostela. The death of the charismatic aI-Mansur in 1002 revived Christian hopes. In 1010, they succeeded in recapturing al-Mansur's headquarters of Cordoba, and the city of Toledo fell in 1085.

The fall of Toledo sent out shock waves to Moorish rulers elsewhere in Spain and they called for help from the AI­moravids, a North African confederation of puritanical Muslim Berber tribes based in Marrakesh. Known for their military prowess, they halted the Reconquest, but in the 12th century sent for further reinforcements from the Almohad fundamentalists, who stepped up the persecution of Jews and Mozarabes. The turning point of the Reconquest is held to be the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212. In its wake, the Christian forces regained most of Spain south to Andalusia, the point where the final Moorish stronghold at Granada was recaptured in 1492.

Ferdinand and Isabella

Up until the 15th century, the various regional kingdoms of Spain remained resolutely independent. There were some sporadic moves towards unity, which usually involved strategic marriage contracts, and it was one such royal marriage which united the shrewd Ferdinand of Aragon and strongly religious and patriotic Isabella of Castile. Under the Catholic Monarchs (as Pope Alexander VI entitled them), a single Spain was created, comprising most of the nation we know today, though the component parts of the newly united kingdom retained their individuality and institutions.

Aiming to further unite the country, Ferdinand and Isabella inaugurated the Inquisition in 1478. Initially intended to safe­guard religious orthodoxy under Isabella's influential confessor, the fanatical Tomas de Torquemada, it became a byword for the persecution of Jews, Muslims, and later, Protestants. Several thousand suspected heretics were horribly tortured and many publically burned. In 1492, Torquemada convinced Ferdinand and Isabella to expel the surviving unconverted Jews-perhaps 200,000 in all.

The year 1492 was a momentous one for Spanish history. Not only did it witness the expulsion of the Moors and the Jews, but also Europe's discovery of the New World by Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus. Sponsored by Queen Isabella (who, according to legend, pawned her own jewels to raise the money), the expedition and subsequent annexation of the New World territories laid the foundations for Spain's Golden Age.

Spanish royalty

While Ferdinand and Isabella were Spain personified, their grandson and heir to the throne, Charles I, born in Flanders in 1500, could barely compose a sentence in Spanish. Through his father, Philip, Duke of Burgundy, he inherited extensive possessions in the Low Countries; he was appointed Holy Roman Emperor (Charles V) in 1519. An unpopular king, Charles alienated his Spanish subjects by appointing Flemish and Burgundian supporters in key posts such as Archbishop of Toledo and regent

During his frequent absences. Charles's expansionist foreign policies consolidated Burgundy and the Netherlands as Spanish provinces. He also annexed Milan and Naples and drew Spain into a series of costly European wars funded from the seemingly bottomless pit of Spain's New World bounty.

In 1556, overwhelmed by his responsibilities, Charles abdicated in favour of his son, Philip II. Born and educated in Spain, the new king gave top jobs to Castilians and proclaimed Madrid his capital, thereby converting an unimpressive town of 15,000 into the powerhouse of the greatest empire of the age. As litera­ture and the arts flourished, Philip worked endlessly to administer his over-extended territories. He captured Portugal, and shared in the glory following the destruction of the Turkish fleet at Lepanto (1571). However, the destruction of the Spanish fleet in the disastrous Armada episode (1588) and the spiralling costs of maintaining the empire eventually robbed Philip of his health and severely depleted the Spanish treasury. He died in devout seclusion at EI Escorial, the palace-monastery in the hills north­west of Madrid.
Though Spain was still the dominant force in Europe at Philip's death, the Golden Age and empire were on the wane. Philip III delegated his responsibilities to his favourites, involved Spain in the Thirty Year War of Catholics fighting Protestants, and expelled the remaining Moriscos, many of them farmers, thereby precipitating an agricultural crisis.

The final century of the Habsburg era was a gradual, then a rapid, decline in Spanish fortunes. Ironically, in contrast to the severe loss of territorial possessions and despite the ravages of war, pestilence, and famine, the beautiful work of Velazquez, Zurbaran, Murillo, and Ribera celebrated the high point of Spanish art.

The last of the Spanish Habsburgs, Charles II, died without an heir in 1700. He willed his crown to the Duke of Anjou, grandson of France's Louis XIV, who claimed the title Philip V of Spain. Archduke Charles of Austria (another Habsburg) contested the claim, which sparked the War of the Spanish Succession, ended by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

Spain and the Bourbons

Philip V eventually secured the throne, but his diminishing empire was now shorn of Belgium, Luxembourg, Milan, Sicily, and Sardinia. To add insult to injury, Britain snatched strategic Gibraltar. The most successful Spanish king of the 18th century, Charles III, recruited capable administrators, disbanded the Inquisition, invigorated the economy, and paved the streets of Madrid. But Spain came increasingly under the power of France during the Bourbon period.

After the defeat of the Franco-Spanish fleet by the British at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Charles IV had to abdicate. Napoleon appointed his brother Joseph as Jose I, and the Spanish uprising resulted in the Peninsula War (Spaniards call it the War of Independence). The French were finally ousted, with the help of British troops led by the Duke of Wellington in 1814. Meanwhile, several of Spain's most valuable American colonies had taken advantage of her preoccupation to win their independence.

With a Bourbon Spanish king, Ferdinand VII, once again on the throne, Spain failed miserably to prosper. Political infighting, a repressive monarchy, and anti-clerical revolts led to the domestic Carlist Wars. The century ended with another disaster as Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines were lost in the Spanish-American War.

The Spanish Civil War

Spain escaped the horrors of World War I, watching the carnage from a position of neutrality. Alfonso XIII backed the dictatorship of General Miguel Primo de Rivera (1923-1930), but went into exile (never to return) after anti-royalist forces won a land­slide victory in the 1931 elections. The new Republic was divided by bitter ideological conflicts, particularly between the Left and Right. A left-wing victory in the 1936 elections and the assassination of the Monarchist leader, Calvo Sotelo, ignited nationalist and conservative fears of a Marxist revolution. Monarchists, clergy, and the right-wing Falange organization united behind the Movimiento Nacional, led by the war hero General Francisco Franco. Meanwhile, a motley band of liberals, communists, socialists, and anarchists cast their lot with the newly-elected Spanish government.

The inevitable outcome was the Civil War: three years of horrific bloodshed and destruction which gutted towns and cities and claimed between 50,000 and 75,000 lives as father fought son and region battled against region. Franco emerged victorious, but Spain was shattered, physically and emotionally.

Spain and Franco

Although he was sympathetic to the Axis powers during World War II, Franco opted for neutrality, and quietly began to rebuild Spain. The trains ran on time and the streets were safe again, but there was a heavy atmosphere of repression and economic recovery was slow. On Franco's death in 1975, his chosen successor was Juan Carlos de Borbon, grandson of Alfonso XIII, who was crowned king of a constitutional monarchy, and who proved an able and popular helmsman on Spain's road to democracy.

Fundamental changes in the political landscape came thick and fast in the 1970s and 1980s as the Falange was wound down, the Communist party legalized, and a degree of autonomy was granted to the regions of Catalonia, Euskadi (Basque), and Galicia. Today, as a member of the United Nations, NATO, and the EU, Spain's long separation from the world and European mainstream is over.

The last few years have seen further remarkable changes in the world view of Spain, and in the national psyche. The formerly poor relation of Europe is economically strong, culturally vibrant, and able to look ahead confidently to the challenges of the 21st century.

Information about Spain

From the rugged, mountainous Pyrenean border with France, west along the Bay of Biscay to the vast Atlantic Ocean, and south to the sunny Mediterranean coast, Spain occupies the lion's share of the Iberian Peninsula, pushing neighbouring Portugal into a long, narrow strip along its western edge. After the Ukraine and France, Spain is the third largest country in Europe. Physically and culturally diverse, the nation holds enormous appeal for both the adventurous traveller and the dedicated sun seeker.

Beyond the famous Costas, beautiful cities, fine palaces, and imposing fortresses bear testimony to a rip-roaring history of Moorish invaders and New World conquistadores, introspective kings and ambitious emperors. On and off the beaten track, there is spectacular scenery and a host of hidden delights, including the tiny fishing villages that cling like limpets to the wave lashed shores of Galicia and Andalusia's whitewashed hill towns, asleep among the olive groves.
Although it forms part of continental Europe, the history of Spain has developed independently from mainstream European affairs. The eighth-century Moorish invasions from North Africa, just 14 km (9 miles) across the Straits of Gibraltar, have lent a distinctive flavour to Spanish culture and tradition that is still apparent today. Threatened by only one neighbour with expansionist ideas, namely France, Spain managed to escape instant involvement in numerous European conflicts over the centuries.

Regionally, the country is deeply divided, having three semi-autonomous regions in the north-Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Galicia, all of which speak their own language. Castilian is spoken throughout the rest of the country (and it is understood elsewhere), but the local people, along with their surroundings, differ widely in custom and character-from the hardy mountain men of Navarre to the fiery Andalusians.

After a relatively quiet period in the 1970s and 1980s, during which time the dictator Franco was buried and his successor, King Juan Carlos, was installed along with a new democratic constitution, Spain was launched into the 1990s in top gear. The 5OOth anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage to the New World was marked by the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Expo '92 in Seville, and by Spain gaining full economic partner status in the European Union.

Though parts of the old industrialized northern sector are suffering post-industrial blues, Spain's economy as a whole is strong (few bargains for visitors in currency exchange) and the prognosis is healthy. This economic confidence has done wonders for quality control, resulting in a huge change in standards

Much improvement has been made to general facilities ranging from shopping and services to roads and hotel accommodation. Although these improvements have prompted a significant increase in prices since the days when Spain was the bargain sunspot of Europe, it is still worth every euro.

Travel in Spain

Spain is so big there is no way you can "do" it in a fortnight. It is best to select an area that appeals to you or, if you're not sure, to explore one region at a time and really get a feel for the land and its people. The obvious starting point is Madrid, the Spanish capital and transport hub at the geographical heart of the country. A bustling metropolis with a population of around 4 million, Madrid offers visitors elegant buildings and museums galore, including the incomparable Prado Museum, a "must" on any art lover's itinerary.

To the north and within easy reach of the capital is Philip II's brooding Escorial Palace and the golden stone city of Segovia. Due south, touristy but delightful, is Toledo - a treasure-house of fine arts, and the religious centre of Spain. Another excellent place to launch your trip is Barcelona, Spain's second largest city and the capital of Catalonia. Dynamic, prosperous, and proudly Catalan, Barcelona's top attractions include a medieval Gothic quarter and the inspired creations of Moderniste architect Antoni Gaudi, as well as great nightlife and good food. The best way to explore Spain is to hire a car from Barcelona Airport, Madrid Airport or Malaga Airport and take your time to look around.

Inland Spain

North and west of Madrid, on Spain's high, central plateau (La Meseta), a quartet of fine old Castilian cities recall the I 5th and 16th century Golden Age of Spain: handsome Salamanca; Leon and Burgos in the north; and Valladolid.

To the east, the wine-growing region of La Rioja is a hospitable corner of Spain. South of Madrid, the windmills and dra­matic, wide-open spaces of Don Quixote's La Mancha shimmer in the high heat. Late spring and early autumn are good times to visit the central region, bearing in mind the old Spanish weather warning of "nine months of winter, three months of hell."

Visit northern Spain

The three provinces on the north coast, Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria, receive up to six times the average rainfall of parched La Mancha - hence the name. Here, the vines and orchards are heavy with fruit, and the July-August holiday season sees Spanish families flocking to the sandy beaches of the Atlantic seashore.

Galicia's charms include the lovely pilgrim town of Santiago de Compostela. Asturias and Cantabria offer a selection of hik­ing and climbing routes in the spectacular Picos de Europa Mountains, plus appealing towns and seaside resorts.

At the far corner of the north coast, the Basque Country (Euskadi) climbs from the sea into the Pyrenees. Here, the complex Basque language adorns jaunty little fishing boats and road signs in an unpronounceable welter of Xs, Ks, and Zs, while Basque cooking is rated as some of the tastiest in Spain.

The Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrim passage from France to the shrine of St. James at Santiago de Compostela, begins in the mountains of neighbouring Navarre and passes through Pamplona.

To the east, the northern portion of Aragon has one foot in the Pyrenees and the other dipped in the Ebro, Spain's largest river. Here, the provincial capital of Zaragoza boasts the exquisite Aljaferia - a Moorish palace unrivalled by any other outside Andalusia.

Andalusia Extremadura and the Costa Brava

Home of flamenco and bullfighting, Andalusia is the Spain of the familiar travel-office poster. Here, the Moorish strongholds of Granada and Cordoba form two comers of a triangular inland tourist route with the delightful Andalusian capital of Seville.

North of Andalusia, along the western border with Portugal, the harsh, arid landscape of Extremadura is as challenging as it is striking. The Romans left their mark here at Merida, but it is in medieval Caceres and Trujillo that one finds traces of the conquistadores, natives of this hard bitten region, who brought home the spoils of the New World to enrich their churches.

The pick of the Spanish beaches begins below the Medi­terranean border with France. The sandy coves and cliffs of the Costa Brava mark the eastern end of the Pyrenees. South of Barcelona, the costas Azahar (Orange Blossom), Dorada (Gold), Blanca (White), Calida (Warm) and Almeria (named for its chief town), hug the Mediterranean all the way around to the southern Costa del Sol. Here, both princes and package tourists lay equal claim to their place in the sun, while visitors to windy Costa de la Luz on the Atlantic coast had better hang on to their towels. The Atlantic and northern Mediterranean beaches are es­sentially summer-season playgrounds, but the Costa del Sol never sleeps, attracting visitors throughout the year.

Off Spain's eastern Mediterranean coast, the Balearic Islands of Majorca and Minorca still have a few relatively unexplored corners for independent travellers. The hip island of Ibiza throbs to the disco party beat all summer long, whereas the more beach orientated Formentera makes for an effective rest cure.

Visitors from the northern hemisphere in search of serious winter sunshine and swimming need look no further than the Canary Islands. Anchored off the coast of Africa, these seven Spanish islands vary in appearance from towering Tenerife to flat-as-a-pancake Fuerteventura. The two other most frequented holiday islands in the group are Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. Car hire is available from Majorca Airport, Menorca Airport and Ibiza Airport, plus all other major airports in Spain.


The sheer size and variety of scenery in Spain really does mean that there is something here to attract everyone. You'll gain most from your stay in the country if you don't try to do too much. Each of the semi-autonomous regions of Spain offers a wealth of distinct cultural and scenic delights, so immerse yourself, and enjoy.

The Canary Islands the Fortunate Isles

A cluster of seven major and six minor islands in the Atlantic Ocean, which mix European, African, and even American influences, the Canary Island archipelago lies about 65 miles off the northwest coast of Africa. The Canaries are aptly called "the Fortunate Isles"; bathed by the Gulf Stream and ruffled by the trade winds, they are spread out in a line only about 4° north of the Tropic of Cancer, at roughly the same latitude as Florida, and in general enjoy a spring-like climate throughout the year, with tempera­tures mostly in the 70s F.

Yet physical contrasts are dramatic, from verdant tropical vegetation to Dantesque, lava-covered lunar landscapes; from towering, snow-capped mountains to rolling desert dunes; from ultramodern tourism complexes to quaint, whitewashed hamlets and recondite valleys populated with ter­tiary-era flora and fauna. Las Islas Canarias attract an ever-increasing num­ber of tourists, but most never venture far from the beaches, leaving the rugged wonders of the hinterlands for more intrepid souls.

There are 13 islands, but only Grand Canary (Gran Canaria in Spanish), Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Gomera, El Hierro, and La Palma are of any significant size. Born of volcanic eruptions millions of years ago, the Canaries are dotted with hundreds of volcanoes, and one or two are still smoldering. Because of variations in altitude and climate, some islands have justly been described as miniature continents. On the heights, the veg­etation is alpine, and includes Canary pine and broom. On the lower slopes, irrigation of the rich volcanic soils produces an astonishing abundance of tropical and semitropical fruits. Scorching African winds from the Sahara create desert conditions on the easternmost islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, as well as along the eastern coasts of Grand Canary and Tenerife. But lofty volcanic peaks block clouds rolling in from the ocean and create damp, luxuriant conditions elsewhere.

These isles have piqued the imagination of man since the beginning of recorded history. Homer spoke of them as a privileged kingdom devoid of winter, and Herodotus identified them as the site of the mythical garden of Hesperides (where Atlas stood supporting the weight of the heavens). Plato believed the islands were the remains of the mythical lost continent of Atlantis, and Ptolemy, the 2nd-century geographer, situated his first meridian-0° longitude-at El Hierro, the most remote of the islands. There are canaries in the Canaries, but the archipelago's name comes from another source. Pliny wrote of an expedition sent to these legendary isles by the African king, Juba. The explorers returned with huge, wild dogs; hence the name canarias, from the Latin canis (dog). Even today a local breed of fierce gray dogs called verdinos, or bardinos, still roams some parts of the islands.

When the Spanish attempted to take the islands in the 15th century, they had problems not from canines but from the original human inhabi­tants, the Guanche cave dwellers, who put up fierce resistance and were not conquered until 1496. Little is known about where the Guanche peo­ple came from or how. Shepherds and rudimentary farmers, they practiced a cult of the dead, developing a complicated mummification process sim­ilar to that used in Egypt. Carvings at the Cueva de Be/maca (Belmaco Cave) in La Palma, yet to be deciphered, promise to reveal much more about this fascinating people. But the recent discovery of a stone with ancient Berber inscriptions supports the prevailing theory that the Guanche were descendants of North African tribes and may have emigrated from the mainland sometime around 500 Be. As the Spaniards established them­selves on the islands, the Guanche who were not killed off by disease, famine, volcanic eruptions, or slavery were absorbed into the Spanish culture. Some of the local people retain the physical characteristics of their forebears (they were tall, fair-skinned, and light-haired), and traces of their existence remain all over the archipelago in the form of ceramics and leather arti­facts, geometric cave paintings, mummies, remnants of their traditions and language (in place-names such as Timanfaya and Tenerife), and their food. Today's islanders have a newly awakened interest in their ancestors, partly in reaction to what they feel is neglect from distant Madrid. From time to time throughout the islands, slogans appear on posters and walls saying "iGodos fuera!" ("Goths"-as in Visigoth, the islanders' pejorative name for a mainland Spaniard-"go home!").

For most of their early history, the Canaries depended on agriculture as the mainstay of their economy, with their aromatic ma/vasia (malmsey) wine gaining wide favor in European courts during the 16th century (Shakespeare had Falstaff call for a "cask of Canary Jack"). During the 18th and 19th centuries, sugarcane, muscatel wine, and a tiny red mite called the cochineal insect brought wealth to the Canaries. The natural dye obtained from the insect, which lives off the islands' cacti, was exported in large quan­tities to Britain and France until the invention of artificial colorings. Later, the Canaries prospered with bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, and tobacco. For a long time, trade was monopolized by British firms, which also made the towns of Las Palmas on Grand Canary and Santa Cruz de Tenerife on Tenerife important coaling stations for their ships.

Wealthy Europeans began spending winters in the Canaries during the late 19th century. Today five million tourists visit the islands annually, and although there are now more than 300,000 hotel beds, it can be extremely difficult to get a room in the better resorts during high season, from December through Easter.

The Canary archipelago is one of Spain's 17 autonomous communities. But since 1927 the islands have been split into two provinces, and there is ongoing rivalry between the ports of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Las Palmas is the provincial capital of the eastern islands: Grand Canary (the most populated), Fuerteventura (a virtual desert), and Lanzarote (which has the most impressive volcanic scenery). Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital of the western group: Tenerife (the largest island), La Palma (the green island), La Gomera, and El Hierro. The archipelago has its own parliament, and each island has its own cabildo (council) to look after local affairs.

A mixture of cultures influences Canarian food, which tends to be hearty and simple. Gofio, a filling paste made of flour, water, and milk, is an island staple from the Guanche. Sancocho canario is fresh fish cooked with both sweet and regular potatoes and served with kneaded gofio and mojo, an essential Canarian seasoning made with oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and vari­ous spices such as paprika, coriander, and pepper.

Mojo picon is a hot sea­soning made with peppers; watch out, because it's ubiquitous, and its benign aroma belies its true incendiary nature. Papas arrugadas (literally, "wrin­kled potatoes"), potatoes boiled in their skins and served with mojo, are a popular snack. Some of the world's richest fishing grounds lie between the Canaries and the African coast, a plentitude that yields such specialties as stuffed chicharros (mackerel) and Tenerife-style cazue/a canaria, a delec­table casserole of fresh or salted fish. Common meat dishes include roast chicken in banana cream, tender cabrito asado (roasted kid goat), and jaba/i (wild boar) from Gomera. Most red meat is served with sa/morejo, a sauce of vinegar, garlic, and assorted spices. Vegetable dishes and stews are usu­ally made with bubangos (summer squash), cabbage, and watercress.

The tropical and subtropical climate of some of the islands has produced such fresh fruit as avocados, bananas, mangoes, cherimoyas, and papayas. Equally enticing are the desserts, includingfrangollo, a sweet made of corn, milk, and honey, andgofio turron, a nougat candy. Cheese aficionados have a wide variety of cured, raw, and smoked goat and sheep cheeses from which to choose. Meals are often rounded off with ronmie/, a punch made of dis­tilled sugarcane and palm sap; miste/a, coffee laced with sugar and brandy; banana liqueur; or the renowned malmsey wine, which can be a young verde (green),purpura (purple-red), seco (dry), or dulce (sweet), depending on the harvesting period.

Today's Canary Islanders make their living farming, fishing, and pro­ducing handicrafts-as well as by working at various jobs in the modern resort developments. They speak Spanish with a musical accent reminis­cent of Latin America (to which many Canarians have emigrated over the years). Their folk music also has a Latin American rhythm; folk groups play flutes, drums, guitars, and the timp/e, a small stringed instrument. Visitors to the Canary Islands will be charmed not only by the rich tapestry of music, landscape, history, and gastronomy but also by the warm inhabitants.

Keep in mind when planning visits that in the Canary Islands, as in other parts of Spain, churches, museums, historic sites, and other places of touris­tic interest usually open from 9:30 or 10 AM to 1 or 2 PM, and then again from around 4 or 5 to 7 or 8 PM; schedules may change with the seasons.

Things you should know about holiday travel insurance for the over 50s

Travelling without medical travel insurance, particularly if you are over 50, is not only foolhardy, but it can result in you losing your life savings to pay for medical treatment.
Firstly, never assume your credit card accident cover will insure you against any eventuality – it won´t! Even private health cover may not be enough to ensure you receive the emergency medical treatment you need.

Click here for travel insurance

Thousands of people book foreign holiday every year, and up to 25% fail to book travel insurance. When compared to the cost of the holiday, travel insurance is only a tiny fraction of the overall cost, and it could literally save your life. Even minor surgery in Europe will cost you around £10,000, and if you are travelling further afield, medical costs can be mind-boggling. Policies bought from travel agents can be four times as much as those bought through a regulated travel insurance specialist such as Staysure.

If you want to cut the cost of your travel insurance but also want to get the best policy for you, consider the following 20 tips:

1. An air ambulance from the USA to the UK can cost in the region of £35-45,000.2. An air ambulance from Spain to the UK can cost between £12 and 16,000.3. An air ambulance from Australia to the UK can cost from £15 to 20,000.

If you are over 50, over 60 or over 70, it is vital you choose the right medical insurance for you, and make sure it provides adequate cover for your trip. Take your time to find the right medical travel insurance at the right price and don´t leave it until the last minute to book it.
It is worth remembering that the British Embassy will not pay for you to be flown back to the UK if you suffer an accident, injury or illness, so make sure your medical travel insurance policy covers the following:

• Pre-existing medical conditions• 24 hour emergency telephone number• Personal liability• Cover for loss of possessions, including theft• Cancellation or cutting short your trip• Additional cover for activities not included in a basic policy, such as winter sports• Personal accident cover• Legal expenses• Financial cover in case your tour operator goes bust
If you are over 50, always use a firm that specialises in medical travel insurance for the over-50s, as they will give better rates and service than many of their competitors. Also check for any cover exclusions which you may be unaware of.

Top tips about medical travel insurance

Top medical travel insurance tips include:

1. Always choose the right over-50s insurance for you

Make sure you choose the right travel insurance policy for you. Look beyond the cost and make sure the service is what you would expect. Use a company that specialises in over 50s medical travel insurance and check customer reviews. Ask as many questions as you need to about the difference in price and cover for multi-trip insurance policies and single-trip policies. Book your medical travel insurance at the same time you book your holiday. That way you will ensure you get the right cover to suit your needs.

2. Which medical insurance policy is best for me?

Medical travel insurance policies include single trip policies and annual multi-trip policies which cover the insured during any trip they take within 12 months. Some policies will include individual requirements. If you only ever take one trip a year, a single trip policy is probably your best option, but if you are likely to travel more widely during a year, then look at the multi-option travel insurance policy, which will work out cheaper and offer you comprehensive cover.

3. How much is holiday travel insurance for the over 50s?

The price depends on your age and where you want to travel. It can also depend on how long you plan to spend in the destination. Staysure specialises in arranging holiday travel insurance cover for the over 50s, over 60s and over 70s, which will keep the cost down and cover you for any eventuality. You may want to get the most from your insurance cover with a multi-trip policy, which can be arranged to cover you in Europe and/or worldwide. If you want additional insurance cover for winter sports or any other high risk activities, you are likely to have to pay a small additional premium. If you are over 50, always use a company that specialises in over-50 travel insurance for the best deals and the most comprehensive cover.

4. Maximum trip duration

The maximum trip duration is dependent on age, but whatever your age, you should be able to find a policy to suit you. Even if you are over 75, you should be able to find a long stay policy to suit you with a specialist over-50s travel insurance company. You should be able to get insured from between 3 and 18 months, which will cover most trips. It is worth remembering that multi-trip travel insurance also often includes travel in the UK, so it may better for you to book this than a single trip insurance, even if you only go abroad once a year. A Staysure customer service advisor will be able to advise you about which policy is the best one for you. Also bear in mind, that you are just as likely to be the victim of a thief in Bournemouth as you are in Belgrade.

5. Insure against cancellation

Book your travel insurance in plenty of time and make sure you are insured against holiday cancellation. If your trip has been cancelled or delayed, you can claim to get your money back. Look for a policy with high cancellation cover, particularly if you are planning an expensive holiday or world cruise. Only pay for the amount of cover you need. If your holiday cost £2,000 there is little point in being covered for £5,000 so take your time to ask questions and get the right deal for you.

6. Baggage loss insurance

Travel insurance for the over 50s, and for senior citizen´s, should always include loss or damage to baggage during your trip. Whether you are travelling to Spain, Germany, France, the USA, Australia, Malta, Rumania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, Portugal or the Outer Hebrides, the last thing you want is to arrive without your baggage. British travel insurance in among the best in Europe so take advantage of it and make sure you are covered for everything that is important to you. Even if you have pre-existing medical conditions you should still be able to find a policy to suit you. Claiming for lost or stolen baggage abroad can be difficult if you have no insurance, and you will hardly ever be successful in finding your luggage.

7. Holiday travel insurance for all the family

If you are travelling with the family, take out a family policy to cover any accident, injury, illness or loss on holiday. Most policies are flexible and can be tailor made to suit you. Ask any questions before you book and make sure any younger kids are insured if they travel without you.

8. Driving insurance and car hire for the over 50s

It is worth remembering that if you plan to hire a car on holiday, take out additional insurance to cover any eventuality. Check that car accident cover is included and even if you have to pay a little extra, it is well worth it. Car hire companies will offer some type of insurance, but if you include it in your holiday travel cover, you will have complete peace of mind that any medical bills resulting from an accident will be covered.

9. Insure against airline collapse With the collapse of several airlines since the recession kicked in, it is advisable to insure against flight/holiday cancellations. Some travel insurance companies now include this as standard, but many do not. Make sure you check this is included, even if you have to pay a small extra premium. Also bear in mind that if you pay for the flight by credit card, you are covered under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act for purchases between £100 and £3,000, but to be on the safe side, make sure air travel cancellation cover is included in your medical travel policy before you book it. 10. Travel Checks

Always check visa requirements for countries outside the EU that you plan to travel to. You can find this information from the Embassy or Consulate for the country you are travelling to in the UK. Also make sure your UK passport has at least 6 months remaining on it as some countries require this before they will allow you entry. Again, you can check with your travel agent or with the country´s UK Embassy about whether this is a requirement in the country you are travelling to. Take your European Health Card (EHIC) with you as this will ensure you receive emergency medical treatment if required. However, this will not give you the same cover as medical travel insurance, so make sure you are fully covered by this before you travel. 2. Over 50s travel insurance guidelines

Travel insurance is particularly important if you are over 50 and/or if you have a pre-existing medical condition. You must protect yourself against accident or illness on holiday, and make sure you get the right policy for you. The over-50s generally spend more time travelling than younger holidaymakers, so to give you complete peace of mind, make sure you have medical cover for medical emergencies, cancellation and loss of credit cards and money.
A summary of ten top travel insurance guidelines includes:

1. Shop aroundTake your time to find the best travel insurance to suit your requirements and never leave it until the last minute to book.

2. Check the detailsRead the policy thoroughly and if you have any questions, ask. Make sure you have the right insurance product and the right cover for you and your family

3. Keep a copy of documentsAlways keep a copy of your insurance documents and policy safely. Give a copy to a friend or family member in the UK in case of any emergency.

4. Keep it safeMost insurance companies will give you a wallet-sized document with an emergency number on – so keep it safe.

5. Pre-existing medical conditionsAlways declare any pre-existing medical conditions to your insurer as failure to do so could result in you not being covered.

6. Remember your health cardIf you are travelling to Europe, remember to take your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which will cover you for some medical help and emergencies. This is not a substitute for comprehensive health cover so make sure you also have medical travel insurance.

7. Take care of your bags Never let your luggage out of your sight or your insurer may refuse to pay out on any baggage loss claim.

8. Unsafe countries Make sure you are not travelling to a country that has been declared unsafe by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as you will not be able to get insurance for it.

9. Pre-existing medical cover Particularly if you are over 50, choose a travel insurance company which allows plenty of pre-existing medical conditions.

10. Don´t go cheap Never choose travel insurance just because it´s cheap. Take your time to shop around and find the best policy for you and your family.

Never leave home without adequate medical travel insurance cover. It costs very little and it will give you complete peace of mind so you can relax and enjoy your holiday. Over 50s, over 60s and over 70s medical travel insurance is available from specialist insurance firm, Staysure, who can advise you about every type of travel insurance cover available at an affordable price.