Spain attracts every year millions of foreign tourists making it one the most popular tourist destination in the world. It offers anything you may desire: Madrid, one of the world’s truly great cities, Barcelona, the avant-garde and modern one, other large cities of Sevilla and Santiago and even every town and village seems to have something to offer. Beyond urban Spain, there is another to discover: the nature here is amazing and you can find nearly everything: from Alpine peaks to the amazing sea cliffs on the Atlantic coast and the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea.

DESTINATIONS

MADRID

Madrid is a destination as well as a million other things. For many centuries a meeting point, it offers a great deal of cultural, leisure and entertainment activities to please millions of people who visit it every year. Madrid, with its cosmopolitan air and its growing amount of tourists is still the open city it has always been and its well known night life has not lost any of its vitality. This modern air harmoniously contrasts with its important old quarters and its cultural traditions. Its great transportation network makes getting around to any place you wish easy and quick, adding to this the best and most exclusive hotel accommodation network.

TOLEDO

This historic city is situated on a craggy rock, completely encircled by a wide meander of the Tagus River. The city's historic centre is one of the largest in Spain, and has more than 100 monuments. In December 1987, the UNESCO declared Toledo a World Heritage city in recognition of its uniqueness. This is due as much as anything to its special history, since in the past the city was host to Christian, Islamic and Hebrew culture and the architecture of the city reflects this - being almost impossible to walk its streets without coming across an ancient mosque, a Gothic or Mudejar church, a Romanesque or Visigoth structure, a synagogue, or a Renaissance palace. Many famous people and artist were born or lived in the city, including Garcilaso de la Vega, Alfonso X and El Greco. Toledo also was well known for historic events such as the Visigothic Council of Toledo. The symbol of the cooperation of the three cultures that lived in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages is the former Sinagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca that worth a visit.

ZARAZOGA

Situated around the scenic River Ebro, Zaragoza is known for its Roman heritage, being home to the Murallas Romanas ancient remains of Roman walls, which once surrounded the central area of Zaragoza. Its Iberian, Roman, Muslim and Christian history has gradually lent form to her present, to make it a city that is not only beautiful but full of surprises. You will be able to see Cathedral of Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Our Lady Pilar), which during the Spanish civil war was protected by the Black Pilarica (Saint of Zaragoza) from the falling bomb which did not explode. Throughout the year, Zaragoza hosts many significant festivals, which appeal to both tourists and locals. The most important is the Fiesta del Pilar during the second week each October, featuring a breathtaking mountain of flowers in the central Plaza del Pilar square.

CALATAYUD – MONASTERIO DE PIEDRA

Calatayud’s history is dating back to the Roman era. The most prominent feature of Calatayud is the well preserved Arab castles that were once part of one of the oldest defensive systems in Muslim Spain .The town has an impressive number of palaces and medieval homes, and the city attractions include Mudejar architectural sites. The San Andrés church, the Church of Santa María, the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de la Peña, and the Plaza Mayor with the City Hall are worth a visit, as is as well as the Church of San Pedro de los Francos, now a National Monument. Out and about around the area are some popular tourist destinations. Monasterio de Piedra (Monastery of the Rock) is a monastery, hotel and park complex near Nuevalos. The monastery was founded in 1194 by thirteen Cistercian monks from Poblet Monastery, in an old castle next to the Piedra river, and was dedicated to St. Mary the Fair (Santa María la Blanca). The entire complex has been declared a national monument.

VALENCIA

Valencia is one of the liveliest Mediteranean cities, known for its numerous gardens. The town has a rich history. It was in Muslim hands for five centuries, its Christian European history has been shaped as much by Catalonia, its neighbor to the north, as by Castilla. The region’s flag bears the red and yellow stripes of Catalonia and the mother tongue of many is the “Valenciano”, a dialect of Catalan. Valencia is famed for its nightlife, the wild Las Fallas spring festival and the stunning architecture of its Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. It is also worth a visit the cathedral with a bell tower of 8 angles – the symbol of the town and a walk through the lively streets of Barrio de Carmen.

VALLE DE LOS CAIDOS

The Valle de los Caídos (in English: Valley of the Fallen) is a Catholic basilica and a monumental memorial, conceived by Spanish dictator Francisco Franco to honor and bury those who fell during the Spanish Civil War. It was also claimed by Franco that the monument was meant to be a "national act of atonement". The monument, a landmark of 20th-century Spanish architecture, was designed by Pedro Muguruza ans Diego Mendez. This is the most prominent example of the original Spanish Neo-Herrerian style, which was intended as a revival of Juan de Herrera’s late renaissance architecture, exemplified in El Escorial. Work started in 1940 and took over eighteen years to complete, the monument being officially inaugurated on April 1, 1958. The Basílica de la Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos (Basilica of the Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen),is one of the world's largest basilicas, hewn out of a granite ridge, and the tallest memorial cross in the world, a 152.4-metre-high construction of stone. In 1975, after Franco's death, the site was designated by the interim government as the burial place for the Caudillo, who actually did not desire to be buried in the valley, but in Madrid. Franco was buried inside the church. His grave is marked by a simple tombstone engraved with his name, on the choir side of the main altar.

ESCORIAL

El Escorial is a historical residence of the king of Spain and one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, royal palace, museum, and school. El Escorial comprises two architectural complexes of great historical and cultural significance: El Real Monasterio de El Escorial itself and La Granjilla de La Fresneda, a royal hunting lodge and monastic retreat about five kms away. These sites have a dual nature; that is to say, during the 16th and 17th centuries, they were places in which the temporal power of the Spanish monarchy and the ecclesiastical predominance of the Roman Catholic religion in Spain found a common architectural manifestation. On November 2, 1984, UNESCO declared The Royal Site of San Lorenzo of El Escorial a World Heritage Site. It is an extremely popular tourist attraction, often visited by day-trippers from Madrid - more than 500.000 visitors come to El Escorial every year.

MERIDA

The scent of orange blossom in season and the bright, low houses along the cobbled lanes lend a distinct touch of Andalucia to its centre. Founded as Augusta Emerita in 25 BC for veterans of Rome’s campaigns in Cantabria it was the capital of the Roman province of Lusitania, the largest city on the Iberian Peninsula and its political and cultural hub. It also has Spain’s most complete Roman ruins and a magnificent classical museum. The "Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.

BARCELONA

Set on a plain rising gently from the sea to a range of wooded hills, Barcelona is Spain’s most cosmopolitan city and one of the Mediterranean's busiest ports. Restaurants, bars and clubs are always packed, as is the seaside in summer. It regards its long past with pride. From Roman town it passed to medieval trade juggernaut, and its old centre constitutes one of the greatest concentrations of Gothic architecture in Europe. Beyond this core are some of the world's more bizarre buildings: surreal spectacles capped by Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Familia church. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, a region with its own language, character and history. The city itself could keep you occupied for weeks but just outside it are sandy beaches, Sitges and the Montserrat mountain range - so be sure to make time for a few day trips during your stay.

MONTSERRAT

Santa Maria de Montserrat is a Benedictine abbey located in the Montserrat mountain. It hosts the Virgin of Montserrat, and the Publicacions de l'Abadia de Montserrat, a publishing house, the oldest press in the world, still running, with the first book published in 1499. The monastery is Catalonia's most important religious retreat of Catalonia. The Virgin of Montserrat (the black virgin), is Catalonia's favourite saint, and is located in the sanctuary of the Mare de Deu de Montserrat, next to the Benedictine monastery nestling in the towers and crags of the mountain. The Escolania, Montserrat’s Boys’ Choir, is one of the oldest in Europe, and performs during religious ceremonies and communal prayers in the basilica. The Basilica houses a museum with works of art by many prominent painters and sculptors including works of El Geco, Dalí, Picasso among others.

FIGUERAS

The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí and hauses the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, a large museum designed by Dalí himself which attracts many visitors. It is also the birthplace of Narcís Monturiol I Estarriol, inventor of the first successful machine powered submarine. The town’s name derives from that of Ficaris and its of Visigoth origin. During the Spanish Civil War it remained loyal to the Republican government and was repeatedly bombed by the rebels. In Figueres you can visit the Caste of Sant Ferran, built in 1743 during the reign of Ferdinand VI of Spain and the parish church of St. Peter in gothic style.

GIRONA

Girona has all the charm of a large city but without the crowds; a very “human-sized” city that will leave you walking around awestruck with your eyes wide open and your mouth agape at all it has to offer: its streets, festivals, cultural activities, restaurants, tourist services and events. Make the most of your visit at any time of year, and if you can, visit more than once, because the city is very much alive and there are always new things to surprise you. Located midway between the sea and the mountains, Girona boasts a privileged position. The Old Town is one of the most evocative historical centers in Catalonia, with certain elements that are unique in Europe: the Carolingian wall, an exceptionally well conserved Jewish quarter, and the grandeur of the Cathedral’s Gothic nave, the widest in the world. Girona also has six museums which possess a patrimonial collection of great interest.

ANDALUCIA

Spain’s most southerly region is the true home of typically Spanish experiences. Bullfighting, tapas, flamenco, the guitar itself, all began in Andalucía and remain deeply embedded here. Andalucía is the proud home of Spain’s most famous building, that bejeweled diadem of Islamic architecture, Granada’s Alhambra, as well as other marvelous relics of medieval Islamic Spain. The region also has a lesser-known but as fabulous heritage of cathedrals, palaces and castles from later eras. Contemporary Andalucía is ever more cosmopolitan and fashionable, with towns and cities like Cordoba, Cadiz and Malaga full of hip boutiques and hip bars, stylish restaurants and pumping nightlife. Andalucía is a land of surprises and contradictions. Away from the mass-tourism resorts you’ll find some of the most pristine beaches in the country, while inland are green hills, white villages, huge nature reserves and the snowcapped highest mountain range on the Spanish mainland, the Sierra Nevada.

MALAGA

This exuberant and very Spanish port city, set against a sparkling blue Mediterranean, is both historic and pulsing with modern life. The centre presents the visitor with narrow old streets and wide, leafy boulevards, beautiful gardens and impressive monuments, fashionable shops and a cultural life that is coming to the fore as never before. As expected, the major museum is devoted to Pablo Picasso, Malaga’s favourite son. The historic centre is being renovated and much of its streets are pedestrian. The port nowadays is a place of leisure. The city’s nightlife is bubbly and the joie de vivre is everywhere.

RONDA

Situated on an inland plateau near of El Tajo gorge and surrounded by the beautiful Serranía de Ronda, Ronda is the most dramatically sited town of all the “pueblos blancos”. Just an hour drive from the Costa del Sol, Ronda is a far world away from the coastal scene. With its setting, quaint old Islamic town and a romantic place of Spanish folklore, Ronda has fascinated travelers like Dumas and Hemingway. During the Islamic period Ronda was the capital of an independent state, and its near-impregnable position kept it out of Christian hands until 1485.

SEVILLA

Sevilla get together the quintessence of whole Andalucía. Here in the region’s capital and biggest city, that special Andalucian way of life is distilled into its purest and most intense form. Seville has the most passionate and portentous Semana Santa (Holy Week), the most festive and romantic annual feria (fair), the best tapas bars, the best nightlife and the most stylish people. It has narrower, winding, medieval lanes and romantic, hidden plazas soaked in the scent of orange blossom than half of other cities put together. It’s the home of those two bulwarks of Andalucian tradition: the flamenco and the bullfighting, and its heritage of art and architecture (Roman, Islamic, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque) are without rival in southern Spain. To stay outside at night, in the tapas bars, on the streets, in the clubs and discos is an experience you won’t forget.

CORDOBA

Standing on a sweep of Río Guadalquivir with countryside stretching far in every direction around, Córdoba is both a sophisticated metropolis and the heart of a very rural part of Andalucía Region. Apart from its great historical attractions, it’s also today a thriving modern city with great restaurants, thronged taverns and a hip nightlife. The best time to visit is between mid-April and mid-June, when the skies are big and blue, the temperatures are just right, and the city’s beautiful patios and old lanes are at their best, dripping with foliage and blooms.

GRANADA

Granada has an edge over other Andalucian cities. Many visitors don’t get past the allure of the Alhambra, with its woods and the Sierra Nevada as magnificent backdrops, and the mystery of the winding streets of the Albayzín. But what you’ll find if you stick around is Andalucia’s hippest, youthful city, with a free-tapas culture, innovative bars, tiny flamenco holes and thumping clubs. Here, the Islamic past with a growing North African population has filled the Albayzín with kebabs, cakes and slippers shops, tea nooks and even a newly-constructed mosque.

HUELVA

Huelva has been inhabited since 3000 BC. There are still some Roman remains. The city had a mint; and many coins have been found there. During World War II, the city was a hub of espionage activities led by members of the large British and German communities. German activity centered on reporting British shipping moving in and out of the Atlantic. The town is home to Recreativo de Huelva, the oldest football club in Spain.

COSTA DEL SOL

The Costa del Sol has been considered an international tourist destination since the early fifties of the past century. Nowadays with modern infrastructures and an incomparable climate put the Costa del Sol in the first place on the Spanish Peninsula in terms of numbers of visitors. The Costa del Sol came into being as an international tourism resort in the second half of the last century. That was a time when a few wealthy people in search of something different came to these shores; while at the same time mass tourism began to change the coast from a fishing and farming-based rural community to what it is today.

TORREMOLINOS

Torremolinos is probably the most famous of the Costa del Sol resort due to the fact that it was the first town in this area to be developed for tourism and it definitely lead the area's tourist boom of the 1950's and 1960's. Originally a fishing village, as were most towns on the Costa del Sol, Torremolinos is nowadays a large resort, with many high-rise hotels and apartment blocks, and is still growing in all directions. Most tourists come to the Costa del Sol to enjoy the beaches and the weather and they won't be disappointed by Torremolinos's beaches as they are clean and sandy and tend to be wider and longer than many others on the Costa del Sol which has also contributed to its popularity as a resort. Playamar beach stretches to the east and the Carihuela beaches stretches to the west towards Benalmadena Costa and although they do tend to get busy during the peak summer months of July and August there is always some space to be found for the sun worshippers to lie and soak up the sun. Nowadays Torremolinos is very much associated with the idea of fun in the sun and it has enough variation to suit more than just the young set looking for night clubs, pubs and discos. In summer it is also a place which appeals to families.

PUERTO BANUS

Puerto José Banús, more commonly known as Puerto Banús is a marina on the Costa del Sol. It was built in 1970 by José Banús, a local property developer, as a luxury marina and shopping complex for the jet-set. 3 km inland is the Aloha Golf Club. The lavish opening of the complex in May 1970 was attended by, amongst others, the Aga Khan, the film director Roman Polansky, Playboy founder Hugo Hefner, Dr. Christian Barnard (pioneer of the heart transplant), and Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco. A youthful Julio Iglesias was contracted to sing for the guests. An army of 300 waiters from Seville served 50 pounds of beluga caviar to the 1.700 guests.

MIJAS

Mijas is a typically Andalucias white.washed village located in the heart of Costa del Sol region. Founded in prehistoric times by the Tertessians, it was known as Tamisa by the Romans, later the name change to Mixa and finallu to the currenty Mijas. The Romans were replaced by the Visitoths and finally in 714, by the Moors. In 1487 Mijas resisted to the attacks of the Catholic Monarchs during the siede of Malaga, later the inhabitants surrendered and were most sold as slaves. During the Revolt of the Comuneros it remained loyal to the Spanish crown, which granted Mijas the title of ‘Muy Leal’ (Very Loyal).

CACERES

Caceres was found by the Romans in 25 BC. The old town (Ciudad Monumental) still has its ancient walls,this part of town is also well known for its multitude of stroks’ nests. The walls contain a medieval town. The city was declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO in 1986 because of the city’s blend of Roman, Islamic, Northen Gothic and Italian Renaissance architecture. Thirty towers from the Muslim period still stand in Caceres, of which the Torre del Bujaco is the most famous.

GIBRALTAR

Gibraltar, formed millions of years ago, has attracted thousands of visitors. The Romans called it Mons Calpe, the Moors called it “Jebel Tariq” (Tariq’s Mountain) and nowadays we know it as The Rock. You’ll not find a destination with such a variety, sightseeing and good weather conditions in just over 6 square kilometers. Today Gibraltar enjoys a mixture of customs, a colorful language ana a religious tolerance that is unique in the world. Here you can visit the only Trinity Lighthouse outside Great Britain. From there view the African continent is often visible. Then you can proceed to the Upper Rock area and to St. Michael's Cave and after this the Rock Apes (monkey reservation). You can also have a look to the Nature Reserve passing by the Moorish Castle and the tower of Homage that still bears the scars of Battle. In the upper Town area you can have a pleasant walk in the Main Street.

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

There can be few cities in the world as beautiful as Santiago that are founded on the basis of so preposterous story. The corpse of Santiago Apóstol (St James), the myth relates, was transported in a stone boat from the Holy Land to the far side of Spain by two disciples after his execution in Jerusalem. They landed at Padrón and buried Santiago in a spot 17km inland. In 813 the grave was supposedly rediscovered by a religious hermit following a guiding star. The saint’s purported grave became a welcome symbol for the Christian Spain. The Austrian’s king Alfonso II turned up to have a church erected above the holy remains, pilgrims began flocking to it and the rest is history. Aesthetically the city has only improved with age and various architectural additions down the centuries. Apart from the undisputed splendor of its gold-tinged monuments and the charm of its medieval streets, Santiago de Compostela is today a very lively city with a huge summer contingent of international pilgrims and tourists, and during college term a student population of up to 40, 000. There’s a great entertainment and nightlife scene to tap into at the end of a day investigating the city’s history and culture.