Welcome to Spain!

Spain is the third most popular tourist country in the world, and it's not hard to see why. Every region in Spain has it's own flavor and you can find out about it all here!

Spanish Culture

Widely known for Flamenco music and dance, bullfights, fantastic beaches and lots of sunshine, Spain has to offer much more than that. It is - and has been for thousands of years - one of the cultural centers of Europe. It has beautiful cities and towns, offering really old monuments as well as futuristic architecture. Its various regions are all different one to each other, geographically, climatically and even in personality. It is a fascinating country.

Around Spain

Spain may be flanked to the east by France and the Pyrenees and to the west by Portugal, but most of the country is ringed with sand, rock, and seawater. That, coupled with almost year-round sunshine, has attracted many millions of Visitors. Spain offers much more than sunshine and beaches.

It is - and has been for thousands of years - one of the cultural centres of Europe. It has beautiful cities and towns, offering really old monuments as well as futuristic architecture. Its various regions are all different one to each other, geographically, climatically and even in personality.

It is a fascinating country to know and to know more about it. Visiting Spain is not only about sun, great cuisine, and a warm welcome, but also its rich monumental heritage and dazzling natural environment.

Popular Destinations

There is a perfect destination for everyone. The most popular destinations are the Spanish Costas, especially the Costa del Sol and the Costa Blanca. In the summer, the Spanish coastline enjoys sea breezes, keeping the temperatures bearable.

Explore Secret Tenerife

Fiestas in Spain

What better than to arrive in some small Spanish village expecting no more than a bed for the night, and find that the streets are decked out with flags and baloons, a band is playing in the square and the entire local population is out enjoying the party atmosphere!

Everywhere from the smallest village to the biggest City in Spain dedicates a couple of days to celebrating in this way: the local fiesta. Usually it is the local Saint that provides the reason to celebrate, but really any excuse will do whether it be deliverance from the Moors, harvests or safe return from the sea!

There are also a couple of events in the Catholic calendar, most notably Semana Santa (Holy Week), which in Southern Spain sees religious floats carried through the streets in a wildly theatrical style. These are accompanied by the hooded penitents atoning for the year's sins.

Each fiesta is different. In Pamplona in Basque Country they celebrate the 'running of the bulls' in July; in Andalucia , horses, flamenco and guitars are integral to the celerations; at the fiesta of Las Fallas in March in Valencia, huge bonfires and firework displays form the basis of the party.

The fiestas can also get very strange indeed, with parades of devils or full blown water and tomato fights!

There are many important annual festivals in Spain. Among them are:

The International Music and Dance Festival of Granada. June - July (concerts; Spanish light opera (Zarzuela); opera; Classical and modern dance; and flamenco).

The International Music Festival of Barcelona. September-October. (Orchestral music, choirs, bands and soloists.)

The International Festival of Santander. Second half of July-first half of August. (Music dance and theatre.)

The Merida Theatre Festival. Staged at the Roman theatre in Merida. End of July-beginning of August. (Greco-Roman and Mediterranean classical theatre exclusively.)

The National Classical Theatre Festival of Almagro. Three weeks in September. (National and international classical theatre).

The Madrid Autumn Festival. Mid-September to early October. (Concerts, opera, theatre, classical and modern dance.)

The San Sebastian International Film Festival September. Official competition includes feature-length and short films. Other parallel showings.

The Valladolid International Week of Film. October. Official competition and parallel sections.

Weather in Spain

In the summer average daily temperatures reaching 30 - 31 °C with about 11-12 hours of sunshine. In Winter you can expect an average of 6 hours of sunshine.

Spanish Food

The big favourite (everywhere in Spain, no matter how far from the sea) is deep-fried fish: calamares are rings of squid; boquerones are fresh anchovies (you munch the whole crispy thing); lenguado are small sole; gambas are shrimp or prawns of varying sizes, usually served a la plancha(in Spanish, "frito" means deep-fried and "a la plancha" means pan-fried) with heads, legs and all - you peel them yourself (it's messy, but fun).

Slices of deep-sea fish are usually done a la plancha: aguja (needlefish), rape (this is the one which makes the Brits howl, especially the usual translation of the dish "rape a la marinera - rape, seaman's style") which is nothing more frightening than angler (what the French call "lotte"), and pez espada (swordfish). Salad is "ensalada" and usually composed of tomatoes, lettuce, onions and olives and served without dressing - you pour on the aceite (oil) and vinagre yourself.

Fried potatoes - patatas fritas, fried in olive oil like everything else - are usually good; the local way of fixing potatoes is "patatas a lo pobre" (potatoes poor man's style) which is delicious but only for those who don't mind large amounts of olive oil!

The Spanish eat lots of eggs, but never boiled - they either fry them (huevos fritos) or make an omelette - tortilla (no relation to the Mexican variety). There are two basic kinds of omelette - "tortilla española" and "tortilla francesa". The Spanish type is a potato omelette, with lots of potato and onions - delicious, very filling and always a good stand-by if you don't know what else to order (it's often served cold, in wedges, as a tapa).

The "French" type is a plain omelette with nothing in it (shows what they think of the French - had it in for 'em ever since Napoleon was here!). Lightly-done omelettes are unheard of - they're fried to the consistency of leathery pancakes.

Ham is the great delicacy here, but not the cooked kind you're used to, which, strangely, is called York Ham - jamón de York (pronounced ha-MON-day-YOR). The local cured variety is similar to Jambon de Bayonne or Parma Ham, and is called jamón serrano, mountain-cured ham. Try a bit to see if you like it, it's delicious but takes getting used to - here we like it on the pink, raw side, but in the cities you can get the more cured varieties.

Ideally, Spanish ham should be sweet rather than salty. There are several varieties of pork sausage, mainly chorizo (spicey and tender) and salchichón (drier and very similar to Italian salami).

Wines and beers: white wine is "vino blanco", red is "vino tinto", a glass of draught beer is "una caña" and a small bottle of beer is a "quinto".

Sherry: Spaniards don't usually drink sweet sherry (Jerez), although it can be found (the most popular sweet wine is vino de Malaga). The favourite is the dry, pale variety, and if you want a glass just say "un fino". When in the Granada region you should try the local wine from the Alpujarra, called "alpujarreño" or simply "costa", a semi-sweet claret only sold from the keg.

Facts For The Traveller

Health risks: No particular risks, but you should consider vaccinations for hepatitis.
Time: GMT/UTC plus two hours.
Electricity: 240V, 50 Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

Money & Costs

• Euro
• Meals
  • Budget: €5-10
  • Mid-range: €10-20
  • High: €20-30
  • Deluxe: €30+
• Lodging
  • Budget: €8-40
  • Mid-range: €40-120
  • High: €120-200
  • Deluxe: €200+