1 The Best of Spain Spain is one of the most diverse and visually stunning nations of Europe. As you plan your trip, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the number of fascinating sights, beautiful landscapes, and off-the-beaten path towns to fit into your limited time. So let us give you a hand. We’ve scoured the country in search of the best places and experiences, and we’ve listed our favorites below, admittedly very personal and opinionated choices. 1 THE BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCES • Sitting in Sol or Sombra at the Bull- stomping, castanet rattling, hand clap- fights: With origins as old as pagan ping, and sultry guitar chords. Some say Spain, the art of bullfighting is the its origins lie deep in Asia, but the expression of Iberian temperament and Spanish Gypsy has given the art an passions. Detractors object to the sport original style dramatizing inner conflict as cruel, bloody, and savage. Fans, how- and pain. Performed by a great artist, ever, view bullfighting as a microcosm of flamenco can tear your heart out with death, catharsis, and rebirth. If you strive its soulful, throaty singing. to understand the bullfight, it can be one • Seeing the Masterpieces at the Prado: of the most evocative and memorable One of the world’s premier art muse- events in Spain. Head for the plaza de ums, the Prado is home to some 4,000 toros (bullring) in any major city, but masterpieces, many of them acquired particularly in Madrid, Seville, or Gran- by Spanish kings. The wealth of Span- ada. Tickets are either sol (sunny side) or ish art is staggering—everything from sombra (pricier, but in the shade). Goya’s Naked Maja to the celebrated • Feasting on Tapas in the Tascas: Tapas, Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor) by those bite-size portions washed down Velázquez (our favorite). Masterpiece with wine, beer, or sherry, are reason after masterpiece unfolds before your enough to go to Spain! Tapas bars, eyes, including works by Hieronymus called tascas, are a quintessential Span- Bosch, Goya, Caravaggio, Fra Angelico, ish experience. Originally tapas were and Botticelli. See p. 135. cured ham or chorizo (spicy sausage). • Sipping Sherry in Jerez de la Fron- Today they are likely to be anything— tera: In Spain, sherry is called jerez, and gambas (deep-friedCOPYRIGHTED shrimp); anchovies it’s aMATERIAL major industry and subculture in marinated in vinegar; stuffed peppers; a its own right. Hispanophiles compare cool, spicy gazpacho; or hake salad. the complexities of sherry to those of • Getting Caught Up in the Passions of the finest wines produced in France and Flamenco: It’s best heard and watched make pilgrimages to the bodegas in in an old tavern, in a neighborhood like Andalusia that ferment this amber-col- Barrio de Triana in Seville. From the ored liquid. More than 100 bodegas are lowliest taberna to the poshest night- available for visits, tours, and tastings, club, you can hear the staccato foot opening their gates to visitors interested 6 Spain BaBay as Costa Ve ofof Montpellier lt rde A Toulouse iío RibadeoRibadeo GijónGijón BiscBiscay R A CoruñaCoruña SantanderSantander BilbaoBilbao San Sebastián (Bilbo)(Bilbo) (Donostia) FRANCE OviedoOviedo SantiagoSantiago dede Gulf LugoLugo CANTABRIAC A N T A B R I A BASQUEBASQUE C.C. FinisterreFinisterre CompostelaCompostela of GALICIAG A L I C I A ReinosaReinosa COUNTRCOUNTRY Lions R C o a n t a Pamplona ií ñ b r i a n Andorra o M t s . i ASTURIASA S T U R I A S VitoriaVitoria (Iruñea) la Vella M LeónLeón B PontevedraPontevedra P a y r ANDORRA Port-Bou j LogrLogroño e a n BurgosBurgos N A V A R R A e e s VigoVigo OrenseOrense s Figueres TúyTúy Huesca Gerona BenaventeBenavente LAL A RIOR I O J A (Girona) a PalenciaPalencia E b v Tudela r a o C A T A L O N I A r ArandaAranda SoriaSoria Lérida B ValladolidValladolid Tàrrega ATLANTICATLANTIC dede DueroDuero Zaragoza (Lleida) a st o C OCEANOCEAN ZamoraZamora Duero PortoPorto o CASTILLA-C A S T I L L A - BARCELONA Dour Calatayud Tarragona LEÓNL E Ó N rada SalamancaSalamanca A R A G O N Do THE BEST OF SPAIN OF BEST THE SegoviaSegovia ta Tortosa os T C a Monreal g GuadalajaraGuadalajara u del Campo ÁvilaÁvila s C. de Tortosa 1 CiudadCiudad SanSan LorenzoLorenzo Vinaròs dede ElEl EscorialEscorial r CoimbraCoimbra RodrigoRodrigo a Teruel h Balearic s MADRIDMADRID a d TalaveraTalavera Castellón z n A la ChinchónChinchón Cuenca Sea PlasenciaPlasencia dede lala ReinaReina de la Plana l Is e PORTUGALPORTUGAL AranjuezAranjuez TarancónTarancón d CoriaCoria Inca Artá gus ToledoToledo a ic Ta t r GuadalupeGuadalupe MotaMota deldel s a CáceresCáceres o e Palma de CuervoCuervo Valencia C l Majorca ValenciaValencia dede TrujilloTrujillo a AlcántaraAlcántara Gulf of B EXTREMADURAE X T R E M A D U R A úcar J Valencia Cabrera LISBONLISBON BadajozBadajoz CiudadCiudad RealReal MéridaMérida AlbacAlbacete CASTILLA-C A S T I L L A - a Benidorm Formentera n a i LAL A MANCHAM A N C H A a d Peñarroya-Peñarroya- Segura c a Alicante n u ZafraZafra PueblonuevoPueblonuevo r e n a a THE BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCES TRAVEL BEST THE G o l M Elche B a r r e VillacarrilloVillacarrillo S i LinaresLinares Torrevi eja MURCM U R C I A Murcia a CórdobaCórdoba UbedaUbeda t ir s iv o M E D I T E R R A N E A N S E A lqu Lorca ada JaénJaén C Gu SevilleSeville G Cartagena en da AyamonteAyamonte il GuadixGuadix va Ne da HuelvaHuelva li ANDALUCÍAA N D A L U C Í A GranadáGranadá rra á Co Sie C CapeCape St.St. VincentVincent sta FaroFaro a de AntequeraAntequera t s la o L JerezJerez dede C u MálagaMálaga MotrilMotril GulfGulf ofof z lala FronteraFrontera AlmAlmería CádizCádiz MarbellaMarbella del Sol ALGERIA CádizCádiz Costa EsteponaEstepona AlgecirasAlgeciras St rait GibraltarGibraltar (U.K.)(U.K.) of AlboránAlborán Gibraltar (Spain)(Spain) MOROCCOMOROCCO CeutaCeuta (Spain)(Spain) 7 BayBay as Costa Ve ofof MontpellierMontpellier lt rde A ToulouseToulouse io Ribadeo Gijón BiscayBiscay R A Coruña Santander BilbaoBilbao SanSan SebastiánSebastián (Bilbo)(Bilbo) (Donostia)(Donostia) FRANCEFRANCE Oviedo Santiago de GulfGulf Lugo C A N T A B R I A BASQUEBASQUE C. Finisterre Compostela ofof G A L I C I A Reinosanosa COUNTRYCOUNTRY LionsLions R C o a n t a PamplonaPamplona i ñ b r i a n AndorraAndorra o M t s . i A S T U R I A S VitoriaVitoria (Iruñea)(Iruñea) lala VellaVella M León B Pontevedra P a y r ANDORRAANDORRA Port-BouPort-Bou j LogroñoLogroño e a n Burgos NAVARRAN A V A R R A e e s Vigo Orense s FigueresFigueres SPAIN OF BEST THE Túy HuescaHuesca GeronaGerona Benavente LAL A RIOJAR I O J A (Girona)(Girona) a Palencia E b v TudelaTudela r a o CATALONIAC A T A L O N I A r Aranda SoriaSoria LéridaLérida B Valladolid TàrregaTàrrega ATLANTIC de Duero ZaragozaZaragoza (Lleida)(Lleida) a st o C OCEAN Zamora Duero Porto o C A S T I L L A - BARCELONABARCELONA Dour CalatayudCalatayud TarragonaTarragona L E Ó N da ora Salamanca ARAGONA R A G O N D Segoviavia ta TortosaTortosa os T C a MonrealMonreal g Guadalajaradalajara u deldel CampoCampo Ávila s C.C. dede TortosaTortosa 1 Ciudad San Lorenzo VinaròsVinaròs Rodrigo de El Escorial r Coimbra a EXPERIENCES TRAVEL BEST THE TeruelTeruel h BalearicBalearic s Minorca MADRID a d Talavera CastellónCastellón z n A la Chinchón CuencaCuenca SeaSea Plasencia de la Reina dede lala PlanaPlana l Is e PORTUGAL Aranjuezanjuez TarancónTarancón d Coria IncaInca ArtáArtá gus Toledo a ic Ta t r Guadalupe MotaMota deldel s a Cáceres o e PalmaPalma dede CuervoCuervo ValenciaValencia C l MajorcaMajorca Majorca Valencia de Trujillo a Alcántara GulfGulf ooff B E X T R E M A D U R A Júcar ValenciaValencia Ibiza CabreraCabrera LISBON Badajoz Ciudad Real Ciudad Mérida AlbaceteAlbacete de Ibiza C A S T I L LA-L A - a BenidormBenidorm FormenteraFormentera n a i L A M A N CHAC H A a d Peñarroya- Segura c a AlicanteAlicante n u Zafra Pueblonuevo n a G o r e la M ElcheElche B a r r e VillacarrilloVillacarrillo S i Linares TorreviejaTorrevi eja MURCIAM U R C I A MurciaMurcia a Córdoba Ubedaeda t ir s iv o MEDITERRANEANM E D I T E R R A N E A N SEAS E A lqu LorcaLorca ada Jaén C Gu Seville G CartagenaCartagena en da Ayamonte il GuadixGuadix va Ne da Huelva li A N D A L U C Í A Granadá rra á Co Sie C Cape St. Vincent sta Faro a de Antequera t s la o L Jerez de C u Málaga Motrrilil Gulf of z la Frontera AlmeríaAlmería Cádiz Marbella del Sol ALGERIAALGERIA Cádiz Costa Estepona Algeciras 0 100 mi Str ait Gibraltar (U.K.) N of AlboránAlborán 0 100 km Gibraltar (Spain)(Spain) MOROCCO Ceuta (Spain) 8 in a process that dates from the coun- Sacred Family” will be Europe’s largest a try’s Roman occupation. See chapter 9. cathedral. See chapter 12. b • Wandering the Crooked Streets of • Running with the Bulls in Pamplona: o Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter: Long Okay, maybe it’s smarter to watch the su before Madrid was founded, the king- bulls, rather than run with them. The Ib dom of Catalonia was a bastion of art Fiesta de San Fermín in July is the most • C and architecture. Whether the Barri dangerous ritual in Spain, made even p Gòtic, as it’s called in Catalan, is truly more so by copious amounts of wine R Gothic is the subject of endless debate, consumed by participants and observ- c but the Ciutat Vella (Old City) of Barce- ers.