Overview to Spain: Travel Guide and Tourist Information
No quick introduction to Spain could ever really do it justice. It’s too complicated, too varied and too contrary to allow any simple statements to stick. From region to region, the climate, cuisine, customs, and even the language , vary enormously.
Vast mountain ranges surge up practically immediately from gorgeous sandy beaches. The greenery of Galicia and the Basque Country in the north is counteracted by the dry desert-like conditions of Andalucia to the south, whose white villages constitute one of the classic travel images.
What is consistent, however, is the wealth of things to see and do across its many wonderful cities. Grand Madrid full of art and culture; decadent and chic Barcelona; earthy yet modern Valencia; and Seville and Granada, the achingly romantic cities of the south... the list of exciting destinations is practically endless.
But there are also a number of other great cities that are far less visited, particularly to the center and the north. These include the wonderful Toledo, the stunning student town of Salamanca, Pamplona (with its infamous running of the bulls) and the dramatic Segovia with its fairy-tale castle.
And every single one of them is overflowing with historic monuments, dramatic castles, awe-inspiring cathedrals and churches and, in the south, breathtaking Moorish palaces and formidable fortresses.
Spain is no dry, dusty museum piece - nor does it correspond with its ‘bull-fighting, flamenco and paella’ stereotype. Rather, it’s a fantastically vibrant, culturally rich and modern country that ripples with activity.
What’s more, for a country that welcomes so many visitors every year, it’s amazing just how little many know about it. Even more remarkable is the extent to which it never stops delighting and surprising those that do.