SPAIN MINI GUIDE
Located on the Iberian Peninsula in south-west Europe, Spain is a European country which is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the east, and to the north by Andorra and France, whilst in the West it is bordered by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. Spain also contains the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, both of which are a string of medium-size islands to be found in the Mediterranean Sea.
Spain is most usually of interest to visitors and tourists due to its excellent Mediterranean climate and stunning southern coastline. Spain was the original package tour destination in Europe, becoming extremely popular in the early to mid 1980s with residents of the rest of Europe, and most specifically the UK. During this early period of Spain's growing tourist industry many of the southern towns developed unsavoury reputations, this was mostly due to the rapid development of badly constructed hotels, the inability of the Spanish government to maintain the beaches along the southern coast, and a massive influx of foreign nationals investing in tourist related businesses in these prime areas.
Over the last two decades Spain has done much to clean up this mess, and even cities such as Malaga, which in the 1980s was deemed to be one of the worst tourist cities in Europe, have significantly cleaned up their acts and Spain is now a well developed tourist location, dispelling its previous reputation, and presenting itself as a world-class holiday location.
Moving inland and away from the coast, Spain features some of the most impressive cities in the world such as Milan,
Barcelona and
Madrid, each of these has a style and atmosphere all of its own mainly due to the huge range of influences to be found in their architecture and culture.
Madrid is the capital city of Spain, and is the third most highly populated city in Europe. Located almost dead centre of Spain on the banks of the River Manzanares, Madrid is considered to be a major European financial centre, and is noted for its particularly high standard of living and healthy economic growth rate.
Madrid makes a great choice of location from which to explore Spain due to its central location, staying in a hotel or guesthouse in Madrid and hiring a car to explore the surrounding area is a great way to see inland Spain from the comfort of your own vehicle. Indeed, some of the best sites and places of interest can be found within day’s drive of Madrid, we will discuss several below.
Toledo used to be Spain's capital, a walled fortress city with imposing gates; Toledo should be considered one of the essential places to visit if you're staying in Madrid. The best time to visit
Toledo is during Easter, when the city hosts a week-long celebration, one of Spain's most lively festivals. Whilst visiting Toledo you should check out some of the blacksmiths in the area, as Toledo is famous for its steel and for its Toledo forged swords. Toledo is also of great interest to those wit a passion for culture, three religions collide within Toledo and a visit to its Christian Cathedral, Islamic mosque and Jewish synagogue leaves the visitor with a profound sense of unity.
Segovia is another town which is comfortably short drive from Madrid, making it an excellent choice for a day excursion. Segovia is defined by its famous Roman aqueduct which is over 2000 years old and still maintained in pristine condition, along with its castle, which it is rumoured was the original inspiration for Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty's fairytale castle. Segovia also has a tasty local dish of roasted suckling pick or “cochinillo” as it is known in Spain, completely unique to the town. A gentle stroll around the Plaza del Corpus Cristi or Jewish quarter is a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon.
For some breathtaking medieval architecture, take your hire car out to El Escorial and visit the Monasterio de San Lorenzo del Escorial. Within this extremely well preserved monastery is the King's Crypt, where a long line of Spanish kings have been entombed, starting with Charles I and ending with Alphonso XIII. For an interesting counterpoint visit Valle de los Caídos which is close by and is the place where General Franco, the infamous Spanish ruler is buried.
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