Top 10 Things to Do in Spain

Top 10 Things to Do in Spain

Eat Free Tapas

 

Tapas in Bodega Castañedas, in Granada

Image: Damian Corrigan

 

 

"Going for tapas" is an essential part of life in Spain. It isn't so much what you eat but how - that is, a morsel food with every drink, and each each one in a different bar. Lots of bars, lots of drinks, lots of great food.

 

See a Bullfight

 

Bullfighting in Seville

Image: Damian Corrigan

 

 

Animal rights activists in Spain will be up in arms about bullfighting's inclusion in this list, while many Spaniards will groan - bullfighting is no longer anywhere near as popular as it once was. However, bullfighting is an inescapable part of Spain's history and remains an anachronistic curiosity - ritualized animal cruelty in a progressive Western democracy or an endangered art form? You have to see it for yourself to decide.

Choose carefully which city you go to see your bullfighting in - just because a city has a bullring, doesn't mean the city has a tradition of bullfighting.



The Architecture of Antoní Gaudí

La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's most famous achievement

Image: Damian Corrigan

 

 

Antoní Gaudí's architecture is famous, daring and unique - but that doesn't mean it is actually any good. I met a Swedish man who described La Sagrada Familia as "the most ghastly thing I have ever seen". But even he admitted that everyone should see it.

 

Visit the Alhambra

 

The Alhambra, Granada

Image: Damian Corrigan

 

 

In the hills of Granada is the Alhambra Moorish fortress, which protected the city's inhabitants from invasion by the Christians for hundreds of years. It certainly worked - Granada was the last city to fall during the Reconquista, the Spanish leg of the Crusades.

See a Flamenco Show

 

Flamenco - the passion of Andalusia

Image: Hernan Herrero

 

 

Flamenco is virtually unique in present day music - a traditional form of folk music that is still as alive today as it has ever been. Flamenco can be heard backed by a full orchestra in the gardens of the Alcazar in Seville, played by a pair of drunken gypsies in a seedy tavern or blaring from the stereo of a youth's turbo-charged sports car.

 

 

Visit Madrid's Three Essential Art Museums

 

El Prado, one of Madrid's three essential museums

Image: Martin Brewster

 

 

Spain produced two of the most important artists of the past hundred years: Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Find work by both artists in the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, one of Madrid's three essential museums.

 

But many would say that these two artists are not the best that Spain has to offer, and even more would say that the Reina Sofia is not the best museum in Madrid. Instead, that accolade goes to the Museo del Prado, which houses excellent art from the 14th to the 19th centuries from the likes of Velázquez, Goya and El Greco.

Study Spanish in Spain

 

Life can be a beach even when you're studying Spanish in Spain

Image: Will Ockenden (Some Rights Reserved)

 

 

If you have a little extra time on your hands, why not learn Spanish?

Spanish is one of the four most useful languages in the world (along with English, Chinese and Arabic), spoken throughout Spain and South America and quite the in-vogue language to learn in Europe at the moment. It is also a surprisingly simple language to learn. I learned the language fluently after failing miserably at French at school. In twelve weeks at a language school in Spain, I went from absolute beginner to the advanced class.

With the varying accents and other regional languages spoken in Spain, it is important to pick your city wisely. Accents in the south, such as in Seville or Malaga, can be tough to decipher for a beginner (but could be a great test of your skills once you get past the basics) and the other languages you'll hear spoken in Barcelona and, to a lesser extent, Bilbao, distract a little from the advantages of learning in Spain.

Eat Paella in Valencia

 

The quintessential Spanish dish - paella!

Image: Lisa & Tony Sierra

 

 

Another cliché, but when in Spain, you have to try the paella. Unfortunately, unscrupulous Spanish restaurants know this and often serve paella which is frankly unpalatable.

For this reason, you have to choose your restaurant carefully. Read more on How to Make Sure You Get a Good Paella in a Restaurant in Spain.

Remember that there are several paella varieties - bypass the seafood version and go for paella Valenciana. Made from meat instead of seafood, this is the original paella and so is the most 'authentic'.

The City of Seville

 

Plaza de España, Seville

Image: Damian Corrigan

 

 

Seville is a treat, providing you can avoid the sweltering heat in August and that they've finished the Metro by the time you get there (should be sometime this century). Seville at its best is truly captivating, including its cathedral with its Giralda tower, the neighboring Alcazar castle and garden complex and the Plaza de España (above). Check out the pictures to see what I mean.

Camino de Santiago

 

Camino de Santiago

Image: Damian Corrigan

 

 

The Camino de Santiago is an ancient pilgrimage to the tomb of St James in Santiago de Compostela. For most people this involves walking up to 800km across northern Spain, though you can start from anywhere you like. Read more: What is the Camino de Santiago?

 

For those who embark on the most popular route, the Camino Frances, this involves a walk through the Pyrenees, through Pamplona and the wine country of La Rioja, before a long stint walking across the Spanish meseta. After reaching Leon, a city renowned for its tapas, you cross into the wonderful green countryside of Galicia.


http://gospain.about.com/