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® 2008
S PA I N
Where to Stay and Eat
for All Budgets
Must-See Sights
and Local Secrets
Ratings You Can Trust
Fodor’s Travel Publications
www.fodors.com
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22 <
Experience Spain
SPAIN TO P
ATT RA CTI O NS
B
AA
D
C
La Alhambra, Granada
(A) Nothing can quite prepare you for the
Moorish grandeur of Andalusia’s greatest monument. The ornamental palace
is set around sumptuous courtyards and
gardens complete with bubbling fountains, magnificent statues, and brilliantly
colored flower beds. From the Generalife gardens, there are evocative, camera-clicking views of the Albayzín, the
ancient wealthy neighborhood of Moorish Granada. (F Chapter 11.)
Toledo
(B) This sumptuous, historically rich city
is Castile’s crowning glory. Toledo is
often cited as being Spain’s spiritual capital, and past inhabitants—including Jews,
Romans, and Muslims—have all felt its
spiritual pull. This open-air museum of a
city is an architectural tapestry of medieval buildings, churches, mosques, and
synagogues threaded by narrow cobbled
D
streets and squares. The location is similarly awesome: Toledo is on a ridge high
above the Río Tajo. The only downside is
the fleets of bus tours that clog the streets;
visit at dusk. (F Chapter 3.)
La Sagrada Família, Barcelona
(C) The symbol of Barcelona, Gaudí’s
extraordinary unfinished cathedral should
be included on everyone’s must-see list.
The pointed spires, with organic shapes
that resemble a honeycombed stalagmite,
give the whole place a sort of fairytale
quality. (F Chapter 7.)
Guggenheim, Bilbao
(D) All swooping curves and rippling
forms, the architecturally innovative
museum—one of architect Frank Gehry’s
most breathtaking projects—was built on
the site of the city’s former shipyards. It
was appropriately inspired by the shape
of a ship’s hull. The museum collection
is pretty good as well, including such
28 <
Experience Spain
IF YO U LIKE
Art
During the Spanish Golden Age (1580–
1680), the empire’s wealth flowed to the
imperial capital of Madrid, and Spanish
monarchs used it not only for defense
and civil projects but to finance the arts.
Painters from El Greco to Rubens, and
writers from Lope de Vega to Cervantes,
were drawn to the luminous (and solvent)
royal court. For the first time in Europe,
the collecting of art became an important
symbol of national wealth and power.
Beaches
Virtually surrounded by bays, oceans,
gulfs, straits, and seas, Spain is a beachlover’s dream as well as an increasingly
popular destination for water-sports
enthusiasts. August beaches are overcrowded and to be avoided, whereas winter beaches offer solitude and sunshine
without the stifling heat.
Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid. The
Known for its warm-water temperatures
and the healing properties of its brine and
iodine content, the Mar Menor in Costa
Blanca offers year-round beach fun.
M
Museo de Bellas Artes, Seville. Among
the fabulous works are those of
Murillo, Zurbarán, Valdés Leal, and
El Greco, and there are examples of
Seville Gothic art, baroque religious
sculptures, and Sevillian art of the
19th and 20th centuries.
Beaches on the Costa del Sol from Málaga to Estepona are warm enough for
swimming year-round, though the overdeveloped high-rise apartments that have
replaced fishing villages along this strip
are ugly and depressing. The Costa de
La Luz, just beyond Algeciras, presents a
very different picture with its white sandy
beaches and a refreshing lack of concrete, particularly around Tarifa, which
is famous for its water sports.
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Museo del Prado, Madrid. One of the
M
M
M
modern collection focuses on Spain’s
three great modern masters: Pablo
Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Joan Miró.
It houses Picasso’s Guernica.
world’s greatest museums, it holds
masterpieces by Italian and Flemish
painters. But its jewels are the works
of Spaniards: Goya, Velázquez and
El Greco.
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid. An
ambitious collection of 800 paintings
traces the development of Western
humanism as no other in the world.
Museo Guggenheim, Bilbao. The worldfamous mesmerizing building houses
works from the Venetian and the
New York Guggenheim collections,
but also from big-name Spanish modern artists.
Matalascañas, at the western end of the
Andalusian coast, and La Antilla, west
of Huelva, are fine beaches except in late
July and August when there’s no towel
space on the sand. South of Huelva are
Cadíz’s Atlantic wild and very windy
beaches, appreciated by water-sports fans
and by locals fleeing from the Mediterranean clamor and crowds.
Spain’s northern coast, from the French
border at Hondarribia to the border with
Portugal at the Río Miño offers a variety of urban beaches and remote strands,
while the Balearic archipelagoes have
year-round beaches—though they can be
too cold for swimming from November
to May.
> 29
Food
Spanish cooking has come into its own
over the last 20 years. The Mediterranean
diet, with its emphasis on olive oil, fish,
vegetables, garlic, onions, and red wine,
is now understood to be not only delicious but a healthy way to eat. Innovative
chefs, including Ferran Adrià and Pedro
Subijana, and such masters as Juan Mari
Arzak and Santi Santamaría, are making
Spain’s regional cuisines famous throughout the world, and newer stars—Martin
Berasategui, Sergi Arola, Fermí Puig, and
Carme Ruscalleda Puig—are filling the firmament with new aromas and textures.
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Arzak, San Sebastián. The traditional
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Tragabuches, Ronda. This stylish res-
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El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Costa
Brava. Perhaps for its oddball combi-
Basque food at this extremely popular,
internationally renowned restaurant is
jazzed up by the owner’s imaginative
culinary flair.
taurant dishes ups innovative cuisine
and has a superb taster’s menu of five
courses and two desserts.
nations, the best restaurant in town is
also one of Catalonia’s top six.
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El Chaflán, Madrid. Come for white-
truffle sampler week but find new and
sophisticated dishes anytime.
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La Broche, Madrid. El Bulli’s Ferran
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El Racó de Can Fabes, Sant Celoni. One of
Exploring the Outdoors
Crisscrossed with mountain ranges,
Spain has areas that are ideal for walking, mountain biking, and backpacking.
The Pyrenees offer superior hiking and
trekking on well-marked trails from the
Atlantic Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean, among them the 40- to 45-day
GR-11 trail that runs from the Atlantic
Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. The
Sierra de Gredos, west of Ávila, and the
Sierra de Guadarrama, north of Madrid,
are also popular for climbing and trekking. Hiking is also excellent in the interior of Spain, in the Alpujarra Mountains
southeast of Granada, and in the numerous national parks, such as mountainous
Picos de Europa. Still in vogue after hundreds of years is the Pilgrimage Road to
Santiago de Compostela; it traverses the
north of Spain from either Roncesvalles
in Navarra or the Aragonian Pyrennees
to Galicia. Mountain streams in the Pyrenees and other ranges throughout Spain
offer trout- and salmon-fishing opportunities that can combine nicely with hiking and camping expeditions. Perhaps
the best part of Spain’s outdoor space
and activities is that they often bring you
nearer to some of the finest architecture
and cuisine in Iberia.
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Doñana National Park, Andalusia. One
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Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park,
the Pyrenees. Hike in Spain’s version of
Adrià’s best disciple plays with texture and temperatura, drawing on his
Catalonian roots but also turning his
back on them when inspiration calls.
Spain’s top four restaurants, it’s well
worth the train ride from Barcelona.
of Europe’s last tracts of true wilderness includes wetlands, beaches, shifting sand dunes, marshes, 150 species
of rare birds, and countless kinds of
wildlife, including the endangered
imperial eagle and lynx.
the Grand Canyon. The 57,000-acre
park features waterfalls, caves, forests, meadows, and more.
30 <
Experience Spain
GR E AT
ITI N E RA RI E S
MA D R ID & T HE S OU T H
Days 1–3: Welcome to Madrid
The elegant Plaza Mayor is the perfect
jumping-off point for a tour of the Spanish capital. To the west, see the Plaza de
la Villa, Royal Palace, the opera house
and the royal convents; to the south
wander around the maze of streets of
La Latina and the Rastro and indulge
yourself in local tapas. Start or end the
day with a visit to the Prado, the Museo
Thyssen-Bornemisza, or the Centro de
Arte Reina Sofía.
On Day 2, visit the sprawling Barrio de
las Letras. Around Plaza de Santa Ana, it
was the favorite neighborhood of writers
during the Spanish golden literary age in
the 17th century, and it is still cramped
with theaters, cafés, and good tapas bars.
It borders the Paseo del Prado on the
east, allowing you to comfortably walk
to any of the art museums in the area. If
the weather is pleasant, take an afternoon
stroll in the Parque del Buen Retiro.
For your third day in the capital, wander along Chueca and Malasaña, the two
neighborhoods most favored by young
Madrileños. Fuencarral, a landmark
street that serves as the border between
the two is one of the city’s trendiest shopping enclaves. From there you can walk to
the Parque del Oeste and the Templo de
Debod—the best spot from which to see
the city’s sunset. Among the lesser-known
museums, consider visiting the captivating Museo Sorolla, Goya’s frescoes and
tomb at the Ermita de San Antonio de la
Florida, or the Real Academia de Bellas
Artes de San Fernando for classic painting. People-watch at any of the terrace
bars in either Plaza de Chueca or Plaza 2
de Mayo in Malasaña. See Chapter 2 for
details on Madrid.
Logistics: If you are traveling light, the sub-
way (Metro) or the bus will take you from
the airport to the city for €1 to €1.25. A
taxi will do the same for around €25 to
€30. Once in the center consider either
walking or taking the subway rather than
driving in gridlock traffic.
Days 4 & 5: Castilian Charmers
Making excellent half- or one-day side
trips from the capital are Toledo and
Segovia, two of the oldest Castilian cities—both with delightful old quarters
dating back to the Romansand El Escorial, which houses the massive monastery built by Felipe II. Two other nearby
towns also worth visiting are Aranjuez
and Alcalá de Henares. See Chapter 3 for
details on these Castilian cities.
Logistics: In 2007, Toledo and Segovia
became part of the high-speed train line
(AVE), so you can get to both of them in
a half-hour from Madrid. To reach the
old quarters of both cities take a bus or
cab from the train station. Or take the
bus from Madrid; by bus is also the best
way to get to El Escorial. Reach Aranjuez
and Alcalá de Henares via the intercity
train system.
Day 6: Córdoba & Its Mosque or
Extremadura
This capital of both Roman and Moorish Spain was also the center of Western
art and culture between the 8th and 11th
centuries. Córdoba’s sprawling mosque
(now a cathedral) and the medieval Jewish Quarter bear witness to the city’s brilliant past. From Madrid you can rent a
car and visit the lesser-known cities north
of Extremadura (Guadalupe, Trujillo, and
Cáceres). You can sleep over in Cáceres,
Barcelona
Segovia
Madrid
P ORT UGAL
an
Sea
Toledo
Córdoba
Gulf of Cadiz
ra
er
ed
it
Granada
Jerez de
la Frontera
a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage city,
and return to Madrid the next day. See
Chapter 11 for Córdoba and Chapter 13
for Extremadura.
Logistics: The AVE train will take you
to Córdoba from Madrid in under two
hours. A good alternative is to sleep
over in Toledo, also on the route heading south, and then head to Córdoba the
next day. Once in Córdoba, take a taxi
for a visit out to the summer palace at
Medina Azahara.
Days 7 & 8: Seville
Seville’s Giralda tower, cathedral, bullring, and Barrio de Santa Cruz are visual
feasts. Forty minutes south you can sip
the world-famous sherries of Jerez de la
Frontera, then munch jumbo shrimp on
the beach at Sanlúcar de Barrameda. For
more on Seville, see Chapter 11.
Logistics: From Seville’s AVE station, take
a taxi to your hotel. After that, walking
and hailing the occasional taxi are the
best ways to explore the city.
Days 9 & 10: Granada
The hilltop Alhambra palace, Spain’s
most visited attraction, was conceived by
the Moorish caliphs as heaven on earth.
Try any of its famous tapas bars and tea-
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Sanlúcar de
Barrameda
ne
A ND A L U SIA
Seville
TIP
Spain’s modern freeways are as good as
any in the world—with the exception of
the signs, which have writing that’s often
too small to decipher while comfortably
traveling at the routine speed of 120 km/h
(74 mph).
shops, and also roam the magicical steep
streets of the Albayzín, the ancient Moorish quarter. For more on Andalusia, see
Chapter 11.
Logistics: The Seville-to-Granada leg of
this trip is best accomplished by renting
a car. However, the Sevilla-to-Granada
trains (four daily, just over three hours,
costing less than €21) are an alternative.
An alternative route is to head first from
Madrid to Granada, skipping Córdoba,
and then from Granada to Seville.
32 <
Experience Spain
GR E AT
ITI N E RA RI E S
BA RCEL ONA &
T H E NORT H
Days 1–3: Welcome to Barcelona
To get a feel of Barcelona, begin with the
Rambla neighborhood and Boqueria market. Then set off for the Gothic Quarter
to see the Catedral de la Seu, Plaça del
Rei, and the Catalan and Barcelona government palaces in Plaça Sant Jaume.
Next, cross Via Laietana to the Barri de la
Ribera (waterfront neighborhood), which
contains the paradigmatic Catalan Gothic
Santa Maria del Mar and Museu Picasso.
Make Day 2 a Gaudí day. Visit the
Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família first thing, followed by Parc Güell.
In the afternoon tour Casa Vicens, then
Casa Milà and Casa Batlló, part of the
Manzana de la Discòrdia on Passeig
de Gràcia. Palau Güell, off the lower
Rambla, is probably too much Gaudí
for one day, but don’t miss it. (In our
in-focus feature “Gaudí: Architecture
Through the Looking Glass” in Chapter 7, learn all about this prolific artist
and the ornamental style of Barcelona’s
Moderniste architecture.)
On Day 3, climb Montjuïc for the Museu
Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, in the hulking Palau Nacional. Investigate the Fundació Miró, Estadi Olímpic, the Mies van
de Rohe Pavilion and Casaramona (aka
Caixaforum). At lunchtime, take the
cable car across the port for seafood in
Barceloneta. See Chapter 7 for more on
Barcelona.
Logistics: The bus will take you from the
airport to the city for €4.75. A taxi will
do the same for around €23. In Barcelona’s city center, walking or taking the
subway is better than cabbing it.
Days 3 & 4: San Sebastián
San Sebastián is one of Spain’s most beautiful—and delicious—cities. Belle epoque
buildings nearly encircle the tiny bay, and
tapas bars flourish in the old quarter. Visiting San Sebastián without a look at Pasajes de San Juan is a mistake. Likewise,
an excursion to Hondarribia is a must.
The cider mills in Astigarraga are another
important off–San Sebastián visit. For
more on San Sebastián, see Chapter 5.
Logistics: Whether you arrive by plane,
train, or car, you’ll need a car to explore
the Basque Country properly. Although
there is no need for a car in San Sebastián
proper, visits to cider houses in Astigarraga, Chillida Leku on the outskirts of
town, and many of the finest restaurants
around San Sebastián, are possible only
by car. (Of course, if you go by taxi, you
won’t have to worry about getting lost.)
The freeway west to Bilbao is beautiful
and fast, but the coastal road through
Orio, Zarautz, Guetaria, and Zumaia is
recommended at least as far as Zumaia.
Days 5 & 6: The Basque Coast
The Basque coast between San Sebastián
and Bilbao is lined with beaches, rocky
cliffs, and picture-perfect fishing ports.
The wide beach at Zarautz, the fishermen’s village of Guetaria, the Zuloaga
Museum in Zumaia, Mundaka’s famous
left-breaking surfing wave, and Bermeo’s
port and fishing museum should all be
near the top of your list. See Chapter 5
for information on Basque Country.
Logistics: To see the Basque coast, forget
about time and wind along the coastal
roads that twist through places such as
Elantxobe, Bakio, Mundaka, and San
Juan Gaztelugatxe. From Bilbao there
is a train, the Euskotren, that runs from
Bay of Biscay
Luarca
A Coruña
Lugo
Santiago de G AL IC IA
Compostela
Vigo
Gijón
Oviedo
AS TUR IAS
San Juan
Gaztelugatxe
Santander
CA N TA BRI A
Ourense
P ORT UGAL
the Atxuri station through the Urdaibai
wetlands and the Ría de Gernika to
Mundaka.
Days 7 & 8: Bilbao
Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum is worth
a trip for the building itself, and the
Museum of Fine Arts has an impressive
collection of Basque and Spanish paintings. Restaurants and tapas bars are
famously good in Bilbao, and the city’s
cultural offerings, from opera to jazz to
bullfights (in August), has always been
first-rate. See Chapter 7 for more details
on Bilbao.
Logistics: In Bilbao, use the subway or the
Euskotram, which runs up and down the
Nervión estuary.
Days 9 & 10: Santander & Cantabria
The elegant beach town Santander has
an excellent summer music festival. Santillana del Mar is one of Spain’s best
Renaissance towns, and the museum at
the Altamira Caves displays famous earlyday cave paintings. Exploring the Picos
de Europa will take you through some
the peninsula’s wildest reaches, and the
port towns along the coast provide some
of Spain’s wildest and purest beaches. See
Chapter 7 for more on Santander and
other Cantabria destinations.
Bermeo THE BASQU E
COA ST
Hondarribia
Bilbao
San Sebastián
Zarautz
Zumaia
Mundaka
Lleida
Zaragoza
Logistics: Santander stretches for several
miles along its Sardinero beachfront.
There is little traffic, except in midAugust, but parking is expensive and
scarce, so it’s better to make use of the
bus service. For explorations into the
towns and hills of Cantabria, an automobile is indispensable.
Days 11–13: Oviedo & Asturias
The coast road through Ribadesella and
cider capital Villaviciosa to Oviedo is a
scenic tour punctuated with numerous
tempting beaches. Oviedo, its cathedral,
and its pre-Romanesque churches are
worlds away from Córdoba’s Mezquita
and Granada’s Alhambra. Gijón is a fishing and freight port, summer resort, and
university town, and the villages along
the coast such as Cudillero and Luarca
remain quite unspoiled and serve wonderful fish and seafood. See Chapter 4 for
details on Asturias.
Logistics: The A8 coastal freeway gets you
quickly and comfortably from points east
to Oviedo and just beyond. From there
west into Galicia the two-lane N634 and
the coastal N632 are the slow but scenic
routes to Santiago de Compostela.
Barcelona
34 <
Experience Spain
Days 14–16: Santiago de Compostela
& Galicia
Spain’s northwest corner, with Santiago
de Compostela at its spiritual and geographic center, is a green land of bagpipes
and apple orchards. Lugo, Ourense, A
Coruña, and Vigo are the major cities, and
the Albariño wine country, along the Río
Miño border with Portugal, and the rías
(estuaries), full of delicious seafood, will
keep you steeped in enxebre—Gallego for
“local specialties and atmosphere.” See
Chapter 4 for more on Galicia.
Logistics: Once in Galicia, the four-lane
freeways AP9 and A6 whisk you from
Lugo and Castro to Santiago de Compostela and down into the Rías Baixas.
Cars are the only way to tour Galicia, and
the slower the better. The AC552 route
around the upper northwest corner and
the Rías Altas turns into the AC550 coming back into Santiago.
TIP
Be prepared for bilingual traffic signs and
local spellings that do not match your map,
which probably adheres to the “traditional”
Castilian spelling. (Languages across the
north of Spain go from Basque or Euskera
in the eastern Basque Country; to Castilian Spanish in Santander and Cantabria; to
Bable, a local dialect, in Asturias; and Gallego, a Portuguese-like Romance language,
in Galicia.)
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