OVERVIEW OF SPAIN
Spain offers thousands of amazing city and beach destinations for half the price of almost anywhere else! You can relax at a city beach while you take in all the city has to offer like Valencia, or a hidden gem like Tarifa where you can enjoy a blissful day or take a ferry to nearby Tangier, Morocco!
Spain, the largest of the Western EU nations, has cities as diverse as its landscape.
Northern Spain: Lush mountains and rolling hills with a colder and wetter climate in the Winter, and with a mild albeit shorter sunny Summer season. Great food, beautiful cities with a bit more of an affluent nature than the other areas. One of the most approachable areas for tourism, if not as well known.
Central Spain: Anchored by Madrid in the center, with Barcelona and Valencia a two hour train ride to the east, the city and landscape is irresistible. Steeped in history, architecture and gastronomy, the major cities can be expensive and a bit dismissive of tourists or expat retirees. Can be cold in the winter and quite hot in July and August. Still worth the visit, for sure!
Southern Spain: Not as economically advanced as other areas, the climate is drier but still provides amazing scenery, culture and food. In the winter, it is cold but not freezing and in the summer, very hot in July, August and part of September. Often less expensive than other areas, still has some of the more sheik beach towns for tourism and retirees.
If you are seeking a heaven of gastronomic delights, Spain has it all! From Paella to Tapas of every variety and all foods in between, Spain is your foodie refuge. Combined with the amazing wines and low costs, there is nothing like it anywhere else. No other country lifes to eat like Spain. But unlike many countries, the Spanish each all day and night, literally!
Important to note that the typical and traditional Spanish food is not what you may think Spanish food is. Heavy on rice, bread, meats and seafood, it is adored by the Spanish and may take some time to get used to.
Breakfast: Usually something sweet and always with a type of coffee, “cafe con leche or a version of such.
Lunch: As simple as a small sandwich or tapas to one of their huge sandwiches or a full course banquet. Goes from 1PM until 4PM at which time most the restaurants close for mid-day break.
Dinner: Many restaurants will reopen at 8PM but most dinners don’t show up until 9PM or later, with 10PM arrivals being common!
Dessert: All day, and all night! It’s hard to believe that every Spanish person doesn’t weigh 400 pounds. No where will you find more ice cream, bakeries and bread shops that are busy all the time! Not a good place to go on a diet.
FOOD OF SPAIN
CITIES OF SPAIN
From the old to the new to the breathless, Spain offers an unlimited number of places to see and be seen. Historical cathedrals to the most stunning in modern architecture, each destination holds amazing treasures to discover! And best of all, most are free or charge a small fee.
In the lush landscapes of the NorthWest, cities like Bilbao, San Sebastian and Santiago de Compostela hold treasure for all of your senses. From sight seeing the stunning architecture to the unlimited options for food and fun, you will never be bored. Important to note, most are less touristy and can be a bit more complex to travel to. But the destinations are worth it. However, if driving be aware that the scenery is amazing but the modern and well maintained roads are very mountainous! Allow for plenty of time to take pictures…
The cities of Central Spain, both large and small, hold plenty of known and unexpected adventures. Hands down, Barcelona and Valencia will blow you away with their accessible architecture, green spaces and ease of access. No other cities in the world will hold you as captivated, which is also their drawback, since everyone wants to go there. A victim of their own success! I would advise going in the off seasons, where the weather may not be as good but the city access and acceptance by the locals is much better.
With so many cities to visit and so much to see and do, getting around Spain is a delight. No more traffic jams and costly airfare. Many locations can be reached by a short and low cost train or subway ride! Some cities even have a local tram line that, unlike many countries, makes getting around the city a breeze.
And unlike many other parts of the world, flights between Spain's cities are cheap, really cheap. Keep in mind the very low cost providers such as Ryan Air are just that, super low cost in comfort and dependability. But most are of good service and prices. Spain even has islands to visit, including the Canary Islands! There is nothing like it anywhere else. And for the coastal towns, many have excellent ferry services that can take you across the bay or even across the Mediterranean.
If you decide to drive, which is often a rewarding tourist experience due to the beauty of the countryside, the primary roads and highways are in good condition with ample signage. It is important to note, that getting a Spanish cell phone from a cell phone service provider such as Orange or Vodaphone is highly recommended so you can take advantage of the internet service to use Google or Apple Maps when you drive, walk, bike or whatever! The American cell phone service providers such at T Mobile, which does have by far the best EU coverage plan, can still be a bit spotty.
TRAVEL IN SPAIN
SAFETY IN SPAIN
Unlike countries like the United States, guns are not universally allowed. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find someone with a gun, other than the Police. We have traveled throughout the cities of Spain at all times of the day and night, sober and not so much. And we have never experienced an issue to our safety. With that being said, the following precautions should always be observed, no matter where you are traveling;
Always make two color copies of your primary passport pages. Put them in separate pieces of luggage in the advent that you lose or have your passport stolen. It will greatly expedite getting a new passport from your embassy.
If you bring a phone, computer, tablet or whatever, always back up any and all data, photos, contacts, etc. to a cloud based data back up service. For the same reason as your passport. If lost or stolen you can easily recover your data.
Always when traveling use either a pin, password or facial recognition to open your phones, computers, or anything electronic. For the same reasons as above.
Always take photos on your phone of your passport pages, credit cards, or any other valuable information. For the same reasons as above.
If your phone, computer or any other device including your passport is lost or stolen, immediately report it to the local authorities, your consulate for passports, your banks for credit cards, etc… Note: If your credit cards are just lost, got to your bank’s website and “LOCK” your cards before you cancel them. Your items may be returned or you may find them by backtracking. Do not cancel them until you’ve exhausted all options in finding them. Same for your passport and computer. Once you are convinced they are gone forever, notify all, cancel all, and get a new computer, download all your data from your cloud data storage, and then change all of your essential passwords.