Barcelona Travel Guide

Well known as a cultural centre, Barcelona boasts splendid architecture, monuments, historical sites, natural resources, beaches and much more. It is a very modern, multicultural, cosmopolitan city. Almost 4.5 million people live in the Barcelona metropolitan area. The city enjoys a prime location, bathed by the sea and has excellent transport links with the rest of Europe. Some people say that Barcelona is Spain's most European city because it is always open to new ideas and trends. You can note this in its people, the Catalans.

The Catalan capital's is a modern, cosmopolitan city, but has inherited many centuries of history. There are monuments of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance periods or still before, but most characteristic is what has been built during the last 100 years. Though the 1992 Olympics focused the world’s attention on the city, Antoni Gaudi’s wonderfully weird architecture demonstrates how long Barcelona has been at the vanguard of all that is new and different.

Barcelona, a 2,000-year-old master of the art of perpetual novelty, has catapulted to the rank of Spain's most-visited city. In fact, in 2003 nearly four million visitors came to the city, many on charter flights from Northern Europe. Autumn is the perfect time to visit Barcelona with less heat, fewer tourists and the city’s biggest street party, Festes de la Mercè, on September 24. The city continues to evolve as a centre of design, as a gastronomic powerhouse, as an educational and business centre and potentially the coolest city in the world. And one the world never tires of visiting.

Although Barcelona is a large city, it is easy to get around on public transport and on foot. You can reach any point in the city by metro, bus and taxi. Also, Barcelona attracts tourists from all over the world. The explosion of low-cost, Internet airlines, plus the good value at hotels and restaurants compared to other European cities, has made Barcelona the European weekender capital.

The area around the Catalunya Place, including the city's historical center includes the Passeig de Gracia, the Rambla de Catalunya and the upper half of the Diagonal avenue is the main commercial area of the city. "La Rambla", a pedestrian street, is the best place to watch people go by, to stroll or simply relax. Also, here you can find dozens of outdoor cafes. Nearby is 'Plaça Real', with plenty of bars and restaurants, and 'Palau Guell', built by Antoni Gaudí in his undulating art-nouveau style.

The Balearic Islands lie to the east, the Costa Brava to the north, the monastery at Montserrat to the west, and to the south, the Roman city of Tarragona, and the playground resort of Sitges. Barcelona's inhabitants are open and welcoming. The people of Barcelona speak Catalan, their own language, and Spanish. Many of them also understand a little English and French.

Madrid Travel Guide

Madrid is the capital of Spain since 1562. Madrid is located on the geographic center of the Iberian Peninsula. Due to this central location and high altitude, the climate of Madrid is characterized by warm dry summers and cool winters. Madrid is the political center of Spain. This is also a cosmopolitan city with cultural and political importance. Its position as a centre for economics, finance, administration and services combines the most modern infrastructure with an important cultural and artistic heritage, the legacy of centuries of fascinating history. So, while Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighborhoods and streets. For instance, some of its main historic places are the huge Royal Palace of Madrid; the Teatro Real (Royal theatre); the Buen Retiro park; the imposing 19th-century National Library building (founded in 1712); an archaeological museum of international reputation; and three superb art museums: Prado Museum, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, housed in the renovated Villahermosa Palace.

But Madrid is not just a cultural destination. It is also a lively metropolis with many pubs, cafes, discotheques and nightclubs open late into the night (nobody is really sure when the Madrileños sleep). It may be the afternoon siesta that gives them the endurance to keep things going well into the night. In fact, on weekends, Madrilenian youth are famous for dancing all night long, stopping off only for having some chocolate y churros at dawn, go home, take a shower, shave, and go to work. Madrid has an amazing quantity of dance halls, tascas, cafes, theaters, movie houses, music halls, and nightclubs. However, many of these offerings are strictly for residents or for Spanish-speakers.

After spending much of the 20th century sequestered at the center of a totalitarian regime, Madrid has burst back onto the world stage with an energy redolent of its 16th-century golden age. Beginning in the early 20th century, Madrid grew to be an important industrial centre. Its commercial and industrial life developed very rapidly after the 1890s and is rivalled in Spain only by that of Barcelona. The city's major industrial products include motor vehicles, aircraft, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, processed food, printed materials, and leather goods. Besides its many manufacturing industries. Most of its industry is located in the Southern fringe of the city, where important textile, food and metal working factories are clustered.

Especially around Puerta del Sol, you'll find a high concentration of everything relating to food, drinking, entertainment and staying away from your hotels as long as possible. Madrid, during the summer, becomes a virtual free festival because the city sponsors a series of plays, concerts, and films. If you're in Madrid during the second half of May be sure to join Madrileños in celebrating the Feria de San Isidro, which has music, operas, concerts, bullfighting and dancing. In the same way, mid August is when the city celebrates the Verbena de la Paloma.

Spain Travel Guide - Travel to Spain

Spain Travel Guide - Travel to Spain

Spain Beaches

Excellent and quiet beaches can be found near Malaga, Huelva and Almería in the south as well as near the coasts of La Manga, Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and Euskadi. If you do enjoy extremely developed resort towns, there are plenty of crowded beaches on the Costa de la Luz and the Costa del Sol. Interesting is the harbour of Almerimar with cosy bars, just south of El Ejido (Almeria).

Very unique architecture can be found in Córdoba, Salamanca, Granada, Toledo, Madrid... The visionary architecture of Antoni Gaudí and the Picasso museum are in Barcelona while Madrid is home to Spain’s top three art museums.

Costa Blanca Holidays

Spain Countryside

If you would rather get some fresh air, Spain is filled with opportunities to visit wildlife parks as well as trekking. The Pyrenees, especially around the Aragón area, are the best areas for trekking. Andalucía has its Sierra Nevada mountain chain with luxurious skiing resorts near Granada. Ski-sports are possible from November up to May. Between Guadix and Baza (famous horsemarket) one can find cave-dwellings, cave hotels, and beautiful natural parks. North and between these towns still are unexplored desert sceneries, with hamlets not even found on maps! The highway infrastructure in this "wild" part of Andalucia is excellent.

Travel in ease with Toledo Spain hotels by Hilton.

Spain Social culture

Spanish people are very open-hearted and comunicative. You won't have any problems to get to know someone, especially in the big cities like Madrid or Barcelona, and you can attend a big football match if you buy FC Barcelona Tickets. It's often said that the Spanish living room is the bar where the people usually spend a lot of time in the mornings and in the evenings.

London Travel Guide

Why?

England's historic capital was the centre of the British Empire for generations, and is imbued with a sense of history. Modern London has retained its ancient heritage and remains the focus of world events. Anyone wishing to understand and explore the origins of Western culture will revel in a holiday in London, where traditional attractions still amaze and astound.

When?

London is famed for its abundance of rain and fog, so an umbrella is a necessity when planning to travel to London on holiday any time of year. The best time to holiday in London is during spring (May and June) when the parks erupt in a profusion of flowering bulbs, or autumn, when the trees turn into golden hues and skies are often a murky blue. The long summer evenings make June and July good months to travel, although public transport can become oppressive on hot days. Winters are gloomy, dark and cold.

Who for?

A holiday in London is enjoyable for anyone and everyone. Families with children can visit numerous entertaining attractions, from the Tower of London with its bloody history to the London Dungeon and Madame Tussaud's waxworks museum or the London Eye with its stunning vistas of the city. Couples can enjoy the restaurants and nightlife, see a West End show, and explore the markets and famous shopping streets.

More Info: Our London travel guide includes recent reviews of where to eat and what to do in London, whether on holiday or business. The Basics section includes essential advice for international travellers on entry requirements, customs, currency, tipping and more.



Overview

Whether you arrive in London via the underground or inside one of the city's ubiquitous black taxicabs, you will immediately be greeted by a deep sense of history and met with the unique vibrancy of this incredible destination.

In its dark and troubled past, the city of London has survived Roman occupancy, sackings from the Celts, Romans, Vikings and Saxons, a Norman invasion, two great fires, the bubonic plague, Nazi bombings, the Spice Girls and Damien Hirst.

But the London of today promises something for everyone. The London Eye lifts visitors high above the river into vistas that stretch tight across the fading skies. Further down on the South Bank, the Tate Modern contains one of the world's most incredible collections of Modern Art, while the city's 30,000 stores and boutiques will exhaust even the most avid shopper, and its 6,000 restaurants are only too eager to demonstrate why Britons revere their chefs as celebrities.

For those interested in exploring the country's heritage, the Tower of London is an excellent starting point. First constructed in the 11th century, the Tower has been rebuilt several times as later monarchs have left their mark. Still one of London's biggest attractions, and a great celebration of pomp that is free to all visitors is the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, which happens daily.

As the great dome of St Paul's reflects the colours of the setting sun, London comes alive with an unrivalled nightlife. For those up for something more thrilling than dinner and the theatre, London has a vast number of bars and nightclubs catering to all tastes.