Madrid

updated June 08

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Tips for the Prado - Try to arrive a bit before 9:00 am at the Puerta de Goya north side entrance across from the Ritz hotel. Head straight up the steps to the upper Goya entrance, the second floor grand hall, where you‚Äôll find the huge canvases of the Spanish masters.  Purchase your audio guide in the rotunda, pick up your museum plan, then straight down the Grand Main Hall. First comes El Greco, then the Spanish Baroque: Ribera, Zurbaran, Velazquez and Murillo.  Titian is also found on the Grand Hall beyond El Greco, Rembrandt in room 7 and Rubens in 8-11.  Keep going and hit the other Velazquez rooms first ...

Barcelona

updated Oct. 07

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The Museu Picasso - This gem of a museum is housed in a series of medieval stone mansions on the very atmospheric, mansion-filled Carrer Montcada in La Ribera district, to the east of the Barri Gotic.  The collection is strong on his very early works, produced as young as 12!  Plus his blue period, a bit of his rose period and the series based on Velazquez's Las Meninas.  You can expect long lines, so go early, as it's the city's most popular museum.  There is a pleasant Café-restaurant on ground floor with outdoor terrace and an expansive shop selling everything imaginable related to Picasso. Tickets cost...

Sevilla

updated Oct. 07

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The cathedral is considered to be the third largest Cathedral in the world after St. Paul's in London and St. Peter's in Rome, but it does have the world's largest altarpiece and is supposedly the final resting place of Christopher Columbus. Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic disputes this claim. The remains have recently been removed for DNA testing to finally put a end to these disputes once and for all. The Guinness Book of World Records claims that Sevilla's cathedral also has the world's largest interior space. There is a prominent Moorish minaret, or watchtower rising above the plaza. In the 12th century it served ...

San Sebastian-Donostia

updated Aug 05

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A compact, elegant, sophisticated, stately, Parisian looking city filled with Belle époque architecture, called "La Bella Easo", San Sebastián is considered one of Spain's most beautiful destinations and the pearl of the Cantabrian Sea. You'll marvel at the elegance of both the spectacular turn of the century homes and the setting along the beautiful crescent shaped La Concha beach, which along with El Sardinero in Santander, is the prettiest stretch of sand in Spain. San Sebastián was made famous during the second half of the 19th century by the Spanish Royal Family who came here to take the waters. It became the official summer residence ...

Bilbao-Bilbo

updated Aug 05

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My favorite haunt in the old quarter is Victor Montes, one of the oldest and liveliest of the square's restaurants and bars, which have a wonderfully jaunty Belle Epoque décor that are all black and white and gold. Start off with some rabas, fried squid rings, and a txikito of Rioja. The txikito is a sturdy short glass with a thick stem and a small hollow that holds only a few sips of wine. After the last sip it's Basque custom to move on to the next bar. The Bilbainos believe in ‚"little and often" and in each bar order only a short ‚"txikito" or ‚"zurito" and one pintxo that they knock back in a minute or two before quickly relocating to another bar.  The plaza has so many that you may never get beyond the square before the evening's over.  Another favorite is the next-door Café Bilbao, which always wins prizes...

Segovia

updated June 08

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The fairy tale, Disneyesque, elegant and graceful Alcazar, the official residence of Queen Isabella father, Juan II and brother Enrique IV, and where Isabella was proclaimed Queen of Castile in 1474, where she and Ferdinand first met, where Columbus came to receive the financing for his venture.  Inside it's been quite heavily restored due to a fire in 1862 when it was a military school, and the results are a bit ersatz. However, highlights include the authentic looking Throne Room, where above the thrones of the Catholic monarchs you'll see the words "Tanto Monta", meaning that Isabella held as much power in Aragon as Ferdinand in Castile, in other words, equal sovereignty, a room with ...

Hondarribia

updated Aug 06

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This fishing village in Gipuzkoa is widely considered one of the most picturesque coastal villages in all of Spain with it's charming and colorful La Marina quarter, the much photographed fishermen's homes of Calle San Pedro with their green, blue and red shutters and geranium bedecked balconies.  The historic walled medieval quarter overlooks the city and is filled with palaces and the Castle/Parador Carlos V.  The wide beach winds along the river to the coast.  It makes an excellent and inexpensive small town base where you can spend several days exploring the Pays Basque, the lush valleys of Navarra and inland Gipuzkoa.  Whether you decide to stay in grand style at the Castle Parador or ...

Toledo

updated September 08

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Arriving in Toledo

By Train

From Puerta de Atocha station, take the new high speed AVANT (a regional AVE), a 30-minute ride for the bargain price of €9 one-way, or get a 20% discount on round-trip tickets, a total of €14, 40. Check the current schedule at renfe.es. Please make sure to purchase your ticket at least a few days in advanc or better still, online on the RENFE site. Tickets for the morning departures from Madrid often sell out...

Granada

updated October 08

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Why Visit?

This capital of Eastern Andalusia, with a population of 300,000, is blessed with both a stunning setting in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and a fascinating history, straddling eastern and western civilizations - a city caught between oriental and occidental sensibilities.  Its crown jewel, the Alhambra, moored above the city like a ship, is the greatest relic of Islamic Spain, the last stronghold of the Moorish empire and one of the world's most magical landmarks.

Basque Country

This file is no longer available. You will find all of the updates on the Pais Vasco and Pays Basque pdf files

Pais Vasco
Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia & Alava

updated Aug 06

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July and August are the busiest months of the tourist season, when most Spaniards take their month long vacations, so lodging will be at a premium. Please book ASAP. The winters are very rainy. September is the ideal month. Early June is also good, as the high season rates don't start until July 1 or even July 15. The water will be warm enough for swimming (although it's a bit too nippy for timid tastes), but it does rain quite a bit-for every four days in San Sebastian, perhaps one will be a great beach day!...

Pays Basque
Labourd, Basse, Navarre

updated Oct. 07

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Excursions into the Pays Basque - southwest France - If you're without a car and just want to dip your toes into the French side at a more expansive and warmer beach, take the little yellow Marie-Louise ferry (navette) from the pier in Hondarribia across the bay of Txinguidi to the town of Hendaye for a nice beach day.  The ferry departs daily on the half hour and costs 1,50 euros.  If you have a car and want to venture over the border into the Pays Basque, then it is about a 19 km...

Rioja
Alta - Alavesa

updated May 08

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The Rioja Alavesa is the one section of the three wine producing regions of Spain's  Rioja which is located in the Basque Country.  The other two  are designated as the Rioja Alta and the Rioja Baja.  A tiny section of neighboring Navarra also belongs to the Rioja Denominacion de Origen.  Arguably, the very best Rioja wines are produced in the Alava region.  There are more than 400 hundred wineries in the Rioja D.O. region. 

This is a stunningly beautiful and ancient area dating from the Neolithic era, where you'll find atmospheric fortress towns on the hill, some with their medieval walls still intact and filled with noble homes displaying their heraldic shields.  There are enormous Gothic churches, each ...