Archive for 'Must See Attractions in Spain'

A few years back, a friend moved to Madrid for a girl and while he might have fallen out of love with her, he quickly fell for the city. He told all of us that we had to visit, that he had so much to show us, so many places to eat, views to take in. When an artist I liked planned a stop in Madrid along their European tour and none for Ireland, I took it as an opportunity to see him play, explore the city, and visit my friend. He had, indeed put together a rather intense itinerary and rushed me around from place to place in order to see it all. I grew frustrated at being dragged around in the heat and not being allowed to rest for more than five minutes (during our flying visit to the city’s famous El Retiro Park) but, we did eventually get a chance to rest. The place he deemed worth sitting with a cold beer, some jamón, and other snacks? It was the beautiful Plaza Mayor.

Popular among tourists and locals alike – something that is no mean feat in any city – the Plaza Mayor is a town square at the centre of the city and is a perfectly symmetrical and satisfying architectural gem filled with history, some great eateries, and some wonderful little stores. If you have found a vacation rental in Madrid and are planning on spending time exploring the city, it is likely that you may end up there anyway, pulled by the seemingly innate tide of the crowds that are to be found wandering the winding streets of the historic centre of the city on any given day but, if not, be sure to make a point to plan a pit-stop here.

Picasso is, undoubtedly, one of the most famous artists that Spain and the world has ever produced and, while he lived in various places and is celebrated in different cities around the globe, his hometown is a must-see for those who are major fans of his work. Just find a vacation rental in Málaga and come discover the beautiful city that birthed one of the great masters of 20th century art, not to mention one of the finest collections of his work in the world in the Museo Picasso of Málaga. For an excellent overview of Picasso’s oeuvre, this little gem is a must!

Inaugurated by the King and Queen of Spain on the 27th of October 2003, after 50 whole years of planning, the museum is made up of a collection of more than 200 works that were donated and loaned to the museum by Christine Ruiz-Picasso (wife of Paul, Picasso’s eldest son) and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso (Picasso's grandson). It is housed in the painstakingly restored and carefully adjusted Renaissance gem, Palacio de Buenavista, in the heart of the historic core of the city, not far from the Alcazaba Fortress and Gibralfaro Castle.

If you are interested in the arts and have found a vacation rental in Barcelona, you won’t be short of cultural things to see and do from museums and galleries to explore to concerts to listen to and plays to watch to performances to attend. If you want your culture served with a side of an incredible architectural gem then there is an obvious destination to be sure to visit while in the city; the Palau de la Música Catalana.

This historic beauty is a wonderful and integral cultural institution in the city that is still a vibrant centre for music, dance, and other performance and has a busy schedule of events that take place right throughout the year. A visit ensures a wonderful evening of both incredible art and architecture, combining the stunning setting with some sort of performance. One can simply take a guided tour of the architectural gem but, in our opinion, you should try and see a performance in the auditorium as that is when it shines the most.

Isla Mágica made headlines a decade ago when Tom Cruise had a real-life movie magic moment and rented out the whole theme park for a day for his daughter Suri while in the area filming the movie, “Knight and Day.” However, you don’t need to pull that kind of massive surprise or have exclusive access to enjoy this incredible place. If you have found a vacation rental in Seville or a holiday rental in Andalusia then you should set aside a day to go and play around on the rides and enjoy the thematic zones and performances whether you are amongst actual children or those that are simply always children at heart.

Córdoba is a quaint town that is a must-see and perfect day trip destination for anyone who has found a vacation rental in Andalusia and is looking for something extra special. It is one of those utterly picturesque places that feel as though one is in an entirely different world; all lush vegetation, great open piazzas, big old bridges, flowers tumbling over cast iron balconies, little winding streets lined by cast iron lamps, Moorish architectural influences, great fountains and water features, a medieval core, and more modern parts of the city. However, amongst all the lovely restaurants, places to wander with loved ones and take in your lovely surroundings, pretty views, cute shops, and much more to see and do besides, the most famous and important attraction, by far, has to be the Mezquita-Catedral, or the Great Mosque of Córdoba.

The UNESCO-awarded Great Mosque is one of the oldest structures still standing from the time that Spain was part of Islamic-ruled Al-Andalus – the Muslim Iberia that included Spain, Portugal, and a small part of Southern France and which existed up until the late 8th century – and is the city's most famous building. It is thought to have been built on the site of a former temple to the Roman god Janus and it was later made into a church by the Visigoths who took the city in 572 before being rebuilt and converted into a mosque by the Umayyads, who were an exiled Islamic dynasty who had once ruled in present-day Syria.