Archive for 'Tourist Attractions in Spain'

While one might imagine scenes of summer heat and excitement when picturing days at the beach in Spain, the majority of surfers come to enjoy the northern coastline from October onwards when the surf season begins. The Atlantic certainly gets rather cold at this time of the year but, if you’re interested in surfing in Spain and want to enjoy both the best possible waves and the wonderful cuisine, attractions, culture, and landscape of the area at the same time, then it is the only time to plan your visit.

There are lots of famous surf towns in the country but if you find a villa in Cantabria, you will discover plenty of great options along the coast of the region and a distinctly fascinating part of Spain to explore. Known as, “Green Spain,” this area is full of unbelievable natural beauty and boasts over 60 sandy beaches, endless stunning churches and abbeys along the old Way of Saint James pilgrimage route, several extraordinary nature reserves, pretty towns, top-notch spas, and a unique gastronomy. Add to this the excellent surf spots and you have a recipe for a perfect autumn getaway in Spain full of invigorating days in the ocean or wandering the mountains that are blanketed in trees in astounding shades of gold and russet or warming up with some delicious seasonal specialities.

Catalonia is a region of Spain with a rich, unique, and fascinating heritage and culture and there are endless museums, incredible architectural gems, churches, palaces, beaches, natural wonders, historic towns, specialised shops, astounding craftsmen, wonderful shows and theatres and performances, festivals, markets, foodie hotspots, and more to be discovered all across the region. In fact, with a vacation rental in Catalonia, there is a whole world of possibilities when it comes to types of holidays that you can plan, interests that you can indulge, and memories that can be made. However, those with a special interest in fast cars and the Ferrari brand in particular, might be interested to know that a rather unique theme park opened up in Catalonia a few years ago: Ferrari Land! A must for gear heads exploring this part of Spain, this is an unexpected but rather enjoyable day out...

For art-lovers looking to holiday in Spain, a villa in Madrid is always an excellent idea. The city is a serious cultural hub, steeped in history, full of architectural gems and churches stuffed with incredible works of art, and is home to many brilliant museums. The incomparable scale and quality of the collections of the world-renowned Prado Museum are, of course, a must-see but there are several others wonderful galleries and museums located across Madrid. Among them, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, often referred to merely as the Thyssen, is particularly noteworthy and another key example to include in an itinerary of the city if you have a passion for art.

Located only a short walking distance from the better-known and aforementioned Prado, the Thyssen (or Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza) is part of the so-called, "Golden Triangle of Art", which is comprised of it and the Prado and Reina Sofia national galleries. Filling in the gaps of the other two museums' collections quite nicely, the Thyssen's holdings are vast and it was even once the largest private collection after the British Royal Collection, boasting a whopping 1,600 paintings.

When one thinks of the fairytale castles that inspired the illustrations that we all grew up with in storybooks and cartoons and in Disneyland, the buildings romantically perched over lush valleys of Germany and the ornate chateaux of France are probably what springs to mind. No doubt, if you are interested in bringing a little bit of magic into your life and seeking out such incredible architectural gems IRL, these are two excellent destinations in which to do so. However, did you know that one of the most influential castles to inspire the likes of Disney is actually in Spain?

Located in the town of Segovia, northwest of Madrid and an excellent day trip destination for those who find a holiday rental in Madrid, the Alcázar de Segovia is quite the sight to behold. A massive cream castle punctuated by little arched windows, a castellated tower, and several charming pointed turrets, it is the quintessential sort of fairytale, picture-perfect palace that many might imagine when conjuring such things. It is no wonder, then, that it was used as a model for the design of the queen's castle in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and for Cinderella's castle as imagined in Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland.