Archive for 'Tourist Attractions in Spain'

Alicante is associated more with beach holidays, tanning, splashing in the sea, and heading to bars and enjoying the nightlife. However, there is much more to the city beyond what most tourists make of it. It is a place with its own rich history and culture that stretches back far before it became a popular holiday destination. One of these cultural hotspots is the Gravina Museum of Fine Arts (MUBAG) that is a nice change of pace and dose of local history for those who have found a vacation rental in Alicante.

Located inside the Palacio del Conde de Lumiares (Palace of the Count of Lumiares), a gorgeous, listed four-storey building that was built between 1748 and 1808, not far from the Plaza del Mar, the Esplanade and Postiguet beach, the Gravina Museum of Fine Arts is home to a collection of over 500 works of art dating from the 16th to the early 20th centuries.

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.

Villajoyosa, or La Vila Joiosa, is a picture-perfect seaside city, often simply known as “La Vila” to locals, in the Province of Alicante in Spain. With the most idyllic of beaches – picture fluffy white crescents of sand meeting crystal clear cerulean water – and a town populated by pretty little streets lined in a veritable rainbow of crayon-box-coloured buildings, there is no doubt that it has all of the visual appeal that one could hope for from a town on the Mediterranean Sea. However, there is also plenty to see and do. If you have found a vacation rental in Valencia and you’re looking for somewhere to spend the day, you could not even dream of more perfect place to do so.

Literally meaning “joyful town”, Villajoyosa is a pretty extraordinary spot along the famous Costa Blanca that boasts 3km of beaches, including La Platja Centre, right by the city centre. It is also famous for its chocolate industry and tourism and has an exceptionally pretty Old Town, all of which amounts to plenty of reasons to be joyful and joyful experiences for visitors who find themselves in the city.