Spain/Balearic Islands
Some clichés hold true. Spain, stretching sun-drenched and untamed to the south of the wild and majestic Pyrenees, is a passionate nation littered with glittering beaches where beach lovers soak up pitchers of sangria over steaming paella (at its tasty best in Valencia). Flamenco bailaors (dancers) stamp and swirl in flounces of colour, while toreros flaunt their bravado in the bullrings. Scratch this surface and a vast, unexpected panorama unfolds before you. It is extraordinary what splendours remain off the beaten track: the green hills and ocean coves of the north; proud, solitary castles and medieval towns, like Toledo, across the interior; the white villages of Andalucía; and mountain ranges such as the Gredos and Sierra Nevada (Europe's southernmost ski resort).
Few know that Spain has four official languages. Its regions differ vastly from one another but are held together by a national passion for drama, contrast and a noisy, live-for-today hedonism. If there is one thing all Spaniards love, it is to eat, drink and be merry, whether enjoying tapas over fine wine in Madrid, Seville or Barcelona, or the elaborate Basque Country equivalent, pintxos, over cider in the north. A day hardly goes by without one town or another celebrating a fiesta.
The country combines its superb artistic and natural heritage with an infectious, go-ahead dynamism. In its kitchens, stores and building sites, Spain's avant-garde chefs, designers and architects have unleashed a formidable wave of uninhibited innovation. So pack your bags and head out to see it all for yourself.
Travel Documents
Passport
Citizens of the 25 European Union (EU) member states and Switzerland can travel to Spain with their national identity card alone. If such countries do not issue ID cards travellers must carry a full valid passport.
By law you are supposed to have your passport or ID card with you at all times in Spain. It doesn’t happen often, but it could be embarrassing if you are asked by the police to produce a document and you don’t have it with you.
Tickets
World aviation has never been so competitive and the Internet is often the easiest way of locating and booking reasonably priced seats.
Cheap deals include the discounted tickets released to travel agents and specialist discount agencies. ‘No-frills’ carriers, however, sell direct to travellers. Many airlines also offer excellent fares to Internet surfers, and there is no shortage of online agents:
Getting There
Air Travel
High season in Spain generally means Christmas/New Year, Easter and roughly June to September. This varies somewhat, however, depending on the specific destination. You may find reasonably priced flights available to places such as Madrid in August because it is stinking hot and everyone else has fled to the mountains and the sea. As a general rule, November to March is when air fares to Spain are likely to be at their lowest, and the intervening months can be considered shoulder periods.
Airports & Airlines
The main gateway to Spain is Madrid’s Barajas airport (Aeropuerto de Barajas; www.aena.es), although many European direct flights serve other centres, particularly Barcelona’s Aeroport del Prat, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca and Valencia. Charter flights and low-cost airlines (mostly from the UK & Ireland) are flying direct into a growing number of regional airports, including A Coruña, Alicante, Almería, Asturias, Bilbao, Girona (for the Costa Brava and Barcelona), Ibiza, Jerez de la Frontera, Murcia, Reus and Seville.
Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) Flies to Alicante, Almería, Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Seville and Valencia, as well as to Alicante, Barcelona and Málaga from Cork.
Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) Flies to Girona (Ryanair’s hub for Barcelona), Granada, Jerez de la Frontera, Málaga, Murcia, Reus, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Valencia, Valladolid, Vitoria and Zaragoza. Flights run from London Stansted to all these destinations (except Malaga, which is connected to Dublin, Shannon and Brussels). A plethora of connections from all over Western Europe also fly to some or all of these destinations.
From the UK & Ireland
Discount air travel is big business in Ireland and the UK. Advertisements for many travel agencies appear in the travel pages of the weekend newspapers, such as the Irish Independent, the Irish Times and the Sunday Times.
No-frills airlines are increasingly big business for travel between the UK/Ireland and Spain. EasyJet and Ryanair are the main operators from the UK, getting some competition from smaller outfits like Jet2. From Ireland, check out offers from Aer Lingus and Ryanair (see above). Prices vary wildly according to season and also depend on how far in advance you can book them.
Getting Around
You can reach almost any destination in Spain by train or bus, and services are generally efficient and cheap. For longer distances there are plenty of domestic air services and prices have become more competitive in recent years. However, your own wheels give you the most freedom.
Car Hire
To rent a car in Spain you have to have a licence, be aged 21 or over and, for the major companies at least, have a credit or debit card. Smaller firms in areas where car hire is particularly common (such as the Balearic Islands) can sometimes live without this requirement.
Car-hire companies provide insurance but be careful to understand what your liabilities and excess are and what waivers you are entitled to in case of accident or damage to the hire vehicle.
Local Transport
All the major cities have good local transport. Madrid and Barcelona have extensive bus and metro systems and other major cities also benefit from generally efficient public transport.
Weather
The meseta (high tableland of central Spain) and Ebro basin have a continental climate: scorching in summer, cold in winter, and dry. Madrid regularly freezes in December, January and February, and temperatures climb above 30°C in July and August. Valladolid on the northern meseta and Zaragoza in the Ebro basin are even drier, with only around 300mm of rain a year (little more than Alice Springs in Australia). The Guadalquivir basin in Andalucía is only a little wetter and positively broils in high summer, with temperatures of 35°C-plus in Seville that kill people every year.
The Pyrenees and the Cordillera Cantábrica, backing the Bay of Biscay, bear the brunt of cold northern and northwestern airstreams, which bring moderate temperatures and heavy rainfall (three or four times as much as Madrid’s) to the north coast. Even in high summer you never know when you might get a shower.
The Mediterranean coast and Balearic Islands get a little more rain than Madrid, and the south can be even hotter in summer. The Mediterranean, particularly around Alicante, also provides Spain’s warmest waters (reaching 27°C or so in August). Barcelona’s weather is typical of the coast – milder than in inland cities but more humid.
In general you can usually rely on pleasant or hot temperatures just about everywhere from April to early November. In Andalucía there are plenty of warm, sunny days right through winter. In July and August, temperatures can get unpleasantly hot inland.
Snowfalls in the mountains can start as early as October and some snow cover lasts all year on the highest peaks.
When to Go
Depending on what you’re after, Spain is a year-round destination. The ideal months to visit are May, June and September (plus April and October in the south). At these times you can rely on good to excellent weather, yet avoid the sometimes extreme heat – and the main crush of Spanish and foreign tourists – of July and August, when temperatures can climb to 45°C in inland Andalucía; at this time, Madrid is unbearable and almost deserted.
There’s decent weather in some parts of Spain virtually year-round. Winter (December to February) along the south and southeast Mediterranean coasts is mild, while in the height of summer (June to August) you can retreat to the northwest, to beaches or high mountains anywhere to escape excessive heat. You can be sitting outside enjoying a beer in a T-shirt in Granada in February, or rugged up against the cold while trekking the Picos de Europa mountains in July.
Practical Information
Costs
Spain is, as locals will quickly tell you, not as cheap as it once was. Eating out prices are variable. A menú del día (daily set menu) can cost as little as €7 to €12. Bank on spending a minimum of €20 on a full dinner (including house wine).
Most sights are fairly cheap. Keep an eye out for free days (especially on Sunday and set days for EU citizens). Public transport is reasonably priced, although high-speed trains are pricey.
Tipping
The law requires menu prices to include a service charge; tipping is a matter of choice. Most people leave some small change if they’re satisfied: 5% is normally fine and 10% generous. Porters will generally be happy with €1. Taxi drivers don’t have to be tipped, but a little rounding up won’t go amiss.
Money
Spain’s international airports have bank branches, ATMs and exchange offices. They’re less frequent at road crossings now as Spain’s neighbours – Andorra, Portugal and France – all use the euro.
ATMs
Many credit and debit cards (Visa and MasterCard are the most widely accepted) can be used for withdrawing money from cajeros automáticos (automatic telling machines). This is handy because many banks do not offer an over-the-counter-cash advance service on foreign cards (and where they do, the process can be wearisome). Bear in mind, however, the costs involved. There is usually a charge (hovering around 1.5% to 2%) on ATM cash withdrawals abroad. This charge will appear on your statements.
Moneychangers
As well as at banks, you can exchange both cash and travellers cheques at exchange offices – usually indicated by the word cambio (exchange). They abound in tourist resorts and other places that attract high numbers of foreigners. Generally they offer longer opening hours and quicker service than banks, but worse exchange rates. Their commissions are, on occasion, outrageous.
Travellers Cheques
Travellers cheques usually bring only a slightly better exchange rate than cash, usually offset by the charges for buying them in the first place.
The advantage, of course, is that they protect your money because they can be replaced if lost or stolen. Visa, Amex and Travelex are widely accepted brands with (usually) efficient replacement policies. Amex offices will cash Amex travellers cheques commission-free – but you should always compare exchange rates with those offered in banks. Remember to take along your passport when you cash travellers cheques.
Get most of your cheques in fairly large denominations (the equivalent of €100 or more) to save on any per-cheque commission charges. It’s vital to keep your initial receipt, and a record of your cheque numbers and the ones you have used, separate from the cheques themselves.
Health & Safety
Insurance
If you’re an EU citizen, a European Health Insurance Card, available from health centresor, covers you for most medical care in public hospitals. It will not cover you for non-emergencies or emergency repatriation home. So even with the card, you will still have to pay for medicine bought from pharmacies, even if prescribed, and perhaps for a few tests and procedures. The card is no good for private medical consultations and treatment in Spain; this includes virtually all dentists, and some of the better clinics and surgeries.
Worldwide travel insurance is available at , you can buy, extend and claim online anywhere.
Properties in Spain on PropertySwap.ie!
PropertySwap.ie have many stunning Spanish holiday properties for exchange and rent from beautiful destinations such as:
Alicante
Alicante (Valenciano: Alacant), the Valencia region’s second-largest town, lives for much more than tourism alone. Dynamic, it’s transformed itself from a somewhat seedy port to an attractive place that improves with every visit. Try to fit in at least one overnight stay to experience its frenetic – and unmistakably Spanish – nightlife.
Almeria
The coast east of Almería in eastern Andalucía is perhaps the last section of Spain’s Mediterranean coast where you can have a beach to yourself. This is Spain’s sunniest region – even in late March it can be warm enough to strip off and take in the rays.
Andalucia
Spain’s most southerly region is the true home of typically Spanish experiences. Bullfighting, tapas, flamenco, the guitar itself, all began in Andalucía and remain deeply embedded here. Other aspects of Spanish life take on their most extreme forms here: Andalucian fiestas are the noisiest and most colourful (can you hack the pace of Seville's Feria de Abril?), Easter processions have more pageantry, the summer heat is more broiling, the people are at their most vivacious, fun-loving and family-oriented. The coastal tourist resorts are the most densely crowded in the whole country, though you may be able to find a beach to yourself along the Costa de Almería if you're lucky.
Andalucía is the proud home of Spain’s most famous building, that bejewelled diadem of Islamic architecture, Granada’s Alhambra, as well as other marvellous relics of medieval Islamic Spain. The region also has a lesser-known but as fabulous heritage of cathedrals, palaces and castles from later eras. Contemporary Andalucía is ever more cosmopolitan and fashionable, with towns and cities like Córdoba, Cádiz and Málaga full of hip boutiques and hip bars, stylish restaurants and pumping nightlife - pulsating with life while maintaining their historic charm.
Andalucía is a land of surprises and contradictions. Away from the mass-tourism resorts you’ll find some of the most pristine beaches in the country, while inland are green hills, white villages, huge nature reserves (one-fifth of Andalucian territory is under environmental protection), and the snowcapped highest mountain range on the Spanish mainland, the Sierra Nevada.
Deeply traditional yet ready to seize the modern world, Andalucians always live life to the full. Few visitors to their land fail to get caught up in the fun.
Balearic Islands
Each of these four islands (Islas Baleares, Illes Balears in Catalan), floating serenely in the glittering Mediterranean, could be said to have a theme. Mallorca is the senior island, combining a little of everything, from spectacular mountain scenery and hiking through to the standard sea ‘n’ sun seaside tourism. Ibiza is synonymous with clubbing, the island that gave Europe the rave. Menorca is a haven of tranquillity – splendid isolated beaches and coves, and prehistoric monuments standing as taciturn reminders of how small we are in the grand scheme of things. And tiny Formentera, a chill-out island, where some people lose themselves for the entire summer, needing little more to keep them happy than white beaches and sunset parties.
Each year a massive multinational force invades the islands in search of a piece of this multifaceted paradise. The total population of the isles does not amount to a million, but many times that number are involved in a round-the-clock airlift and disembarkation of sun- and fun-seekers from Easter to October.
Surprisingly, the islands have managed to maintain much of their intrinsic beauty. Beyond the high-rise resort hotels, bars and more popular beaches are Gothic cathedrals, Stone Age ruins, fishing villages, spectacular walks, secluded coves, endless olive and almond groves and citrus orchards. And a growing range of elegant, rural retreats and A-list eateries are attracting a range of visitors beyond the party package crowd.
Costa Blanca
The long stripe of the Costa Blanca (White Coast) is one of Europe’s most heavily visited areas. If you’re after a secluded midsummer beach, stay away. But if you’re looking for a lively social scene, good beaches and a suntan…
It isn’t all concrete and package deals. Although the original fishing villages have long been engulfed by the sprawl of resorts, a few old town kernels, such as those of Xàbia (Jávea) and Altea, still survive.
In July and August it can be tough finding accommodation if you haven’t booked. Out of season, those places remaining open usually charge far less than in high summer.
Most buses linking Valencia and Alicante head down the motorway, making a stop in Benidorm. A few, however, call by other intervening towns. Renfe trains connect Valencia with Gandia, while the FGV narrow-gauge trains and trams ply the scenic route between Denia and Alicante, stopping at all pueblos en route.
Inland Trips from the Costa Blanca by Derek Workman describes in detail and with flair 20 one-day car excursions into the interior. Pack too his Small Hotels and Inns of Eastern Spain if you’d like to linger and spend the night away from the crowds.
Malaga
This exuberant and very Spanish port city, set against a sparkling blue Mediterranean, is both historic and pulsing with modern life. The centre presents the visitor with narrow old streets and wide, leafy boulevards, beautiful gardens and impressive monuments, fashionable shops and a cultural life that is coming to the fore as never before. As expected, the major new museum devoted to Málaga-born Pablo Picasso is dynamising the city. Málaga also has a newish museum of contemporary art and a new fine arts museum is pending. The historic centre is being restored and much of it pedestrianised and the port is being developed as a leisure zone. The city’s terrific bars and nightlife, the last word in Málaga joie de vivre, stay open very late.
Murcia
Pinched between the more-trodden beaches of Almería to the south and the heaving resorts of Valencia’s Costa Blanca to the north, Murcia is one of Spain’s least visited and, the peninsula of La Manga apart, least touristy corners.
Its name derives from the Latin murtae (mulberry). For centuries mulberry leaves fed silkworms for a flourishing industry that lasted until well after WWII, when local silk could no longer compete against man-made fibres.
Murcia’s 250km of coast is aptly called La Costa Cálida (Hot One). With over 3000 hours of sunshine each year, it almost guarantees an all-over tan, whether you spread your towel in the tourist pulls of the Mar Menor or in the quieter, much more Spanish resorts southwards.
So much sunshine means a dry, semidesert interior. Humankind has toiled over the centuries to put the little rain that falls over the region to best use. Muslims from North Africa introduced their irrigation systems: waterwheels, aqueducts and acequias (canals). This network, still largely extant, helps to distribute the stingy 300mm of annual rainfall, allowing intensive cultivation, especially of the citrus crops and grapes in the El Guadalentín valley and tomatoes by the tonne, grown in vast plastic greenhouses south of Cartagena.
The busy capital, also called Murcia, is a university town with a splendid cathedral. Cartagena, Spain’s premier naval port, is excavating, digging deep to reveal its rich classical heritage. Inland, Lorca, once a frontier town between Christian and Muslim Spain, is famous for its Semana Santa (Easter week) processions, and the unspoilt Parque Natural de Sierra Espuña draws climbers and walkers.
Santander
Most of modern Santander, with its bustling centre, clanking port and shapeless suburbs, stands in drab contrast to its pretty beaches, particularly the old-world elegance of El Sardinero. A huge fire raged through the city in 1941, but what’s left of the ‘old’ centre is a lively source of entertainment for the palate and liver, and has an atmosphere well worth stopping to savour. All up, however, Santander is a good deal more staid than its resort cousin, San Sebastián.
Valencia
In 2005 more than five million overseas visitors chose the Comunidad Valenciana (Valencia region) as their holiday destination. Most descend upon the resorts of the thin coastal strip, where they stay put – except, perhaps, for a day trip to Valencia City. The more enterprising rent a bike or car, leave behind the coastal hedonism and explore the region’s rich interior.
Valencia is both of Spain, and distinct from Spain. In Muslim hands for five centuries, its Christian European history has been shaped as much by Catalonia, its neighbour to the north, as by Castilla. The region’s flag bears the red and yellow stripes of Catalonia and the mother tongue of many is Valenciano, a dialect of Catalan.
Valencia City, the region’s capital, is famed for its nightlife, the wild Las Fallas spring festival and the stunning architecture of its Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias.
To the north, along the Costa del Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast), is a string of low-key resorts, plus the historic site of Sagunto. Southwards along the Costa Blanca (White Coast) stretch some of Spain’s finest beaches. You can bar-hop and party in international resorts such as Benidorm, Torrevieja and the lively provincial capital of Alicante. Others, such as Denia and Gandia, still retain a much more Spanish flavour. Inland lies another world where mountains buckle and castles crown the hilltops: there’s Morella, girt by its intact medieval walls; Xàtiva, with its own splendid castle; and Elche, with Europe’s most extensive palm groves.
You can browse Spanish properties for exchange on PropertySwap.ie here or for rental here
