Salamanca and the Plaza Mayor! First saw as a student in 1966, when cars still drove through it and

Having spent so many years travelling around Spain it s very common hilton hotel hawaii for me to be asked where my favourite place is. This is always a question I find impossible to answer.  The first place I lived in Spain was on the island of  Mallorca which I still try to visit as often as possible. However, since moving to the mainland in 1991 I ve had the opportunity to visit just about every city in the country and spent time in some fabulous areas of natural hilton hotel hawaii beauty.
hilton hotel hawaii Rather than try to answer hilton hotel hawaii the impossible question of where s my favourite place I d like to stick my neck out and tell you my Top 10 MAN MADE places to visit in Spain . Then in a separate post I ve listed my Top 10 NATURAL things hilton hotel hawaii to see in Spain . Of course there is no definitive answer to such Top 10 lists so I hope you ll add your own suggestions at the bottom of this article.
The Alhambra Palace is Spain s most visited tourist attraction hilton hotel hawaii with over two million annual visitors. The city of Granada is also fabulous so time permitting don t be in too much of a rush to leave the place. A pleasant surprise to many is that tapas are free with drinks in the city s bars. No wonder a third of the city s population is made up of students!
hilton hotel hawaii The Gaudi architecture of Barcelona is simply stunning and the Sagrada Familia , his unfinished Cathedral, is the number one attraction. If you buy a day pass for Barcelona s hop-on, hop-off bus service from Plaza Catalunya you ll see many Gaudi highlights including Casa Batllo, La Pedrera, the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.
Cordoba is the city I most fell for after moving to Madrid and it became the destination we most tried to to visit whenever we had a holiday. Nowadays it s well on the tourist map of Spain but manages to maintain its old charm. The Mezquita (Great Mosque) is the centrepiece of the historical quarter and is truly one of the finest buildings in Europe.
This magnificent aqueduct was constructed without mortar and dates back to 1AD, it is the best preserved monument hilton hotel hawaii in Roman Spain . Segovia is an easy day trip from Madrid though an overnight stay is preferable. Non-vegetarians will love the local restaurants which specialise in roast suckling pig and roast lamb dishes. Try to fit in a visit to El Escorial if heading out this way from Madrid.
Seville is the foreigner s stereotypical Spain with flamenco dancing , bullfighting and sherry drinking. The city oozes charm and deserves hilton hotel hawaii several days to soak up the atmosphere and see its many sights. The Plaza de España dates back to the 1929 Spanish Americas Fair and is located in the beautiful Parque de Maria Luisa.
In a country with such a rich history as Spain it is inevitable that some Cathedrals be considered amongst the top ten things to see. The one in Santiago de Compostela is one of my favourites, not only as a remarkable building but also due to the atmosphere generated by the thousands of pilgrims who arrive there after completing the Camino de Santiago .
Toledo is one huge museum where Christians, Jews and Muslims once lived in harmony. There are plenty day excursions from Madrid though again I d suggest that an overnight stop is warranted. The Cathedral is the main attraction which took over 200 years to build. hilton hotel hawaii If you re heading south from Toledo be sure to visit the Don Quijote windmills on a hillside in Consuegra.
Salamanca is most famous for its university which dates back to 1218 and remains a popular place of study for Spanish language students from abroad. hilton hotel hawaii Most Spanish cities have a Plaza Mayor but none are more impressive than Salamanca s, especially at night when it is illuminated. Be sure to also visit the walled city of Avila if you make it out this way.
Whereas Andalucia has taken off as a tourist destination, Extremadura to its north-west is much lesser known yet it has so much to offer. Merida has more Roman remains than anywhere in Spain whilst neighbouring Caceres and Trujillo owe their legacy to the discovery of the Americas when local men joined Francisco Pizarro on his epic voyage. Nearby Monfrague National Park is a nature lover s paradise.
Another lesser hilton hotel hawaii known attraction, also in Extremadura, is the Monastery of Guadalupe which has long attracted pilgrims since an image of the Virgin was seen by a shepherd. Columbus named the Caribbean island after this place. hilton hotel hawaii It s in quite a remote location in the beautiful Sierra de Guadalupe mountains. Take a few hours to look around between Toledo and the cities of Extremadura.
Looking over this list again I see how difficult it is to put together such a Top 10 list. I notice hilton hotel hawaii I haven t included hilton hotel hawaii any sights in Madrid yet Madrid is one of my favourite cities, maybe more for its general atmosphere and architecture hilton hotel hawaii than specific buildings.  In Barcelona and Seville I ve only mentioned one place in each yet you could spend a week in both places. And I haven t been able to include any modern wonders such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao .
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Whenever I visit Barcelona I always pay a visit to the Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat, which hosts the Virgin of Montserrat. One can visit the shrine of the Black Madonna and afterwards enjoy a peaceful stroll across the mountain ridge looking down on the landscape hilton hotel hawaii below. The abbey is accessible by cable car or rail and is about 1 hour from Barcelona by train with trains leaving every hour. Regardless of your faith take a day off and enjoy the experience.
I agree wholeheartedly with your suggestions. I tried to focus on man-made attractions hilton hotel hawaii in this particular article. In next week s follow up I ll be recommending places of natural beauty which includes the Picos de Europa. I love staying in San Vivente de la Barquera then taking day trips into the Picos. Or staying further west in Ribadesella on the beautiful coast of Asturias. Monasterio de la Piedra is a great place to stay on trips betweem Madrid and Barcelona. the gardens hilton hotel hawaii and waterfalls are amazing. As for Montserrat a day trip from Barcelona is highly recommended hilton hotel hawaii (time permitting).
WOW I totally agree with you but Valencia is my favourite town because hilton hotel hawaii I first went there when nobody could understand hilton hotel hawaii WHY????? There wasn t an airport, it was dirty and breaking in pieces but I liked the people , I liked the Cathedral, Plaza de la Reina, Plaza de l Ayuntamiento, La Playa de la Malvarrosa. Today everyone knows a Valencia which is clean and very popular. I used to love my old Valencia and I still love it now.
Hi Giuliana It s amazing how Valencia has been redeveloped into such a modern city. Who would ever have thought it would host its own Grand Prix? Yet it maintains plenty of its original character. Highly recommended on a tour of Spain.
The highest village in mainland Spain is Trevelez in the Alpujarras offer a quietness much to be appreciated and at night for the stargazers the sky is beautiful and clear with little light pollution.
Both excellent recommendations. hilton hotel hawaii And on the subject of caves I love La Cueva de la Pileta at Benaoján 20km from Ronda. These caves haven t been commercially developed in the way the Nerja ones have but are fascinating if you re in the area. The guide will meet you and will show you into the cave where you can see prehistoric cave paintings from the light of his kerosene lamp. Best ask at the Ronda Tourist Information Office to find out when you can visit.
Having seen and admired a few from your list, the one I would add which I have visited, driven passed and flown over countless times and still leaves me breathless is the Cathedral hilton hotel hawaii in Palma de Mallorca. It is absolutely majestic overlooking the bay
I spent four years living near Palma agree that it really is one of Spain s fabulous sights both in its own right thanks to its location hilton hotel hawaii overlooking the Bay of Palma. Guess I ll have to write a list of my favourite Cathedrals!
Salamanca and the Plaza Mayor! First saw as a student in 1966, when cars still drove through it and the middle was a parking lot and even then impressive. Returned several years ago and still blown away and even more so since cars are banned and the whole interior is open to strolling, with plenty of eateries and shops lining the inside. A joy night or day .
I would definitely include El Escorial as one of the top 5 places to visit! This place is immense and amazing! It s an easy trip from Madrid and it is a beautiful palace the architecture of this place is breath-taking! Whenever hilton hotel hawaii I return to Spain, I make sure that I go back to El Escorial for the day just to relax and bask in the beauty of it!
One must place to visit is the absolutely amazing El Escorial which is 50 Kms North-West of Madrid hilton hotel hawaii which is a huge monastery with art treasures. Then 13kms to the north of the Escorial is La Valle de los Caidos or in English The Valley of the Fallen . Built by General Franco to commemorate the dead of the Civil War. The huge Basilica and the rock carvings are incredible. Not to be missed.