Spain (Spanish: España) is famous for its friendly inhabitants, relaxed lifestyle, its cuisine, vibrant nightlife, and world-famous folklore and festivities, and its history as the core of the vast Spanish Empire. Spain shares the Iberian Peninsula with Andorra, Gibraltar, and Portugal. It has the second-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites after Italy and the largest number of World Heritage Cities. Spain is a diverse country with contrasting regions that have different languages and unique historical, political and cultural traditions. Because of this, Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autónomas), plus two autonomous cities. As a result, some even describe Spain as a "federation without federalism". Some of the autonomous communities—notably the ones which have other official languages alongside Spanish—have been recognised as "historical nationalities" that have a unique historical identity. These include the Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia, the Valencian region, Andalusia, the Balearic Islands, Aragon and the Canary Islands. Spain's many regions can be grouped as follows: Spain has hundreds of interesting cities. Here are nine of the most popular: 40.383333-3.7166671 Madrid — the vibrant capital, with fantastic museums, interesting architecture, great food and nightlife 41.3833332.1833332 Barcelona — Spain's second city, full of modernist buildings, a vibrant cultural life, festivals, and beaches 43.256944-2.9236113 Bilbao — former industrial city, home to the Guggenheim Museum and other cultural features; main Basque city 37.883333-4.7666674 Córdoba — Also called Cordova, The Grand Mosque ('Mezquita') of Cordoba is one of the world's finest buildings 37.178056-3.6008335 Granada — stunning city in the south, surrounded by snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada, home of La Alhambra 36.719444-4.426 Málaga — the heart of flamenco with the beaches of the Costa del Sol 37.377222-5.9869447 Seville (Spanish: Sevilla) — a beautiful, verdant city, and home to the world's third largest cathedral 39.466667-0.3758 Valencia — paella was invented here, has a very nice beach 41.65-0.8833339 Zaragoza — also called Saragossa. The fifth largest city of Spain that held the World Expo in 2008 38.354-0.4081 Costa Blanca — 200 km of white coast with plenty of beaches and small villages 42.02283.224492 Costa Brava — the rugged coast with plenty of seaside resorts 36.79-4.483 Costa del Sol — the sunny coast in the south of the country 27.966667-15.64 Gran Canaria — known as "a continent in miniature" due to its many different climates and landscapes 38.981.435 Ibiza — a Balearic island; one of the best places for clubbing, raving, and DJs in the entire world 39.6166672.9833336 Mallorca — the largest island of the Balears, full of amazing beaches and great nightlife 37.05-3.37 Sierra Nevada — the highest mountains on the Iberian Peninsula, great for walking and skiing 28.268611-16.6055568 Tenerife — offers lush forests, exotic fauna and flora, deserts, mountains, volcanoes, beautiful coastlines and spectacular beaches With great beaches, mountains, campsites, ski resorts, superb weather, varied and fun nightlife, many cultural regions and historic cities, it is no wonder that Spain is the most popular tourist destination in Europe for any kind of trip. A country of large geographic and cultural diversity, Spain may come as a surprise to those who only know of its reputation for great beach holidays and almost endless sunshine. There is everything from lush meadows and snowy mountains to huge marshes and deserts in the south east. While summer is the peak season, those who wish to avoid the crowds should consider visiting in the winter as not only is it normally mild and sunny, but attractions such as the Alhambra Palace in Granada and La Gran Mezquita in Cordoba will not be overcrowded. However the ski resorts of Sierra Nevada do get very crowded. The Mediterranean climate that predominates in Southern and Central Spain is noted for its dry summers and (somewhat) wet(ter) winters, so visiting in the winter or spring brings the added benefit of the vegetation looking much more healthy. Northern Spain (e.g. Asturias) on the other hand gets quite a bit of rain year round and is ripe with lush green vegetation even in August. Some of the earliest known remains of Homo of any kind in Europe have been found in Spain. Spain is also thought to have been the last refuge of the Neanderthals, and one of the few places that were inhabitable and inhabited throughout the ice ages. See also: Roman Empire The earliest inhabitants of the Iberian peninsula we have any profound knowledge of were Iberians, Celts (related to the Gaulish, Britannic and Central European Celts in language and culture) and Basques. As most of these groups had little to no written records we only know of them due to the descriptions of the Greek, Punic and later Roman settlers and conquerors, who colonized Spain from the South starting in the 3rd century BC. Roman culture lasted on the peninsula for roughly half a millennium, when in the age of migrations the Visigoths conquered the Roman province of Hispania. Most inhabitants of the area kept speaking Latin or rather Latin-derived languages/dialects and only a handful of Germanic words entered the Spanish language ("ganso" being the most commonplace). Soon after their conquest, the Visigoths formed a number of rival "kingdoms" and petty noble states in almost constant conflict in ever-shifting shaky alliances with or against one another, giving rise to constant wars. See also: Islamic Golden Age In 711 one Visigoth ruler apparently called for the Umayyad Muslims to help in his fight against some rival or other. (The historical records for this era in Spain are rather bad and there are for example no contemporary Muslim sources whatsoever.) This proved more successful than he could have imagined, and by the end of the 8th century most of the peninsula was in Muslim hands. While the almost 800 years of divided rule by Christian and Muslim rulers on the Iberian peninsula was by no means peaceful, the modern narrative of a somehow concerted effort to "regain" the "lost lands" for Christendom was never the first, second or any priority for the majority of the Christian rulers. As a matter of fact, many times Christian rulers entered into alliances with Muslim rulers against other Christian rulers and vice versa. While the situation for Muslims in Christian lands and vice versa and Jews in either depended very much on the mood of the ruler and could lie anywhere on a range from benevolent ignorance to murder and expulsion, religious minorities had it a lot better in Spain than in most of the rest of Europe at that time. In fact the Sephardi Jews (named after the Hebrew word for Spain) were at that time not only one of the most important groups inside Spain in terms of science and education, but also dominant among the Jewish people, worldwide. During that time an estimated 90% of Jews were Sephardi. (In the 19th century, on the other hand, roughly 90% of Jews were Ashkenazim [German and Eastern European, and primarily Yiddish-speaking].) However, this period ended when through conquest and marriage the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon as well as a couple of minor Christian lands were united and their rulers started a war of conquest against the Muslim rulers. The union of the numerous Christian kingdoms is commemorated in the modern Spanish coat of arms, which is an amalgamation of the coats of arms of the four main kingdoms prior to the union, namely the kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, León and Navarre. In the process of re-conquering Spain, many of the great mosques and synagogues were desecrated and converted into Christian churches. Some of the most glorious historical attractions in Spain date from the period of Muslim rule, including The Mezquita, built as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Medina Azahara, also in Córdoba and now in ruins but still visitable as such and built as the Madinat al-Zahra, the Palace of al-Andalus; and the Alhambra in Granada, a splendid, intact palace. There are also two synagogues still standing that were built during the era of Muslim Spain: Santa María la Blanca in Toledo and the Synagogue of Córdoba, in the Old City. This so called "reconquista" was completed in 1492 with the fall of Granada, and all Jews were forced to leave Spain or convert that year; by 1526, all Spanish Muslims had suffered the same fate. 1492 also marks the point when Spain started to become the world's strongest empire with territories in North, Central and South America, Africa, and the Philippines (named after Spanish king Felipe II). The "new Christians" as they were called were often not sincere in their largely forced conversions and to ensure religious "purity", the notorious Spanish inquisition was set up. Genetic studies made in modern times suggest that a large percentage of modern Spaniards have at least partial Jewish and/or Muslim ancestry, which might surprise some, as the concept of being a "true Christian" (rather than a "converso") soon began to get hereditary overtones, with the expulsion of all the descendants of forced converts from Islam in 1609. Under the House of Habsburg, Spain became a personal union with the Austrian Empire, and reached its height of power in Europe during the 16th and early 17th centuries, controlling much of Benelux and Italy. Spain was weakened as the House of Habsburg lost the Thirty Years' War in 1648. Spain was further weakened by ineffective governance, religious intolerance that drove out the erstwhile prosperous and productive Jewish and Muslim minorities and hampered free inquiry and - paradoxically - Latin American gold and silver that devalued the currency and still couldn't cover war expenses. The Spanish Habsburgs - prone to marrying inside the family, thus accumulating inheritable diseases - died out when Charles II was unable to produce an heir, which like many of his other afflictions was likely a result of incest. Most powers of Europe fought for the possibility to put one of their own on the Spanish throne, with the House of Bourbon doing it. The Bourbons would attempt a reform of their many domains gaining some successes but enraging those who had held onto old privileges of local autonomy or feudal rights. The colonization of Central and South America and of Mexico was particularly profound, with the deaths of millions of native people through disease, war and outright murder as the Spanish sought riches in these 'undiscovered' lands. Today many of the countries in this area are defined by Hispanic language and culture (Spanish is today the world's second most spoken native language after Mandarin and before English, and Catholicism dominates throughout the former Spanish colonies). With the death of Charles III in 1788, Spain lost its last monarch with will, energy and capability for a long time at a crucial juncture - the French Revolution would break out the next year. His successor Charles IV tried at first to maintain some of his father's policies but ultimately saw more fun in hunting than politics. Soon politics in Spain would come to be dominated by Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy who was rumored to have an affair with the queen. Meanwhile Charles' son, Ferdinand VII was chomping at the bit to replace his father as king, which earned him the contempt of the latter. In 1808 Ferdinand seemed to have briefly succeeded in replacing the hated Godoy and his father but Napoleon Bonaparte invited the two quarrelling kings to Bayonne under the pretext of mediating but forced both to abdicate in favor of his brother Joseph Bonaparte. Many among Spain's elites were having none of it and set up Juntas to maintain a government nominally loyal to Spanish monarchy. The liberal constitution of Cadiz 1812 was drafted in those years and as Ferdinand was willing to promise everyone everything to return to the throne, he came to be known as "the Desired One", with high hopes that he would rule as a liberal citizen-king under the constitution of Cadiz. Ferdinand never intended any such thing and his heavy-handed policies brought the wrath not only of his Spanish subjects but even of those Juntas in Latin America that had been set up without making up their mind whether to support a restoration of Bourbon rule or independence - only certain that they would oppose Napoleon and his regime. When Ferdinand died in 1833 he left a nominally absolute monarchy with an unhappy population which had lost most of its colonies to a not-yet three year old Isabella II. Immediately some hyper-conservative elements but also those in the Basque country who wanted back the old fuero autonomy refused to back Isabella's claim on account of her being female, giving birth to the "Carlist" movement. The 19th century saw independence movements fight back against the kingdom of Spain, with leaders such as Simón Bolívar and Augustín de Iturbide successfully creating new independent nations throughout Latin America. By 1898 Spain lost the majority of its remaining territories during the Spanish-American War: it lost Cuba and then sold Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam to the United States. The war of 1898 was a huge shock to Spanish culture and shattered Spain's self-image of a first-rate power, and it thus inspired a whole literary movement known as the generation of '98. For much of this time, Spain was not really one realm so much as several realms which shared a monarch. While the monarch had broad powers, there was no such thing as "absolute" monarchy in Spain and the various regions - notably the Basque country - had numerous special privileges and autonomies granted either to "the people", a local lord or "free men". This proved complicated to resolve when Spain became a Republic and it is still an issue with which Spain is grappling in the 21st century. Spain experienced a devastating civil war between 1936 and 1939 that killed half a million Spaniards and ushered in more than 30 years of dictatorship under Generalissimo Francisco Franco. The civil war began from a mostly failed coup in Spanish North Africa (today part of Morocco) against Spain's left-wing popular front regime (a popular front was in those days a regime including communist, socialist, liberal, Christian Democrat and even conservative parties and originated in France as a response to fascism). The fascist side was led by a group of generals; however, some of them soon died in plane crashes or were pushed to the side by Franco. Although the League of Nations (a precursor of today's United Nations) attempted to make intervention impossible, Mussolini's Italy and Nazi Germany ignored this by aiding the nationalist (Franco) side, while the Soviet Union and to some extent Mexico provided aid to the Republican (popular front) side. The Republican side called for volunteers in the so-called "international brigades", and around 20,000 Brits, Americans, Frenchmen and even Germans joined the fight on their side. However, the Republican side was plagued by lack of weapons and ammunition (some of their rifles were produced in the 19th century), by infighting between communists and anarchists, and by Stalinist purges ordered by the super-paranoid supporters of Republican Spain in Moscow. As many people of that generation fought in the Spanish Civil War or covered it as – often blatantly biased – war correspondents (including George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway and later German chancellor Willy Brandt) there is a lot of well-written literature (and some films), which while not always historically accurate, manage to perfectly capture the spirit of vain idealism that made many of the interbrigadistas go to Spain in the first place. Just as the American Civil War gave a breakthrough for photojournalism, World War I for news radio and World War II for the newsreel, the Spanish Civil War made its mark on journalism, literature and arts. The Reina Sofia museum in Madrid has an exhibition for artistic expressions of the war, with Picasso's Guernica – produced for the republican Spanish pavilion at the 1937 world exhibition in Paris – as its centerpiece. The war was won for Franco through superior fire-power and with military aid from the Nazis (including the war-crime of bombing Guernica). Franco managed to unify the not at all homogeneous nationalist forces behind his less-than-charismatic leadership and hold onto power through the Second World War (in which he stayed neutral) until his death. He was succeeded by King Juan Carlos. The Spanish Civil War is still in some sense an open wound as it was hardly ever talked about during the days of Franco's regime. To this day, conservatives and Catholics (the Republicans were pretty anti-clerical) are sometimes apologetic about Franco and the "necessity" of the war. Franco's legacy was that the historically important regional identities and languages (such as Catalan and Basque) were brutally suppressed and a policy of strong national identity under the Spanish/Castilian language was promoted. While violent groups such as ETA (see below) were active even during Franco's time, there was hardly any organized opposition, either violent or peaceful, for most of Franco's reign. Franco oversaw Spain's rapid economic expansion with its industrialization in the 1960s. Spain also entered NATO (though not the EU or any of its predecessors) while still governed by Franco. Spain's messy divorce from its African colonies in the last years and days of Franco's life is also one of the reasons for the conflict in Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony. Franco named Juan Carlos as his successor just before his death in 1975, with Juan Carlos being crowned king shortly after. Shortly after King Juan Carlos – to the surprise of many – insisted on the country becoming a parliamentary democracy with a figurehead king as nominal head of state, right-wing generals tried to overthrow the nascent democracy on 23 February 1981 in what is now known as 23F. One of the most striking images of the coup was the general Tejero storming into the Congress of Deputies at the head of 200 Guardia Civil members and interrupting the vote to replace centre-left Adolfo Suarez with centre-right Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo for Prime Minister. The coup failed mostly due to lack of popular support and because the king – in his capacity of commander-in-chief – appeared on television in full uniform to order the soldiers back into their barracks, thus throwing his lot in with democracy. This resulted in a lot of support for the king personally even among otherwise republican-inclined Spaniards for most of his reign. However, the monarchy is rather unpopular among the autonomist or independist movements of Catalonia or the Basque Country. The ruling centre-right party UCD under Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo badly misjudged the Andalusian desire for regional self-government and thus lost the 1982 election, in one of the biggest popular vote landslides in any modern democracy, to the leftist PSOE. This led to the formation of Partido Popular (PP) from the rubble left behind by the temporary collapse of the centre-right. PSOE was led at that time by the relatively youthful Andalusian Felipe González and enjoys a strong basis of support in Andalusia to this day. With the peaceful transition to democracy after Franco's death, the restrictions on regional identity were lifted, with autonomy granted to several regions, and the regional languages gaining co-official status in their respective areas. The nature of the transition meant that there was little justice for those who had suffered under the Franco dictatorship and divisions still remain. The Basque Country in Spain's north that had begun violent resistance in 1959 against Franco continued its campaign of bombings and assassinations into the democratic era with the terrorist ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna; Basque for Basque Country and Freedom) group, despite the region having been provided with a high degree of autonomy. The group declared a ceasefire in 2011 and the armed struggle appears over for the time being. Even in the "democratic" 1980s, (under longtime Prime minister Felipe González [PSOE 1982–1996]) the Spanish government responded with methods that are now known to have included "death squadrons" to combat terrorism. In the 2000s there was more economic expansion and a housing price boom that subsequently collapsed, leaving Spain with high unemployment and economic difficulties. The economically important Catalan region has become louder in its demands for independence. In 2017/18 this conflict erupted as the central government had worked to annul key aspects of a more extensive statute of autonomy while parts of the Catalan parliament held an independence referendum, deemed "illegal" by opponents of independence. The central government cracked down heavily on the independence movement and several people involved in the referendum were sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Spain holds a historical attachment to its neighbours on the Iberian Peninsula, Andorra and Portugal, to its former colonies, to former citizens and their descendants, and to a special category of former citizens, namely Sephardic Jews. The population of Spain is growing in large part due to migration by people from relatively poor or politically unstable areas of Latin America, such as Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador Nicaragua, Peru or Venezuela; other parts of Europe, especially Eastern Europe; and Africa and Asia, particularly areas that have a historical or linguistic attachment to Spain. There is also an important segment of immigration that consists mainly of retired people, and people running businesses for them and foreign tourists, coming from wealthier European countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Benelux and the Nordic countries, established all along the Mediterranean shore, especially in the Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, particularly in the summer months. Internally there have always been migrations from poorer rural areas (such as Andalusia) to the cities and to jobs in construction and tourism. Due to the economic crisis of the 2000s and 2010s, youth unemployment has risen to unbearable levels in the 50% range and quite a number of young people have semi-permanently fled the country to other European Union countries such as Germany to study, work or do internships either until things get better in Spain or forever. In the latter half of the 2010s there were tentative signs of economic improvement with some economic emigrants returning to Spain. See also: Spanish phrasebook The official and universal language used in Spain is Spanish (español) which is a member of the Romance family of languages (others include Portuguese, Italian, French, and Romanian). Many people, especially outside Castile, prefer to call it Castilian (castellano). However there are a number of languages (Catalan, Basque, Galician, Asturian, etc.) spoken in various parts of Spain. Some of these languages are dominant and co-official in their respective regions, though most people will be bilingual in their local language and Spanish. Catalan, Basque and Galician are recognised as official languages according to the Spanish constitution. With the exception of Basque (whose origins are still debated), the languages of the Iberian Peninsula are part of the Romance family and are fairly easy to pick up if you know Castilian well. Catalan (Catalan: català, Castilian: catalán), a distinct language similar to Castilian but more closely related to the Oc branch of the Romance Languages and considered by many to be part of a dialect continuum spanning across Spain, France, and Italy and including the other langues d'oc such as Provençal, Beàrnais, Limousin, Auvernhat and Niçard. Various dialects are spoken in the northeastern region of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and Valencia (where it is often referred to as Valencià), east of Aragon, as well as neighbouring Andorra and southern France. To a casual listener, Catalan superficially appears to be a cross of Castilian, French and Portuguese and though it does share features of all three, it is a separate language. Galician (Galician: galego, Castilian: gallego), very closely related to Portuguese, Galician is spoken in Galicia and the western portions of Asturias and León. Galician predates Portuguese and is deemed one of the four main dialects of the Galician-Portuguese language family group which includes Brazilian, Southern Portuguese, Central Portuguese, and Galician. While the Portuguese consider it a dialect of Portuguese, Galicians consider their language independent. Basque (Basque: euskara, Castilian: vasco), a language unrelated to Castilian (or any other known language in the world), is spoken in the three provinces of the Basque Country, on the two adjacent provinces on the French side of the Spain-French border, and in Navarre. Basque is considered a language isolate unrelated to any Romance or even Indo-European language. Asturiano (Asturiano: asturianu, Castilian: asturiano, also known as bable), spoken in the province of Asturias, where it enjoys semi-official protection. It was also spoken in rural parts of León, Zamora, Salamanca, in a few villages in Portugal (where it is called Mirandes) and in villages in the extreme north of Extremadura. While the constitution of Spain explicitly protects Basque, Balearic-Catalan-Valencian under the term Catalan, Galician, and Castilian, it does not explicitly protect Asturian. Still, the province of Asturias explicitly protects it, and Spain implicitly protects it by not objecting before the Supreme Court. Aragonese (Aragonese: aragonés, Castilian: aragonés, also known colloquially as fabla), spoken in the north of Aragon, and is not officially recognised. This language is close to Catalan (specially in Benasque) and to Castilian, with some Basque and Occitan (southern France) influences. Nowadays, only a few villages near the Pyrenees use the language vigorously, while most people mix it with Castilian in their daily speech. Aranese (Castilian: Aranés, Catalan/Aranese Occitan: Aranès), spoken in the Aran Valley and recognised as an official language of Catalonia (not of Spain), alongside Catalan and Castilian. This language is a variety of Gascon Occitan, and as such is very closely related to Provençal, Limousin, Languedoc, and Catalan. In addition to the native languages, many languages such as English, French, and German are commonly studied in school. However, Spaniards are not known for their proficiency in foreign languages, and it is very rare to find locals conversant in foreign languages outside of tourist establishments or major international hotels. That being said, most establishments in Spain's important tourist industry usually have staff members who speak a decent level of English, particularly in popular beach resorts such as those in the Costa del Sol where you will find people who are fluent in several languages, the most common ones being German and French. As Portuguese and Italian are closely related to Spanish, if you speak either of these languages, locals would be able to puzzle you out with some difficulty. German is spoken in some areas frequented by German tourists, such as Mallorca. In general, people who speak two national languages (e.g. Basque and Castilian or Catalan and Castilian) are more likely to speak a foreign language than monolingual Spanish speakers. Castilian Spanish differs from the Latin American Spanish varieties in pronunciation and grammar, although all Latin American varieties are easily understood by Spaniards and vice-versa. While the differences in spelling are virtually non-existent, the differences in words and pronunciation between "Spanish-Spanish" and "Latin-Spanish" are arguably bigger than those between "American" and "British" English. French is the most widely understood foreign language in the northeast of Spain. The Basque region and northern Catalonia in particular have sizeable populations that speak French. Locals will appreciate any attempts you make to speak their language. For example, know at least the Castilian for "good morning" (buenos días) and "thank you" (gracias). Spain is a member of the Schengen Agreement. EU, EEA and Swiss nationals who enter Spain on a national identity card, who are under 18 years old and travelling without their parents are required to have written parental consent. For more information, visit this webpage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain. Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Mauritius, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Seychelles are permitted to work in Spain without the need to obtain a visa or any further authorization for the period of their 90 day visa-free stay. However, this ability to work visa-free does not necessarily extend to other Schengen countries. A stay of longer than 90 days for non-EEA or Swiss citizens almost invariably requires an advance visa. If one stays for longer than 6 months, a residence permit (Titulo de Residencia) must be obtained within the first 30 days of entering Spain. There are a number of ways to get into Spain. From neighboring European countries, a drive with the car or a train ride is feasible; from a number of Mediterranean countries more or less regular ferry connections are available; visitors from further away will probably be using air travel. Spain's flag carrier is Iberia, and its two other main airlines are Vueling and Air Europa. There are many airlines connecting from most European countries, Africa, the Americas and Asia. Virtually all European low cost carriers provide frequent services to Spain including: TUI Airways, EasyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air and Jet2.com. The busiest airports are Madrid–Barajas Airport, Barcelona El Prat, Palma de Mallorca and Malaga, followed by Seville, Valencia, Bilbao, Alicante and Santiago de Compostela. For mainland Spain, Madrid Barajas (MAD IATA), Barcelona (BCN IATA) and Malaga (AGP IATA) are your most likely ports of entry, as they have by far the highest number of international flights. For the islands, you will most likely directly arrive at an airport on the island, without connecting through another Spanish airport. If your destination does not have a direct flight, you can make use of Iberia's rail air alliance with Renfe. Searching for your destination directly on the Iberia website will give you flights with a connecting train service automatically. see also rail travel in Europe The train system in Spain is modern and reliable, most of the trains are brand new and the punctuality rate is one of the highest in Europe, the only problem is that not all the populated areas have a train station; sometimes small towns don't have one, in those cases you need to take a bus. Another issue with the Spanish Rail network is that the lines are disposed in a radial way so almost all the lines head to Madrid. That's why sometimes travelling from one city to another geographically close to it might take longer by train than by bus if they are not on the same line. Always check whether the bus or the train is more convenient. The Spanish high speed rail system is, however, more reliable than that of - say - Germany, because the gauge of traditional and high speed trains is different and thus high speed lines are only used by high speed passenger trains meaning fewer delays due to congested lines or technical problems. All lines that cross the border into France have either a break of gauge (thus making changing train or a lengthy gauge change necessary) or are high speed, thus making the high speed trains the vastly preferable option to cross the border. Trains between Barcelona and France are operated jointly by SNCF and RENFE and both sell tickets for any international train on that route. Spain has numerous rail links with neighboring Portugal, none of them high speed. There are only three rail links with France, one at Hendaye on a traditional line requiring a break of gauge, a connection used for local traffic near Latour de Carol (this is the closest rail line to Andorra) and one near Figueres for high speed trains. The former two see the occasional sleeper train while the latter sees the vast majority of passenger travel and all high speed trains. The former link through the Pyrenees near Canfranc has been abandoned but the former border station at Canfranc is still served from the Spanish site and worth a visit if you're a railway enthusiast or history buff. Virtually all companies operating Intercity buses in France including Ouibus and even German players DeinBus and Flixbus offer buses to/from Spanish destinations. Spanish operators with international connections include Alsa and Linebus. Generally speaking the buses will be reasonably save and may even have WiFi or electric outlets at your seat, but if your main concern is anything but cost, opt for a train or plane instead as the former is both vastly more comfortable and faster and the latter is still a lot faster and can even be cheaper, if you manages to travel on carry-on only. Buses generally have greater luggage allowances than the airlines, but then again, you'd have the same advantage taking the train. From the UK, Brittany Ferries offers services from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Santander and from Portsmouth to Bilbao. The journey time from Portsmouth to Santander is approximately 24 hours. Spain is also well connected by ferry to Northern Africa (particularly Tunisia and Morocco) and the Canary Islands which are part of Spain. Routes are also naturally available to the Spanish Balearic islands of Mallorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. Another popular route is from Barcelona to Genoa. Renfe is the Spanish national rail carrier. Long-distance trains always run on time, but be aware that short-distance trains (called Cercanías) can bear long delays, from ten to twenty minutes, and especially in the Barcelona area, where delays up to 30 minutes are not uncommon. To be safe, always take the train before the one you need. It also manages FEVE narrow-gauge trains which mainly run near the northern atlantic coast (from Ferrol to Bilbao). Buying tickets online with a foreign credit card may be difficult, however, those with a PayPal account may find it easier to pay using the website. Renfe also operates the AVE high speed trains, whose network radiates out of Madrid to the major cities along the coasts - Spain boasts the second-longest high speed network (behind China) and has constructed a lot of new lines until the economic downturn at the end of the 2000s. The AVE is easily the fastest option wherever it goes (faster even than flying in most cases) but can be on the expensive side. Tickets don't go on sale until 30 days before departure, and few discount tickets are available. FGC operates several local routes near Barcelona. On these places where both Renfe and FGC operate, usually FGC provides more trains per hour, has better punctuality records and stations are closer to the city centers; on the other side, trains are slower and single fares are more expensive. FGV provides local services in Valencia area uncovered by Renfe and a tram service in Alicante. Euskotren operates affordable services from Bilbao to Gernika, Bermeo and San Sebastian plus a line connecting San Sebastian with Irun and Hendaye (France). The Bilbao - San Sebastian trip is about 2hr 40min while buses connect the cities in around just an hour, although bus tickets cost about twice as the train. All but the whole Bilbao - San Sebastian line run twice an hour with extra trains on peak hours. The least expensive way to get around most parts of Spain is by bus. Most major routes are point to point, and very high frequency. There are many companies serving within certain autonomous communities or provinces of the country on multiple routes or on a single route going from a major city to several surrounding villages and towns. The following operators serve more than a single region: ALSA (formerly Continental Auto), ☏ +34 902 422242. Largest bus company with point to point routes across the country and alliances with various other regional companies and/or subsidiary brands. (updated Apr 2016) Grupo Avanza, ☏ +34 902 020999. Operates buses between Madrid and the surrounding autonomous communities of Extremadura, Castile-Leon, Valencia (via Castile-Leon). In some areas they operate through their subsidiary brands of Alosa, Tusza, Vitrasa, Suroeste and Auto Res. (updated Apr 2016) Socibus and Secorbus, ☏ +34 902 229292. These companies jointly operate buses between Madrid and western Andalucia including Cadiz, Cordoba, Huelva and Seville. (updated Apr 2016) At the bus station, each operator has its own ticket counter or window and usually a single operator from here to a particular destination. Therefore, the easiest is to ask the staff who will be happy to tell you who operates which route and point you to a specific desk or window. You can also see what is all available on Movelia.es or see "By bus" under "Getting in" or "Getting Around" in the article for a particular autonomous community region, province or locale. It is usually not necessary or more advantageous to book tickets in advance as one can show up and get on the next available bus. Most bus companies can be booked in advance online. however English translation on their websites is patchy at best. Wherever you are in Spain, from your private yacht you can enjoy gorgeous scenery and distance yourself from the inevitable crowds of tourists that flock to these destinations. May is a particularly pleasant time to charter in the regions of Costa Brava, Costa Blanca and the Balearic Islands as the weather is good and the crowds have yet to descend. The summer months of July and August are the hottest and tend to have lighter winds. There is no low season for the Canary Islands, as the weather resembles springtime all year round. If you would like to bareboat anywhere in Spain, including the Balearic or Canary Islands, a US Coast Guard License is the only acceptable certification needed by Americans to bareboat. For everyone else, a RYA Yacht Master Certification or International Certificate of Competence will normally do. Although a skipper may be required, a hostess/chef may or may not be necessary. Dining out is strong part of Spanish custom and tradition. If you are planning on docking in a port and exploring fabulous bars and restaurants a hostess/cook may just be useful for serving drinks and making beds. Extra crew can take up valuable room on a tight ship. See also: Driving in Spain In major cities like Madrid or Barcelona and in mid-sized ones like San Sebastian, moving around by car is expensive and nerve-wracking. Fines for improper parking are uncompromising (€85 and up). Access by car has been made more difficult by municipal policies in Barcelona and Madrid in the 2010s. The positive effects on the urban fabric of those policies have proven widely popular, so expect more of this. Having a driving map is essential - many streets are one-way; left turns are more rare than rights (and are unpredictable). Getting around by car makes sense if you plan to move from one city to another every other day, ideally if you don't plan to park overnight in large cities. It also doesn't hurt that the scenery is beautiful and well worth a drive. With a good public transport network that connects to (almost) all points of interest for travellers, you might ask yourself whether driving is really worth the cost and the hassle, as you are often much faster by train than by car. There are two types of highway in Spain: autopistas, or motorways, and autovías, which are more akin to expressways. Most autopistas are toll roads while autovías are generally free of charge. In some autonomous communities whether a highway is tolled depends on whether the central or regional government built and operates them. To a foreigner the system can seem rather confusing. Tolls often work out to "odd" Euro amounts leading you with a lot of copper coins if you pay cash. Speed limits range from 50 km/h (30 mph) in towns to 90 km/h on rural roads, 100 km/h on roads and 120 km/h (75 mph) on autopistas and autovías. Starting from May 2021 all roads with only one lane per direction inside built up areas will have a blanket speed limit of 30 km/h (19 mph). Spaniards are somewhat notorious for seeing traffic infractions such as speeding, second row parking or red light infractions as "minor", but the government is increasingly cracking down on this kind of behavior and police will have a field day writing a ticket to a foreigner who doesn't speak the language. Gasoline/petrol costs in the range of €1.32/L in Jan 2020, and diesel costs €1.25/L. Filling procedure for gas stations varies from brand to brand. At Agip, you first fill the tank yourself, and then pay inside the shop. Spain isn't a good country for hitchhiking. Sometimes you can wait many hours. Try to speak with people at gas stations, parking lots, etc. They are scared and suspicious, but when you make them feel that they don't need to be afraid, they gladly accept you and mostly also show their generosity. In the south of Spain, in and around the Alpujarras, hitchhiking is very common and it is also very easy to get a ride. As long as you can speak a bit of Spanish and don't look too dirty or frightening, you should be able to get a ride moderately easily. Spain is a suitable country for cycling, and it is possible to see many cyclists in some of the cities. Cycling lanes are available in most mid-sized and large cities, although they are not comparable in number to what you can find in for example central Europe. Depending on where you are in Spain, you could face a very mountainous area. Much of central Spain is very flat, though elevated, but towards the coast the landscape is often very hilly, especially in the north. There are several options for touring in Spain by bicycle: guided or supported tours, rent bicycles in Spain or bring your own bike, or any combination. Supported tours are ubiquitous on the web. For unsupported tours a little Spanish helps a lot. Shoulder seasons avoid extremes of temperature and ensure hotel availability in non-tourist areas. Good hotels are €35–45 in the interior, breakfast usually included. Menú del día meals are €8–10 eating where the locals eat. Secondary roads are usually well paved and have good shoulders, and as a rule Spanish drivers are careful and courteous around touring cyclists. Road signs are usually very good and easy to follow. Most municipalities in Spain, towns and cities are modernizing their streets to introduce special lanes for bicycles. Bike share systems with usually quite reasonable prices are also being installed in cities throughout the country. All the major cities in Spain are served by taxis, which are a convenient, if somewhat expensive way to get around. That being said, taxis in Spain are more reasonably priced than those in say, the United Kingdom or Japan. Most taxi drivers do not speak English or any other foreign languages, so it would be necessary to have the names and/or addresses of your destinations written in Spanish to show your taxi driver. Likewise, get your hotel's business card to show your taxi driver in case you get lost. The most popular beaches are the ones along the Mediterranean coast, in the Balearic Islands and in the Canary Islands. Meanwhile, for hiking, the mountains of Sierra Nevada in the south, the Central Cordillera and the northern Pyrenees are the best places. Historically, Spain has been an important crossroads: between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, between North Africa and Europe, and as Europe began colonizing the New World, between Europe and the Americas. The country thus is blessed with a fantastic collection of historical landmarks — in fact, it has the second largest number of UNESCO Heritage Sites and the largest number of World Heritage Cities of any nation in the world. In the south of Spain, Andalusia holds many reminders of old Spain. Cadiz is regarded as one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in western Europe, with remnants of the Roman settlement that once stood here. Nearby, Ronda is a beautiful town atop steep cliffs and noted for its gorge-spanning bridge and the oldest bullring in Spain. Cordoba and Granada hold the most spectacular reminders of the nation's Muslim past, with the red-and-white striped arches of the Mezquita in Cordoba and the stunning Alhambra palace perched on a hill above Granada. Seville, the cultural centre of Andalusia, has a dazzling collection of sights built when the city was the main port for goods from the Americas, the grandest of which being the city's cathedral, the largest in the country. Moving north across the plains of La Mancha into Central Spain, picturesque Toledo stands as perhaps the historical center of the nation, a beautiful medieval city sitting atop a hill that once served as the capital of Spain before Madrid was built. North of Madrid and an easy day-trip from the capital city is El Escorial, once the center of the Spanish empire during the time of the Inquisition, and Segovia, noted for its spectacular Roman aqueduct which spans one of the city's squares. Further north in Castile-Leon is Salamanca, known for its famous university and abundance of historic architecture. Galicia in northwestern Spain is home to Santiago de Compostela, the end point of the old Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago) pilgrimage route and the supposed burial place of St. James, with perhaps the most beautiful cathedral in all of Spain at the heart of its lovely old town. Northeastern Spain has a couple of historical centers to note: Zaragoza, with Roman, Muslim, medieval and Renaissance buildings from throughout its two thousand years of history, and Barcelona with its pseudo-medieval Barri Gòtic neighborhood. Be prepared to have your luggage scanned airport style at the entrance of most museums. There's usually a locker where you can (or must) leave your bags. Spain has played a key role in Western art, heavily influenced by French and Italian artists but very distinct in its own regard, owing to the nation's history of Muslim influence, Counter-Reformation climate and, later, the hardships from the decline of the Spanish empire, giving rise to such noted artists like El Greco, Diego Velázquez and Francisco Goya. In the last century, Spain's unique position in Europe brought forth some of the leading artists of the Modernist and Surrealist movements, most notably the famed Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Today, Spain's two largest cities hold the lion's share of Spain's most famous artworks. Madrid's Museum Triangle is home to the Museo del Prado, the largest art museum in Spain with many of the most famous works by El Greco, Velázquez, and Goya as well as some notable works by Italian, Flemish, Dutch and German masters. Nearby sits the Reina Sofía, most notable for holding Picasso's Guernica but also containing a number of works by Dalí and other Modernist, Surrealist and abstract painters. The Prado goes back to the former royal collection and the Reina Sofia Museum is named for King Juan Carlos' wife, in practice the dividing line between the two is largely one of era, with anything made roughly after the birth of Picasso found in the Reina Sofia and everything else in the Prado. Barcelona is renowned for its stunning collection of modern and contemporary art and architecture. This is where you will find the Picasso Museum, which covers the artist's early career quite well, and the architectural wonders of Antoni Gaudi, with their twisting organic forms that are a delight to look at. Outside of Madrid and Barcelona, the art museums quickly dwindle in size and importance, although there are a couple of worthy mentions that should not be overlooked. Many of El Greco's most famous works lie in Toledo, an easy day trip from Madrid. The Disrobing of Christ, perhaps El Greco's most famous work, sits in the Cathedral, but you can also find work by him in one of the small art museums around town. Bilbao in the Basque Country of northern Spain is home to a spectacular Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Gehry that has put the city on the map. A day trip from Barcelona is the town of Figueres, noted for the Salvador Dalí Museum, designed by the Surrealist himself. Málaga in the south is Picasso's city of birth, and is also home to two museums dedicated to his life and works. Ampurias, excavations of a Greek and Roman town, Roman basilica, temples of Asclepios and Serapis, (between Gerona and Figueras, Catalonia) Antequetera, La Menga and Viera dolmens, Calatrava la Nueva, well preserved medieval castle, Calatrava la Vieja, remains of the Arab town, castle of the order of Calatrava, Clunia, Roman town with forum, shops, temple, public bath houses and Roman villa, Fraga, Roman villa, Bronze Age settlements, Gormaz, Arab castle, Italica, Roman town with amphitheatre, city walls, House of the Exedra, House of the Peacocks, Baths of the Moorish Queen, House of the Hylas, temple complex (near Sevilla), Merida, Roman city, Roman bridge, Amphitheatre, Hippodrome, House of the Amphitheatre, House of the Mithraeum with mosaics, aquaeducts, museum San Juan de los Banos, Visigoth church (between Burgos and Valladolid), San Pedro de la Nave, Visigoth church (near Zamora), Santa Maria de Melque, Visigoth church, Segobriga (Cabeza del Griego), Roman town, Visigoth church, museum (between Madrid and Albacete) Tarragona, Roman town with “Cyclopean wall”, amphitheatre, hippodrome, form and triumphal arch, See also: Association football in Europe Spain's La Liga is one of the strongest association football leagues in the world, boasting world-class teams like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona that play to sold-out crowds on a weekly basis. The rivalry between the two aforementioned clubs, known as El Clásico, is undoubtedly one of the most intense in the world as
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