Barcelona, Madrid and Seville

Seville

Seville, Andalusian Capital is one of the prettiest and liveliest cities in Spain. Stunning Moorish architecture dominates the city. Be there for some great festivals and you’ll have a great time discovering local heritage, cuisine and flamenco.

Highlights

Lovely walks around the old Jewish quarter of Santa Cruz, full of tapas bars, picturesque alleys and glimpses of secret gardens. A Moorish palace, a gothic cathedral and many more grand, ornate buildings dominates the City of Seville.

Museums/Galleries: Second only to The Prado in Madrid, Seville's Museo de Bellas Artes is a gorgeous old convent housing one of the best art collections in Spain.
Archivo de Indias displays documents about the conquest of the Americas.

Don't miss Casa de Pilatos and Hospital de los Venerables in Santa Cruz area. There are many promenades along the River Guadalquivir, buzzing with cafes and social action at night, with sights aplenty around there too.

Hop into a horse cab (discuss the price first) to the north of the city to visit the spectacular Plaza de España, or travel by water bus up the river.

Flamenco dance and songs are a traditional Andalusian gypsy art. Many flamenco clubs (tablaos), are in Santa Cruz. Try to get to Teatro Lope de Vega for big name flamenco stars.

Seville cuisine

Andalusian cuisine differs from the rest of Spain due to the enduring Arab influence, using spices such as cumin, paprika and saffron, rice, cured hams, sauces made with sherry, and lots of olives and citrus fruit. Gazpacho, a chilled raw vegetable soup originated in Andalusia, as did Tapas - varied small dishes to go with drinks. The Santa Cruz area has many Tapas bars and atmospheric little restaurants, as has the opposite bank of the river.

Shopping

Seville is not a great shopping city, but the pedestrian friendly Calle de las Sierpes and around there, have good traditional shops and souvenirs.

Short Trips
Most of them are two to three hours away.
Cordoba with one of the biggest mosques in Europe.

Granada with it’s fairy tale “Alhambra” palace.
Rock-top Ronda and fortified hilltop towns known as the Pueblos Blancos.
Malaga, Cadiz and Jerez.
Gibraltar’s rock and monkeys.
Various beach resorts and sensational windsurfing on the Atlantic coast at Tarifa.

Madrid

Spanish Capital Madrid has many grand, ornate buildings, superb museums, and is the mother of all late night party scenes. Madrileños of all ages love to walk, talk, drink and smoke late into the night.

The city centre is small, locals are friendly and the metro/tube is efficient.

Sightseeing in Madrid

Most important sights are clustered in the Centro (the old city), with the Royal Palace and the incredible Post Office (Plaza Cibeles). Among many in in this city, three museums stand out - the del Prado, nearby Thyssen-Bornemisza, and Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, all featuring paintings.

For something different Museo de America has Latin American artifacts and Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas has an interesting collection of interior goodies. The tiny Museo Sorolla is charmingly set in Sorolla's former home. Beautiful and refreshing plazas decorates the city. See the great mural at Plaza Mayor, Plaza del Sol, Plaza de Oriente, and Plaza de Espagne. Madrid's best park is Parque del Retiro.

Classical Music: Auditorio Nacional .Dance/Opera: Teatro Real, Teatro Albeniz, Teatro de la Zarzuela. Theatre: Some good theatre in Spanish - try Teatro de la Comedia, Teatro Maria Guerrero or Teatro Alfil.

Nightlife

There's plenty of action in the old city in plazas and bars, but for more exclusively Spanish nightlife travel to the areas that locals go to: Huertas (18-30), Malasaña(30s), Chueca (gay), Salamanca (older/posh), Bilbao and Alonso Martinez (varied).
Live Music & Clubs: Casa Patas and The Cafe de Chinitas for Flamenco, otherwise check Madrid's 'Guia del Ocio' weekly magazine or the tourist office for event info/listings.
Tickets can be bought from the venue and Tourist Office or try the FNCA bookstore.

Shopping

Classy in the pedestrianized streets running off the Plaza Puerta del Sol - Preciados and Carmen, and Gran Via. And if you don't know where to find something, try El Corte Ingles which is everywhere and appears to stock everything. El Rastro is a wacky Sunday market.

Cuisine

Madrileños famously start early with coffee, brandy and tasteless churros (unless you get the chocolate coated variety), and dine late. Meals tend to be bread/protein heavy. The most typical Madrid dish is 'El Cocido Madrileño' (chicken soup with noodles, chickpeas, meat, ham, chorizo and vegetables). Price differentials between tourist places and local eateries are huge, so budget travelers should avoid the big plaza restaurants.

Around Madrid

Toledo (60 km from Madrid) (by train) You will find 2000 years of history within the city walls and gateways built in Moorish style. Don’t miss the majestic gothic cathedral, the Jewish quarter and its synagogue Santa Maria le Blanca, the Salazar, mediaeval fortress on the highest point of the city, offering a spectacular view and the Santa Cruz Museum, exhibiting among many unique treasures and several El Greco master pieces.

Segovia (90 km from Madrid) The Roman Aqueduct, is the most majestic piece of roman engineering in the area. Visit Segovia’s 16th century cathedral, the Vera Cruz Church, its lively “Plaza Mayor” with excellent restaurants serving local specialties of oven roasted suckling pig or baby lamb.

Not far away from Segovia is La Granja de San Ildefonso a romantic summer residents of Spanish Kings. This palace, inspired by the French Chateau de Versailles, was built by Felipe V, a grandson of French King Luis XIV. Here he spent his happy childhood wondering around many splendid rooms and wonderful garden adorned with fountains, waterfalls and statues.

San Lorenzo de El Escorial (50 Km. from Madrid) El Escorial is the spectacular granite Monastery, considered by some as the 8th wonder of the world, was built by religious King Felipe II as a monastery, palace and royal burial place. Most of the Spanish kings are buried here.
On the way to El Escorial from away you can see the giant cross of the memorial to those perished in the Spanish Civil War, the “Valle de los Caidos”, a basilica carved into the mountain side and the burial place of Francisco Franco.

Aranjuez (45 km from Madrid) During the summer months, Aranjuez can be visited by steam train from Madrid. The Palace of Filipe II, displays some unique features such as the Sala de Porcelana, a small room completely bedecked with exquisite porcelain or the Sala China which boasts 200 fragile Chinese paintings on rice paper, a present from the Chinese emperor to Queen Isabel II. The Museum for Royal launches near the river Tajo exhibits boats and barges used by the king and his court for festivals and excursions.

Avila (113 km from Madrid) This mediaeval city, known for its impressive city wall, dates back to the 11th century and is a total of 2kms, long, 12m high with 88 towers and 9 city gates.

Chinchón (50 km from Madrid) Chinchón is famous for its impressive “ Plaza Mayor” with its ancient houses and wooden balconies. During the local festivals in the month of August, this square becomes a bull ring. Chinchón is also known for its unusual restaurants, some of them in historic wine cellars.

Spain is a country with a rich history from the conquistadors and the empire to the inquisition. Grand Moorish architecture dominates the south and the Baroque rules the north.

Wacky visionaries like Dali and Gaudi has left a trace in many cities. Picasso, Goya, Velasquez and many others are to be discovered in numerous museums. Add some Bullfighting, Flamenco, Carmen, Don Quixote and of course plenty of sun, sand and sangria and you are sure to have a great holiday in Spain.

Barcelona

Barcelona is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It has sensational architecture, led by gaudy Gaudi, a walkable centre, great restaurants and bars at reasonable prices, culture galore and good beaches nearby. Traffic and petty crime temper the pleasure of Spain's funkiest city.

Highlights

Amazing Gaudi and 'modernista' buildings like the Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera and the '(Manzana) Block of Discord' in the Eixample area make Barcelona an architectural fantasy land.

Then there's the busy and entertaining Ramblas pedestrian boulevard, the medieval area (Barri Gòtic) including the stunning gothic La Seu cathedral and the Plaça de Sant Jaume (with weekly Catalan folk dances), Montjuïc hill with its great museums, Spanish Village and cable car.

Museums and Galleries: Museu Picasso in medieval palace, Museu d'Art Contemporani, Centre de Cultura Contemporània, Museu d'Art de Catalunya, Fundació Joan Miró, Museu Marès. Classical Music and Opera: Palau de la Música Catalana, Saló de Tinell in Palau Reial, Sala Cultural Caja de Madrid and in many churches, and Festivals.

Nightlife

Flamenco: Teatre Lliure, Las Sevillanas del Patio, Tarantos.
Many live Rock and Jazz performances. Check the weekly Guía del Ocio or El Pais for listings. Some popular rock places are Apolo, KGB, Luz de Gas, and Palau de la Música Catalana. For jazz try the Pipa Club, La Cova del Drac, La Boite, and don't miss Festival de Jazz Ciutat Vella in June.

Cuisine

Superb Catalan and Spanish food is all over Barcelona. Try Barceloneta for seafood, Barri Gòtic for little traditional, The Ramblas lively Plaça Reial and Passeig de Gracia for larger, posher restaurants.

Shopping

Not especially interesting or cheap, but for the classy, try The Eixample, esp. Passeig de Gràcia and wacky, The Ramblas area.

Short Trips from Barcelona
Sitges, 40km south, is a pretty seaside town favored by gays.
Montsterrat, 40km NW, has weird rock formations, caves and monastery.
Figueres, 90 min. north, host a fantastic Dali museum.
Tarragona, 90 min. south, has Roman remains, medieval buildings and rocky views.
Girona, 80 min. north, is pretty, medieval river city.

Things to do in Barcelona, Madrid and Seville

Barcelona Festivals
Feb/March pre-lent Carnival, (+ gay version in Sitges).
March-June, Guitar Festival.
April, Contemporary Music Week.
April/May, Ancient Music Festival.
June, Dia de Sant Joan with a lot of dancing, music and fireworks.
End of June-August, Festival del Grec with theatre, music and dance.
August, Festa Major de Gràcia with street music and many events www.festamajordegracia.cat
Sept, Festes de la Mercè, the city's biggest party with parades, music and human pyramids.
Oct -Dec, International Jazz Festival.

Madrid Festivals
Feb/March, Carnavale.
In May, Madrid's largest festival, the Fiesta de San Isidro offers the chance to soak up flamenco and Latin rhythms at concerts all over the city. Other events taking place during this and following months are: the bullfighting, Ceramics Fair. Book Fair and ATP Masters Series the highest-ranking tennis competition in the world.
End July– Mid Aug, bring lively local fiestas in La Latina, Lavapies and Calle de Calatrava.

Seville Festivals
March/April, Holy Week (Semana Santa) with parades and music.
April, April Fair (La Feria de Abril), is perhaps the city's best party. Traditional dresses, parades, dancing and wild parties dominates the city.

Seville - Feria de Abril - A week long party, celebrates the culture of southern Spain with genuine flamenco music, song, dance, food and wine. Romance trip this month - Flamenco dance workshops in Seville

Bullfighting season takes place most Sunday evenings from April - Oct.

For more information on these and other festivals, see www.spain.info.

NOTE: Before planning a trip around a festival, make sure that you verify the festival dates at the festival website.

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