Spain's is the third most visited country in the world and here is quite hot in summer. Based on these facts, we chose September and that was the right choise: the water was warm, the beaches are empty, and not too much tourists.
If you are going to travel around the country as we are, then you need to know some facts about the history of Spain. In 711 - 718 years Iberian peninsula was conquered by the Arabs (Moors). On conquered territory formed Islamic state, which have beed existing until 1492. All this time between Christians and Muslims lasted a war called the Reconquista. Chronology can be seen on the following gif.
For almost 800 years Moors have been formed a separate culture in southern Spain. Therefore, if you want to know Spain better, then you need to visit northern areas (near Madrid) to see the inheritance of the Spanish kings and also the south coast with perfectly preserved Moorish culture. And of course Barcelona and beaches. We used guide book from Baedeker during our trip.
Here is our itinerary:
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| Spanish route ©pizzatravel.com.ua |
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Day 1 - Barcelona
Arrived in the morning in Barcelona, walked around the city.
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Day 2 - Madrid
In the morning we went on a high-speed train to Madrid. The distance of 600 kilometers we covered in 2 hours 30 minutes, which is a very good result. The train reaches the speed of over 300 km/h. Tickets can be purchased here.
In Madrid we rented a car and the whole day were walking around the city.
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| Royal Palace of Madrid ©wikipedia.org |
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| Metropolis building ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Cibeles Palace ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Puerta de Alcalá ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Monument to King Alfonso XII in Retiro Park ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Crystal Palace in Retiro Park ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Puerta del Sol square ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Plaza Mayor ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Day 3 - El Escorial, Segovia
In the morning we went to the monastery-palace of King Philip II.
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| El Escorial - monastery and castle ©Yuriy Buriak |
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And then to a very interesting and beautiful town of Segovia.
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| Aqueduct of Segovia ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Segovia ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Alcazar of Segovia ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Alcazar of Segovia ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Day 4 - Avila, Salamanca
On this day we went to Salamanca and on the way stopped in Avila.
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| Avila ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Avila ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Salamanca ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Salamanca ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| View of the Plaza de Anaya and university Cathedral ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| The main city square Plaza Mayor ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Salamanca ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Cathedral of Salamanca ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Day 5 - Seville
In the morning there was a long way to Seville.
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| Orange garden in the Cathedral of Seville ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Sevilla ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Alcazar of Seville ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Gardens in the Alcazar of Seville ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Plaza de España in Seville ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Sevilla ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Day 6 - Zahara de la Sierra, Ronda
On this day we went to Ronda and on the way stopped in Zahara de la Sierra.
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| Zahara de la Sierra ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Zahara de la Sierra ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Tower in the town of Zahara de la Sierra ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Ronda is the best small town in Spain.
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| Ronda - the most unusual town in Spain ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Ronda - the most unusual town in Spain ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Ronda ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Ronda ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Ronda ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Ronda ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Day 7 - Granada
The main sight of Granada is Alhambra, very large complex built by the Moors.
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| View of the Alhambra from the San Nikolas viewpoint ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| View of the Alhambra from the San Nikolas viewpoint ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Generalife Gardens ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Generalife Gardens ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Alhambra ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Palace of Carlos V at the Alhambra ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Alkazaba ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Cathedral of Granada ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Day 8 - Almeria, beach of the Dead
Moved to Almeria. It is a beach resort, but we went to the best beach in Spain - Beach of the Dead. And in Almeria walked in the evening.
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| Best beach in Spain - Playa de los Muertos ("Beach of the Dead") ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Best beach in Spain - Playa de los Muertos ("Beach of the Dead") ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Almeria ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Almeria ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Almeria ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Day 9 - Benidorm
On this day we moved to another beach resort Benidorm, which is also called "Spanish Manhattan".
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| Benidorm ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Spanish "Manhattan" Benidorm ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Spanish "Manhattan" Benidorm ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Benidorm ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Benidorm ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Benidorm ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Day 10 - Valencia
In Valencia, we were interested in the incredible architecture of the Center for Arts and Sciences, but also took a walk in the old city and on the waterfront.
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| City of Arts and Science ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| City of Arts and Science ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Science and Technology Museum named after Prince Felipe, adapted for students ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| City of Science and Arts in Valencia ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| City of Science and Arts in Valencia ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Children's playground "Gulliver" in Valencia ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Embankment of Valencia ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Royal Square ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Royal Square with the cathedral and bell tower ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Valencia ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Day 11 - Barcelona
The penultimate day we spent in Barcelona.
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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Day 12 - Barcelona, Montserrat Monastery
In the morning we went for a walk to the park of Gaudi.
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Barcelona ©Yuriy Buriak |
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And then went to the monastery of Montserrat.
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| Montserrat Monastery ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Montserrat Monastery ©Yuriy Buriak |
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| Montserrat Monastery ©Yuriy Buriak |
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We returned the car at the airport in Barcelona.
Useful links:
Transport
http://www.renfe.com - trains
http://www.aireuropa.com - avia
http://www.vueling.com - avia
http://www.movelia.es/en - bus routes finder
http://www.enatcar.es - buses
http://www.auto-res.net - buses
http://www.lasepulvedana.es - buses
http://www.trapsa.com - buses
http://www.trasmediterranea.es - ferries
http://www.balearia.net - ferries
http://www.iscomarferrys.com - ferries
http://www.capebalear.es - ferries
http://www.medpitiusa.com - ferries
http://www.worldtaximeter.com - taximeter
http://mou-te.gencat.cat/locale.do?do=ingles - Catalonia route planner
Touristic websites
http://www.spain.info/en/ - portal of Spain
http://www.catalunya.com/?language=en - Catalonia
http://www.andalucia.org/en/ - Andalusia
http://www.turismocastillayleon.com - Castile and Leon
http://www.lariojaturismo.com/comunidad/larioja - La Rioja
http://www.turismodearagon.com - Aragon
Other
http://www.eltiempo.es - weather
Movies that were shot in Spain:
http://www.barcelonamovie.com/rutes.aspx - nice website describing the places in Barcelona where movies were shot.
All About My Mother (1999) - the best Spanish film that won the most prestigious awards. Directed by Pedro Almodovar and filmed in Barcelona.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) - movie by Woody Allen, filmed partly in Barcelona.
Game of Thrones (2014) - the fifth season of the popular series was filmed in Seville.
Doctor Zhivago (1965) - David Lean's film based on the novel by Boris Pasternak. Received all possible awards. Despite the fact that all the events are taking place in Russia, the film was shot in Spain, sets were built near Madrid. The film was shot all over the country, and the role of a huge dam in the USSR was played by an Aldeadávila dam.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - another film of David Lean. A lot of the scenes were filmed in Seville, which is not surprising, given the unusual architecture of the city (video).
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) - despite the fact that the action takes place in Paris, movie was shot in Spain: in Figueres, Besalu and Barcelona. In particular, the fish market was built in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. Also shooting took place in the Laberint d'Horta district and in the Spanish village.
The Others (2001) - a mystical thriller with Nicole Kidman, was filmed in the Ornilos castle (Palacio de los Hornillos) in northern Spain. The castle can be visited.
Impossible (2012) - a disaster movie about the tsunami of 2004 year in the Indian Ocean. Was filmed in Alicante.
Kingdom of Heaven (2005) - a historical movie by Ridley Scott with Orlando Bloom in the title role. Filmed in Seville, Avila, Segovia, Loarre Castle (Castillo de Loarre).
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) - one of the best adventure movies in history. Many episodes, such as the scene on the beach and scene with the tank were shot near Almeria.
Star Wars. Attack of the Clones (2002) - a few episodes were filmed at the Plaza of Spain in Seville (video).
The Dictator (2012) - a comedy with Sacha Baron Cohen. A few episodes were filmed at the Plaza of Spain in Seville (video).
Near Almeria there is a film studio, where were filmed most famous westerns with Clint Eastwood, in particular: "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966), "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964), "A Few Dollars More" (1965) and many others. The old movie sets can be visited today (http://fortbravooficial.com/).
The Machinist (2004) - despite the fact that the actions of this mystical thriller with Christian Bale occur mainly indoor, the film was shot entirely in Barcelona.
Maps of Spain
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| Physical Map of Spain ©geoatlas.com |
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| Political map of Spain ©geoatlas.com |
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