Jerez de la Frontera has three things it does better than almost anywhere else in Spain. It produces the finest sherry in the world. It is home to the most celebrated school of classical equestrian art on the peninsula. And it has a claim to flamenco – not just as …
Benidorm has a reputation which arrives well before you do. The skyline alone – a Manhattan-esque cluster of high-rises rising from the Costa Blanca coast – tends to trigger strong reactions in people who have never been there. The British tabloid image of all-inclusive excess and full English breakfasts dies …
Flamenco represents one of the world’s most emotionally charged performing arts – a centuries-old fusion of dance, song and guitar that emerged from Andalusia’s complex cultural landscape. Recognised by UNESCO in 2010 as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, this art form embodies the historical convergence of Moorish, Jewish, Roma and …
Salamanca, Spain’s ‘Golden City’, is home to Europe’s third-oldest university and arguably the country’s most beautiful main square. Located just two hours from Madrid, this UNESCO World Heritage city offers stunning Renaissance architecture, vibrant student nightlife, and authentic Castilian cuisine. The nickname ‘La Ciudad Dorada’ isn’t marketing hype – the …
Most people reading this article will be looking for the biggest music festivals in Spain which feature some of the world’s most famous artists and bands. A wide range of musical genres can be encompassed in this section ranging from rock and electronic dance music to pop, hip-hop and more. …
Most people’s knowledge of Pamplona begins and ends with those eight minutes of chaos each July when bulls and runners tear through cobbled streets. Which is a shame, because there’s considerably more to this elegant Navarrese capital than its famous encierro. The city sits at the foot of the Pyrenees …
Spain has long suffered from typecasting. To many Britons, it represents little more than package holidays, crowded beaches and the relentless July-August tourist crush along the Mediterranean coast. This reductive view does a profound disservice to one of Europe’s most culturally rich and geographically diverse nations. The reality is that …
Santiago de Compostela does something rather unusual for a city built around medieval pilgrimage – it hasn’t frozen itself as heritage display. Yes, the cathedral dominates physically and historically, and yes, the pilgrim infrastructure remains central to how the city functions. But Santiago’s also got 20,000 university students creating proper …
Granada does something no other Spanish city quite manages – it makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into somewhere that shouldn’t exist anymore. Here’s this Moorish palace sitting on a hill, surrounded by Islamic gardens and medieval Arabic quarters, with the Sierra Nevada providing snow-capped backdrop most of the year. …