Spain is a beautiful country year-round, and there are vanishingly few in the UK that would willingly pass up a trip to that incredible Iberian Peninsula. But many of its most popular destinations are overplayed, and even boring to veteran travellers. What could make a Spanish holiday truly unforgettable?
Building a Spanish Tour
The thing that could set your unforgettable Spanish experience from so many others could be, in a word, plurality. Why settle for one beach, one resort, and one city when you could be exploring every nook and cranny of an incredible country? Doing this, though, requires serious planning.
Before anything, you need to think about money. Affording a big trip such as this can be difficult in one swoop, particularly when flights and accommodation all come out at the same time. A common solution is to borrow money to make all up-front payments, then pay that debt off over time – making the holiday much more possible whatever your savings situation. Most importantly, though, where should you think about visiting?
Sun, Sand and Sea
Spain is a leading choice of holiday destination largely due to its beaches – of which there are a great many, and of which a great many UK travellers are already intimately familiar. The first place that many of these people might think of is the Costa del Sol, which describes a stretch of Marbella beach at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. The second place that might come to mind is Alicante and the tourist-populated golden sands that stretch out on either side of it.
But there are better candidates for an unforgettable Spanish trip. La Barceloneta is an incredible part of Barcelona and the best city beach you will ever visit. Slightly further southwest is Tarragona, a truly underrated destination with underpopulated beaches to prove it. Close to the Portuguese border, you’ll find Isla Canela – a water sports mecca that enjoys the same sun as the less-appealing Costa del Sol.
Hidden Treasures of the Iberian Peninsula
Though Spain’s beaches and inlets are a major draw, and in many cases the best Europe has to offer, it is also true that many of Spain’s best secrets are kept inland. One standout example is Agüero, a small village near Huesca and in Spain’s central north. This village is home to some stunning rock formations, which bound its limits and beg to be explored.
Another stand-out hidden gem comes in the form of Ciudad Real, an unassuming destination just far enough south of the capital Madrid that you mightn’t give it all together much thought. But Cuidad Real is a secret triumph of a destination, between its impressive architecture and unique cultural draws. For one, there is a museum here centred entirely around the seminal novel ‘Don Quixote’.
Lastly, we come to Ronda, a small city sat squarely between the Sierra de Grazalema and Sierra de las Nieves. The most impressive thing about Ronda is the natural gorge that bisects it, across and into which lies an edificial bridge structure connecting the old and new town. The views are to die for, as is the food.
