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Spain

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Spain is located on a peninsula with the Mediterranean Sea on its southwestern coast, the Atlantic Ocean on its north coast, Portugal to the west, Morocco to the south, and France to the north and northeast. This makes for a greatly beneficial location; all the mystique of Portuguese culture, Moroccan charm, and the elegance of France. Near the borders of Spain, the influence of the neighbouring countries is very evident. However, these cultures are just a garnish; the parsley on the pot roast, so to speak, is the spicy and absolutely magnificent Spanish culture. From the cuisine to the beach, the sounds of flamenco to the Spanish opera, the atmosphere exudes almost a tangible sense of grace and taste, while capably enrapturing visitors with its exotic landscape, and its refined surroundings.

Some of the key attractions in Spain are cultural and religious events, summer resorts and winter sports. Spain is the second most popular destination on the planet for winter resorts, but also popular are ecotourism and outdoor activities, the night life in the larger cities such as Madrid or Barcelona, and of course the summer resorts. There are several sacred religious locations in Spain, whether to the Jewish or Christian, such as the city of Santiago de Compostela. It’s located in Galicia in Spain's northwest, also known as the third holiest city in the world, following the Vatican in Rome and Jerusalem. Millions of visitors arrive every year on pilgrimages and religious journeys for the sake of being in the lovely city. The fourth and fifth holiest places in the world are also located in Northern Spain; "Santo Toribio de Liébana" and the "Sanctuary of Caravaca de la Cruz".

But as early mentioned there are also less dour attractions that bring people thousands of miles away to this beautiful country. For example, the Costa Brava, Costa Dorada, and Costa del Maresme - the three most often visited areas of Spain's coastline in Catalonia, home to luxury summer resorts. The diverse and vivid culture of Spain is also not only able to be observed, but participated in, through the wildly fun festivals that take place throughout the holidays in Spain. Carnival, the holiday season before Lent, is one of the most popular festival seasons, and is celebrated throughout all of Spain and the adjoined islands. If you're planning a vacation near that time of year, be sure to schedule a day trip to observe and participate in Carnival. Lastly, you absolutely cannot leave Spain unless you have been out to dance at least once!

Quick Facts

Destinations

Fuerteventura The Canary Islands archipelago is home to some of Spain's most popular tourist destinations; Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Fuerteventura. Fuerteventura was recognized as a great spot for tourism in the 1960s when the very first hotel and airport were built on the island. Fuerteventura translates to...

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria is one of the seven larger islands in the Spanish archipelago called the 'Canary Islands'. In total the island spans 969 miles², which is separated into twenty one municipalities. The capital city of Gran Canaria is 'Las Palmas de Gran Canaria' with almost 400,000 inhabitants and is th...

Lanzarote At the Easternmost tip of the Canary Islands archipelago lies an island known as Lanzarote. At just 37 miles from north to south this island is small, yet it manages to pack in a host of attractions, awe inspiring landscapes, handsome beaches and warm spring-like weather at the same time. Before...

Mallorca Just off the East coast of Spain is an Archipelago known as the Balearic Islands. The largest of the five Balearic Islands, Mallorca has a population of almost 800,000 people occupying 2262 square miles of land which has undergone a huge change since its recognition as a holiday destination in the 1...

Tenerife Tenerife, Spain was actually once an island that was stricken with poverty. With bananas as their main export, this part of the country seemed to have very little to offer and was rapidly declining. However, when the 1960s brought the world commercial air travel, Tenerife started to exploit its natu...