Things to do in Spain
Places of Interest
Spain offers plenty of activities to indulge in. For a start, look for the places, where the famous Spanish Bullfight is held. Mostly, it's concentrated in Pamplona, where both locals and visitors chase the raging bulls in closed streets. The 'Running of the Bulls' festival in July at San Fermin is particularly popular among the locals and the tourists. Madrid also offers wonderful sights of bullfighting at the imposing bullring of Las Ventas, also known as the 'Cathedral of Bullfighting'.
Music lovers should not miss flamenco, which is extremely touching to the soul. The flamenco and other regional dances are extremely popular all across Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalucia in Southern Spain.
Religion ranks quite high among the Spaniards, with Way of St James leading up to Santiago de Compostela as the major pilgrimage site in the country. This is an ancient site that is also accorded the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The central figure of the 12th century Gothic Cathedral is the major attraction here. This route is lined with chapels, monasteries, hospices, and other religious houses, and attracts thousands of pilgrims from around the world each year.
A visit to Spain can never be terminated without a visit to one of the many National Parks housing rich native flora and fauna. These Parks also boast of some excellent features, like coastal dunes, isolated mountain peaks, walking trails, marshes, wetlands, and Atlantic Beaches. The major Spanish National Parks include Ordesa (Huesca Pyrenees), Coto de Donana (provinces of Seville and Huelva), Montana de Covadonga (Picos de Europa), Aigues Tortes (Lleida) and, Tablas de Daimiel (La Mancha).
Mountains in Spain are ideal to indulge in rock-climbing. Naranjo de Bulnes in the Picos de Europa and Monte Perdido in Ordesa National Park are the major rock-climbing spots in the country. The rugged mountains are also ideal for mountain biking.
The aquatic adventure can be undertaken at any of the several coastal resorts. The most popular water-based activities include swimming, windsurfing, white-water rafting, sailing, diving, and fishing. Some of the popular spots to indulge in aquatic adventure include the Windsurfing resort in Tarifa on the Straits of Gibraltar, lake on the Meseta regions of Castilla and Extremadura, and river and the rivers and streams of the Pyrenees and the Picos de Europa.
Golf is another popular activity fast catching up among the locals and visitors alike in the country. The most popular golfing destinations in Spain include La Manga, Polaris World and Costa del Sol, and famous designer resorts are an added attraction. The players like Jose Maria Olazabal, Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones, and Severiano Ballesteros have designed some of the picturesque golf resorts in the country.
In winters, the mountainous regions attract lots of winter-sport enthusiasts with several well-equipped skiing resorts. The upland area of Sierra Nevada in the South of Nevada is particularly popular for winter sports as well as the coastal sunshine and water-sports in the Mediterranean.
Tourist Information
Spanish National Tourist Office in the UK
PO Box 4009,
London, W1A 6NB,
UK
Tel: (020) 7486 8077 or (0845) 940 0180 (24-hour brochure request line; calls cost 60p per minute)
Website: www.spain.info
Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 0915-1615
Spanish Tourist Office in the USA
666 Fifth Avenue, Btwn 52nd and 53rd Street, 35th Floor,
New York, NY 10103,
USA
Tel: (212) 265 8822
Website: www.okspain.org
SPAIN
