Table of Contents
1 Experience Spain 9
25 Ultimate Experiences 10
What's Where 20
Spain Today 24
Spain's Best Museums 28
Spain's Best Beaches 30
Spain's Most Beautiful Villages 32
What to Watch and Read Before You Go to Spain 34
History You Can See 36
2 Travel Smart 39
Know Before You Go 40
Getting Here and Around 42
Before You Go 48
Essentials 49
Contacts 53
Great Itineraries 54
Helpful Phrases in Spanish 62
On the Calendar 64
3 Madrid 67
Welcome to Madrid 68
Eating and Drinking Well in Madrid 70
Planning 72
Sol 78
Palacio 87
Moncloa 92
Chueca 96
Malasaña 101
Barrio de las Letras 103
Retire 111
Salamanca 124
La Latina 128
Lavapiés 135
Arganzuela 139
Chamberí 140
Chamartín 144
Tetuán 146
4 Central Spain 147
Welcome to Central Spain 148
Eating and Drinking Well in Central Spain 150
Planning 153
Toledo 158
Almagro 168
Cuenca 169
Sigüenza 172
Segovia 173
Sepúlveda 180
San Lorenzo de El Escorial 181
Ávila 181
Salamanca 184
Burgos 192
Leon 197
Astorga 202
Villafranca del Bierzo 203
Jerte and El Valle del Jerte (Jerte Valley) 204
La Vera and Monasterio de Yuste 207
Cáceres 208
Trujillo 213
Guadalupe 215
Merida 218
5 Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria 221
Welcome to Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria 222
Eating and Drinking Well in Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria 224
El Camino de Santiago 226
Planning 231
Santiago de Compostela 233
Ourense and La Ribeira Sacra 241
Lugo 243
Muxía 243
Fisterra 245
Muros 245
Cambados 245
Pontevedra 247
Vigo 249
Baiona 251
Tui 252
A Coruña 253
Betanzos 257
Viveiro 258
Luarca 259
Oviedo 260
Gijón 263
Ribadesella 266
Llanes 267
Cangas de Onís 269
Potes 270
Santander 271
Santillana del Mar 277
6 The Basque Country, Navarra, and La Rioja 279
Welcome to The Basque Country, Navarra, and La Rioja 280
Eating and Drinking Well in the Basque Country 282
Planning 285
Bilbao 288
Bermeo 302
Mundaka 302
Axpe Atxondo 305
Getaria and Zumaia 306
San Sebastián 308
Vitoria-Gasteiz 317
Laguardia 321
Pasaia 323
Hondarribia 325
Pamplona 326
Logroño 331
La Rioja Atta 333
Haro 335
7 The Pyrenees 337
Welcome to The Pyrenees 338
Eating and Drinking Well in the Pyrenees 340
Planning 344
Camprodon 347
Beget 349
Sant Joan de les Abadesses 351
Ripoll 351
Ribes de Freser and Vall de Núria 352
Puigcerdà 354
Llívia 356
Bellver de Cerdanya 356
La Seu d'Urgell 358
Sort 359
Pare Nacional d'Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici 360
Vielha 361
Arties 364
Salardú 365
Zaragoza 367
Huesca 371
Alquézar 372
Ainsa 375
Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido 377
Jaca 378
Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña 380
Hecho and Ansó Valleys 381
Roncal Valley 383
Roncesvalles (Orreaga) 384
Burguete (Auritz) 385
Baztan Valley 385
8 Barcelona 387
Welcome to Barcelona 388
Eating and Drinking Well in Barcelona 390
Planning 393
La Rambla 398
Barri Gòtic 408
El Raval 423
Sant Pere and Born/La Ribera 431
La Ciutadella and Barceloneta 443
The Eixample 453
Gràcia 473
Upper Barcelona: Sarrià and Pedralbes 477
Montjuïc and Poble Sec 483
9 Catalonia, Valencia, and the Costa Blanca 489
Welcome to Catalonia, Valencia, and the Costa Blanca 490
Eating and Drinking Well in Catalonia and Valencia 492
Planning 495
Girona 498
Figueres 505
Besalú 508
Tossa de Mar 509
Sant Feliu de Guixols 512
S'Agaró 513
Calella de Palafrugell and Around 514
Begur and Around 515
Cadaqués and Around 516
Montserrat 518
Sitges 519
Santes Creus 521
Santa Maria de Poblet 522
Tarragona 522
Valencia 525
Albufera Nature Park 535
Dénia 535
Calpe (Calp) 537
Altea 538
Alicante (Alacant) 540
10 Ibiza and the Balearic Islands 543
Welcome to Ibiza and the Balearic Islands 544
Eating and Drinking Well in the Balearic Islands 546
Best Beaches of the Balearics 548
Planning 551
Ibiza 554
Formentera 563
Mallorca 564
Menorca 584
11 Seville and Around 595
Welcome to Seville and Around 596
Flamenco 598
Planning 601
Centro 604
Barrio de Santa Cruz 611
El Arenal and Parque María Luisa 615
Barrio de la Macarena 619
Triana 620
Itálic a 622
Córdoba 623
Ronda 635
Around Ronda: Caves, Ramans, and Pueblos Blancos 638
Arcos de la Frontera 639
Jerez de la Frontera 640
Cadiz 645
12 Granada and Around 649
Welcome to Granada and Around 650
Eating and Drinking Well in Andalusia 652
Planning 655
La Alhambra 657
Realejo 668
Sacromonte 669
Albayzín 669
Centro 672
Outskirts of Granada 674
Priego de Córdoba 676
Baeza 677
Úbeda 678
The Sierra Nevada 680
The Alpujarras 681
13 Costa Del Sol and Costa de Almeria 683
Welcome to Costa del Sol and Costa de Almería 684
Eating and Drinking Well Along Spain's Southern Coast 686
Best Beaches of the Southern Coast 688
Planning 691
The Cabo de Gata Nature Reserve 695
Agua Amarga 697
Almería 697
Almuñécar 700
Nerja 702
The Axarquía 704
Málaga 705
Antequera 713
The Guadalhorce Valley 715
Torremolinos 716
Fuengirola 718
Mijas 720
Marbella 722
Ojén 726
Estepona 727
Casares 729
Tarifa 730
Gibraltar 733
14 The Canary Islands 737
Welcome to The Canary islands 738
Planning 741
Tenerife 745
Gran Canaria 762
Lanzarote 774
Fuerteventura 789
La Palma 795
Index 801
About Our Writers 816
Maps
Travel Times by Train 26-27
Madrid Metro 80
Sol, Palacio, and Moncloa 82-83
Chueca and Malasaña 98
Barrio de las Letras 104
Retire and Salamanca 112-113
La Latina, Lavapiés, and Arganzuela 129
Chamberí, Chamartín, and Tetuán 142
Castile-La Mancha 156
Toledo 160
Castile and Leon 174
Segovia 176
Salamanca 186
Burgos 194
León 200
Extremadura 206
Santiago de Compostela and Eastern Galicia 234
Santiago de Compostela 238
The Costa da Morte and Rías Baixas 244
A Coruña and Rías Atlas 254
Western Asturias 259
Picos de Europa 270
Cantabria 273
Bilbao 296-297
The Basque Coast 305
Navarra and La Rioja 324
Eastern Catalan Pyrenees and La Cerdanya 348
Western Catalan Pyrenees 360
Aragón and the Central Pyrenees 369
The Navarran and Basque Pyrenees 382
Barcelona Metro 400
La Rambla 402
Barri Gòtic 410-411
El Raval 424
Sant Pere and La Ribera 432-433
La Ciutadella and Barceloneta 444-445
The Eixample 454-455
Gràcia 474
Upper Barcelona: Sarrià and Pedralbes 478
Montjuïc and Poble Sec 484
Northern Catalonia and the Costa Brava 500
Valencia and the Costa Blanca 526
Valencia 530
Ibiza and Formentera 556
Mallorca 566
Menorca 585
Seville 606-607
Córdoba 626-627
Granada 658-659
Granada Side Trips 675
Costa de Almería and Costa Tropical 698
Málaga and inland 706
Málaga 708
Gibraltar 732
Tenerife 748
Gran Canaria 763
Lanzarote and Fuerteventura 776
La Palma 796
El Prado: Madrid's Brush With Greatness 116
Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família 459
Alhambra: Palace-Fortress 661
