إسبانيا

Understand

Spain shares the Iberian Peninsula with Andorra, Gibraltar, and Portugal.

A country of large geographic and cultural diversity, Spain may come as a surprise to those who only know of its reputation for great beach holidays and almost endless sunshine. There is everything from lush meadows and snowy mountains to huge marshes and deserts in the south east. While summer is the peak season, those who wish to avoid the crowds should consider visiting in the winter as not only is it normally mild and sunny, but attractions such as the Alhambra Palace in Granada and La Gran Mezquita in Cordoba will not be overcrowded. However the ski resorts of Sierra Nevada do get very crowded. The Mediterranean climate that predominates in Southern and Central Spain is noted for its dry summers and (somewhat) wet(ter) winters, so visiting in the winter or spring brings the added benefit of the vegetation looking much more healthy. Northern Spain (e.g. Asturias) on the other hand gets quite a bit of rain year round and is ripe with lush green vegetation even in August.

See

The most popular beaches are the ones along the Mediterranean coast, in the Balearic Islands and in the Canary Islands. Meanwhile, for hiking, the mountains of Sierra Nevada in the south, the Central Cordillera and the northern Pyrenees are the best places. You can also visit some of the National Parks in Spain

Eat

Spanish cuisine may not enjoy the prestige that French or Italian cuisine does in the Anglosphere, but it has skyrocketed in popularity in the 21st century, driven in no small part by the large number of Spanish celebrity chefs who have been making waves around the fine dining world.

Spaniards are very passionate about their food and wine. Spanish food can be described as quite light with a lot of vegetables and a huge variety of meat and fish. Perhaps owing to the inquisition trying to "find out" lapsed conversos pork (religiously prohibited in both Judaism and Islam) is easily the most consumed meat and features prominently in many dishes. Spanish cuisine does not use many spices; it relies only on the use of high quality ingredients to give a good taste. As such, you may find Spanish food bland at times but there are usually a variety of restaurants in most cities (Italian, Chinese, American fast food) if you would like to experience a variety of flavors. If you are familiar with Latin American cuisines, keep in mind that many Spanish dishes may have the same name as several Latin American dishes, but actually refer to completely different dishes (e.g. tortilla, horchata and mazapán refer to completely different things in Spain and Mexico).