Though Spain’s Euskadi (Basque) region is known for its distinctive culture, cuisine, and exciting cities such as Bilbao and San Sebastián (aka Donostia), this lovely swath of the country’s green north is also packed with enchanting natural allures. One of the most magical, just a...
In recent years our country’s become increasingly well known for its lovely, high-quality wine regions in places like La Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Catalonia, and even Galicia. But even the most “unexpected” areas of Spain have a lot to offer, fruit-of-the-vine-wise. A good example is...
Among other things, Provence is famous for its extensive fields of lavender, used in cosmetics and perfume, as food ingredients, and in dozens of other products. But relatively few people outside Spain’s Guadalajara province may be aware that fields of this fragrant, pinkish-purple bloom also...
Spain is packed with dramatic national and regional nature parks, reserves, and protected areas, from the Canary Islands off the Atlantic coast of Africa to the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. On the mainland, too, there are dozens, and one lesser known one that...
One of Europe’s coolest cities is also one of its most bike-friendly, thanks to mostly flat terrain; some 900 kilometres (about 560 miles) of cycling paths and lanes; and loads of bicycle-rental shops and bike-share schemes all over town. A wunderbar place to start your two-wheel...
Is wine your thing? Just across the Douro River from Porto – just a stroll over the Dom Luis I Bridge – is another charming city called Vila Nova de Gaia that you’ll definitely want to put on your oenophile bucket list, because it’s known...
Italy is of course packed with ravishing road trips, but one of the most renowned is in the southeastern Campania region, about an hour south of Naples and the legendary ancient Roman ruins of Pompeii: the Costiera Amalfitana (Amalfi Coast), a 50-kilometre (31-mile) stretch famous...
The Costa del Sol, running along the Mediterranean coast of Málaga province, is famously lined with resort towns – some of which are known worldwide – that become magnets for Spaniards, other Europeans, and other holidaymakers looking to escape their routine and spend their holidays...
Rightly one of Portugal’s top holiday magnets, its southernmost region, the Algarve, is bucolic and mellow, with picturesque old towns and fabulous cuisine. But of course visitors are mostly drawn here by its lovely rugged coast with its fabulous beaches – many of which are...
Up near Spain’s northwestern corner, the port city of A Coruña is busy with shipping, fishing, and other business – but also has a big student population which drives a pretty hopping nightlife, on weekdays as well as weekends (though Sundays seem to be especially...
