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Tourist information for Coastal Spain
Coastal Spain is perhaps the best known of region of Spain as far as
the British holiday-maker is concerned. Extending from the French border in the
North to the southernmost tip of Spain, the Costas represent for many what Spain
is all about - sun, sea, and sand. All these are here in abundance; golden
beaches, warm blue sea, rocky coves, quaint harbours. But here as well are some
of Spain's great cities; Barcelona, Valencia and Granada amongst them. Just a
few miles inland the countryside offers a wide variety of landscapes. The
foothills of the Pyrenees descend to the sea in the north, while all down the
Mediterranean coast rugged mountains are never far inland, with scattered
villages seemingly belonging to times past. In the far south the 3,400 metre
high Sierra Nevada range close to Granada offers good skiing in winter. Beyond
Gibraltar on the Atlantic coast is the great delta of the Rio Guadalquivir, home
to a myriad birds, and the ancient port of Cadiz.
If you're looking for a luxury apartment complex in Southern Spain with golf and
other activities, try
La Manga.
Towns and places of interest in coastal Spain:
Granada is high on the agenda of any visitor to Spain, especially for
the famous and stunningly beautiful Alhambra Palace. Words cannot do
justice to this amazing example of Moorish architecture, which usually leaves
visitors speechless with admiration. If you've got time, visit the nearby
village of Fuente Vaqueros, birthplace of the poet Frederico Garcia
Lorca, where there is an excellent museum in his memory. To the south of Granada
is the Sierra Nevada, snow-capped for much of the year, where flowers
bloom and wild goats are silhouetted against the sky. There are some good
walking trails here, as well as winter skiing.
Barcelona is one of our favourite cities. A wonderful mixture of the
relaxed and the frenetic, typified in the stroll along the Ramblas while nearby
the nightclubs pulsate until dawn and beyond. It's hard to avoid the many
examples of Gaudi's stunning architecture, and a visit to the unfinished
Cathedral of the Sagrada Familia is a must. The old town district, the Barrio
Gotico, runs parallel to the Ramblas, at one end the great modern space of the
Placa de Catalunya, at the other the harbour, crossed by a spectacular and
alarming cable car which runs up to the hill of Montjuich where the Olympic
stadium is found. We don't have space here to even begin to describe the
attractions of Barcelona, only to suggest a good guide book and a stay of as
many days as you can manage.
The Costa Brava stertches from the French border to just north of
Barcelona. Although much of its length is typical high-rise Spanish beachfront
development, with excellent sandy beaches and a lively nightlife, there are
several pockets of rocky coastline with pretty fishing villages and a more
relaxed ambience. Try Llafranc and Calella, with lovely coves
between rocky headlands, or Port Bou, a pretty fishing village close to
France. Inland, visit the Salvador Dali museum in Figueres.
South of Barcelona is the Costa Dorada, and the vibrant resort of
Sitges, known as Barcelona-on-Sea, which gives an idea of its lively nature.
The town is pleasant enough and the beaches excellent, while the nightlife has
something for everyone. A small and relatively undeveloped resort is Cunit
with its good long beach, while the modern resort of Salou-Cambrils
caters for every type of beach and watersports holiday. Tarragona is the
capital town of this region and dates back to Roman times when it was a major
city. It enjoys a spectacular situation, on a rocky hillside above the sea,
boasts many Roman remains, an attractive Old Town with some good restaurants,
and reasonable beaches.
Valencia is the capital city of the province that bears its name. The
town itself has a wealth of Baroque influenced buildings, a fascinating old
town, excellent paellas and, in the Museo de Bellas Artes, a superb collection
of great Spanish art. Valencia has perhaps the best nightlife outside Madrid and
Barcelona, and, in summer, the bars at the Malvarrosa beach are the place to be.
North from Valencia is the town of Castellon de la Plana, with good
beaches along the coast towards Benicasim. South of Valencia are the package
tour resorts of the Costa Blanca, among them Benidorm and
Alicante.
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