Smoking cannabis is legal in Barcelona. But that’s not why tourists are flocking Spain. It could be the Flamenco dance shows. It could be the bullfighting. It could be the Tomatina festival. Or just be that Spain, with its fascinating cities of Madrid and Barcelona, gorgeous seafronts of Valencia and Santander, pulsating nightlife of Mallorca and lazy afternoons at pedestrian cafés is just not resistible.
Pleasant Mediterranean climate, relaxed lifestyle and a number of leisure and cultural activities make Spain an amazing tourist destination. Get high with our customisable Spain tourism packages from India.
Located in the southern parts of western Europe, Spain is largely placed in the peninsula of Iberia with some parts across the Gibraltar Strait and the Atlantic Ocean. Also included are the archipelagos of the Canary Islands off the African coast and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The mainland is surrounded by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and the lands of France and Portugal among others.
Heritage to marvel at
Contrary to popular perception, Spain is much more than its splendid beaches and historical cities.
Spain’s place in the big league of tradition, culture and legacy is corroborated by the listing of 42 of its positions as UNESCO World Heritage Sites apart from the natural sites like Monte Perdido landscape in the Pyrenees mountains and the national parks of Garajonay, Donana, and Teide.
The palatine city of Alhambra, the archaeological ensembles of Merida and of Tarraco, the historic cities of Toledo and of Cordoba are just a few of the forty- two cultural heritage sites dotting the landscape of Spain.
With 14 intangible cultural heritage, it is a treasure trove of legacy and traditions.
Globally, Spain is the third-largest in the number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the largest in the number of UNESCO World Heritage Cities.
That makes it an enticing place to explore and revel in.
A stunning display of architectural and cultural diversity
Spain is a very diverse country. And the cities of Spain represent this excellently.
A trip through Spain is a captivating journey through the distinctly styled monuments and squares and museums and cathedrals; each telling of the diversity of patterns in different historical periods in different parts of the country.
Andalusia in the southern parts of Spain is a reminder to the culture of the old Spain with residues of Roman influence in the settlements in Cadiz, America’s association in Seville and Muslim past in Cordoba and Granada. The Moorish architecture, a style typical to the western Islamic world, is on splendid display at Alhambra. The beautiful city of Ronda on top of a steep cliff traces its bullring culture to the oldest times.
In central Spain, Merida has well-maintained Roman ruins, Toledo reminds of how glorious the medieval cities used to while Segovia boasts of Roman aqueduct that stretches across a city square.
As we move north, we come across Soria that lays claim to pre-Roman excavations, Burgos and Leon with their Gothic cathedrals and Salamanca that is famous for its abundant historical architecture and a university that dates back to 1134.
In north-western Spain, Galicia claims to be the burial place of one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. The Roman empire, the Muslim rule, the medieval period and the Renaissance, all find representation in the buildings of Zaragoza.
This regional diversity entices to explore different parts of Spain and beckons travellers to visit the country again and again.
Relaxed ambience and friendly people
Travellers to Spain find the people in the country to be among the most uncomplicated, relaxed and friendly people in the world. Famous for their afternoon siesta, laid-back lifestyle, gastronomy and air kisses, the people in Spain have made the country very tourist-friendly.
Fun fiestas
It is celebration time in Spain all through the year. Any reason is good enough to celebrate. From the deeply religious festivals to the uniquely curious ones like the tomato festival, the country believes in having a gala time.
Travellers to the country are engulfed by the colourful, spirited festivals celebrated with much joy and revelry ensuring that they carry an elating feeling when they leave.
Food and wine
La Rioja wine contrived from Tempranillo grapes is a popular souvenir item from Spain though teenagers would like to hit on the sangria.
Tourists love to have a go at the traditional and authentic Paella, the globally popular Spanish rice dish, cooked in the country with meat and seafood brimming in olive and seasoned with oodles of saffron and local spices. And it is simply heavenly.
Tapas, the savouries to nibble as an appetizer, is a good enough excuse for the bar-hopping culture of the Spanish cities. Pintxos, from the Basque Country, is another local food-finding favour with the visitors.
Everything about Spain is an invitation to relaxed, colourful days of merriment while savouring the rich history and culture of the place.
Our Spain holiday packages are just the first right step you should take to set out for a scintillating journey through the bewitching country of Spain. What’s more, it is customisable.
Sell the bridge or buy another river.
So suggested the 16th-17th century playwright Lope de Vega at the sight of a magnificent bridge, Puente de Segovia, over the unimpressive river of Manzanares.
The capital city Madrid is a city of contrasts and somewhat asymmetry. And that gives a certain earthy authenticity to it.
Art and financial centre of Spain, the city is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula with its population residing at higher altitudes of 500 meters and above. Its climate is somewhere between the typical Mediterranean climate of mild temperature, dry hot summers and wet cold winters and the semi-arid climate. A great place for vacation.
With most of its tourists’ points located in close proximity to the central part of the city, it is amenable to stress-free holidaying.
Located on the coast of north-eastern Spain, Barcelona lies in the 5 km wide strip of plains between the mountains of Collserola and the Mediterranean Sea. This Catalonian capital city has a gentle climate protected as it is from the cold winds by the semi-circle of the mountain. A go-to place for seductive sunny blue skies and Mediterranean feel.
Antoni Gaudi’s stupendous architecture, excellent museums of modern art, sedate parks and golden shores; Barcelona has so much to offer as a tourist destination.
A bubbly frothing city with blue waters and golden sand beaches and 300 days of sunshine, Valencia in Eastern Spain is a coastal city at the mouth of the Tura river on the Mediterranean Sea-shore.
Conveniently located, it is just an hour-and-a-half train journey to Madrid, a three-hour exhilarating road trip to Barcelona and a daily-trip away to the Balearic Islands. An ideal place to launch into an exploration of Spain.
To the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula on the lower reaches of the river Guadalquivir lies Seville, the capital city of Andalusia. Located inland, it has a Mediterranean climate with dry summers and 3000 hours of sunshine a year. With very low seasonal variations, the city is a welcome visit any time of the year.
Located at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains is Granada, the capital city of the province by the same name. A go-to place for its ‘palace-city’ of Alhambra, the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city of Cordoba is the capital city of the province of Cordoba in the Andalusia region in southern Spain in the middle course of the river Guadalquivir. The city’s landscape includes the Sierra mountain at an elevation of 125 meters above sea level, the valley that is partly elongated terraces and hilly parts of up to 200 meters.
Both the Sierra and the hilly parts have excellent viewpoints from where you get to see the stunning sight of the valley below.
With a Mediterranean climate, it has mild winter though cooler than the other low-lying areas of southern Spain. A pleasant place to be.
The whole of historic city centre of Cordoba is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A must-visit for history and culture lovers.
You can meet Don Quixote. Well, not exactly. But you can certainly tilt at the windmills.
Just for the curious love of the windmills, this municipality in the province of Toledo in the community of La Mancha is a place not to miss.
There are a number of other very fascinating places that can be part of your Spain travels. We have customisable Spain tour packages ready for you.
City Tours. Take the cities with you.
Take guided tours in the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and a host of others. They are fascinating tours through the art galleries, monuments, museums, art and architecture, streets and fashions, music and cuisine of the cities.
Works of architect Gaudi in Barcelona, great museums at Madrid, historical sites at Alhambra among others make city tours an experience that will be talking point with friends for a long time to come when you return home.
Art and Culture. Travel through time.
Marvel at the artistic wonders of Spain. Medieval castles to futuristic architectures, Roman water-works to trailblazer modern designs, Spain is an amazing journey through the time. Take a guided tour to appreciate the works of the masters like Dali and Picasso at the museums like the Prado Museum or palaces like the one at Alhambra.
Historic cathedrals and castles that are witnesses to monumental heights the country had attained in art and architecture stand in the company of modern buildings at Cuatro Torres area in Madrid. Travel through the time. Merida, Zaragoza amongst others are the places to visit to take this wonderful journey.
Festivals. Celebrate.
Take part in art festivals. Opera festivals in the Canaries, the Black Music Festival in the province of Girona, the Navarre International Festival of Documentary Cinema and a host of other festival fill the Spain calendar through the year. And then there is the popular La Tomatina, the tomato festival.
Nature. Hit the trails.
Mountains and peaks and ridges and cliffs. Lakes and rivers and swamps and estuaries. Jungles and thickets. Volcanoes and valleys.
A plethora of landscape to be explored. Among them are the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Serra de Tramuntana mountains and Teide National Park. Pick up your trail and go explore.
Beaches and coasts. Get blissed out.
Laze and swim at the pristine beaches of turquoise water and enjoy the thrills in the coves. Volcanic beaches of the Canary Islands, Mediterranean beaches on the mainland and calm waters in the coves in the embrace of forests are just bliss.
Walk along the seafronts of Santander, sip at the Cafes immersed in the history of the amazing artistic meeting place of Picasso at Barcelona, or where famous spy Mata Hari used to sit at Madrid or the café where King Alfonso XIII was banqueted at Salamanca.
Shopping. Indulge yourself.
Pedestrian plazas in shopping areas, global brands cheek-by-jovial with ethnic shops, immaculate services in exclusive showrooms and well-marked shopping areas in cities make shopping a great holiday experience in Spain.
There is so much more to do in Spain.
Take thermal baths in Galicia or go vineyard trailing and wine tasting in Formentera in the Balearic Islands. Take a bicycle pilgrimage on the Way of Saint James or the more physically challenging Camino. Or just pick on a region of Spain and visit the famous tourist points of the area.
The choices are endless.
Apart from its famed vibrancy and nightlife, glorious museums and world cuisine, the city has peaceful historical environs with bars and restaurants run by families for centuries that give you an authentic Spanish experience.
An exhaustive assemblage of Spanish paintings of the period eleventh to eighteenth centuries and innumerable gems from universal artists like El Greco and Van Dyck at the Prado Museum is a big draw.
The Royal Palace is another fascination with visitors to the city. While the pandits debate as to whether it belongs to the neo-classical or the baroque style, the mortals just get awed by the different facades, its numerous rooms like the Royal Guards Room or the Hall of Mirrors Room and the awesome gardens.
Iconic to the city, the Plaza Mayor, a huge open area in the centre of the city is a venue for public events with bars and restaurants under the arcades. Unmissable for the tourists.
A cute square of Casa de la Villa, the Buen Retiro Palace and the annexure of the Astronomical Observatory, the exhibition of different schools of art at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the Reina Sofia National Art Centre and the Puerta de Alcala Gate are other major attractions of Madrid.
The city with the Mediterranean view has at the heart of it a number of splendid medieval edifices making their presence conspicuous in the maze of congested network of narrow streets. Lone possessor of the gold medal for architecture from the Royal Institute of British Architects normally given to individual architects, it is an awe-inspiring city of stunning architecture.
That the city, the largest in the Mediterranean, is accorded paramount importance by the religious too, is established by the number of churches, cathedrals and episcopal and ministerial palaces that line the city and great tourist attractions.
A trendsetter in the fields of fashion, culture and cuisine it is a lovely combination of unhurried old-city charm and brisk modern urbanity. Lazy moments on the beaches, idling at the pavement cafes and roaming on the streets like La Ramblas are the big-city attraction of Barcelona.
The Picasso Museum in Barcelona, the Gothic-styled Barcelona Cathedral and the art collection from the 10th to the 20th century at the National Art Museum of Catalonia are the pride attractions of the city. The Gaudi re-modelled jewel of Art Nouveau, the Casa Batllo and the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art vie for attention.
The Camp Nou Stadium, the Gran Liceu Theatre, the Palau de la Musica Catalan Auditorium and the famous Roman Catholic church of La Sagrada Familia are other major draws of the city.
19th March, the famous day of the Fallas celebration at Valencia is just one of the attractions of Valencia. The Plaza de la Reina with the cathedral, the outdoor attractions of lovely beaches and the huge Turia city garden are not to be missed tourist destinations of Valencia.
The Palau de la Musica, one of Europe’s best auditorium and the City of Arts and Science Complex one of Europe’s largest science complex have their own set of visitors. The Silk Exchange, the Science Museum and the Valencia Institute of Modern Art are other tourist attractions.
Paella, the traditional dish of Valencia, by the seaside is a great way to vile time here.
The Real Alcaraz Palace of Seville and the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao are big hits with the tourists. The Seville Townhall and the Santacruz Neighbourhood are other attractions. The Seville Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is the most prominent tourist attraction.
Parks and gardens, Museums and theatres, festivals and celebrations, music and gastronomy with a good investment in infrastructure development are attracting tourists by the drove.
A multitude of leisure and cultural activities awaits in Granada a prominent tourist place in Andalusia. Film festivals, theatre festivals and music festivals abound drawing tourists with specific interests to the city all through the year. Palaces from the renaissance period have been converted into conferences and exhibitions venues that are influencing tourist flow to the area.
Alhambra, an intriguing amalgamation of Gothic and Islamic styles of architecture, is a fortress converted into a palace. It is a popular tourist fascination.
The list of tourist attractions in Spain is endless.
The Grand Mosque of Cordoba, the snow-capped mountain surrounding Granada, the deserts, the mountains, the volcanoes and the wonderous beaches of Tenerife and the skiing strips of Sierra Nevada are the other tourist destinations in Spain.
The Balearic island of Ibiza draws visitors who love raving and clubbing and DJing while, Mallorca lures with its gorgeous beaches and exciting nightlife, Flamenco shows, a dance form typical to southern Spain is also alluring visitors to the cities of Seville among others in the Andalusia region.
The old city declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Salamanca is a top draw in the region. The Roman ruins in Merida in the western-central parts of the Iberian Peninsula and white sand beaches preferred by the wealthy and sophisticated beachgoers in San Sebastian are other top tourist attractions.
The international tour is about meticulous planning.
We, at Flying Squirrel Holidays, have a number of tour packages to Spain which we can customise for you according to your budget and inclinations. Here is a sample Spain tour itinerary.
Day 1
Welcome to Madrid. Transfer from the airport to the hotel. Day on your own at leisure. Evening you will be transferred to the Egyptian Debod temple, Plaza de Espana and Gran Via. Accommodation in Madrid.Day 2
Guided Madrid city tour. Plaza Mayor, Retiro Park, Crystal Palace, Plaza de Toros de las Ventas, Bullfighting Museum, Plaza de Oriente opposite Royal Palace.Day 3
Leave for Barcelona. On the way visit Aragon, Pilar Basilica in Zaragoza, Monastery of Poblet, Monastery of Montserrat, rack train to the mountain top. Then leave for Barcelona and accommodation in Barcelona.Day 4
Guided Barcelona city tour. Visit all historic and city centres like City Squares and La Sagrada Familia basilica and Poblet Espanyol and evening transfer to Las Ramblas and Plaza Catalunya. Return to hotel. Accommodation in Barcelona.Day 5
Visit to the walled city of Peniscola. Next visit Valencia. Evening transfer to Plaza de Toros. Return to hotel. Accommodation in Barcelona.Day 6
Leave for Granada. On the way visit to Alicante. Visit to Caravaca de la Cruz. Travel through the picturesque areas to the Andalusia region. In the evening check-in to the hotel at Granada. Accommodation at Granada.Day 7
Guided Granada city tour including the Generalife Gardens and the Alhambra Palace. Evening you are free to do your own things. Accommodation at Granada.Day 8
Leave Granada. Travel in the direction of Costa del Sol. Reach Malaga town. Take a tour around the town. Take the coastal roadways through the Mediterranean. Reach Puerto Banus. Marbella resort. Later travel further through the hills to reach Ronda. Travel further to reach Seville. Accommodation at Seville.Day 9
Guided Seville tour in and around Seville. A boat ride on Guadalquivir river. In the afternoon, some quiet times and then visit the city centre in the afternoon.Day 10
Leave Seville for Cordoba. Guided tour of the monuments and then you are on your in the afternoon. Post lunch, leave for Consuegra through the Castilian lands. Look around in the La Mancha plains. After the travel through the La Mancha plains, leave for the city of Madrid. Reach Madrid in the evening. Accommodation in Madrid.Day 11
Check out from the hotel in Madrid. Transfer to the airport for your trip home with the memories of the travel to cherish for a long time. And while you are at it, take a look at our Spain and Portugal tour packages from India too, which we can customise for you to give you an absolutely fascinating holiday experience.Please email me a copy of the sample itinerary
Cost of a trip depends on the places you visit, the duration of your visit and whether you are travelling in groups or individually. It also depends on the class of travel and accommodation and the months of the year you chose to fly. Smart travellers are able to cut substantially on costs.
We, at Flying Squirrel Holidays, through years of experience of our professionals, are able to strike best deals for you. Don’t let your thought on budget curtail your aspiration. Come to us. We have a number of tour packages that we can customise for you.
How can I go to Spain from India?
By air. Major Indian cities of India like Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi are well connected to the international airports in Spain like in Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga. Delhi-Madrid is a ten-hour flight.
Is there a direct flight from India to Spain?
Air India flies one flight direct from Delhi to Madrid. Most flights are one-stop flights with a short layover.
What is the cheapest month to fly to Spain?
February is the cheapest month to fly to Spain. October-November and February-April are comparatively cheaper months to fly to Spain.
Do I need a visa for Spain?
Yes, you need a visa for going to Spain from India.
Snow-capped mountains of Granada or gorgeous beaches of Tenerife, flamenco shows in southern Spain or bull-running in Pamplona. Or, just the amazing cities of Madrid and Barcelona. Whatever your disposition, we at Flying Squirrel Holidays have customisable Spain tour packages from India ready for you.
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