Category Archives: Spain / España

Museo Reina Sofía / Queen Sofia Art Center (Madrid)

Emblematic buildings, Madrid

reina sofia museum

 

IMGP6622This art gallery forms part of the “Madrid’s triangle”, next to Prado Museum and Museum of Thyseen-Bornemisza. These three art galleries are must-see places in Madrid. Each of them is full of masterpieces of art. This museum is dedicated to the modern art, mostly of the 20th century.

You can find there works of Salvador Dali, Joan Miró, Jorge de Oteiza and Picasso. His painting – “Guernica” is the most popular in the art center. This big painting – 3 meters wide and 7 meters long is always in the center of attention of the visitors. Apart from constant exhibition, there are always two or three temporary exhibitions.
IMGP6625The building of the museum itself is very interesting and modern. It has a terrace on the top floor from which you can admire the beautiful view of the city. If you like the contemporary art, this museum is perfect for you. What is the best about this art gallery is the fact that you can visit it for free most days of the week from 19.00 to 21.00 and on Sunday from 15.00 to 19.00

 

For more information, read our One-week tour in Madrid.

 

 

What to visit near Museo Reina Sofía

– Prado, Tyssen, Caixaforum and other museums: All of these museums are in the city center, not far away from Cibeles. Although we know that it’s impossible to visit all of them on one day, we recommend you to visit Prado and Reina Sofia, wich are two of the best museums in the world (notice that you will need about 4hours to visit each one).

– Cibeles: In Cibeles Square you will see the famous Cibeles fountain and some important buildings, like Cibeles Palace (Palacio de Comunicaciones), the headquarters of the Madrid city council.

– Gran Via: The most famous avenue of Madrid. It has a lot of theaters, coffee and ice cream shops. You can arrive there in 3 minutes from Puerta del Sol going on foot.

– Puerta del Sol: Puerta del Sol (which means “Sun Gate”) is the name of the most famous square in Madrid. This emblematic place is one of the reference points more used in the city, and many citizens are used to dating with other people from this point.

– Retiro Park (Parque del Retiro): This is the most visited park of Madrid. It has a lake with boats in its center, so you can rent a boat for few money. Besides, you also can visit the Crystal Palace, the Statue Walk and many more interesting places.

– Atocha train station: This station is not abroad from Retiro Park (it’s about 5minutes walking), and it is the most used train and metro stations of Madrid, so if you have to travel by train, probably you will have to go there.

– Neptuno Fountain: This fountain is placed in Cánovas del Castillo Saquare. Since Cibeles Fountain is used by the supporters or Real Madrid football team, this another fountain is used by the Altetico de Madrid football team’ supporters to celebrate its triumphs.

 

Gran Via / The Main Street (Madrid)

Madrid, Nightlife, Streets and monuments

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Gran Via is one of the most famous streets of Spanish capital. It is situated in the center of Madrid and was built 100 years ago. The idea of the street was to join and improve the communication between the districts of the capital city.

The construction took almost 50 years and was realized in 3 parts. The street begins at the end of Calle Alcala and ends
at the Spanish Square. It’s a very busy place, full of cars and buses 24 hours per day. It is a quite long street, full of beautiful buildings which now are museums, hotels or expensive restaurants.

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You can also find there some popular pubs, bars with tapas, cafeterias, hostels, theaters and cinemas. On Friday’s afternoon it’s very difficult to pass through it, because many people want to begin their weekend there. It is very easy to get there with metro. There are four metro lines which stop in different parts of this street. It is also very close to Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Cibeles – one of the most popular Madrid’s landmarks.

 

 

What to visit near Gran Via (Madrid)

– Cibeles: In Cibeles Square you will see the famous Cibeles fountain and some important buildings, like Cibeles Palace (Palacio de Comunicaciones), the headquarters of the Madrid city council.

– Puerta del Sol: This emblematic place is one of the reference points more used in the city, and many citizens are used to dating with other people from this point.

– Fuencarral Street:  Fuencarral is well known because it has a lot of shops and because it’s placed between Malasaña and Chueca, which are two of the most famous neighborhoods of the Madrid.

– Plaza de España: Another popular square, in where you can find the first skyscrapers of the city, and a beautiful fountain in the middle of the square with a statue of Don Quijote and Sancho Panza.

– Plaza Mayor: In this traditional square there is a Felipe II statue rounded of white ancient buildings. The young people in the city are used to going to this square to eat squid sandwiches. Moreover, some politicians told once about taking a coffee in there… but from our point of view, there are a lot of better -and cheaper- places in Madrid places to do it).

– Opera Square: You will find there the Opera Theater.

– Palacio Real and Almudena’s Cathedral: We will talk about these monuments in another article. It’s 10 minutes walking from Puerta del Sol.

Read also our post about What to see in Madrid in one week.

Las Ramblas street (Barcelona): Monuments, museums squares and markets to visit in La Rambla de Barcelona

Barcelona, Nightlife, Streets and monuments, Tours and Guides

las ramblas

“La Rambla”, popularly known as “Las Ramblas” is a famous street in the centre of  Barcelona where citizens and visitors can walk, visit monuments, eat and rest in the terraces, see the port of Barcelona, go shopping or go to pubs during the night. Generally, the whole area around this street is full of people, not only during the day, but also in the night.

Las Ramblas goes from Catalonia Square to the seaport, and it has a lot of cafes, terraces, pubs and discotheques. In the end of the street, there is the Cristobal Colon statue, one of the icons of Barcelona.

You can go to Las Ramblas by metro using Line 3 to Liceu or to Catalunya (Line 3, 6 and 7).

 

What to visit in Las Ramblascolon

– Colon Statue (Columbus Monument): This monument is placed in the “Portal de la Pau” Square, between La Rambla and the port. It was built in 1888 for the Barcelona Universal Exposition, and nowadays is one of the most famous statues of the city. The statue represents to Cristobal Colon signing with his right arm to the sea (metaphorically, he is signing to the American continent).

– La boqueria (a traditional food market): In this market you can find a lot of delicacies. It’s a very popular place to eat something. You can visit its website on www.boqueria.info

– Maritime Museum: Placed in Drassanes Avenue and inaugurated in 1936, this museum has a lot of staff about boats, galleys, etc. It can be interesting if you want to know more of the history of the navigation.

– Waxworks (Museo de cera): Placed in Banca Street number 7, this wax museum is one of the most visited museums of this type in Spain.

– Gothic neighborhood: This neighborhood is alongside La Rambla street and is one of the essential places that every visitor should see. In there, you will enjoy the traditional streets, monuments, churches… and also you can find a lot of shops and bars.

– The Barcelona Cathedral: This cathedral is placed in “Plaza de la Seu”, in the Gothic neighborhood and was built between XIII and XV century.

– San Jaume Square: This ancient square has the City Council and the San Jaime Church.

– Raval neighborhood: This neighborhood is also near La Rambla and is very famous for its traditional culture. In there, you can find a lot of pubs and premises to have a lunch or drink something.

 

More places to see near Las Ramblas

– Maremagnum: This commercial center is located beyond Colón Monument, just above the sea. In there, you will find shops, terraces, discotheques and a lot of hobby activities.

– La Barceloneta beach: In summer, you can sunbathe or swim in the beach of La Barceloneta, which is 5 minutes walking from Las Ramblas – Columbus Statue.

 

Other buildings and monuments for tourists in Barcelona

– The Güell Park: People who visit the beautiful Güell Park can enjoy strolling in its area, sitting down on its decorated benches or admiring its fantastic architecture and the perfection the artwork.

– Church of the Holy Family (La Sagrada Familia): It is a must for tourists that arrive in the Condal City see its outstanding architecture, design and sculptures.

More places nearby

– Sitges: Sitges is also known for its Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, the Barcelona-Sitges Vintage Car Rallys and its Carnival Celebration.

– Castelldefels: Castelldefels is located on the Mediterranean Sea coast of Catalonia,  just to 18 km away from Barcelona city.

– La Pineda: With only 3,000 inhabitants, La Pineda (Vila-Seca) is a small town located in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula, at Tarragona Province.

– Salou: Salou is a reference for the holydays of Spring and Summer in Spain.

 

If you want to visit the whole county, read also our post about the best cities and monuments in Spain.

Plaza del Torico / Torico Square (Teruel)

Celebrations, Streets and monuments, Teruel

torico square

Teruel is a small aragonese city of 36.000 inhabitants. It is between Zaragoza (173 km.) and Valencia (173 km.).

The Torico Square of Teruel (Plaza Carlos Castel, popularly known as “Plaza del Torico”), is the most important meeting point of the citizens in Teruel, and it is so called because of its history and customs. In fact, the King Alfonso II de Aragon and Earl of Barcelona, “El trovador” ( 1157-1196) founded Teruel in this point in 1170, since a black bull with a fire torch on his head appeared in this place after conquering the site. In this lively square there is a drinking water round fountain built in 1858, and in the middle of the fountain there is one high column with a tiny black statue of a bull on its top. This lovely square with an outstanding design is the icon of local people.

Being the heart of Teruel, the Torico square is ideally situated at the crossroad of seven traditional streets which go to the main places of the city. The Torico Square and its statue are the most famous landmarks of Teruel. It is not only popular with the tourists because its restaurants and surroundings but also its festivals, its typical porches, the beautiful buildings, its architecture, its museums, its gastronomy and so on.

It takes about one day to visit Teruel on foot. Visitors interested in culture should not miss the four mudejar towers, they were declared a World Heritage site in 1986 by UNESCO. Also, don’t forget the spellbinding unique Territorio Dinópolis.

 

 

Teruel celebrations: “The Angel Festival”

Most tourists to Teruel want to enjoy the “The Angel Festival” (or “Fiestas del Angel / Fiestas de las Vaquillas”) on 5th of July. During a week the Torico square comes alive with thousands of people who wear the traditional red cachirulo (a red neckerchief). They can run around the bulls, dance all the night, listen to the live music, drink regional wine, taste the delightful ham of Teruel in the Torico square and in the area. By the way, they can also see the citizens climbing the column and put a small red cachirulo to bull statue, watch fire bull (toro de fuego) (a bull with a fire torch on his head) running through the streets of Teruel.

 

Another interesting festival in Teruel: The Weddings of Isabel de Segura

People interested in medieval Festivals must not miss the Weddings of Isabel de Segura festival which is performed in the streets of Teruel by local people who wear medieval clothes style. Furthermore, the character of Isabel really comes alive during the representation of the Lovers of Teruel, and markets, taverns and all sorts of performs go back to 13th century.

In fact, Teruel becomes a medieval city where tourists and citizens can enjoy it together in February every year.

 

More places to visit near Teruel

– Mudejar Towers of Teruel: Teruel attracts visitors from all over the world in order to see its beautiful Mudéjar Towers of Santa Maria, San Pedro and Salvador and San Martín , which were declared World of Heritage sites in 1986 by UNESCO.

– Aragón: Read here more about this region, placed in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula and in the south of France. Read also our post about the Top cities and monuments of Spain

Plaza Mayor / Main Square (Madrid)

Madrid, Streets and monuments

plazamayor

Plaza Mayor (“Main Square”)

Mplaza mayoradrid’s Main Square is situated in the center of the city, five minutes from Plaza del Sol, and in comparison to Plaza del Sol it is much more calm and quited.

The Main Square was built around 400 years ago. It is surrounded by charming three-storey buildings, painted mostly in red, with beautiful windows. It was built when Madrid became a capital city of Spain. Before this, the Main Square was used as a market with vegetables and fruits. The construction started in 1617 and was finished 2 years later.

It was the place of bull fightings, theatrical plays, knights’ tournaments or executions. Now it is a place full of restaurants and pubs. It is more popular among rather tourists and street performers than Spaniards. Every Sunday you can buy there some paintings, admire great collections of coins or find some interesting thing to buy.

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More interesting places to see near Plaza Mayor

– Puerta del Sol: Puerta del Sol (which means “Sun Door”) is the name of the most famous square in Madrid. This emblematic place is one of the reference points more used in the city, and many citizens are used to dating with other people from this point.

– San Miguel Market: Inside of this famous market you will find an incredibly variety of food: juices, “tapas”, “croquetas”, hamburgers, fruit, fish… all of this of the highest quality.

– Gran Via: The most famous avenue of Madrid. It has a lot of theaters, coffee and ice cream shops. You can arrive there in 3 minutes from Puerta del Sol going on foot.

– Opera Square: You will find there the Opera Theater.

– Palacio Real and Almudena’s Cathedral: Two of the most viewed buildings of Madrid. Both of them are placed together and they are 5 minutes on foot from Plaza Mayor.

– Santo Domingo Square: it’s behind Casa de Correos Building. It’s full of restaurants and bars, so it’s the perfect place to take a lunch.

– Fuencarral Street: You can go there going through Montera Street. Fuencarral is straight on, just after passing Gran Via. Fuencarral is well known because it has a lot of shops and because it’s placed between Malasaña and Chueca, which are two of the most famous neighborhoods of the Madrid.

Parque del Retiro / Retiro Park (Madrid)

Emblematic buildings, Madrid, Streets and monuments

parque del retiro

The Retiro Park (Parque del Retiro) is a very popular park placed in the center of Madrid. It covers more than one square kilometer and it contains a lake with boats, many monuments, fountains, statues, gardens, restaurants and of course, a lot of trees and grass.

The park was built in 1640 by Felipe IV. Nowadays, everyone can visit it for free, and see the ancient buildings and monuments which are in it. Probably, the most famous part of the park is the artificial lake, located in the center of the park, just beside Alfonso XII monument. In there, people are used to resting on the benches, drinking refreshments in the terraces or renting boats. There are also other essential places to visit in the park as the Crystal Palace, which has expositions inside, the Angel Caido Fountain or the rose gardens.

Every day, above all at the weekend and in summer, the park is full of people who want to have a nice time, read, take a lunch, do jogging or rest. Besides, also many people go there to visit the lake, go boating or see the gardens and the monuments which are inside them.

If you want to visit Retiro Park, notice that you will need at least 3 hours to see it all. You can go there by subway using the Line 2 (Retiro Metro Station).

 

What to visit in Retiro Park

– The lake and Alfonso XII monument: The perfect place to go with your friends and rent a boat or rest away of the stress of the city.

– The crystal Palace: The Crystal Palace isn’t far away from the lake, but surely you will need to ask about it to find the correct place, because the Palace is hidden by the trees. When you arrive at the palace, you will enjoy the fountain which is in front of it and you also could enter in the building, where there are free expositions everyday.

– The rose gardens (La rosaleda): These beautiful gardens was built in 1915 inspired by the Paris ”Bagatelle rose palacio de cristal retirogardens”.

– Paseo de las Estatuas: Also called “Paseo de la Argentina”, it has a lot of statues of some Kings of Spain.

– Angel Caido Fountain: This statue, built in 1885, is famous because it is said that the angel of the fountain is not an angel, but a demon. (If you visit it, please give us your impressions!)

Also, you can…
…rest in the ground: Many people have picnics in the grass. What’s is more, in spring or summer, the park is ideal to stay all the day resting, walking or going on skates.

Finally, in some remarked dates, there are special events inside the park. For example, in spring you can visit the books market in the street (Feria del Libro), or at San Isidro you can go to the park at night to see some fireworks near the lake.

 

 

 

More places to visit near Retiro Park

– Puerta de Alcalá: The Alcalá Gate is placed in Alcalá Avenue, just between Cibeles Square and one of the entrances of Retiro Park. The monument was built in 1778 and it’s the most popular “gate” in Spain.

– Cibeles: In Cibeles Square you will see the famous Cibeles fountain and some important buildings, like Cibeles Palace (Palacio de Comunicaciones), the headquarters of the Madrid city council.

– Neptuno Fountain: This fountain is placed in Cánovas del Castillo Square. Since Cibeles Fountain is used by the supporters or Real Madrid football team, this another fountain is used by the Altetico de Madrid football team’ supporters to celebrate its triumphs.

– Prado, Reina Sofia, Tyssen, Caixaforum and other museums: All of these museums are in the city center. Although we know that it’s impossible to visit all of them on one day, we recommend you to visit Prado and Reina Sofia, which are two of the best museums in the world (notice that you will need about 4hours to visit each one).

– Atocha train station: This station is not abroad from Retiro Park (it’s about 5minutes walking), and it is the most used train and metro stations of Madrid, so if you have to travel by train, probably you will have to go there.

Plaza de España / Spain Square (Seville)

Seville / Sevilla, Streets and monuments

spain square

Plaza de España (Spain Square) is one of the places that you must visit when visiting Andalusia. Although most of cities in Spain have a square called “Plaza España” (it’s like Gran Via or Plaza Mayor, all cities have one of them) this one is, surely, the most impressive.

Inspain square seville Seville, Plaza de España is located in the middle of Maria Luisa Park, in the city center. The square has a fountain in the middle, rounded for a small lake and a building behind it that gives a traditional style to all the place.

The main building was built in 1929 for the Iberoamerican Exposition of Seville. It has a semicircular shape, with a small lake in its perimeter where people can go boating. You can visit the building for free, rent a boat or walk through the park. As a curiosity, in the base of the building you will find 48 stands, each one with a picture of all the provinces of Spain.

 

What to do in Plaza de España (Seville)

– plaza españa sevillaTo rent a boat by the lake.
– To visit the building and the regional stands.
– To walk through Maria Luisa Park.
– To drink something fresh and refresh yourself in the fountain. (Seville is very hot in Summer!)

Our recommendation is to spend between one and three days visiting Seville. The most common is to visit Maria Luisa Park and Plaza España in two hours (aprox.) and then visit the same day the rest of the city center. For example, you can do it the first day and, the second day you will have time visit other places like monuments, museums, cathedrals, restaurants…

 

plaza españa panoramica

 

 

Places to visit in Seville near Plaza España

– Santa Maria Cathedral and La Giralda: Situated in the heart of Seville, near Guadaquivil river, the Gothic Santa María Cathedral in Seville is the largest Cathedral in Spain, and the largest Gothic Christian Cathedral in the world. In fact, the imposing Cathedral measures 116 metres in length and 76 metres in width, being together with the Zaragoza and the Toledo Cathedrals the three unique Gothic Cathedrals with five naves in Spain.

– Torre del Oro: This ancient tower is by the river, near to San Telmo Bridge. The first part of its structure was constructed in the 13th century when the Muslims lived in Andalusia, one century later it was improved and finished by Pedro I.

– Plaza Nueva: There is the Seville’s Town hall.

– Plaza de toros de la Maestranza.

– Archeological Museum and Arts Museum of Seville: Both of them are placed on Maria Luisa Park.

– Canal de Alfonso XIII: This watercourse passes just alongside Maria Luisa Park.

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia / Church of the Holy Family (Barcelona)

Barcelona, Emblematic buildings

SagradaFamilia

The Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family, known as “La Sagrada Familia”, is obviously one of the most beautiful building of Barcelona. Although its construction began in 1882, nobody really knows when it will be finished. It is said that in 2030, it will have been completed with 18 towers. ( one dedicated to Jesus, other to Mary, 12 to the apostles and 4 to the evangelists ).

sagrada familiaNowadays, this wonderful church has more than enough artwork to be the landmark most visited of Barcelona, therefore it is a must for tourists that arrive in the Condal City see its outstanding architecture, design and sculptures. It is well worth a visit inside or outside.

One can have heard other visitors talk about the spectacular Sagrada Familia, but until oneself sees it, it is impossible to imagine its absolutely unique artwork. Visitors will be absolutely spellbound when they look up and see the wonderful colourway of its stained glass windows, its high columns and the amazing ceiling. Besides, taking the lift to the towers (about 55 metres height one and 75 metres height another), they can see a breathtaking view of Barcelona, and go down the unbelievable narrow spiral staircase.

In addition, this church had been begun its construction in 1882 by the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar Lozano (1828-1901) who quit the direction of the project in 1883. Anyway, Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (1852-1926) designed the current project and directed the building from 1883 until his death on the 10th June of 1926. In fact, The Sagrada Familia is the masterwork of Antonio Gaudí, who was buried in the crypt of this church.

To add, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site.

Queues are very long, so tourists should book the ticket in advance to avoid the wait. It is in city centre. Better go on foot.

More monuments designed by Antoni Gaudí

– Casa Mila: Popularly known as La Pedrera, Casa Mila is a unique modernist building located at Paseo de Gracia. The building was designed by architect Antoni Gaudí and built between 1906 and 1912.

– The Güell Park: People who visit the beautiful Güell Park can enjoy strolling in its area, sitting down on its decorated benches or admiring its fantastic architecture and the perfection the artwork.

More popular places to visit in Barcelona

– Las Ramblas Avenue: Las Ramblas goes from Catalonia Square to the seaport, and it has a lot of cafes, terraces, pubs and discotheques. In the end of the street, there is the Cristobal Colon statue, one of the icons of Barcelona.

– La Barceloneta beach: In summer, you can sunbathe or swim in the beach of La Barceloneta, which is 5 minutes walking from Las Ramblas – Columbus Statue.

– Columbus Monument (Monumento a Colón): One of the most famous statues of Barcelona city. It was built in 1888 for a Universal Exposition and it represents a statue of Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon) above a pillar, pointing with his right hand to the sea.

 

If you want to visit the whole county, read also our post about the best cities and monuments in Spain.