Top things to do in Spain. Top three things to do in each city we visited in Spain.
Highlights of our Podcasting Trip to Spain. This is a summary of our favourite things to do and places to see in our 11 week holiday in Spain. We have narrowed it down to the top 3 or 4 in each city we visited. This is the tl;dr version of our podcast and blog posts.
Zaragoza (Episode 5)
1. Parque Grande Jose Antonio Labordeta is the most beautiful park in Zaragoza. We especially liked the many water features and fountains and the marble staircase that lead up to a huge statue and water feature of King Alfonzo I.
2. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar on the Ebro River, lit up at night is a definite WOW.
3. El Tubo tapas area is one of the best in Spain. Some incredible food and wine in Spain. It is full of locals out enjoying the Spanish lifestyle.
Zaragoza is a beautiful city that is not overrun by tourists. It has history, food, wine, fashion and a beautiful river that runs through the middle of town.
Full details in podcast Episode 5
You can see all the pictures from Episode 5 here.
Madrid (Episode 6)
1. Plaza Santa Ana in Las Letras area in the middle of Madrid. It is a lovely plaza surrounded by restaurants and cafes, a theatre and some fancy accommodation. All the restaurants and bars have tables set up outside on the plaza and it is all lit up at night and has such a lovely atmosphere.
2. All the authentic tapas bars, especially Casa Toni’s. These small bars have the best food and wine and the atmosphere is very Spanish and so much fun to enjoy the very Spanish traditions.
3. Retiro Park, definitely a must see when you go to Madrid. It is close to the centre of the city and it is a lovely place to wander and explore. You will see the lake with row boats surrounded by massive columns and statues. There are beautiful manicured gardens with peacocks wandering freely and of course, the famous Palacio de Cristal (Glass Palace).
Madrid is the capital of Spain and of course there are so many more things to see, these are just a couple of our favourites.
You can hear about all the other things to do in Madrid in Episode 6 of the podcast
Or you can see all the pictures in the blog post here.
Toledo (Episode 7)
1. The views of Toledo from the other side of the gorge are some of the best in Spain. You can see the Cathedral and Alcazar on top of the hill overlooking the river below.
2. The Toledo Cathedral is the most beautiful that we saw in Spain. The guided tour was so informative and the artwork and decoration of the cathedral was stunning.
3. The Terraza Restaurant and Bar Bu right on the edge of the gorge overlooking the Tagus River and Roman bridges. There was a DJ playing dance music and lots of young trendy people enjoying their Sunday sesh.
If you are in Madrid, then Toledo is an easy 30 minute train ride, so visiting Toledo is a no brainer – you have to visit.
You can hear all about the tour we did, where we ate and all the other info in Episode 7 of the podcast.
Or you can see all the pictures in the blog post here.
Nerja (Episode 8)
1. Views, views and more views. The views over the Mediterranean Ocean from the Balcon de Europa and from the restaurants overlooking the sea and the balcon are some of the best in the Spain and probably the world!
2. The tapas bars and restaurants in Nerja were outstanding. There are small authentic tapas bars with free tapas as well as upmarket fancy restaurants with fabulous food. You can walk along the beach and eat fresh fish cooked over the coals or find a restaurant with a balcony perched over the sea. So many food choices and we loved them all.
3. The beaches – Playa Burriana is the biggest and most popular with restaurants, bars, water activities and beach chairs and umbrellas.
We spent three weeks in Nerja and think it is the perfect holiday spot.
Listen to the full episode 8 here to find out all about Nerja.
There are some great day trips from Nerja too – listen to Episode 9 here.
See all the pictures and information from Nerja in the blog post here.
Or all the pictures and information from our daytrips from Nerja blog post here.
Seville (Episode 10)
1. Seville is the capital of Andulucia. It has the “golden triangle” of places to see – The Real Alcazar of Seville, the Seville Cathedral and Giralda tower and Plaza De Espana all within easy walk of each other in the old city.
2. Plaza de Espana was one of our favourite places in all of Spain. It was built in 1929 for the World Expo and is decorated with ceramic tiles and every region in Spain is represented. It was so stunning during the day, we decided to go back and night as the sun sets – an absolute WOW moment.
3. Barrio Santa Cruz – the tapas area was another highlight, especially Bar Santa Cruz which is a very authentic bar with original timber features and very cheap tapas.
Seville is Spain – it has everything that you imagine Spain would be. History, architecture, gardens, tapas, flamenco, wine, horses, fountains, music and hot weather.
Listen to the full episode 10 here (find out what the barman said in Spanish to make Leanne laugh out loud – and make him blush)
See all the pictures and information in our blog post here.
Caceres (Episode 11)
1. The Old Town at night was so romantic. The old palaces, museums and castles are all lit up at night and there are little restaurants dotted around the streets with candles. Very special.
2. The Parador de Caceres – the accommodation we stayed in used to be a palace and still had some original features.
3. The food was authentic and delicious.
The most authentic Spanish city we visited. We only stayed for a weekend, but didn’t hear another English speaker (no tourists).
Listen to the full episode 11 here to find out more about Caceres
You can read the blog and see all the pictures from Caceres here.
Salamanca (Episode 12)
1. Plaza Mayor – lights turning on at night. This was one of those memories that will stay with us for a long time. The plaza fills up slowly as the sun starts to set, with families, teenagers, students, musical bands and every restaurant is full. Then in one moment every single light turns on in the Plaza. Everyone cheers and claps. It is amazing.
2. Walking along the Tormes River. The banks of the river are lined with lovely trees, gardens and parks and a bikeway and walking path.
3. History walking and tapas tour with Mark. Our tour was for two hours – but turned in 5 hours.
Salamanca is known as the Golden City. That is because it has so many historic buildings built from sandstone and when they are lit up at night – literally the whole old town (which is a World Heritage Site) glows golden.
Listen to the full episode 12 on Salamanca here
Or read the blog post and see all the pictures here.
Burgos (Episode 13)
1. The Gigantes Parade (check out the pics) that was just outside our apartment. It started off as the worst thing in Burgos and then turned into my favourite thing.
2. The Paseo Espolon – the promenade along the river. This promenade had gorgeous tiles, and pathways with balustrades along the river. Over the top of the promenade were leafy trees. Now these trees were a little different because the were joined together in the middle (actually grafted together) and also joined on the sides to form one long living green shady trees covering the pathway.
3. Day trip to Lerma and Palacio de Lerma bodega. We did a wine tour with Ramiro and we loved all the information about Spanish wine and of course tasting the wine.
4. We also have to mention Casa Panchos – a tapas bar near Plaza Mayor which was so authentic. We spoke Spanish and tried food that we weren’t sure what we were eating. The owner of the bar, Jose or Pepe (he didn’t care what you called him) was so funny, helpful and he earnt a Koala award.
Even though we only had 3 days in Burgos – we packed a lot in.
Listen to the full episode for more information on Burgos and Lerma in Episode 13 here.
You can read all the information and see the pictures here.
La Rioja (Episode 14)
1. Laguardia was one of our favourite places in all of Spain. It is a small medieval wine village that sits on top of a hill which is surrounded by bodegas (wineries) and the Cantabrian Mountains. We did a wine tour at Casa Primicia and enjoyed some fabulous La Rioja wine.
2. Our accommodation in Haro – which is the capital of La Rioja wine region was Los Agustinos. This was built in the 13th century as a monastery. It then became a military hospital and a jail before it was turned into luxury accommodation in 1989.
3. Barrio de Estacion de Haro is an area 10 minutes walk from the centre of town where there are 20 bodegas (wineries).
Wine, Wine and more wine. What more do you need to know?
Well, you can find out all about Haro, Laguardia in La Rioja in Episode 14.
Or see all the pictures and information in our blog post here.
Oviedo, Asturias (Episode 15)
1. Our day trip to Cangas de Onis, Covadonga Lakes, the Picos de Europa and the Basilica and Sacred Cave of Covadonga. This was probably our favourite day in Spain – it absolutely blew our minds.
2. La Tuna band of Oviedo is a traditional university band, dressed in traditional uniform, playing stringed instruments and singing traditional songs. They are funny, entertaining and very talented. We had nice afternoon, drinking beer, eating free tapas and listening to La Tuna de Oviedo.
3. Tierra Astur Sidreria is the best themed restaurant we have seen in a long time. It is full of everything Asturian including the décor and food.
Oviedo and Asturias were absolutely amazing to spend time in. We couldn’t believe how different this part of Spain is compared to Southern Spain.
So much more to hear about in our full Episode 15
Or if you want to check out those pictures and our blog you can see them here.
Santander (Episode 16)
1. Day trip to Comillas was a definite favourite. Comillas is a small beachside medieval village with a couple of very famous landmarks. The first is the University which sits on the top of a hill. The university has some Gaudi features including wooden animal carvings and paintings on the library walls. The other spectacular site to see in Comillas is the Capricho de Gaudi. This is an amazing house that was designed for a wealthy friend by Antonio Gaudi before he became famous. The house is covered in ceramic tiles of sunflowers and bright green and has its own small tower and hot house inside. The gardens were amazing as well.
2. We were amazed to find the full size raft, La Balsa, on the Magdalena Peninsula. What was amazing was, that there was a plaque with all the information about the raft, and it turns out this actual raft sailed from Ecuador to Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia in the early 1970’s. We live at the Sunshine Coast and had no idea about this raft. It was a bit of a crazy coincidence. The captain of La Balsa was born in Santander.
3. El Sardinero Beach area is one of the most beautiful in Spain. It is a wide, sandy beach which is extremely popular with the Spanish people. The back drop to the beach are beautiful white buildings including a casino.
4. Semana Grande (Party week) was on the whole time we were in Santander. It was the first time for 3 years that it was held, and the locals and Spanish holiday makers certainly made up for it. Music, rock bands, Djs, local bands, street performers, circus, pop up restaurants and bars plus heaps more – such a full on entertaining week that happens in July every year.
Everything about Santander was fabulous – you need to listen to the full episode 16 to hear all about our week there.
You can read the blog post and see lots of pictures here.
To finish our highlight show we shared our top 3 places in Spain to have a glass of wine.
Leanne
1. Laguardia village – Casa Primicia Bodega (Episode 14)
2. Plaza Mayor – Salamanca (Episode 12)
3. Portofino Restaurant – Nerja. (Episode 8)
Lyle
1. El Sardinero beach restaurant – Santander (Episode 16)
2. Listening to La Tuna – Ovideo (Episode 15)
3. Palacio de Lerma Bodega – Lerma, Burgos (Episode 13)
If you would like to know more, then please send us a message or email. Remember we are on Instagram @beachtravelwine and Facebook @ Beach Travel Wine Podcast.
You can listen to the full highlights podcast below.