Spain
Seville
Orange Blossom
The first thing you notice about the Andalusian capital is the scent of orange blossoms which lingers in the air. Orange trees line the streets. Just don’t be tempted to pick one off the tree and eat it. Seville oranges are very bitter and don’t taste so good. Most of them get exported to the UK to be made into orange marmalade.
The Royal Palace and Gardens
First stop on our trip was the Real Alcázar, Seville’s royal palace and an official residence of the Spanish royal family. The palace is the oldest Royal palace in Europe which is in residential use and this UNESCO-listed complex has Moorish arches, intricate tilework, and beautifully manicured gardens. Game of Thrones fans may recognise the gardens as some filming of the tv series took place there.
Seville Cathedral
A short walk away is Seville Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and home to the tomb of Christopher Columbus. You can climb the Giralda Tower with its gently sloping ramps which lead you up to panoramic views over the city’s terracotta rooftops.
Plaza de España
My favourite place in Seville is the Plaza de España in Parque de María Luisa which was built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition. Take time to admire the tiled alcoves representing every Spanish province. If the Plaza looks familiar it maybe because it has featured in several films including Star Wars: Episode ll - Attack of the Clones.
Nightlife
Spanish nightlife starts late and goes on until the wee small hours. Start your evening in the old Jewish quarter. Drop into a few bars and soak up the atmosphere over drinks and tapas. Or take in a Flamenco show. Here is where the gypsy dance originated and there are several theatres in the city where you can see a performance.
Finally
A weekend in Seville isn’t about ticking off a checklist; it’s about savouring the moment. Whether it’s climbing the Giralda Tower and admiring the view or enjoying drinks and tapas in great company at a local bar. Whatever your vibe Seville is a great choice.
Madrid is a city I’ve visited a few times. Each time I’ve gone I’ve based myself in a different neighbourhood and it’s felt like a brand new adventure. There’s lots to see in this sprawling city but if it’s your first visit and you only have a few days here are some things you might want to check off your list.
Plaza Mayor
The Plaza Major is the main square in Madrid and a major tourist attraction with the equestrian statue of Phillip lll dominating the centre. A large square with cafes and shops all around the perimeter, it’s a popular meeting place.
Puerta del Sol
This large square is known as the central point in Madrid and is a gathering point for many. Located at the east end of the square is the much photographed statue of the Bear and the Strawberry tree which represents the coat of arms of Madrid. At the other end is El Corte Ingles, the Spanish department store.
Royal Palace of Madrid
Madrid Palace is impressive by any standards. It’s the largest palace in Western Europe and the official home of the Spanish Royal Family, although they don’t actually live there. The Palace is open to the public and tickets can be bought online at the official website.
Art Galleries and Museums
Madrid hosts three of the best Art Galleries and Museums all within walking distance of each other.
The Prado
The world famous Prado Museum is well worth a visit. It’s free if you arrive two hours before closing but if there are too many people you’re not guaranteed entry. If you go online you can buy time stamped tickets meaning you need to arrive at a specific time to get in. Among the many artworks, highlights are The Garden of the Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch and David and Goliath by Caravaggio
The Thyssen-Bornemisza
With free entry on Mondays The Thyssen highlights include Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Caravaggio and The Grand Canal of San Vio, Venice by Canaletto
The Reina Sofia
Unlike the other two museums, The Reina Sofia largely focuses on 20th century Spanish art and heavily features works by Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. A major highlight is Picasso’s Guernica. Like the other two museums it is advisable to buy tickets in advance online.
Shopping
If you’ve done lots of sightseeing and are ready to go shopping, head for the Grand Via. A long, wide boulevard it is flanked on both sides by bars, restaurants, museums and shops including major Spanish brands such as Zara and Mango.
Local Barrios
There are lots of different neighbourhoods to explore, each with their own character. One of my favourites is Huertas which is close to the Prado and Thyssen museums.
Huertas is a traditional area of Madrid, close to the centre with narrow cobbled streets lined with bars, restaurants and individual little shops.
The area is also known as the Barrio de las Letras (or Neighbourhood of Literature) due to the Spanish masters of literature such as Lope de Vega and Cervantes who lived in the area in the 17th century. Walking down the Calle Huertas, look out for the sentences taken from Spanish 17th century prose which are inlaid into the pedestrianised street.
A popular area for nightlife, Huertas has plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from. Ventura de la Vega is the street to head for with some of the best restaurants. It’s an area that gets busy at night so you may want to consider making a dinner reservation rather than just turning up at a restaurant.
And if after a late night you need some sustenance, head for a local cafe and order churros and chocolate. It’s a great way to end the night or start the morning!
Madrid
Barcelona
So you want a city break with long sunny days, a buzzing nightlife, great food, art, culture and history. And when you’re done sightseeing, you want to relax on a gorgeous sandy beach. If that sounds like your ideal break then Barcelona could be what you’re looking for.
Getting around
There are no shortages of options for getting around but rather than spend time on the metro we decided to do a hop on hop off sightseeing bus tour. After buying our tickets online we boarded the bus at Plaça de Catalunya. The bus takes in many of the major sights and you can jump on and off at whichever stop you choose.
There are two routes - the red route and the blue route and once you’ve bought a ticket you can swap between the routes, depending where you want to go. If you want to go to Parc Guell take the blue route but if you’re keen to see the incredible La Sagrada Família you’ll need to be on the red one. You can also buy a combined ticket which gives you the bus ticket and a ticket to an attraction such as the Sagrada Família. Check out the tour bus website for details.
Barcelona is a mix of architectural style with Roman remains sitting alongside medieval wonders in the old town and then there is the beautiful, sometimes quirky, modern architecture much of which is credited to the Catalan architect and designer Antoni Gaudi.
Antoni Gaudi
You can see Gaudí’s designs all over Barcelona. His biggest legacy is the Sagrada Família but he also designed Parc Guell and Palau Guell as well as three notable homes Casa Vicens, Casa Batlló and Casa Milà,
Casa Vicens
Built between 1883 and 1885 Casa Vicens was Gaudi’s first major project. It’s distinguished by its colourful exterior. Inside various renovations over the years have changed the original design but careful restoration work has recovered some of Gaudi’s original designs. Casa Vicens may be the least visited of Gaudi’s projects but it’s still worth a visit.
Casa Batllo
Built originally in 1877, the house was acquired in 1903 by Josep Batllo i Casanovas. Batllo commissioned Gaudi with a proposal to demolish the building and design a new house however Gaudi chose to renovate rather than demolish creating a home with his signature curves and flowing lines in harmony with nature. The renovation was carried out between 1904 and 1906.
Casa Milia (La Pedrera)
Casa Mila was built between 1906 and 1912 and was the last home designed by Gaudi. It’s instantly recognisable by its wavy exterior walls and stone carvings. The curved lines continue inside the house with winding staircases, and you’ll see that inside the house it has been architecturally designed with no right angles. As with his previous works Gaudi liked to work in harmony with nature and the flowing curved lines and carvings of the animal and natural world in this house are reflective of his style.
At the top of the house, in the attic, is a museum dedicated to the life and work of Gaudi.
Parc Guell
Spanning over 20 hectares of gardens and parkland, including the Monumental area (with the Dragon Stairway), Gaudí’s Parc Guell is symbolic of Barcelona with its colourful mosaic tiles, dragon statue and cave-like walkways. The view from the top of the stairway over the city is impressive and much photographed.
The Parc was originally planned as an upmarket housing development however only two houses were ever built. One of the houses is now the Parc Guell museum.
Timed-entry tickets can only be bought online and you should allow a couple of hours to get round the monuments and gardens.
Palau Guell
Palau Guell was Gaudi’s first Guell commission in 1885. Located in the Ravel district, it is less grand than his other houses, however Palau Guell is still a luxurious city mansion and true to the Gaudi style incorporating themes of nature.
La Sagrada Família
Work on the Catholic Church began in 1882 and by the time Gaudi died in 1926 it still wasn’t finished. Construction continued in accordance with his designs and in 2026, 100 years after his death, the major sections of the church are expected to be completed.
I first visited La Sagrada Família a few years ago and it has been fascinating to see the church evolve to how it looks today.
You can see timelines of the construction on the official website but nothing beats seeing it for yourself. The level of detail in the stone carvings is incredible. It really is a masterpiece.
Art Installations
As well as Gaudi’s architecture what I noticed going round the city was the amount of public art on display. Barcelona is jam-packed with statues and monuments as well as murals and modern art. Look out for these monuments in Ciutat Vella.
El Peix (the fish) by Frank Gehry
La Gamba (the prawn) by - Javier Mariscal
L’estel Ferit (commonly known as The Cubes) by Rebecca Horn
If all that wasn’t enough you can also visit the Banksy Museum in Ciutat Vella. There are over 100 artworks on display and if you book a guided tour on a Monday it’s absolutely free. The cost for the tour at other times is €4.50 per person.
Areas to Explore
Eixample
We stayed in the Eixample district of Barcelona. It’s a modern area and is generally considered to be very safe for tourists and is close to Casa Batlló and Casa Mila. There are lots of hotels and great restaurants in the area and it’s a 15 minute stroll to Placa de Catalunya in the centre of the city..
Passeig de Gracia
Running through Eixample is Passeig de Gracia, a wide boulevard and the most luxurious street in Barcelona. It runs from Placa de Catalunya to Carrer Gran de Gracia and is lined with high end boutiques. It’s a designer shopping paradise.
Ciutat Vella
Ciutat Vella is the old part of Barcelona and encompasses El Raval, the Gothic Quarter, El Born and Ribera as well as El Barcelonata.
El Barrio Gothia
The Gothic Quarter forms part of the old town and lies just off La Rambla. The area dates back to Roman times and in the centre is the Gothic cathedral.
El Born and la Ribera
Another historic area of Barcelona, it runs close to el barrio Gothia. Here you’ll find trendy bars and restaurants as well as the Picasso Museum.
El Raval
An area with a notorious past, El Raval has undergone a transformation in recent years. The area formerly known as Chinatown is now popular with tourists for its lively nightlife. However it still retains an edginess and caution is required particular at night.
La Rambla
Linking the heart of the city with the beach area, the pedestrianised boulevard is one of the most famous streets in Barcelona and is lined with market sellers, street performers, bars and restaurants. Look out for the Joan Miro mosaic on the pavement. However the street does get very busy with tourists and if you’re too distracted watching the street performers so there’s a chance you might walk over it without even realising.
La Boqueria Market
Situated in the Ciutat Vella close to La Rambla, La Boqueria is an indoor market selling fresh food and produce. It is a popular tourist attraction and the fruit and vegetables can be quite expensive but it’s still an impressive market and worth taking some time to visit.
La Barcelonata
In 1992 Barcelona hosted the summer olympics and this was a turning point for Barcelona’s coastal area with the redevelopment of the Port and beach area. What was once a run down part of town is now a vibrant area with a long sandy beach, lively promenade and Port area with hotels, bars and restaurants.
Gracia
In the northern part of the city is the district of Gracia. For anyone on the Gaudi trail, you’ll find Parc Guell and Casa Vicens in this area. Up until 1897 it was a separate town and it retains the village feel with narrow streets and independent boutiques.
Montjuic
Escape the city centre and take a cable car up to Montjuic. Perched up on the southwest hill you can visit Montjuic Gardens, the Magic Fountain and Montjuic Castle.
For details of how to get the cable car head to the website.
Food
Barcelona has loads of international restaurants serving food from around the world but it’s always worth seeking out the local Catalan cuisine.
With the city being on the coast, there’s a lot of seafood on offer which is often mixed with meat. Seafood paella is a speciality in Barcelona. I’ve eaten a lot of paella but one of my favourites was at a cafe near the beach at Barcelonata.
For a traditional lunch head to a tapas bar or restaurant where you can share a selection of small plates. Patatas bravas, Spanish omelette, prawns and garlic mayonnaise or meatballs in tomato sauce - there are many varieties of tapas. In a tapas bar, the plates may be simpler, such as bread topped with ham or tomato and garlic to accompany your drink.
Being a bit of a night owl on holiday, what I love about Barcelona, and Spain in general, is the late night culture. You can walk into a restaurant, get a table at 10.30pm and the place will be buzzing. Many restaurants are open until midnight, later at the weekends.
Finally
Over 15 million visitors choose to stay in the Catalan capital every year with several million more embarking from cruise ships for a days sightseeing. The high numbers of tourists has at times pushed the locals to near breaking point and caused some unrest. However don’t be put off visiting - it’s a great city.
Catalan is the official language of Barcelona and many locals consider themselves Catalonian first, Spanish second. If you can speak a few words of Catalan it will be much appreciated. Here are some useful phrases.
Si us plau — Please Gracies or merci - Thank you Hola — Hello Adeu - Goodbye Bon dia — Good morning Bona tarda — Good afternoon. Bona nit — Good night