Spain Travel
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Spain
Travel
Spain
is more than a warm Costa del Sol
destination. Rich with
historic
legacies of Goya, Picasso, Dali,
Velázquez and books of the romantic
Don Quijote.
The ideal months to visit are May,
June and September ( April and
October in the south). During this
time of the year, you can rely on
good weather and the masses of
Spanish and foreign tourists.
There's good weather in some parts
of Spain year-round. If you want to
make sure you hit some parties,
festivals are between Semana Santa
(Easter Sunday) and September.
In true Spanish style, cultural
events are almost inevitably
celebrated with a wild party and a
holiday. Among the festivals to look
out for are Festividad in San
Sebastián in January, when the whole
town dresses up and goes berserk.
Carnaval takes place throughout the
country in late February; the
wildest is said to be in Sitges. In
March, Valencia has a week-long
party known as Las Fallas, which is
marked by all-night dancing,
drinking, first-class fireworks and
colourful processions. Semana Santa
(Holy Week) is the week leading up
to Easter Sunday with parades of
holy images through the streets;
Seville is the place to be if you
can get accommodation. In late April
the Feria de Abril in Seville is a
week-long party counterbalancing the
religious fervour of Semana Santa.
In late August you can see the
Valencian town of Bunol go crazy
with La Tomatina, in which the
surplus from its tomato harvest is
splashed in friendly town riots. The
Running of the Bulls (Sanfermines)
in Pamplona in July is Spain's most
famous festival. Along the north
coast, staggered through the first
half of August, is Semana Grande,
another week of heavy drinking and
hangovers.
Spain is one of Europe's more
affordable country. If you are
concerned about a US$20 a day. This
involves staying in cheap
accommodation, avoid eating in
restaurants or museums visits.
A comfortable budget is US$40 a day,
for a basic hotel room, set meals,
public transport and entry to
museums. With US$100 a day you can
stay in excellent accommodation,
rent a car and eat some of the best
food Spain has to offer.
Travellers checks can be cashed at
banks and exchange offices, and
usually attract a slightly higher
exchange rate than cash. Credit and
debit cards are widely accepted at
hotels and restaurants, especially
from the middle range up, and also
for long-distance train tickets.
In restaurants the law requires menu
prices to include service charge,
and tipping is a matter of personal
choice - most people leave some
small change if they're satisfied
and 5% is usually plenty. It's
common to leave small change at bar
and cafe tables. Markets and cheap
hotels are the only places in Spain
where you are likely to bargain.
