The fourth most visited country after France, USA and China, more than 53 million tourists visited magnificent Spain last year, contributing almost 6.7 % of the country’s GDP. You can reach Spain either through air, rail, water or car.
Spain’s most admired destination cities Madrid and Barcelona offer an eclectic mix of attractions as well as their contributions in commerce, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, sports and arts make the two as one of the world's major global cities. 13 Spanish cities have been declared World Heritage Cities by the UNESCO:Alcala de Henares, Avila, Caceres, Cordoba, Cuenca, Ibiza, Merida, Salamanca, San Cristobal de La Laguna, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Tarragona and Toledo.
You want art and culture, Spain has got it.
Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and AntoniGaudí,three of the greatest painters of all time hailed from Spain.Best known is the Golden Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del Prado and comprising three museums. The most famous one is the Prado Museum, known for such highlights as Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas and Francisco de Goya's La majavestida and La majadesnuda. The other two museums are the ThyssenBornemisza Museum, established from a mixed private collection, and the Reina Sofia Museum, where Pablo Picasso's Guernica hangs, returning to Spain from New York after more than two decades.
The Museo del Prado is a museum and art gallery that features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection. The collection currently comprises around 7,600 paintings, 1,000 sculptures, 4,800 prints and 8,200 drawings.
The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of Juan Carlos I of Spain, and is a baroque palace full of artworks is one of the largest European Royal Palaces, which is characterized by its luxurious rooms and its rich collections of armors and weapons, pharmaceutical, silverware, watches, paintings, tapestries and the most comprehensive collection of Stradivarius in the world.
You want nature’s bounty, Spain has got it.
Spain's diverse landscapes stir the soul. The Pyrenees and the Picos de Europa are as beautiful as any mountain range on the continent, while the snowcapped Sierra Nevada rises up improbably from the sun-baked plains of Andalucia; these are hiking destinations of the highest order. The wildly beautiful cliffs of Spain's Atlantic northwest are offset by the charming coves of the Mediterranean. And everywhere you go, villages of timeless beauty perch on hilltops, huddle in valleys and cling to coastal outcrops as tiny but resilient outposts of Old Spain.Spain is the second most mountainous country of Europe with good ski resorts. Sierra Nevada is a popular tourist destination. Part of the range has been declared a biosphere reserve.
You want culinary delights, Spain has got it.
Food and wine are national obsessions in Spain, and with good reason. The touchstones of Spanish cooking are deceptively simple: incalculable variety, traditional recipes handed down through the generations, and an innate willingness to experiment and see what comes out of the kitchen-laboratory. You may experience the best meal ever over tapas in an earthy bar where everyone's shouting, or over a meal prepared by a celebrity chef in the refined surrounds of a Michelin-starred restaurant. Either way, the breadth of gastronomic experience that awaits you is breathtaking.
