Spain as a tourist destination actually has everything that the international tourist demands. Whether it is a stay in a super-de-luxe hotel or a simple campsite, a visit to a large city or small villages, a stay on the coast or in the mountains, enjoying the beach or nature … Spain offers the visitor everything.
All regions of Spain have something special that visitors come to. That actually does not only apply to the holiday makers but also to those foreigners who emigrate to Spain to start a new life there.
Whether you like mountains with the many beautiful nature parks and ski areas or you love the sea and prefer to visit one of the thousands of beaches, it is all possible.
Spain offers visitors too much to mention here, but it is precisely this diversity that has ensured that millions of foreigners come to Spain every year for a holiday. In addition, it appears that most Spaniards still choose their own country when they go on holiday, if only for the gastronomy or because it is easy that they can just speak Spanish.
From north to south and from west to east Spain, each region has its peculiarities and specifics, which makes Spain very diverse. A closer look at the Spanish regions:
Andalusia
“Andalucía es alegría, pasión y tradición”, that is the slogan of the southern Spanish region of Andalusia. This region is full of nature, culture and beautiful monuments and cities and also offers tradition, passion and beach holidays. Andalusia is not only the most popular region to travel to among the Spaniards themselves, but also a popular destination for foreigners for both nature and beach holidays.
Aragon
Aragon, one of the larger regions in Spain, offers its visitors art, sports and relaxation with the slogan “Aragon, reino de los sueños”. The Aragon region is nature and culture and of course the Pyrenees with not only a lot of space for walking and cycling, but also for skiing and enjoying the peace, relaxation and gastronomy.
Asturias
This region in so-called green Spain describes itself as “Paraíso natural”. The Principado de Asturias is culture but especially a lot of nature, forests and greenery. In addition, Spain’s most beautiful beaches in this region are on the Atlantic Ocean, but are far less known than the beaches on the Mediterranean. The weather is therefore not comparable.
Basque country
The Spanish Basque Country is known for its gastronomy with the many tapas or pinchos bars and the multitude of culture. In addition, this region is completely different from the rest of Spain because of the culture, customs and language, but also the architectural style and behavior of people. The weather is not always beautiful and pleasant, but the many beautiful towns and villages and overwhelming nature make up for a lot.
Balearic islands
Who doesn’t know them, Mallorca, Ibiza and the lesser-known islands of Menorca and Formentera that together form the Balearic Islands. This region describes itself as “Cultura y gastronomía, descubre Baleares”. The Balearic Islands not only have beaches and sun, but also a lot of culture and gastronomy, something they focus on during the holiday trade fair in Madrid.
Canary Islands
“El placer de cada día. Latitud de vida ”the pleasure of every day, that is the Canary Islands. The nice and warm weather all year round has ensured that this island group off the African coast is not only popular during the summer months, but is also visited during the winter months. It is pretty much the only place in Europe where it is warm in winter and where you can sunbathe on the beach. But the islands also have a lot of culture, nature and gastronomy.
Cantabria
The green Cantabria region is known for its history, including the Altamira caves, but also for its nature with wooded areas and as a gateway to the Picos de Europa mountains. In addition, there are beautiful beaches where the weather is good, if the weather allows it on the Atlantic Ocean.
Catalonia
Catalonia calls itself the place where everyone feels at home. That may also be the case because this region is after all the most visited in all of Spain, but the political tensions surrounding the separation from the rest of Spain have led to fewer Spaniards being drawn to this region. Yet the number of foreigners who visit the city of Barcelona or the Costa Brava and Costa Dorada has increased again in the past year. Catalonia has just about everything to offer: culture, nature, gastronomy, mountains for skiing or hiking and beaches for relaxing.
Castilla y Leon and Castilla-La Mancha
These regions in central Spain are known for the many beautiful monuments, beautiful cities and the purest Spanish that is spoken here. In addition, the gastronomy of these regions is excellent and is well known in Spain and far beyond.
Valencian Community
Valencia says to everyone “Bienvenido, welcome, bienvenue, benvingut and willkommen” in other words, Valencia is for everyone and for everyone. The Comunidad Valenciana or simply Valencia is the region with, among other things, the Costa Blanca, one of Spain’s largest tourist areas with also the most foreign residents, but Valencia as a region is much more than just beach and sun. There is art, culture, nature and tradition to be found and the gastronomy is not wrong.
Extremadura
Many people do not know the Extremadura region, but this is perhaps one of Spain’s purest regions. Extremadura is known for being green and that besides untouched nature there is also a lot of culture with various UNESCO monuments and cities such as Cacares, Trujillo and Merida. Well worth a visit.
Galicia
This region on the Atlantic Ocean, together with Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country, forms the so-called Green Spain where nature and culture are the main tourist attractions. There are beautiful beaches, beautiful nature reserves and the gastronomy is not wrong. Of course Galicia is also known for the Camino de Santiago with the pilgrimage place Santiago de Compostela as the biggest tourist and religious attraction.
La Rioja
Besides nature, the smallest region of Spain is La Rioja, particularly known for its wines. Who does not know them But La Rioja is not limited to wineries and vineyards. So there is a lot of culture and nature and the gastronomy, as well as the wines, are not fake. Rioja is worth exploring.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital of Spain and, after Barcelona, the biggest attraction as a city. There is too much to do and see in Madrid so this city is worth more than worth visiting. However, in summer, it can be very hot while in winter it is still very cold. Fortunately, there are many museums and famous monuments that you can visit and where it is hot / cold.
Murcia
Murcia is a preserved nature, a beautiful culture and an unprecedented tranquility. Murcia is, despite the fact that this region is on the Mediterranean Sea and has excellent beaches, little known as a tourist destination for foreigners. However, there is much to do and see in Murcia and this is one of the reasons why many foreigners have moved to live there. The weather is also nice all year round.
Navarre
The region of Navarre is best known for the city of Pamplona and its bull run, but Navarre is much more than just a celebration. There are so many monuments with a magnificent nature and Navarre in Spain is the starting point of the French Camino de Santiago.
So, you still see, there is a lot to see and do in Spain, not only for holidaymakers but also for those who decide or have already decided to live in Spain.
Source: De week Spain.
