The Spain Travel Deals Blog

photo credit: clspeace

Another of the more famous Spain landmarks that will be of interest to historians is the Torre del Oro, or Tower of Gold in Seville.  As you can see from the picture, the tower is not actually gold in color, leading to much speculation about the origins of its name.  Nevertheless, the structure remains an impressive and historically significant landmark.

Torre del Oro was constructed during the 13 century and has served numerous purposes. For a time, it was a prison.  It has also been an observation point to ensure the security of the area.  Access to a river adjacent to the tower was restricted by means of a metal chain that was connected from the structure, to another structure that once stood on the river’s opposite bank.  Today the tower is an historic landmark and noted tourist attraction.

Inside is a naval museum, and an interesting collection of historical documents and artifacts.  If you are planning a trip to southern Spain, and are interested in its military and local history, you’ll enjoy a visit to Torre del Oro.

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If you’re planning on traveling through a major Spanish city, you need a good Spain tourist map to help you find the attractions eateries and other locations that you want to visit.  However, if you’re anything like me you might find these maps a bit cumbersome.  Let’s face it, you don’t want to keep stopping in the middle of a busy city to look at your map.  This takes up valuable vacation time, and its just another  thing ro carry along with you.

Fortunately, there is a solution.  You’re mobile device can now help you find your way to tourist attractions and the like while you’re visiting Spain.  A number of smart phones, and in particular the iPhone, now allow you to load tourist maps and other useful travel applications onto them.

For example, Lonely Planet offers a Barcelona guide for the iPhone that includes maps, photos of popular tourist sites, and reviews of many key points of interest among other things.  It’s almost like carrying an entire print guidebook with you in your pocket.  Of course, we all carry are mobile phones with us regularly anyway, so having this tourist guide creates no extra bother.

If you want to check out Lonely Planet’s Barcelona app, just head to the iTunes store.  At a price of $5.99, its well worth it for all the information you get.  Don’t  forget, I mentioned earlier that there are many other useful travel apps out there as well with more being added all the time.  Check out the app store for your brand of smart phone, and see if you can find some helpful programs for your next trip.

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photo credit: rosshuggett

Some of the top tourist attractions in Spain are its beautiful temples and cathedrals.  With a deep religious history, including heavy influence influence from both Christians and Muslims, faith has played a key tole in the shaping of Spain and its culture.

Luckily for us, many of Spain’s most striking places of worship, have been well maintained, and remain attractive tourist sites today.  Leon’s Cathedral of Santa Maria de Regala, is one such place.  Construction of this magnificent Gothic cathedral begin in the 13th century.  As striking as this structure appears from the outside it is even more beautiful inside due to the unique lighting affects caused by its imposingly large windows.

Also highly impressive is the chapel which houses the ornate tomb of Ordono II, former King of Galicia and Leon.  There are some unique museum exhibits within the cathedral as well.  In short, any tourist to Spain with an interest in the religious history of the country should not miss this Leon attraction.

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Of all the famous tourist attractions in Spain, I am personally partial to the many historical sites. Those who have been reading this blog for some time will know this already, as I frequently discuss the rich history of the country in my postings. One such such article that I wrote back in November concerned Loarre castle in Huesca Provence. This fortress complex near Madrid is an amazing site that I’m sure many of you would enjoy visiting.

Now, as I said, I have already written about the castle at some length, so if you want to learn more about it, I highly recommend taking a look at that post. I have come back to the topic of this particular tourist site today because I found a great video which gives you some fantastic views of Loarre. Check the video out above, and if you’re a history buff visiting the Madrid area, I highly recommend seeing the castle in person. It’s an experience you won’t forget!

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When seeking out the best Spain tourist sites, the capitol city of Madrid should definitely be part of your itinerary.  Madrid has some of the most impressive tourist attractions in Spain when it come to the world of art.  Chief among these is the famous Prado museum, home to some of Europe’s finest artistic holdings.

For the historians among you, Madrid is also the site of Spain’s royal palace.  As capitol of the country, the city has played a major role in Spanish history.  If you’re truly interested in pursuing a historical tour of Spain, Madrid is a vibrant and beautiful place to start.  The video above gives some nice views of Madrid and its sites.  I hope it helps to give you a better picture of what the city is like as you plan your travels.

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When seeking out the best canary islands tourist attractions, think nature.  Indeed beautiful natural attractions abound on all seven of these islands.  The warm climate makes the Canaries an excellent place for a beach holiday, and the islands have some of the most beautiful coastlines in Europe.  Those with an interest in horticultural sites will also be pleased with a visit to the Canaries, as the islands are home to many lush gardens.  If you’re looking to get a bit off the beaten path to experience some Spanish culture, there are some picturesque villages on the islands that are worth a tour as well.  I’ll bring you a more detailed look at some key locations in the Canaries in a future post.

For now, take a look at the above video clip from La Palma island, for a taste of the great scenic beauty that awaits you as a tourist to the Canary Islands.

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photo credit: James & Vilija

I promised in a recent blog post that I I would be bringing you photos and videos of popular tourist attractions in Spain.  I believe that a picture gives you a better feel for any destination than an article alone could.  The photo here is of the famous lizard statue in Barcelona’s Parque Guell.

I think that some of the best attractions in Barcelona are the creations of Antoni Gaudi.  Parque Guell, with all of it’s beautiful sculptures and gardens is one such creation.  The park, which was originally meant to be a residential community for Barcelona’s wealthier citizens, is now a fantastic public attraction that is sure to be one of the highlights of your trip to Barcelona.

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Today I want to talk a bit more about selecting a Spain guided tour. If you’ve already had a look at my recent post on how to decide if a guided tour is right for you,then this post will be a good follow  up for helping you pick the right tour package.  When looking at any package, there are a number of things to consider.  First you want to look at the geographic area covered by a particular tour.  When comparing packages based on location, you want to consider the amount of time you have for your holiday.

Spain offers a lot for the tourist to see, and if you have a limited time for your trip, it would be best to pick a specific region of the country to explore.  For example, you could tour the Andalusia region, head to the Basque country, or take a trip that focuses in on some of Spain’s islands.  If you are very short on time, you might even choose a guided tour of one specific city.

After taking location and time constraints into consideration, its time to start looking at how you want to travel, and what you want to see on your trip.  Of course many guided tours use buses and air transport to get you form place to place around Spain.  However their are also many regional walking tours, cycling expeditions, and even adventure tours for those looking for a more physical sightseeing experience.

Speaking of sightseeing, when selecting a tour of Spain, it is important to keep in mind what types of attractions are really of interest to you.  There are special tours which are geared specifically for people like art lovers, history buffs, culinary enthusiasts and so on.  If you can select a tour that caters more specifically to your personal interests, you’ll likely find the places you visit much more engaging, and have a lot more fun on your trip.

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In a previous post about Granada tourist attractions, I spoke at length about the Alhambra Palace.  The magnificent architecture, and rich history of the palace make it one of the true gems of Spain.  I wanted to post the above video for you, because I feel it gives you some great views of the palace which convery its beauty quite well.  Additionally, the video captures the old world feel that you will find throughout the entire city of Granada.  The amazing history of the Andalusia region, in addition to its great cuisine makes Granada a can’t miss spot for tourists to Spain.

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photo credit: robertpaulyoung

As I have said in previous posts, some of the best Catalonia tourist attractions can be found in the region’s capitol city of Barcelona.  That being said, one should know that there are a number of wonderful smaller cities surrounding Barcelona that make for excellent day trips.  Girona is one such place.  The city boasts a beautiful old town section with a magnificent cathedral, parts oof which date to the eleventh century.

There is also an ancient Arab bath house, and an impressive 14th century tower among the many points of historical interest.  In short, Girona offers some great attractions for the history enthusiast.  If you are visiting Barcelona, especially by way of Girona airport, then you need to add this city to your itinerary.

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