Travel to Spain

Posted on Friday, June 24, 2011

Much of Spain's legacy was shaped by its alternating role of conqueror and conquered. The 17 autonomous regions of Spain each have their own distinctive landscape, history, traditions, festivals, climates and cuisine. With a dazzling natural environment - you will find bustling cities, enchanting hilltop towns and fishing villages, primeval forests, desert, plains and lush meadows, snow-capped mountains and tropical islands, sandy beaches, prehistoric caves, vineyards and citrus groves.

Choose from a variety of travel programs through Spain including train and motorcoach vacations. You can also visit many port in Spain on a Mediterranean cruise.

What's the best time to take a Spain tour?

Posted on Wednesday, April 13, 2011

What's the best time to take a Spain tour? 

You can take some Spain tours year round, however April, May, June, September and October are the most popular times to tour Spain. There are some tours that operate November through March, which are cheaper than going during the peak travel months, but expect some cold weather depending on where you are visiting.

Mediteranean cruises that include Spain are usually available May through October. 

Spain Tours 2011

Posted on Thursday, December 09, 2010

From Barcelona to Seville, Loris Fusco found Spain fascinating. Here she shares her experiences and offers tips and recommendations for those planning to visit this remarkable country.

"My Spanish vacation started with a flight to Barcelona, a vibrant city with an eclectic mix of art and architecture. From there I took the overnight train to Seville then the high-speed train to Madrid, using each city as a home base from which to tour the surrounding area."

"Taking a city tour is a good way to start as it introduces you to the main sights and city layout. After that I like to walk and use local transportation to explore further."

"Day tours are an efficient way to see the highlights of the city as you learn so much from the well informed guides and transportation is included. Guides are particularly good in Europe where there are strict requirements to become a guide and they are extremely well educated."

"Many people like to explore Europe by rail however the infrastructure in Spain is not very extensive. Again an organized tour is a good idea for seeing many local sites of each region of the country on one vacation."

Highlights

• Montserrat: The town of Montserrat was magnificent. You take a cable car, a furnicular and then walk 200 ft. to get to the beautiful monastery with spectacular views. The café here is excellent with great food. There are many hiking trails including one with called stations of the rosary with alcoves dotted along the way with religious symbols and statues.
• Madrid: The beautiful capital of Spain was one of my favourite places. The Prado Museum is one of the finest art galleries in the world. I spent an afternoon there studying the old masters. Dining is excellent in this city and there are many fantastic wine bars. I took a city tour and a delightful horse drawn carriage tour before setting off on my own.
• Barcelona: This center of art and architecture is absolutely delightful; there is so much to see from Miro to Gaudi to Picasso. It is a really lively city and also has great dining and wine bars. The harbour cruise was very enjoyable with so much history and good views of the city. Cirque du Soleil was playing and I caught a performance which was another memorable experience.
• Toldedo: This old university town is a World Heritage sight and really fascinating. It is not far by train from Madrid. I spent a delightful day exploring. Within the city, the Zocotren (a small, Disney-like train) winds through the narrow streets of the Old Town and the surrounding area. It is an efficient way to get around without walking everywhere.
• Seville: The capital of the beautiful region of Andalucia with its white towns set amongst the hills, surrounded by clementine trees. This is the center of Spanish culture where Flamenco flourishes. There are shops dedicated to flamenco products and all the embroidered shawls and fans you could want. The rest of the city is western, cutting edge and trendy. I took a city tour and wandered the streets.
• Gibraltar: I spent a very interesting day in the English colony of Gibraltar. I took a taxi cab tour which was really worthwhile as the driver took us to places we would have missed on our own. We had an excellent visit to the Rock and the Barbery Apes and I was able to have my picture taken holding one! They were very friendly. The fare for the cab tour was very reasonable. It is certainly not always cheaper and better to do it on your own.

Tips

• Food and wine are a bargain in Spain. Out of all the European Union countries, you'll find the best prices here. Wine is plentiful and very good for just 4 to 8 Euros a bottle.
• The Spanish still take time for Siesta in the early afternoon. Be sure to keep this in mind when planning as businesses, shops and museums will close at this time.
• From June to September Spain is more crowded with visitors and it can be very hot. Better to visit in the spring or fall but note that the swimming pool at your hotel may not be in use at these times. I found out when I got there that the pool at my hotel in Madrid was not filled until June 1.
• There are ATM machines everywhere you go in Spain - and Europe for that matter. No need to bring the travelers cheques. You get a better exchange rate and the fees are lower than cashing cheques.
• The high speed train from Madrid to Seville took just 2.5 hours. I recommend this experience when traveling in Europe as it is a unique way to travel with reasonable comfort. Sleeper trains have additional amenities and some compartments have private facilities.
• Downtown Barcelona is easily seen by walking. Driving to sights out of downtown didn't work for me as signage was very poor. It was better to take the train or organized tours to see the surrounding sights.

Written by:  Susan Milne
Ensemble Vacations

Shopping in Madrid

Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Shopping in Madrid revolves around small-specialised stores and great food markets. The various district zones in Madrid are filled with boutiques, specialty shops, department stores and supermarkets. The city is full of interesting shops to explore and everything from high fashion through to flea markets and grand delicatessens can be found. Leather is a good buy especially shoes, bags and jackets. Two great souvenirs are Lladro porcelain figurines and Majorca pearls.

Portgual Travel Information

Posted on Saturday, August 08, 2009

Your next tour to Spain might include Lisbon or other areas of Portugal.

Portugal is mountainous north of the Tagus River with rolling plains in the south. Lisbon is the capital, and the official currency if the Euro.

Climate and clothing:

Portugal has a Mediterranean climate. It is one of the warmest European countries. Summer months are usually sunny, with the hottest months being July and August, where you can expect temperature highs of 35°C / 95°F. Average temperatures in winter are 9°C -15°C (48.2°F-59°F). A sweater will come in handy for cool summer evenings and low heeled shoes are recommended if you plan to do much walking on Lisbon’s cobble stoned streets.

Food & Drink:

Due to its long coastline seafood features prominently on restaurant menus. Typical Portuguese dishes include sopa de mariscos (shellfish soup made with vegetables and shellfish), caldo verde (green soup made with green cabbage leaves), caldeirada (fish stew cooked with vegetables) and porco altentejano (fried pork covered with a sauce of mussels stewed with tomato and onions). Another staple is bacalhau (dried codfish), which you will find everywhere. Portuguese grilled chicken is world famous and it is generally marinated in chili, garlic and olive oil. Puddings include arroz doce (Portuguese version of rice pudding) and nuvens (egg custard). Wine is the drink of choice in Portugal. There are good reds and whites and Mateus Rosé is a famous lightweight Rose. Portugal is also famous for its port wines; the best are produced around Oporto. Although Lisbon’s water tastes heavily of chemicals, it is safe for drinking. However, we recommend that you buy bottled drinking water. Portugal has an excellent range of local mineral waters.

Best Buys: 

Jewellery and handcrafted items from goldsmiths in silver and gold, leather goods, ceramics, wickerwork, tiles, cork goods, embroidery and tapestry.

Public Facitlities:  Located in most Metro stations & other heavily-travelled places in Lisbon. If there is an attendant on dauty, a 20 cent coin woudl eb an appropriate tip. Ladies’ toilets are ‘Senhoras’ and men’s are ‘Homens’.