Summer Travel to Spain on a Budget

Guest Editor:

History, Fun and Culture for Every Pocket in Spain

Spain is a wonderful country. I know I'm partial about it, because it is my country and I was born and raised there, but still I assure you that if you travel to Spain you will love it.

People travel to Spain for three main reasons:
- The first one is because the food is amazing.
- Second, to enjoy the relaxed and fun way of life, the nightlife,
- The third reason is to admire the culture and monuments of the country.


The good thing about traveling to Spain is that we will enjoy the three reasons to visit it in the same places, because it is a country so rich, in culture and history and so diverse that we never will get bored in our vacation.

For the travelers who are searching for a good time and a crazy nightlife in a warm weather, I recommend the South and East of Spain. Andalucia and Levante are two Spanish regions where we can find delicious food specialties as fried fish or paella, and the nightlife is full in clubs and outdoor bars around the beaches.


Cadiz is a city in Andalucia that has plenty of white sand and warm water beaches, although the wind can be a little mean sometimes. I love the beach in Bolonia, Cadiz, a huge white beach, and Tarifa, one of the most popular places to practice windsurf in the whole world.
In Andalucia we can find plenty of hotels belonging to big chains and with very reasonable prices. If we want to backpack travel, there are many cheap hotels we can use, it is important to check out the tourist information offices in each town to figure out about camping's and motels for students.


Marbella, also in the South, is a classic town dedicated to rich tourists coming form all around the world, we can admire the spectacular boats and villas where prosperous Arabians live.

Granada, a beautiful town in Andalucia as well, is a terrific place to go in the winter and practice ski, Sierra Nevada is full of wonderful ski resorts. The town itself is worth a visit, with the Arabian and Jewish streets and La Alhambra, a beautiful Arabian castle surrounded by an incredible park.

Levante, the East part of Spain, is as well full of delicious beaches and wonderful restaurants where enjoy the Mediterranean fish and the Spanish specialty la Paella.
Torrevieja in Alicante, Javea in Valencia or Benicassim in Castellon are examples or typical Spanish towns dedicated to the tourists that go there to enjoy the sun. These places are maybe too much focused in tourists, but they are really affordable.


If we travel more toward the Northeast, we find the Catalan's coast, with more expensive hotels and tourists with more money on their pockets. The beaches are beautiful and less populated, and we have the opportunity to travel to Barcelona, a wonderful town full of culture and modernity.

But if we want to see a different side of Spain, we should travel towards its North; Euskadi, Asturias and Galicia are green beautiful places full of culture and history.
In Galicia we must visit Santiago de Compostela, destiny of pilgrims for centuries, with medieval streets and a wonderful cathedral.
In the North of Spain the food is different that the one we can enjoy in the rest of the country, and must not forget to taste the delicious fish from the Atlantic Ocean, the recipes are based in fresh fist and vegetables, and the wines are good enough to satisfy any gourmet.
Traveling to the North of Spain is cheap because there are less tourist all the year around, we can find very good and affordable hotels. Be aware that the weather is quite instable in the area, with a very frequent presence of rain.


If we are interested in culture, we must visit Madrid, the capital of Spain, an amazing city sited in the middle of the country. Madrid has a delicious mixture of classicism and the most modern way of life.
We can live the Spanish history in the old part of the town, full old streets, squares and churches from the times of the Austria Dynasty, or visit one of the most important museums of the word, El Museo del Prado, to enjoy the masterpieces of Goya or Velazquez. Plenty of museums are located in Madrid, and we can even visit the private art collection Thysen-Bornemitza, another important humanity's treasure. We can find very cheap hotels in Madrid, if we walk around one of the big streets of the town, La Gran Via, we will find plenty of private homes that rent rooms for very little money and in very good condition. We call these places hostales, and they are spread all around the town.


There are much more many places to visit in Spain, but if I continue my relation this will be a book, not an article.




Continue reading in Spain Holidays 10: Malaga Spain Travel Guide