Spain Travel Tips

Some basic information about Spain, so when you next time visit this wonderful country you will find your way around more easily. Lying in the south western part of Europe, Spain is a country with about 40 million habitants.

Surrounded by Portugal, Andorra and France, Spain has two different coastlines. To the north and east the Atlantic sea to the south the mediteranean sea, giving to the fishing industry a major factor.

Important cities of Spain

The capital of Spain, Madrid is well known all around the globe. With about 5 million the city with the largest population in Spain. Other important cities are Barcelona, host of the 1992 summer olympics, Seville Spain capital in the southern region of Andalucia and Bilbao capital of the Basque Country. With the city of Valencia all major cities of Spain should be covered.

As far as importance from a tourist point of view is concerned we should mention Malaga along the Costa del Sol together with Granada famous for the Alhambra

Languages spoken in Spain

The main languages spoken in Spain are Castilian, as the official language - commonly known as spanish . Euskera spoken in the Basque Country, Galician spoken in Galicia and Catalan spoken in Catalonia. With Valencian, by some seen as a different language by others seen as a variation of Catalan, Spain has five different languages.

In some regions of Spain, like for example in the Valencian Community two languages (Castilian and Valencian) are official languages and thought in school. Once you travel around Spain you will note in certain regions of the country that traffic signs are often done in two languages. Now you know why.

One of the best things about Spain is the food

Without any doubt, one of the best things for every visiting Spain is its food and wines. While some areas of the country like the Rioja are well known worldwide because of its excellent wines, most of Spain is famous for excellent fish and meat dishes. The northern areas for example Galicia, offers excellent seafood and meat dishes whilst the valencian area, especially between Valencia and Alicante is famous for their paella and gambas.