Top 5 Tourist Destinations In Spain

It is a honour for me to share with you this post, written by the blogger and travel expert Nicola Williams, whom I am grateful for the opportunity.

Spain is a country known for its fascinating and famous tourist attractions. You can enjoy seeing the amazing architecture of Frank Gehry and many other spectacular views such as the Art of Spain and Ronda.

Below are 5 tourist destinations in this country:

Sagrada Familia

This is one of the most visited destinations in Spain. It is a large Catholic church in Barcelona which was designed by Antoni Gaudí who passed away in 1926.1t took the Catalan architect nearly 40 years to make this project a success. The visit is worthwhile because you can see where this great man was buried, tree-like pillars, central nave with its giant and the transept. A long walk or elevator leads one to the top of a tower which provides a magnificent view of Barcelona. This museum narrates the history of both the church and Gaudi.

            

La Concha

La Concha is one of the best beaches in Europe situated in Sebastian. Tourists enjoy beautiful sceneries from good restaurants and surfing in the Ocean. The beach is surrounded by several islands and stiff cliffs that give tourists a chance to stroll the beach and experience awesome atmosphere of a typical forage Spain. Spectacular views across the Bay towards the Island of Santa Clara and the clear Atlantic waters keep the visitors entertained. La Concha offers excellent facilities like plenty of sun beds and it is wide and long enough to hold a large number of people even in the peak season. A visit to Spain would be incomplete without stopping over this wonderful beach.

Alhambra Palace

Alhambra is one of the top cultural highlights Europe has ever had. The complex palace was set up in the 14th century by the Nasrin Sultans. It became a home to about forty thousand people provided with education in established schools and farming from gardens. Many tourists visit Granada specifically to view the Alhambra Palace.

Aqueduct of Segovia

It was built around 50 AD and still provided water to people in the city in the 20th century. The Aqueducts are a major architectural landmark located on the Iberian Peninsula. It is part of UNESCO, world heritage Site and functioning till today because of the good maintenance.

Real Palacio

Real Palacio is a royal place of Madrid that is the official house of the king of Spain. The royal place was set up between 1738 to 1755 and in 1764 King Carlos the 3rd stayed in the palace. It is considered to be one of the finest places in Europe that is only used for important state ceremonies. The interiors of the palace is notable for its wealth of art in addition to utilization of all fine materials in the construction and decoration. It has artwork of all kinds such as paintings by experts namely Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and Anton Raphael Mengs.


Spain has now become a well-known and a must visit country. It receives large numbers of tourists who are attracted by these fascinating sites. Over the years, these destinations have been famed and popularized, hence the number of tourists visiting them continues to grow every year.

Author Bio: 

The author Nicola Williams is from UK. She is a professional content writer and a blogger.  Most of her articles include her travel experiences. Her hobbies are travelling, trekking and cooking. Currently she is working on a project Australian visas which helps in visa assistance.

St George's Legend in Montblanc (Medieval Week)

The history of Montblanc

Montblanc is a medieval fortified village, with the old town completely surrounded by its medieval walls. Walking in the streets has a special charm because they are inhabited and full of common life and its center is not entirely devote to tourism, like others similar villages.

The village was established at the beginning of the XII century for strategic reasons. Ramon Berenguer IV  (Count of Barcelona) wanted to build  a strong point in the road that linked Catalonia with France, halfway between Tarragona and Lleida, and was his son, king Alfons II of Aragon, who ordered the relocation of the residents of a neighbour village to Montblanc, and gave the city tax free privileges.

Fighting men of the village were always faithful to kings, accompanying them in their conquests. In exchange, they received good rewards, and over the next years Montblanc became richer and increased its monuments and population to be the most populous city of Catalonia in the XIV century.

With the end of the Catalan-Aragon monarchy came gradually the decline of montblanc and in XVII-XVIII centuries suffered several attacks and lootings.

At the XIX century the city recovered population due to the planting of vineyards, the arrival of the railroad and the industrialization. 

Today Montblanc is the capital of the region of Conca de Barbera and has a population of 7,500 inhabitants.

You'll find a more detailed history and much more in this site of the Tourism Office, available in english.

Medieval Week celebration

Every year Montblanc organises a Medieval Week to revive its medieval origin. Streets, squares and towers are embellished with the noble flags and standards. There are a lot of activities that transport the visitors back to the Middle Age: scenes of medieval life, the medieval supper, a concentration of dragons and fire, the medieval market, the performance of the Catalan Courts and so on…

The Medieval Week actually lasts two weeks, beginning on 23th April: Sant Jordi's day (Saint George).

The legend of Saint George has an important role, and one of the main events is the theatrical representation of the legend:

A long time ago, a fierce dragon frightened the people in Montblanc. It ate up the pasture animals to such an extent to threaten the town’s population. So as to avoid the attack of the beast it was decided to give it a person every day. There was a draw among the population, the king’s family was included in it, and the destiny  wanted the king’s daughter to be the  person chosen. When she was going to be swallowed  by the dragon a horseman appeared and saved her of being killed by the dragon. The horseman was Saint George. At the place where the dragon poured out its blood a rosebush with red roses grew. Since then it has been maintained the Catalan tradition in which men give a red rose to their beloved women.

See some photos of the show here.

The Medieval Week of Saint George has turned into the most important and most famous celebration  in Montblanc. It has been designated as a Festival of National Tourist interest in Catalonia and in Spain.

Monuments and Folklore

Apart from Pont Vell (Ancient Bridge) and La Muralla (the walls), there is so much to do in Montblanc and its surroundings that you'd better look at the Tourism Office webpage, you'll find a big amount of practical and well structured information.  

How to get there

Montblanc is well connected by highway to Barcelona (84 km), Tarragona or Reus (29 km)  and Costa Daurada - Salou, Cambrils, ...  

There is also public transport by bus and a railway station from where it is possible to visit the city in a walking tour.

View Larger Map