If Spain were a person, it would have an amazing personality—strong and sexy yet sensitive and soulful. What’s not to love?
From flamenco to tapas and beaches to bullfighting—not to mention the landmark buildings and sun-kissed holiday resorts—Spain offers it all and more.
Let’s not forget the amazing artists and architects, like Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Did we mention the siesta? Who doesn’t love a country that officially endorses taking an afternoon nap.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Alexander Spatari.
Tapas
Tapas is a culinary and cultural tradition originated by Spain and copied around the globe. These small plates allow you to try multiple dishes in one hit—some bars offer a free tapa per drink!
Standing at a marble bar, with hanging ham overhead, and sipping a cold beer while eating jamón (dry-cured ham) or Spanish tortilla is just one of the ways to feel part of the local lifestyle.
Sweet and smoky chorizo is also a big hit on any bar menu, as are boquerones en vinagre (fresh anchovies preserved in vinegar), patatas bravas (potatoes with spicy sauce), and prawns. Then there’s paella, the showstopping saffron-infused rice dish with combinations of chicken, seafood, rabbit, and lima beans.
La Sagrada Família
The famous church in Barcelona was designed in 1882 by Spain’s most famous architect, Antoni Gaudí, and remains under construction.
That’s right. One of the most famous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and one of the most famous places in Spain, remains unfinished, with estimates that the masterpiece will be completed in 2026—a hundred years after Gaudí died.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Hugh Sitton.
Flamenco
Flamenco is an incredible art form rooted in the gitano (Spanish for ‘gypsy’) culture of Andalucia and included on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Flamenco includes song, dance, and instrumental music (mostly the guitar), with cities known for flamenco including Seville, Granada, Cádiz, and Málaga. Flamenco is uniquely Spanish.
La Tomatina
Fun fact and fun festival: La Tomatina is a food fight that takes place every August in Buñol, a little village near the region’s capital Valencia.
It’s become so popular, with tickets sold out weeks in advance, and where locals and up to 22,000 participants can throw 150 tons of red tomatoes at each other for a fun-filled and eccentric hour.
Pablo Picasso
The Málaga-born, Barcelona-raised artist is widely considered to be the most important of the 20th century. He experimented with painting and sculpture and was part of the Cubist movement.
In 1937, he produced his most famous piece, Guernica, inspired by the destruction of the northern Spanish town during the Spanish Civil War. If he were still alive today, his colorful love life, often involving his artistic muses, would be splashed across the tabloids.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Pol Albarrán. Image Location: Gerona Province, Catalunya, Spain.
Beautiful beaches
Lured by quiet coves, golden sandy sweeps, and dramatic scenery, millions of tourists make a beeline for the Spanish coast every year. From the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts to the dance-‘til-dawn Canary and Balearic Islands, Spain has beaches for sun worshippers of every kind.
Siesta
While the traditional siesta isn’t practiced as much as it once was, it was mainly introduced to break up the long working day for farm laborers during the midday heat and for those working multiple jobs following the Spanish Civil War.
Now it’s more of a stereotype than a reality, and in a time of economic hardship, it’s unlikely that most workers can afford to take an afternoon nap. However, for those that can, it helps reduce stress and boosts the immune system.
Header Image Credit: Getty Images, Cinoby. Image Location: Caló des Moro, Majorca, Spain.