About.com Spain Travel

A Couple of Interesting Ryanair Rumors

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:32:27 +0000

I've come across a couple of very interesting Ryanair rumors recently - one of which could be very good for travelers to Spain, and one which could be quite a problem.

The good news first. It is being said that Ryanair could finally start to fly to Barcelona, according to this article on avui.cat (site is in Catalan, but you can read a Google Translate version here). Ryanair have confused their customers for years by claiming they fly to Barcelona when they don't - hopefully this will now change. I questioned the airline on their misleading practice of describing Reus and Girona airports as 'Barcelona' airports - you can read their response here: Ryanair Flights to Barcelona.

The second rumor I've come across is less positive. It is being reported that Ryanair is going to raise their airport check-in fee, sorry "boarding card reprint fee", from 40� to 100�: �100 fine for not printing Ryanair boarding cards.

Ryanair is unique in the airline industry in forcing a web check-in fee on its passengers and then charging if they forget or are unable to print off their boarding passes. This has had the effect in the past that even those who have won flights through Ryanair scratchcards have ended up paying more to fly than those who had paid for their flights in full.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary is quoted as saying "If you don't [check in online] the fine is �40 and if that doesn't get rid of them all within a very short order, we double that fine to �100". We must not be surprised by Mr O'Leary's poor maths - he's been telling us his flights cost 1c for years when everyone knows they cost a lot more than that.

Ryanair have some of the lowest air fares in Europe if you remember to tick all the correct boxes and jump through all the right hoops. To avoid paying through the nose for your Ryanair flight, it is worth checking out these pages before you book:

Myths About Ryanair How both Ryanair's supporters and their detractors have got the airline wrong.
Why Hate Ryanair? What the BBC documentary forgot to tell you.
Ryanair Fees Ten of Ryanair's most common extra charges and how to avoid them.

A Couple of Interesting Ryanair Rumors originally appeared on About.com Spain Travel on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 10:32:27.
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Strange Christmas Traditions in Spain

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:06:25 +0000

The Spanish are famous for their odd traditions. Tomato fights, running in front of a heard of angry bulls - Spain surely tops the list of countries with strange customs.

But Christmas, that most holy of holidays - surely the Spanish don't stray from orthodox traditions like Christmas trees, midnight mass and re-runs of It's a Wonderful Life?

Well, the do. Check out this list of Strange Christmas Traditions in Spain and find out about Catalonia's two excrement related Christmas customs, flour fights and the multiple times you can celebrate New Year's Eve in Spain.

Iberia Strikes - More Due in November and December

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:41:20 +0000

Spain's national carrier, Iberia, is set to plunge many travel plans into further chaos, with the announcement that there will be more strikes later this month and in December.

After a two-day strike this week, Iberia will ground flights for three days (from November 30 to December 2) and then for five days (from December 14 to December 18), reports the BBC: Iberia set for more strike action.

Mainly short-haul and medium-haul flights will be affected. The airline is prevented by law from canceling any flights when there is only one per day. Routes with multiple flights will still have at least one running per day. So if you know your flight is going to be canceled, it might be worth calling the airline to see if you can get on another flight that day. You can contact Iberia here: Iberia Contact Details

Read more about Cheap Flights to Spain

Iberia Strikes - More Due in November and December originally appeared on About.com Spain Travel on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 07:41:20.

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Train Now Most Popular Way to Get from Madrid to Barcelona

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:30:04 +0000

Spain's high-speed train service, the AVE, continues to go from strength to strength, with the announcement that it is now the most popular means of getting between Madrid and Barcelona, according to The Olive Press.

The achievement is particularly impressive considering this route is one of the most popular in the world. The Olive Press says it is the fifth busiest in the world, though I've seen several conflicting reports on this.

Why has the AVE become so popular? Because it is (usually) cheaper than flying (especially on short notice), always quicker (when taking into account check-in times), more convenient (train stations are more central than airports), affords a better view and is much more environmentally friendly. Need any more reasons?

New Guggenheim in the Basque Country?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:19:51 +0000

There are rumors that developers in the Basque Country are planning to open a new branch of the famous Guggenheim museum, to complement the existing one in Bilbao.

Plans are afoot to build a new museum in Guernica, the former capital of the Basque country (and still seen as the cradle of the Basque culture). According to The Art Newspaper, "The concept is to create a modest-sized venue for temporary exhibitions and to commission artists' interventions in the landscape."

Guernica already receives a moderate amount of tourism, due to its painful place in European history as the site of a massive aerial bombardment from Hitler (on behalf of Spain's General Franco). It also has a very good peace museum to commemorate the atrocities. See Pictures from Guernica.

But politicians clearly hope the new museum could have the same effect it had on Bilbao, turning what was always referred to as an 'industrial backwater' into the vibrant center of tourism it is today.

If plans go ahead, would a case be made to return Picasso's famous painting to the town that inspired it? The artist's depiction of the bombing of Guernica is currently housed in the Reina Sofia in Madrid, but the Basques could make a good case for it to be moved.

See pictures of the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

New Guggenheim in the Basque Country? originally appeared on About.com Spain Travel on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 08:19:51.

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Best Things to Do in Seville

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:50:41 +0000

For visitors to Andalusia, Spain's most southerly region, Seville is an essential stop (along with Granada). Unfortunately, as everyone else has the same idea as you, the city can easily feel like a tourist trap.

But if you can get away from the cathedral and the Barrio de Santa Cruz, you'll find the city has a lot more to offer than just these sights. I've made this list of the 50 best things to do in and around Seville to help you get the most out of your trip:

50 Things to Do in and Around Seville

Best Things to Do in Seville originally appeared on About.com Spain Travel on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 09:50:41.

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Halloween in Madrid

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:11:30 +0000

For a country that so famously likes to party, the Spanish do not have a great tradition of celebrating Halloween. Trick or Treat hasn't caught on yet (thankfully, in my opinion) and most children will only be drawing pictures of witches and pumpkins if they study English at a language academy.

But one group of Spaniards that has embraced Halloween is Spain's student population. Because everybody likes to dress up, right? Out of these costume parties Halloween is slowly entering the Spanish consciousness.

A couple of Spanish-language blogs I read, Todo Madrid and Madrid Me Mata, have written about what to do this year for Halloween. The highlights include:

Semana Gotica de Madrid From October 24 to November 1 there is magic, concerts and other spectacles from the dark side.
Dark Hole Where better for Halloween night itself than a Gothic club? Dark Hole, (on c/Mesonero Romanos, near Gran Via) is the place to be if you want the real deal this Halloween.
Special Meal at the Amusement Parks The Warner Brothers' Park and the imaginatively Parque de los Atracciones are putting on a bit of a show to go with the feast.
Scary Monsters Visit Faunia and the Zoo Aquarium for some less-than-human scary goings-on.

Madrid Card or Madrid Cultura Card?

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:28:47 +0000

If you plan on visiting a lot of Madrid's sights, the Madrid Card is a well established discount scheme that will get you into most of the city's attractions free of charge. It can be a little expensive, so for the past couple of years I've had a page on my site explaining if it was really worth it. And was it? Sometimes, but you had to cram in a lot of activities to make it worthwhile.

There has also been a cheaper alternative around for some time: the Madrid Cultura Card. But it is only this week that I had a chance to have a close look at the difference. Now that I have, I have re-evaluated my position on the Madrid Card. It is actually rarely good value for money to get it - you're much better off with the Madrid Cultura Card. But before you rush out and buy it, take a look at this page on the Madrid Card to see the difference between the two cards.

World's Most Expensive Cities

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:21:59 +0000

A study to find the world's most expensive cities has come to my attention from the About.com Guide to Budget Travel. It has found that Spain fares much better than most of Western Europe in terms of cost of living.

In the study, Barcelona was the highest placed Spanish city, coming in at 22nd, with Madrid in 26th.

More expensive European metropolises included cities in Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Austria, France, Dublin, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden, Italy, Belgium, Holland and the UK. In other words, pretty much every country in Western Europe (apart from Portugal).

This study should be taken with a slight pinch of salt. The notion of 'expensive city' considers local salaries compared to local prices. The prices of things in the touristy part of town exist in their own bubble of an economy.

But what this does say is that if you can venture outside of the touristy center, Madrid and Barcelona offer you more than a lot of cities in Europe. In no other leading Western European city will you find so many locals eating and drinking in the bars and restaurants, because nowhere else can they afford it so. And locals in bars and restaurants mean 'authentic'. While your friends are in other western European capitals eating with other tourists in restaurants aimed at tourists because the locals can't afford them, you can be eating with other Spaniards, sampling the dishes they like to eat every day. You just have to venture out a little.

If you're visiting Madrid, here's five restaurants, all priced at a local-friendly 10 euros (or thereabouts): Best Restaurants in Madrid

World's Most Expensive Cities originally appeared on About.com Spain Travel on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 12:21:59.

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Visiting Barcelona - on Your Bike! (Or Trike, or Segway...)

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:45:57 +0000

Visiting Barcelona? You'll need a way to get around. But why stick to the usual taxis and metros? There are loads of modes of transport in Barcelona - from the extremely practical to the downright bizarre.

For guided tours, you have your usual walking tours and hop-on-hop-off sightseeing buses. But what about seeing Barcelona by bike, segway, trike, electric go-cart, scooter or even penny farthing!? You can find them all here: Sightseeing Tours of Barcelona.

But these are only introductory tours. How should you get around the rest of the time? It's back to more orthodox transport now, with walking your best bet. The old town in particular is best explored on foot. After that, the metro is your best bet. Barcelona's subway system is excellent - much cheaper than taking taxis (and often quicker too). Read more about the Barcelona metro.

Alternatively, you could rent a bicycle. Unfortunately, Barcelona doesn't allow people from outside the city to use their bike sharing scheme bicing (though Seville let's us use theirs). I understand it's to stop the local bike rental companies going out of business, which is the most cynical example of protectionism I've heard from the travel industry. But there are plenty of places where you can rent a bicycle.

One form of transport I wouldn't recommend for Barcelona is the car. Barcelona's not big enough to warrant it and by the time you've found a parking space, it would have been quicker to walk.

And then what about for getting out of the city? Then a car could indeed come in handy. But even then, the train is often going to be cheaper and quicker. Just be careful to get the right train as there are a few different train companies. Read more:

Barcelona Trains
Rent a Car in Spain

Put simply, you're spoiled for choice, aren't you?