Roadtrip Through Spain

When I think about all the things I love in life; warm weather, art, bite sized food, gorgeous gardens, sangria, music, dancing, rubber ducks, Spain has them all! I’ve been enamoured with Spanish history, television and cinema, architecture, and culture for such a long time, that when I finally had the chance to go there was no way I was only making one or two stops, I was gonna see as much of the country as I possible could! You know what that means…ROADTRIP! Planning a road trip is crazy hard work and I wanted to forget about the logistics and just show up and enjoy so I hopped on Contiki’s Spanish Spree trip! It was a great way to get a good snapshot of the whole country so I complied my favourite things about each place and what you should make time to see and do!

Madrid

Madrid is the best place to start off from! Its the countries capitol and has the biggest international airport so its easy to get to. I feel like Madrid often gets outshines by Barcelona, but I feel in love instantly! Its got a really cool mix of historical buildings and a stylish urban vibe. Just walking through the buzzing Puerta del Sol I was instantly surrounded by stunning Spaniards. The buildings in Madrid are stunning. The Royal Palace, The Catedral de la Almudena and the Museo Del Prado are all must sees and are all really close together so thats lucky! What caught my eye in Madrid though, or should I say my stomach, was the food scene! You have to go to Chocolateria San Gines and have a few churos dunked in their signature thick Spanish chocolate! The Mercado de San Miguel is the most beautiful market I’ve ever been to. I’ve been to bigger, more crowded, more bustling, but the actual building and the way each of the stalls were set up was gorgeous. Its a hot spot for both locals and tourists, and you can make your way through sampling tapas, sweets and even grab a sangria on tap! Or try a Spanish-style G&T, which happens to be the most popular drink in Spain! If markets aren’t your thing you should try Restaurante Botin, which is the oldest known restaurant in the entire world! Its famous for its roast suckling pig and sangria and its a cool spot to have checked off your bucket list! If its views and history you’re looking for, just outside of Madrid, in the Sierra de Guadarrama, is the Valley of the Fallen. A little more somber and controversial, it is a basilica and a monument for those who fell during the Spanish civil war. It was a point of contention as dictator Francisco Franco was also buried there. In October of 2019 however they removed. Its really hard to tell just how big this cross is from the photos. Its actually the tallest cross memorial in the world! Walking up in the hills, with the Cyprus trees shooting out of the group and the views of the countryside its extremely peaceful. Keep in mind you’ll need to be covered up to visit here!

Segovia

So I severely underestimated how quickly the weather can change in Spain. It was so cold by the time we rolled into Segovia! Weather aside, this is definitely a town you should visit. Its only about 30 minutes outside of Madrid by train so you could easily make a day trip. Its a UNESCO world heritage site known for its Roman aqueduct and its amazing Alcázar. Fun fact! This is one of the castles Walt Disney took inspiration from when drawing up Cinderellas iconic castles! Its also a great place to stop and grab a bite and stretch your legs if you need a little road trip break!

Bilbao

A few hours later we rolled into the northern coast of Spain in the Basque Country to Bilbao! Similar to Catalan, the Basque Country is part of Spain but definitely has its own culture, identity and dialects. Bilbao is for sure a city of art! It houses its own Guggenheim museum, and its far superior to the one in NYC! I spent a good chunk of time just walking around the structure taking it all in. There are a few Jeff Koons originals around the exterior like his giant puppy of flowers and the tulip sculpture. You NEED to go take a look inside! The walkable structure inside by Richard Serra is so cool and they had such a good little tapas and wine bar when it was time for a break! We weren’t even there 24 hours, so I didn’t get a chance to explore too much more, so I’d definitely go back.

San Sebastian

Throughout my life, I’d kept reading about San Sebastian in poetry. I was so curious to explore the little sea side town that inspired so many beautiful words! Hands down it was my favourite place in all of Spain for food! Its almost on the border with France and you can definitely see French influence in the architecture, but it also had that laid back beach town vibe. San Sebastian was originally where the royals would go and resort, and in the 60’s and 70’s when surfing started becoming more popular in Europe, people would flock to the shores to learn. San Sebastian is famous for its amazing pintxos bars which you can read about here. We were all starving, but before we starting bar hopping we decided to hike all the way up to the top of San Sebastian to check out the views! Its a really gorgeous trek and not too strenuous. I wasn’t prepared and managed to do it in flip flops! Its well worth it if you have the time! After stuffing myself with pintxos and Basque cider I found one of the best things I’d ever seen….the San Sebastian rubber duck store! I collect rubber ducks and this was motherload! After all the walking and eating I practically collapsed into the warm sand on La Concha and drank sangria as the boats floated past. Honestly, I really would have liked to spend more time here, so if you have a few days to spare it would be worthwhile.

Pamplona

We rolled into Pamplona later in the day and everyone was ready to pass out! Not going to lie, but the time we got there I was exhausted, cranky and my camera died as our walking tour started. Of course this is where the famous running of the bulls happens every year. Its actually shocking to see how narrow the streets are, I have no idea how people don’t get smushed. This was where I got my first real experience of Spanish tapas culture. The streets flooded with people dipping in and out of tapas and pintxos bars it was wild! We were literally elbow to elbow with people. I knew the city best from Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises, and there is a very old cafe in the city where he used to sit and write and, well, drink, Café Iruña. It was stunning and gilded and maintained to look just like it did in the 20’s. You can tell its a bit of a tourist trap, but I just wanted a strong Spanish coffee, a pastry and a place to journal for a bit. There were so many young people out, and music busting out from bars in the evening, Pamplona was a vibe!

Zaragoza

This was a quick little lunch stop we took while we were driving through the Aaragon region. Zaragoza is mostly famous for its stunning basilica that looks over the Ebro river, the Nuestra Señora del Pilar. I had unwisely drank a few bottles of water on the bus so as soon as well got into the city my friend Lauren and I darted for the nearest cafe! In my panic I’d barely noticed where I was, but turns out Cafe fe Lolita ended up having the best pastries I’d had in Spain! I took a quick peek inside the basilica which was extremely grand and gilded. Mostly I spent my time wandering the streets checking out the moorish architecture, the grand fountains and beautiful plazas.

Barcelona

Bienvenido a Barcelona! Of course this is the big one I was waiting for! I could do a huge long post about all the amazing things to do and see, but I’ll break it down for you. One hundred percent you should do the Gaudi tour of Barcelona. As a group we stopped outside the Sagrada Familia, which is just as crazy and impressive as you think it will be, but there were so many people. So I got up really early the next morning and headed into town, sadly for me the Sagrada was closed that day so I couldn’t go inside, but there were barely any people outside and the morning light was stunning. My favourite part of it are the pieces of fruit on the turrets, its so wild. I then walked through Barcelona, grabbing a quiet coffee on the way to Casa Mila and Casa Batlo before finally going to the top of the city to spend the rest of the afternoon in Parc Guell. In all my years of travelling I have never seen architecture like Gaudi’s before its so colourful and raw its absolutely worth seeing.
The gothic quarter was probably the prettiest place to walk around. Just wandering through the alleys, under the arches. There were musicians playing their charangos and light spilling through the arches. There are so many wonderful places to stop for a bite as well, like the iconic 7 Portes, seriously you need to have the paella from here.
As this was the halfway point of our trip and I’d been in a bus with 40+ people for over a week I needed some alone time, so while the others were having dinner in the city I slipped off to Soho House Barcelona, which is right on the water for some sunbathing, sangria and paella. I ended up meeting up with them after for a night out near Duc de Medinaceli square. Of course I had to hit up La Rambla and do a bit of shopping! Our last night in the city we were taken in to the open air museum district of Poble Espanyol, which is just around the corner from the Fountains of Montjuïc. We went El Tablo de Carmen for flamenco show. It was so crazy intense and passionate! We were served about eight courses, but honestly one of the best things I ate during my time in Barcelona was pan con tomate. Its basically just tomatoes on bread, but its so life changing, so I pretty much just ate that. This was such a fun night, everyone got dressed up, we danced to Spanish music and got drunk on sangria! I could easily spend two weeks, a month or even longer in Barcelona. If you only have a short amount of time in this city my suggestion would basically be to not sleep, just get out and explore as much as you can!

Ibiza

Hey! Were going to Ibiza! After the disgustingly early morning flight was out of the way I was ready to cut completely loose on this legendary island! We stayed on a part of the island called Sant Antoni de Portmany at the Playasol Riviera, not that we were going to be there much, but it had a pool and a great view so I was sold! The history of the island itself is really cool. In the 60’s it had a boom where marginalized people, members of the LGBT community, misunderstood artists and more kind of took over and came to party and really it just kept going, got louder, more colourful, and became the hottest party island in the world! If its your first time in Ibiza, then for sure one of my main suggestions is to go to Cafe del Mar. Its a bar right on the beach thats known for its sunset sessions! People gather together with their cocktails to watch the sun go down to some chillwave. It felt like being in a movie where someone was soundtracking my life it was awesome. After that you have to pick your poison! You want techno? Disco? EDM? Chill? Paint Parties? Beach Parties? Theres a club for everything here! I hit up Hi Ibiza for their Glitterbox night. It lived up to its name there were people covered in glitter everywhere I looked! Most of the clubs in Ibiza are huge, so no matter how hard you want to party, use the buddy system!
Most likely your days will be spent recovering, but good thing its an island so there are tons of beaches! I spent the day spread out like a starfish on Cala Salada. Its worth noting that there is zero phone signal on the beach, so you’ll need to walk to the little beach restaurant to get them to call a car for you when you want to leave. Its so perfect there, turquoise water to play in, hot sun, fresh paella available, yum!
Next night I headed to Ushuaia, which is legendary on the island. Its technically a hotel, but its more like an EDM wonderland type playground. Pools everywhere, sculptures of ants and butterflies climbing the walls and purple hippos just placed all around. Normally all of the big DJ’s and producers will have a residency each summer, so I was there during David Guettas and it was electric! Before you know it there are people in the air on balloons, neon paint everywhere, and you just let loose. Theres a reason its one of the best clubs, because the night is always legendary! There are so many more to check out depending on what your scene is from Solardo, DC10, Pikes, or Amnesia. I completely let myself go and had one of the best times of my life.

Granada

I loved Granada so much that I had to give it its own post! If I had to make a list of my top ten favourite places in Europe, this would easily be high up on the list. The city has so much rich history with its unbelievable Moorish architecture, intricate covered markets, and of course, the Alhambra. This should be a big chunk of what you do in Granada, it takes a long time to walk through the whole thing. I actually couldn’t believe my eyes at how intricate and symmetrical the palace was. The oldest parts of the building date back to 889 AD, how did the build it!? There are photo ops around every corner, gardens to walk in and unbelievable sweeping views of the city and surrounding countryside. Dont leave Granada without getting something to eat at Bodegas Castañeda, eating some of the amazing fresh fruit from the markets and just walk around and check out what the city has to offer!

Gibraltar

On our way to Seville we decided to make a little pit stop on Gibraltar. Its such a weird place, and honestly I might give it a miss unless you’re in the area. Its a British territory in Spain, meaning when youre there, youre in the UK. Have to show your passports and everything. As if the island knows its British and not Spanish as soon as we stepped foot on land it was cloudy and rainy. The main square is covered with British pubs serving fish and chips, and English shops like Tesco and Waitrose. The main thing to see here are the caves at the top of the island, and all the Barbary macaques monkeys that hang around them. I have to admit they were really cheeky and funny, one even felt me up. What is cool is that Gibraltar is so close to Africa, that when its clear you can easily see Morocco from the lookout points!

Seville

Seville might be one of the most romantic places I’ve been to. When you paint a picture of Spain in your mind, its basically Seville. The clay roofs, tapas, flamenco, the palm trees and warm sun, it all comes from this region. I finally felt like I was in the Spain I had imagines. It was already dinner by the time we rolled in and tonight we were dining with locals! Two local chefs had agreed to invite us into their homes and teach us about cooking! This goes with one of my ultimate travelling mottos which is ‘drink with locals whenever possible.’ It was nice to be in the proper residential neighborhoods. We ate on the roof, which he had covered in twinkling lights and had cactuses all over the place. We ate cheeses and gazpacho and paella, food just tastes different when someone who really knows how to make it does. Like when your mom cooks your favourite meal.
It was about 30 degrees which was a radical difference from the 7 it was in Bilbao, honestly if you are in Spain in June, you have to pack for all sorts! In Seville you have to go to the bullring and learn about matadors, its so wild and so revered there. You need to take a walk through the Plaza de España and check out all of the old school tourism advertisements chiseled into the walls with mosaics. The real piece de resistance is of course, the Alcazar. Game of Thrones fans will know it better by Dorne. It was used as one of the main filming locations, but is stunning in its own right. I could have walked through the gardens there for hours! Seville was another city I think I could have spent a week in, oh well I guess I’ll just have to go back!

Cordoba

This was a really interesting little town! Walking through the main square you come across an imposing statue of Saint Barbara. Basically she was a woman who was too pretty and wanted to be a Christian so her father had her killed and now she watches over the town. The mosque, or former mosque is really something to see. It looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss novel, with candy cane like arches and patterns, definitely worth seeing. There is so much north African and middle eastern influence in this part of Spain, that I abandoned my usual dinner of tapas and tried a local variation on a tagine and it was so good! Something that locals drink in this part of Spain is kalimoxo, which is basically a glass of red wine and coke. Sounds weird, tasted a little weird, but went down surprisingly smooth. If you find yourself in Cordoba, I would tell you the main thing you need to do is go to a Hammam spa. I felt like I’d walked into another world! The lobby was steamy with vines hanging all around. The baths themselves were dark, only lit by candles, lanterns and the bit of moon light coming from the star shaped holes in the ceiling. You can’t take any photos inside the spa and its so quiet you can hear your own heart beat. I hopped from the cold bath, to medium and hot before having a massage and some jasmine tea. I felt like I was walking on a cloud when I left and after two weeks of running around Spain it was needed.

Toledo

Our last little stop was only for a few hours so we could grab a bite and stretch our legs, but Toledo was super cool! Its really close to La Mancha and its set on top of a hill. It has an ancient vibe to it and if you are a fan of marzipan, this is the place to be! Its also known for its metalworkers, and in fact when Peter Jackson was making Lord of the Rings, many of the swords were made in Toledo! I was hyped because its a filming location for Casa de Papel!

Finally after two hectic weeks of touring we landed back in Madrid! Happy, exhausted and full of tapas!

So What Are My Thoughts?

Without a doubt, if you only have a limited amount of time and want to see the most of Spain, my Contiki trip, or one that is similar is such a spectacular way to see it. You’ll get a taste of everywhere and a broad range of experiences. I do wish I’d had more time in certain places like Seville and San Sebastian, but that just means I’ll have to go back and explore! Some things to remember are make sure you have layers all the way from bikinis to jackets (that was my rookie mistake), try to be as high energy as possible so that you can see everything you want, and learn some basic Spanish to help you get by. Most people in Madrid and Barcelona will speak English, but you’ll find in the smaller towns that knowing hola, gracias, dos sangrias por favor will help you along the way! Spain is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve been to. Its so much more diverse than I thought, very romantic, beautiful and fun!