Hi chums!
After doing a fair amount of travelling while I've been in Spain, I have decided to rank my top 6 places (it was going to be 5 but Spain is just a bit to fab so I had to do 6).
I have ordered them based on which I love the most but I would really recommend going to visit all of them if you ever get the chance because they are all amazing!
1. Barcelona
I've been to Barcelona twice now and each time has been so different and yet had the same chilled vibe which Barcelona gives.
In terms of things to do, you'll never get bored here. There is literally so much to do, you'll probs need at least 3 days here but you could easily spend a week or more if you wanted to do day trips out to places nearby or have some beach days.
My top picks of things to do here would be:
- Park Güell - a park designed by Gaudí (you need to get a train to go here but it is well worth it!)
- Sagrada Familia - a trip to Barcelona is not a trip to Barcelona if you don't visit Sagrada Familia
- Montserrat - this is a day trip and is absolutely amaaaazing. I cannot recommend this enough. You will need a full day here but you will asbolutely love it!
The only thing I didn't love about Barcelona was the beach. I went to the beach only for a few hours with my friends and we were constantly hassled by people selling things like jewellery, clothing, drinks, and even massages. It wasn't very relaxing but maybe if you head further away from the centre it might be better.
2. Seville
Seville is one of those places where your camera will never leave your hand (those tiles are the things of dreams).
I went to Seville with my fam for my birthday weekend and we were surprised just how much there is to do.
- Casa de Pilatos - this is an Andalusian palace but it is a lot smaller than the Alcázar and isn't so well known so there aren't big crowds of people here. I personally preferred it to the Alcázar because of this and could have spent way longer there but we went just before closing so we didn't have long!
- Real Alcázar de Sevilla - oh my goodness. Let's talk about this. Before we went we read that most people spend around 1-3 hours here. Ummmm... 5 hours later we were still there. We actually had to be told to leave by the security guards who go and gather everyone up around closing, otherwise we could have stayed a lot longer.
- Cathedral - did someone say bell tower??? Well, you're in luck. As well as seeing inside the cathedral you can climb the slopes (there are no stairs) up to the top where the bells are. Just be sure you're not standing near a bell when it rings (I learnt this the hard way!).
3. Valencia
Wow. I could talk about Valencia forever. I think I'm a little bit in love.
Valencia, in my opinion, is way underrated. There are lots of tourists but I don't hear about it as much as Barcelona or Seville and I think I should because it is such a fun place to go and there is a lot to do.
My top picks of things to do here would be:
- Jardín del Turia - the best part about Valencia has got to be this garden. It was originally a river but was transformed into gardens when there was a devastating flood in 1957 (yes, I wikapedia-ed it).
- Oceanographic Museum - I'm not normally your aquarium kind of gal but I loved this so much I spent around 5 hours here. It would definitely be a mistake if you didn't check this out.
- Valencia Central Market - if you love market stalls and buildings that look like gingerbread houses, then this will be right up your street! Even though I didn't buy anything, I loved looking at all the different stall, which sells all kinds of things, from books to clothes to food.
4. Salamanca
Salamanca is such a familiar Spanish city for me because I went there to do a couple of language courses. It's not too big, but there is still a lot to see and the golden stoned buildings and historical feel to the place makes it a definite favourite.
Salamanca is west of Madrid and it takes just 1 hour 30 mins to get there from Chamartin station, so an overnight trip there would be a great idea if you're visiting Madrid for a while.
My top picks of things to do here would be:
- Plaza Mayor - nowhere has a better Plaza Mayor than Salamanca. It is truly the Queen of Plaza Mayors.
- Cathedral - there are actually two cathedral in Salamanca which is a weird/fun/slightly irrelevant fact you never thought you needed. You can pay to go up to the top of the cathedral which is 100% worth it for the amazing views!
- El Huerto de Calixto y Melibea - this is a garden which isn't an obvious place to visit when going to Salamanca (in my opinion), but it is really pretty and full of flowers. It also gives you a great view looking out of town, towards the river.
5. Toledo
Do I love Toledo more than Madrid, you ask? Why, yes. Yes I do.
This might seem crazy that I've put places like Salamanca and Toledo above Madrid, but I genuinely prefer them. They may be smaller but they are so beautiful.
Toledo is like a fairytale town on a hill. You have to cross a bridge to walk up to it and it is so photogenic I think I took approximately 103893493280 pics in one day.
In Toledo there are some specific things you can do, but I would recommend just wandering around this cute medieval town. One thing I would recommend visiting is the cathedral, but other than that I think the best way to see this place is to get lost in it!
6. Madrid
I've been to Madrid several times now and I do really like it as a city, but compared to places like Seville and Barcelona, there isn't so much to do here. That's not so say that it isn't really pretty though and I think it's still worth a visit, but you probs only need a couple of full day here unless you're planning on doing day trips out of the city.
My top picks of things to do here would be:
- Palacio Real - the palace is really impressive and if you go inside you can see Juan Carlos' abdication letter (I nerded out just a tad when I saw this).
- Plaza Mayor - so super obvious, but you've got to check out the Plaza Mayor and also the Puesto del Sol which is like a couple of minutes walk and is where they do the New Year's fireworks.
- Cathedral - this is right next to the palace and you can get tickets to go up to the dome and walk round. You can also get some great pics of the palace from the balcony without loads of other people in!
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There are so many places to visit in Spain and I still have to many more on my list (especially in the south), but these are my top 6 for now and I would happily go back to any of them again any day!
Thanks for reading!
Love as always,
Emma
xxx
