Spain Visa Insurance, Travel insurance for Spain

Location / Language of Spain

Visa Requirements / Currency (please note these procedures / exchange rates can changed from time to time…please get an update from the embassy prior to travel)

Top 10 tourist attractions in Spain

1. The Alhambra and Generalife Gardens, Granada – The Alhambra complex includes several buildings, towers, walls, gardens, and a mosque, but it's the indescribably intricate stone carvings, the delicate filigrees, the magnificent tile-lined ceilings, the graceful arches, and serene courtyards of the Nasrid palace. The adjoining palace built for the Emperor Charles V, even in its unfinished state is the finest example of High Renaissance architecture in Spain.
2. The Great Mosque of Cordoba - Once the principal mosque of western Islam, Cordoba's mosque is one of the largest in the world and the finest achievement of Moorish architecture in Spain and along with Alhambra in Granada ranks as two most shining examples of Islamic art and architecture in Western Europe. It’s prayer hall with no fewer than nineteen aisles, its rows of columns and rounded Moorish arches line up in symmetrical patterns.
3. Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, Valencia - When Valencia diverted the course of the river that had repeatedly flooded the city, it was left with a broad, flat riverbed spanned by bridges. It was upon this that the brilliant Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava created a stunning collection of contemporary architecture that include buildings, museums, arts venues, and an aquarium. Europe's largest oceanographic aquarium, L'Oceanogràfic, was built in the shape of a water lily with buildings dedicated to different aquatic environments from the tropics to the pole.
4. Santiago de Compostela Cathedral - The magnificent cathedral of Santiago (St. James) was built to house and honor the relics of the saint, the cathedral was built between 1060 and 1211. This triple doorway is one of the largest and most magnificent collections of Romanesque sculpture in the world. The focal point of the interior is the Capilla Mayor, built over the Apostle's tomb and in the centre of the high altar of jasper, alabaster, and silver is a 13th-century wooden figure of the Apostle, richly adorned in precious metals and gems. In a crypt under the altar, the Apostle's remains are in a silver casket.
5. The Prado and Paseo del Artes, Madrid – The Prado alone ranks with the world's top art museums for the riches of its collections. But add the Reina Sofia National Art Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, and the CaixaForum, all along Madrid's mile-long, tree-shaded boulevard, and you have what may be the world's highest concentration of priceless art treasures. It's no wonder this is known as Boulevard of the Arts. The Prado has the world's largest collection of Spanish art and is especially noted for its works from Spain's golden age by El Greco, Velazquez, and Goya, and other stunning works by Flemish, Dutch and Italian artists.
6. Plaza Mayor, Madrid - It has served as the stage for ceremonial events — the proclamation of a new king, the canonization of saints, the burning of heretics — and public entertainment such as chivalric tournaments and bullfights. The cafes reaching out onto its pedestrian-only stone pavement, and the restaurants shaded under its arcades are Madrid's popular meeting places.
7. San Lorenzo de El Escorial - This the summer home of Spain's kings, and now house a monastery, church, royal palace, mausoleum, library, and museum, all conceived by Philip II. The result is a staggering collection of 16 courtyards, connected by 16 kms of corridors. At its core is the church, the highlight of which is Herrera's 30-meter-high retablo, made of jasper and red marble and approached by a flight of 17 steps. Along with the vaulted and frescoed ceilings, check out the Baroque burial vault of the Spanish kings and the library, a grand room also decorated by Tibaldi frescoes.
8. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao - American architect Frank Gehry used blocks of limestone and undulating sheets of titanium to create a single world-class building with its symphony of shapes. Inside the museum are traveling exhibitions and rotating displays of its own collections of modern art.
9. Seville Cathedral and Alcazar - La Giralda tower, Seville Cathedral, and the Alcazar together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tower is a minaret, the cathedral a 37-meter main altar of carved statues covered in gold. The monumental tomb of Christopher Columbus is held aloft by a quartet of larger-than-life figures. La Giralda, the emblem of Seville, began life as a minaret and is all that's left of the city's Great Mosque. The Alcazar opposite was begun by the Moors in 712 and the rooms and salons are breath-taking, and the gardens a joy to stroll in, shaded by fragrant orange and lemon trees.
10. El Teide, Tenerife - The highest peak in Spain, this ancient — but still simmering — volcano is also one of Europe's top natural wonders. The Pico de Teide and the Caldera de las Cañadas, a gigantic volcanic crater, together form the Parque Nacional del Teide, at the centre of the island of Tenerife are part of UNESCO sites.

• See a Flamenco Show at Madrid or Seville - It's a unique and traditional form of folk music that is still as alive today as it has ever been. Flamenco can be heard backed by a full orchestra in the gardens of the Alcazar in Seville, played by a pair of drunken gypsies in a seedy tavern or blaring from the stereo of a sports car. The best flamenco can be found at a gypsy wedding, a spontaneous bar sing-a-long or in one of Spain's prisons.
• Don’t miss a Bullfight - Bullfighting is an inescapable part of Spain's history and remains an anachronistic curiosity. Ritualized animal cruelty or an endangered art form? Bullfighting is originally from Ronda, but Seville is its spiritual home while Madrid has the most supporters today..
• Eat Tapas – Tapas is the free food all bars serve with their drinks. Go from bar to bar trying tapas as you go, while one might as well get a pint with every small meal. Some of the most well known dishes include, tortillas, patatas bravas and a large amount of chorizo based meals.
• Ski the Sierra Nevada Mountains - The Sierra Nevada ski resorts are famous worldwide due to the fact that one can ski in the mountains and then head down to the beach to get a tan all within the same day. This is clearly one of the best ski resorts in Europe, despite the contrast of weather in such a close distance.
• Visit Camp Nou, the home of Barcelona Football - One does not have to be a football fan to appreciate the size and structure of Camp Nou, Barcelona’s football stadium. However, if one a football fan, try and pick up some tickets and witness to possibly the greatest footballer of all time, Messi. If one is going for the match, try and learn some of the chants before the game.

• Paella – It is a traditional Spanish dish from Valencia. It is a rice dish that can have meat, fish, seafood, and vegetables and is characterized by its use of saffron to give it a yellow color and unique flavor.
• Queso Manchego – This traditional Spanish food is typically eaten together with jamón serrano or jamón ibérico. It is sheep’s milk cheese from the La Mancha region of Spain. It is firm and buttery and a wonderful complement to many Spanish dishes.
• Tortilla Española - Another great typical Spanish food, an omelette-like potato dish fried in olive oil and served as a tapa. It is a filling and flavourful dish (with the addition of chopped onions) and is often sliced and served both warm and cold.
• Escalivada - A vegetarian Murcian salad that consists of several types of grilled vegetables, such as eggplants, spicy red peppers, red tomato and sweet onions. Once well cooked on the grill, those vegetables are peeled and/or sliced in strips, the seeds removed, and seasoned with olive oil and salt, and sometimes with garlic as well.
• Crème Brulee - A dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hard caramel, created by caramelizing sugar under a broiler, with a blowtorch or other intense heat source, or by pouring cooked caramel on top of the custard. It is usually served cold in individual ramekins.