Northern Spain is on the Atlantic with cities from west to east such as Coruña, Santander, Bilbao, and San Sebastian. If you continue eastward along Pyrenees Mountains you will encounter the regions of Navarra, Aragon and Catalonia on the Mediterranean coast. Very different from the south of Spain as its very green with forests and also one of the highest mountain ranges “Los picos de europa” in Europe. The north is often overlooked and not one of the first places to visit in Spain unfortunately. It seems to be more popular with people looking for something different or for second time visitors. Its known for its diversity of culture. The Galicians have their own dialect, and the Baques speak Basque or “Euskera.” The origins of the language are greatly unknown and have yet to be solidly connected to any other language on earth.
Quite literally the center of Spain radiating out from Madrid you will find what is truly considered the castilian culture in places like Leon, Valladolid just north west of Madrid, Segovia, Avila less than 100km from Madrid and Toledo just to the south in Castilla Lamancha (so famous for Cervantes Don Quijote) When considering places to visit in Spain, Madrid makes for an excellent home base as its well connected by the AVE (fast train). In this area everyone speaks typical Castilian, or “Castellano”. To the west you will see Extremadura bordering with Portugal and over to the east on the coast Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante and towards the south, Murcia. Barcelona and Catalonia is very different culturally. Spanish is understood but Catalan is preferred by the locals. Once you visit you certainly will gain a better understanding of their separatist movement.
Andalusia is know as southern Spain. We often think of Flamenco, dancing horses, and long afternoon “siestas.” Andalusia is home to places like Cadiz, Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba, Almeria, and Malaga. From beaches, plains, microclimates, and mountains it is also famous for the sun always shining. Spanish is spoken here too but certainly with a southern accent so to speak. “Andaluz” can be difficult to understand if you are no fused to hearing it. The same as Castilian, just with a twang.
The islands, in the Mediterranean we have the Balearics; Ibiza, Mallorca, and Menorca. Magical Mallorca and Menorca, probably my very favorite places in Spain. Their culture dating back to Phoenician times the islands are major summer time destinations in Spain. Menorca is under rated and the one of the perfect places to visit in Spain if you love beaches.
Last but not least only 62 miles west of the African coast we find Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro, La Graciosa, Alegranza, Isla de Lobos, Montaña Clara and Roque del Oeste making up what we know as the Canary Islands. Each island is very different from the each other. Lanzarote’s wild almost Martian terrain is nothing like what you will find on the peninsula. Gomera is small but dense and green. Here, by far you encounter the most mild weather in winter time which makes it poplar in the winter months for many people from northern Europe.
