Spain is the largest country in Southern Europe and one of the most popular and visited travel destinations in the world. In 2017 a record-breaking 82 million tourists visited for their holidays.+
Unsurprisingly, the World Tourism Organization’s offices are located in the capital, Madrid. Spain is on the Iberian peninsula and boasts a large interior of mountains, plains, forests and beautiful coastline, as well as two island groups: the Balaeric Islands in the Mediterranean, and the Canaries in the mid-Atlantic.
Spain is formed from many regions, including the northern Basque and Galacian autonomous communities and Catalonia to the east. Many of these locations have distinct traditions, food and wines, and languages. Andalusia is another large autonomous community in the south which used to be under Moorish rule. This history can be seen in its architecture in its capital Seville, Cordoba and Granada. Of its thousands of possible destinations to visit, two of the best places have to be its capital, Madrid, and the Catalonian capital, Barcelona — two of the most visited and largest cities in Europe.
A key holiday recommendation across all of Spain is to experience its food. Spain has one of best food cultures in the world, with distinctive eating styles such as small, flavour-full dishes like tapas and pinchos. Spain’s famous food markets are also some of the best places to visit, where locals not only shop for their groceries but also stop for light meals and glasses of wine.
