SHARE TRAVEL NEWS: 30 things you need to see in fascinating Spain

Sunday 21 February 2016

30 things you need to see in fascinating Spain

By Nicola Brady

From Flamenco to FC Barcelona and Finisterre, Nicola Brady brings you the ultimate Spanish bucket list.

1. Climb Picos de Europa

Think Spain is just about beaches, tapas and sangria? Well, think again. Picos de Europa is an epic, sprawling set of mountains, with craggy peaks and formidable trails. Take the Fuente Dé cable car up and trek the final section - you'll see people sprinting up and down as you go (a rather dispiriting sight). Tick another item off the bucket list with a stay in the nearby Parador de Cangas de Onís, a former monastery.

2. Follow in Hemingway's Footsteps

If the running of the bulls at Pamplona had one loyal fan, it was Ernest Hemingway, who attended the festival nine times and used it as the setting for The Sun Also Rises. Follow the Hemingway route in Pamplona and you'll take in his favoured haunts, like Café Iruña, Bar Txoko and Hotel La Perla.

3. Take a Picasso trail in Malaga

Want to walk in Picasso's footsteps? Pay a visit to Malaga, where you can soak up the artist's genius in the house in which he was born. Don't miss the museum either. The brainchild of the man himself is housed in a gorgeously restored 16th-century palace.

4. Visit Cabarceno Natural Park

Fancy a bucket-list safari, without the long-haul flight? Cabarceno Natural Park is a beautifully rugged stretch of land in Cantabria. But this ain't your normal park. Look out upon the sweeping hills and you'll spot buffalo roaming as elephants graze, while a herd of fallow deer pass them by. And that's before you get to the giraffes or gorillas. It's a pretty incredible sight to behold. ..... keep reading ... http://stfi.re/kljjpw