Things to do in Spain

Tours in Spain start with a choice of region, because the country is big: about 506,000 square kilometres. A plateau 600 to 800 metres high fills the middle, and the coasts and islands lie around it. Each part works as its own trip.

The parts of the country

• Catalonia. Barcelona, the Costa Brava and Roman Tarragona, in the north-east.
• Aragon. Zaragoza, midway on the Madrid–Barcelona line: 75 minutes from the capital, about 90 from Barcelona.
• Madrid and the plateau. The capital, with Toledo, Segovia and Ávila around it.
• Andalusia. Seville, Córdoba and Granada inland, Málaga and Marbella on the Costa del Sol.
• Valencia. The city and its beaches, with rice paddies to the south.
• The Basque Country. San Sebastián, on the Atlantic, wetter and cooler than the south.
• The Balearics. Mallorca, an hour by air from Barcelona, and Ibiza.
• The Canaries. Tenerife and Gran Canaria, off the coast of Africa and three hours by air from Madrid.

Moving between them

Spain has the longest high-speed rail network in Europe, nearly 4,000 kilometres. The main lines fan out from Madrid. The fastest timetabled trains cover Madrid to Barcelona or Seville in two and a half hours, and Valencia in under two.

What people book

Sightseeing and museums lead, with food and wine second. Barcelona and Madrid carry about half of the offer, with Mallorca and Seville behind them. Outdoor days are mostly boats and mountain roads in the Balearics.

Many tours are private and priced for the party; a group seat is priced per person. Over a full day, private costs several times more.

Practical

• Weather. July afternoons average 33C in Madrid and 36C in Seville, while Madrid's January ones sit near 10C. Bilbao reaches 26C in August and takes over a metre of rain a year. The Canary coasts hold about 21C in January.
• Best months. April to June and September to October suit the cities and the south. The north coast is driest from June to August, and the Canaries are warm all year.
• Trains. Renfe, Ouigo and Iryo all sell the main routes, so compare all three.
• Meals. Lunch starts around two and dinner after half past eight. The weekday set lunch, the menú del día, runs 13 to 16 euros for three courses.
• Money. Euros everywhere, the Canaries included. Tipping is optional: coins at a bar, up to ten per cent at a sit-down dinner.
• Languages. Spanish is spoken everywhere. Catalan (Valencian in Valencia), Basque and Galician are co-official in their regions.