GREEN SPAIN

Wild, rugged northern Spain offers visitors the chance to experience a rural countryside with a unique pace of life. Espana Verde – Green Spain brings together four of the country’s autonomous regions. Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and The Basque Country, situated between the Cantabrian Sea and the Cantabrian mountains. These areas offer an individual identity that reflects a very traditional Spain – nature at its most wild, gourmet food, interesting trails and other activities such as horse-back riding, trekking and canoeing.

In Galicia, for example, 1,300 km of rocky coastline is broken by 13 estuaries and dotted with over 700 beaches, whilst the principality of Asturias – established in the 14th century – has one national park, three natural parks, 10 natural reserves and 10 protected landscapes.

RUTAS

Ruta via de la Plata and Ruta via de la Oro are two old Roman pathways in the north west of the country. They were built to establish an adequate communications system with the central plateau, crossing the Cantabrian Mountains that separate northern Spain from the rest of the country. The creation of these roads put an end to the isolation northern Spain was suffering and facilitated commercial exchange with its neighbouring regions.

Today the remains of these tracks can be visited: follow the authentic road as it winds its way from north to south linking the cities of Gijon, Astorga, Salamanca, Caceres, Merida and Sevilla. Along the route Roman bridges, arches and theatres are to be visited, city walls passed and mediaeval cities entered. As mountains, valleys and ravines are traversed the heritage of one of the most important parts of the Roman Empire is revealed.

WORLD HERITAGE SITES

Spain’s World Heritage sites, recognised by UNESCO due to their artistic and cultural wealth are yet another example of tourism being diverted away from the coastal areas. The cities involved are:

• Avila: A 1,000-year-old walled city standing at over 1,100 metres high on the southern boundary of the Castilian plateau.
• Caceres: In the middle of Extremadura near Portugal, this city was home to the Romans, Arabs and Christians. It has thousands of coats of arms all evoking heroic deeds and legends carved on house walls.
• Cordoba: Situated on the banks of the River Guadalquivir, this city reached great importance with the arrival of the Moors and became the capital city of Al Andalus. It was a seat of learning. Today thousands of tourists visit, usually stopping at the vast mosque.
• Cuenca: Its hanging houses are famous world wide, but its setting on imposing limestone rock is equally unusual.
• Salamanca: Not far from Portugal this dynamic, cosmopolitan city is home to young students filling its prestigious University.
• Santiago de Compostela: Its proximity to the sea in northeast Spain gives a mild and wet climate for those who wish to undertake a pilgrimage to its historic cathedral.
• Segovia: The Romans recognised the strategic nature of this location, building an aqueduct some 2,000 years ago. This true wonder of engineering is over 700 metres long, has 166 arches and is still off the tourist trail.
• Toledo: A city located in the centre of Spain, its origins go back to the remote past. It has a maze of narrow streets, synagogues, mosques, museums and the River Tagus. It is famous for steel swords.

55 PLACES TO GO

5 cities to visit

Alicante	A fine industrial, commercial and tourist city.
Barcelona	It rivals Madrid. Bustling, colourful, and full of vitality.
Granada	Home to the rich heritage left by the Moors.
Madrid	The capital, worthy of its title.
Seville	Orange trees line its streets and river.

5 places of historic interest

Cordoba	The home of more than just bull fighting.
Gibraltar	A legacy of imperial power.
Ronda	Sits on top of a massive rocky outcrop.
Salamanca	A university town.
Santiago de Compostela	Its towering cathedral has welcomed Pilgrims for centuries.

5 tourist hot spots

Benidorm	Something for everyone.
Ibiza	Day and night party life.
Mallorca	It has to be done –the top holiday island.
Playas de las Americas	Tenerife's modern, cheerful, sun, sea and sand location.
Torremolinos	Tired and past its best.

5 restful locations

Cullera	A river, a wide beach, but only known to the Valencians.
Marbella	Where the rich and famous come to play.
Port de Soller	A French influence in Mallorca.
Puerto Morgan	Unique planning in Gran Canaria.
Santander	The south of France in Spain.

5 mountain retreats

Ainsa	A gateway to the Pyrenees.
Alcoi	In the heart of the Costa Blanca’s walking region.
Competa	Set in high, rounded hills close to Malaga.
Pollensa	A base for exploring Mallorca’s rocky west coast.
Potes	Set in an amphitheatre of the Picos de Europa.

5 places to treat with caution

Arenas de Cabrales	Try the local black pudding.
Cuenca	See the overhanging houses.
La Coruna	Exposed to the Atlantic at the northwest tip of Spain.
Oliva	The best camp sites in Spain.
Ruidera	A line of lakes formed by a rift in the Meseta.
Extremadura	An area of Spain remote from the modern world.
Fuengirola	Demolish it.
Loret del Mar	Give this Blackpool with sun a miss.
Orihuela Costa	In summer it’s wall to wall with people.
Playas del Ingles	Flats, hotels and neon developed in Gran Canaria in the 1950s.

10 museums to visit

Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid	Number 1 in Spain and Madrid.
Museu Dali, Figueres, Costa Blanca	Number 2 in Spain.
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia	Number 2 in Madrid.
Museu d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona	Home to art.
Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art	New.
Guggenheim Foundation, Bilbao	New, futuristic art gallery.
Picasso Museum, Malaga	He was born in Malaga.
Science Museum, Valencia	New spectacular visitor site.
Gibraltar Museum	Charts its history.
Maritime Museum, Santander	Fishing history.

10 great beaches

Javea, Costa Blanca	Tranquil, sapphire waters and the jewel of the Costa Blanca.
Calella, Costa Brava	Quaint fishing village with boats and sand.
La Pineda, Costa Dorada	Soft, clean, wide and safe.
Tarifa, Costa de la Luz	Premier site for wind- and kite-surfers.
Estepona, Costa del Sol	Promenade, beach huts and clean.
San Sebestian, Basque Country	Shell shaped signature of the town.
Gijon, Asturias	Fine reddish sand.
Jandia, Fuerteventura	14 km of fine golden sand.
Alcudia, Mallorca	Very popular shallow beach.
Cala Portinatx, Ibiza	No ravers here.