Spanish festivals and holidays are famous around the world. Spain is known for its great quality of life and strong traditions which translates into spectacular Spanish fiestas and celebrations that fill the country with a zest for life that visitors can experience in every corner of Spain throughout the year.

Every town, city and region has its own traditional holidays or Spanish fiestas in honor of a patron saint, founder or important historical event. During these Spanish festivals traditional Spanish food is enjoyed and outsiders are welcomed to join in all of the fiesta events and holiday celebrations.

Some of the most famous Spanish festivals and Spanish fiestas include: the Falles fiesta and Tomatina festival in Valencia, the San Fermín festival in Pamplona, Carnival celebrations in Cadiz and Tenerife and Holy Week festivities throughout the country.

You can plan your trip around famous Spanish fiestas by using our cultural calendar which lists the important Spanish holidays and celebrations that take place throughout the year!

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Did you know that physical contact during a conversation with a Spaniard is a typical way of communicating in Spain that is not considered an invasion of personal space? These ways of communicating may surprise you when you first arrive to Spain, but you will quickly adapt to these Spanish customs and traditions and soon you won't even notice them.

earning the Spanish language is more than just grammar and vocabulary. It is also about getting to know the culture of Spain, their people and ways of life.  Spanish traditions, customs, celebrations and other cultural activities are unique to the Spanish society. Additionally, Spain is known for its hospitality and relaxed way of life; and this is what students and visitors love about Spain and the Spanish culture.

Come with us and learn about the Spanish culture and the customs and traditions in Spain

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Other animals in Spain are still seriously endangered with only a handful of animals remaining in the wild.  Among the most threatened species in Spain are the Iberian lynxes and Cantabrian brown bears. . There are currently recuperation projects underway in specialized centers dedicated to the conservation of Spanish wildlife to restore the numbers of these endangered species in Spain.  They have already had success raising these protected species in captivity. Spain remembers and pays tribute to one of the most important Spanish wildlife activists: Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, who sadly died in a plane crash while filming an episode of his famous Spanish television show “Man and Earth” on location in Alaska. Discover Spanish wildlife with us.

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Spain’s passion for soccer (football, or fútbol) is known worldwide, as are the country’s top teams such as Real Madrid and F.C. Barcelona, not to mention the national team which in 2010 won nothing less than the sport’s most celebrated competition, the FIFA World Cup.  

But Spanish sporting glory also shines in arenas far beyond the soccer pitch. Several players on Spain’s national basketball team such as Pau Gasol and José Calderón are also NBA superstars. The team itself won the 2006 World Basketball Championships and secured silver medals in the 2008 and 2012 olympics. Rafa Nadal is a living tennis legend and Fernando Alonso is a race car champion.

Take a look below at our selection of Spanish athletes, teams and sports and prepare to get caught up in the excitement of Spanish sports.

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In this section you can learn about some of the best sites in Spain; whether it be a city, monument or location in the great outdoors. Spain's privileged geographical location on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe contributes to its hugely diverse landscapes.

Additionally, throughout Spain's history many different cultures and civilizations have conquered one another and in some cases peacefully coexisted. All of them have left their mark on Spain and thus contributed to the unique characteristics and interesting sites and monuments in the country today.

Spanish coastal cities with beautiful beaches or Spanish towns tucked away in the mountainside always have unique places nearby to be discovered by the curious traveler. You can always chat with the locals and get swept away in the many stories and legends that surround the city's history and monuments.

Large cathedrals and landscapes with castles, golden sand beaches, green forests and deserts; discover the different dynamics of all the unique and exciting places to visit in Spain.

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The Spanish artists whose works fill our pages are famous throughout the world.  Spanish painters like Velázquez, Goya, Picasso, Dalí and Miró for their canvases; Spanish architects such as Calatrava and Gaudí for their famous building designs; and Julio González, Chirino and Chillida for their sculptures… All these Spanish artists are known in artistic circles around the world. They are and remain the international ambassadors of Spanish art culture. These artists' works are exhibited both in Spanish museums and in international exhibits.

Discover these Spanish artists and their works and allow yourself to fall in love with Spanish art.

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Philip II searched until he found the perfect location, El Escorial, located just 45 kilometers (28 miles) northwest of Madrid in the center of Spain. It was here that the famous San Lorenzo de El Escorial Monastery would be built in honor of Saint Lawrence Day of August 15, 1557, the day in which King Philip won his first battle in St. Quentin, France.

The project was charged to various different architects including Juan Bautista de Toledo and Francesco Paciotto. It was Juan de Herrera, however, who was the most well known and would leave his distinctive mark on the Monastery of El Escorial. He designed a sober façade without any decoration and slate roofs, a style that came to be known by the architect's name and would be later copied by other architects as a variation to Spanish Renaissance art. The El Escorial Monastery building consisted of a series of different wings surrounding interior patios around a basilica church. Here, the El Escorial Monastery building combines Castilian, Italian and Flemish stylistic elements and, by strange coincidence, the building takes the shape of grill over which Saint Lawrence was killed. Another interesting fact about the Saint Lawrence El Escorial Monastery is that until recent history it was the building with the most windows in all of Spain.

The Monastery of El Escorial was built on the concept of imitating the temple of King Solomon, a figure with whom Philip II identified with. With this idea in mind, statues of King David and King Solomon were placed in the entrance of the building.

Just like the great King represented in the Bible, King Philip also sought knowledge. With this in mind, he had one of the largest libraries of the time built within the El Escorial which included great collections of books, scientific instruments, maps and art work by some of the best artists of the time, a collection that would be further expanded by his successors. Today, visitors to the El Escorial Library can view masterpieces by the likes of Hyeronimus Bosch, Rogier van der Weyden, Titian, Diego Velazquez and Anton van Dyck. The impressive library of El Escorial also boasts an impressive collection of fresco (mural type) paintings in the Hall of Battles.

Although the whole complex is often referred to as the El Escorial Monastery, in reality it is much more than a Monastery. On one hand, there is the El Escorial Palace where the King resided with a bedroom that opened to the interior of the church so that he could assist mass even when his sickness (gout) prevented him.

The majestic El Escorial Church is preceded by the Court of the Kings. Underneath the Court of the Kings in the El Escorial complex is the crypt that holds the Royal Pantheon. The Royal Pantheon is the location of all the tombs of the kings, queens and princes of Spain over the last 500 years with some exceptions. When a member of the Spanish Royal Family dies, his or her body is moved to a secret room called the “pudridero” where the body decomposes for 30 years before it is moved to one of the small urns in the crypt.

The El Escorial complex is completed by a monastery of Augustinian monks, a private university run by the monks, and a dormitory.

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Palau de la Música Catalana

The Palau de la Música was a project commissioned by the Catalan choral society l’Orfeó catalá, founded in 1891 by Lluís Millet and Amadeo Vives. The Palau was to be the group’s concert hall and home office. To fund construction of the building, they requested sponsorship from industries and music-loving investors that had financed the Gran Teatre del Liceu years earlier.

Construction on the Palau was carried out between 1905 and 1908 and ever since its completion it has hosted musical performances of all types from orchestras and choirs to soloists as well as theatrical shows.

The acoustics in the Palau are excellent, as is the attractive combination of innovative architectural features and stylized art deco design displayed throughout. The use of a metallic structure as the structural base, and the exuberance of sculptures along with fine ceramic, glass and metalwork all help make the Palau de la Música a must-see attraction while in Barcelona.

This traditional building was renovated and extended beginning in the 1980s under the direction of famed architect Oscar Tusquets. The renovation works earned the following praise from Lluís Domènech Girbau, grandson of the building’s creator.

“the renovation of the concert hall and its entrances, the construction of the new building annex (…) have produced a perfectly updated work which harmonizes safety, comfort and acoustics, all in the innovative spirit that Domènech i Montaner himself would have hoped for”.

Hospital de Sant Pau

One of Domènech i Montaner’s other most celebrated achievements, the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, is the product of the merging of 6 hospitals that had been in Barcelona since 1401. The new institution was called Hospital de la Santa Creu. By the end of the 19th century, Barcelona’s population growth and medical advances had given rise to the need to build a new building.

Construction on the project began with the help of funding from a banker named Pau Gil, who had indicated his hope that the name of the hospital would include his own name. The hospital has been known ever since as the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. Lluís Domènech i Montaner’s master piece would go on to become the most outstanding public building designed in Catalan Modernisme style.

In 2001, the Hospital celebrated its 600 year anniversary and carried out works to accommodate the needs of new medical technologies. The extension works were done by a team of Catalan architects who created a main block of doctors offices connected to four hospital buildings extending outward from the main block, creating a the shape of a hand with outstretched fingers as a symbol of the humanitarian efforts the institution had put forth over six centuries.

The architectural ensemble of hospital structures, the omnipresent modernist décor and the focus on the institution’s “commitment to people” have all helped this assistance complex become an artistic emblem that facilitates humanitarian service.

The Palau de la Música Catalana and the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau are two highly recommended places to visit while in Barcelona, particularly for those interested in art and architecture.

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Esta ciudad, con un nombre de evocaciones árabes que significa “Palacio sobre el río Henares” no siempre fue conocida con la misma denominación.

La historia de Alcalá de Henares se remonta a la época celtibérica, en la que se atestigua un asentamiento con el curioso nombre de “Ikesanconkombouto”. Tras la conquista de Hispania por Roma, sobre este asentamiento se fundó “Complutum”, una ciudad relativamente importante que ha dejado como recuerdo el adjetivo complutense, usado como patronímico de sus habitantes junto al de alcalaíno. El nombre actual de la ciudad viene de la denominación que los árabes dieron a una alcazaba que se alzaba en el lugar, que había ido despoblándose hasta quedar reducido a una fortificación. En 1118, con la reconquista castellana de la ciudad, comenzó el renacimiento de la ciudad, teniendo como eje central un templo que hoy es la Catedral Magistral de los santos Justo y Pastor. Durante todo el siglo XII y los siguientes, el prestigio e importancia de Alcalá de Henares fueron en aumento.

Pero fue en 1499 cuando algo único y especial marcó el futuro de la ciudad del río Henares: el Cardenal Cisneros fundó en ella la Universidad Complutense, que no tardó en llegar a ser un punto de referencia en la cultura renacentista. Alrededor de la universidad se creó una ciudad pensada por y para la cultura, lo que hizo de Alcalá un modelo urbanístico y la primera ciudad universitaria.

La importancia de la lengua española va de la mano de Alcalá y su Universidad. Sirva como botón de muestra el hecho, nada baladí, de que fue en Alcalá de Henares donde Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, probablemente el escritor en lengua española más internacionalmente conocido y admirado, creador del prestigio del idioma y autor de la primera novela moderna, El Quijote, nació en 1547.

El casco histórico de Alcalá se ha mantenido con exquisito cuidado hasta el día de hoy, lo que unido a la prestigiosa Universidad que acoge, le valieron el reconocimiento internacional en 1998. Durante la desamortización del siglo XIX se trasladó la universidad a Madrid, con el nombre de Universidad Complutense en memoria de su origen. Con la llegada de los nuevos aires democráticos, en 1977, la ahora conocida como Universidad de Alcalá volvió a abrir sus aulas a los estudiantes y se puede afirmar que a día de hoy, con sus casi 30.000 estudiantes, sus más de 2.000 profesores y 35 titulaciones de Grado, más los cursos de posgrado y formación continua, la Universidad de Alcalá es un punto de referencia entre los mejores de España.

Pero Alcalá de Henares no se termina en el maravilloso paseo que nos lleva a través de su casco histórico cuando venimos de la estación de autobuses o del tren por la calle libreros y la Mayor, con monumentos, facultades y edificios civiles a diestra y siniestra que nos mantendrán boquiabiertos durante todo el paseo hasta la Catedral. Al ser una ciudad universitaria volcada sobre esta institución, la vida cultural alcalaína es riquísima: encontramos el corral de comedias más antiguo de Europa, abierto ininterrumpidamente desde 1601, también se realizan en la ciudad un festival de cine, la Semana Cervantina, la entrega anual de los Premios Cervantes de literatura, la Semana Santa… y el tapeo (ya se sabe que a los estudiantes, de bolsa exigua, les encanta comer bien y beber mejor lo más barato posible) con la Ruta de las Tapas de Alcalá de Henares, que se celebra anualmente al final de la primavera.

Además, Alcalá de Henares es la cuna del Instituto Cervantes, institución encargada de la difusión de la lengua española a nivel internacional y responsable de los únicos certificados y diplomas oficiales de español como lengua extranjera.

Si estás por Madrid, media hora en tren o en autobús te permitirán entrar en este remanso de cultura e historia que se ha mantenido a salvo del bullicio y la globalización. No te lo puedes perder.

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La construcción del Parque Güell se llevó a cabo entre los años 1900 y 1914, y abrió sus puertas al público general en 1922. Está situado en la montaña del Carmel, en la cara de la montaña que mira al este, es decir, al Mar Mediterráneo. Para su realización se compraron y unieron dos fincas que estaban en dicha montaña: Can Muntaner de Dalt y Can Coll i Pujol; y en su origen se pensó crear una zona urbanizada de palacetes para la burguesía catalana, proyecto que no tuvo éxito.

El Parque Güell supone la plenitud artística del arquitecto catalán. En el se combinan con gran maestría todos los elementos de la etapa naturalista de Gaudí (que se desarrolla en la primera década del siglo XX). El artista perfecciona su estilo y se inspira en las formas orgánicas de la naturaleza, a la vez que aplica soluciones estructurales nuevas. Toda esta experimentación tendrá su máximo reflejo en el Templo de la Sagrada Familia, donde aplicará estas soluciones y culminará su estilo organicista.

Al Parque se accede por una entrada que simboliza la entrada al Paraíso. Está llena de alegorías y vigilada por un dragón (símbolo de Barcelona) que echa agua por su boca. A sus lados hay dos escaleras con mosaicos que dan acceso a la Sala Hipóstila o Sala de las Cien Columnas, que soportan una plaza superior. Esta sala imita el estilo de los templos griegos clásicos.

La Plaza superior tiene forma oval y unos 3.000 m2 y el borde sirve de banco. Es un banco ondulante que simboliza una serpiente. Tiene unos 110 metros de longitud. Está decorado con collages de cerámica de formas abstractas.

Para acceder a las partes más altas del parque hay unos viaductos soportados por columnas que imitan las formas de las palmeras. Son columnas esbeltas e inclinadas para soportar el peso de la parte superior.

En la cima del monte se sitúa un monumento al Calvario, con tres cruces. Se inspira en las cuevas prehistóricas que se hallaron en dicho parque. Las cruces se orientan según los cuatro puntos cardinales, y una de ellas tiene forma de flecha que apunta al cielo, aunque se desconoce su simbología.

Todos los elementos arquitectónicos se integran de tal forma en la naturaleza que apenas se distinguen y crean un entorno de ensoñación. Podemos decir que el Parque Güell es el parque mejor integrado en su entorno de toda España, y en el que podrás disfrutar de unas vistas de las que disponen solamente sus visitantes.

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