Spain: The Ultimate Summer Vacation

Abundant with mountains and beaches, Spain is one of the most beautiful places on the entire face of the earth. Some of the most light-hearted friendly people make up the population of Spain, making it even more fun to see all the beaches, nightlife, art, culture, and music of Spain.

Depending on your budget, you can stay anywhere ranging from the family-run room to the ultra-modern hotel. Spain's currency is the Euro, so make sure you take this into consideration when pricing a place to stay. Wherever you do end up staying in Spain your sure to find a host of different inns, paradors, and hotels with their own unique charm and excellent service.

Obviously your not going to want to try and take your car to Spain if you live in the states, and that issue just brings up another plus side of the country. Sleek, modern trains reach everywhere on a typical map, and some places that aren't even large enough for a red dot. Cercanias trains travel more to and from large cities, while regionales trains make all the stops on a given line. Of course there always is the option of renting a car, which is no fearful endeavor being that Spain's roads are mostly very good.

Theres so many amazing places to visit in Spain, and how much you can experience really depends on how long you plan to stay. If your only going for a few days, you can do the essentials in either Madrid, Seville, or Barcelona. With a week, you can cover all the important experiences in two cities. If you can spare two weeks in Spain you can do major cities, small towns, beaches, mountains, two coasts, and a lot in between. Most people obviously wont be able to visit for two weeks, let alone one week. So you will most likely have to decide which city you want to visit, and which spots you want to visit there.

Madrid offers a staggering amount of pubs, museums, eateries, parks and markets. Being that its the capital of Spain, its a very active popular place. Check out the Plaza Mayor, a hot spot in Madrid for almost 400 years now. Be sure to visit the Opera Section and all its beautiful gardens, churches and its outdoor festivals.

Barcelona has been a favorite among tourists for ages for its seaside location, Antoni Gaudi architecture, beautiful scenery and atmosphere. Check out Placa de la Catalunya, and Las Ramblas for some excitement.

Malaga is the birthplace of Picasso, and is the largest city in Spain's beach resort region. Malaga boasts An active city center, a beach, and an old Moorish castle. If your going to make a stop here, don't forget to visit Picasso's birthplace.

Granada is just a short trip from Malaga, so you should probably visit both if your planning to go to either of them. Granada is home to the Alhambra, the most visited tourist attraction in Spain. Granada is also home to the Alcázar, the imposing royal palace built for Moorish king Yusuf I.

You pretty much cant go wrong if your going to Spain, but if you really want to make the most of your trip I highly suggest visiting some of the locations in this article. The official language of Spain is obviously Spanish, so a Spanish to English dictionary is suggested. also some laws are a bit different but none that would probably effect the average person. Theres a lot of information and suggestions here but the most important thing is just getting to Spain and having a good time!