Frommer's Spain 2012

803 Pages·2011·49.34 MB·English

by  Darwin Porter

Spain
2012
Full Color Inside
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HHuunnddrreedds of color photos
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Free pocket map inside,
plus easy-to-read maps throughout
a
•
Exact prices, directions, opening hours, i
and other practical information n
•

Candid reviews of hotels and restaurants,
2
plus sights, shopping, and nightlife
• 0
Itineraries, walking tours, and trip-planning ideas 1
• 2
Insider tips from local expert authors
Full
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Inside
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Spain
2012
by Darwin Porter & Danforth Prince
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Published by:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted
under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written
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Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978/750-8400, fax 978/646-
8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department,
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201/748-6011, fax [phone], or
online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Frommer’s is a trademark or registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Used under license. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
ISBN 978-1-118-01729-6 (paper); 978-1-118-07692-7 (paper); 978-1-118-10184-1 (ebk);
978-1-118-10185-8 (ebk); 978-1-118-10186-5 (ebk)
Editor: Matthew Brown
Production Editor: Michael Brumitt
Cartographer: Roberta Stockwell
Photo Editors: Richard Fox & Alden Gewirtz
Production by Wiley Indianapolis Composition Services
Front cover photo: Poppies blooming in front of Segovia's Alcázar ©BL Images Ltd./Alamy Images
Back cover photos, left to right: The Ambassadors' Room inside Seville's Alcázar ©Art Kowalsky/
Alamy Images. Spanish tapas ©Nick Dolding/Getty Images. Horseback riding outside Montefrío,
Andalusia ©Peter Adams/Getty Images.
For information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our
Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877/762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317/572-3993 or fax
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Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print
may not be available in electronic formats.
Manufactured in the United States of America
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CCOONNTTEENNTTSS
List of Maps viii
1
 THE BEST OF SPAIN 
1
The Best Travel Experiences 3 The Best Vineyards & Wineries 16
The Best Small Towns 7 The Best Festivals 20
The Best Beaches 10 The Best Paradores 22
The Best Castles & Palaces 10 The Best Luxury Hotels 25
The Best Museums 12 The Best Hotel Bargains 27
The Best Cathedrals & Churches 13 The Best Restaurants 29
2
 SPAIN IN DEPTH 
32
Spain Today 34 Eating & Drinking  53
THE SPECTACLE OF DEATH 34 When to Go 58
Looking Back at Spain 37 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 59
DATELINE 38 Responsible Travel 63
Spain’s Art & Architecture 43 Tours 64
Spain in Books, Film & Music  47
3
 SUGGESTED SPAIN ITINERARIES 
69
The Regions in Brief 70 Spain for Families 84
Spain in 1 Week 75 Andalusia in 1 Week 89
Spain in 2 Weeks 80
4
 MADRID 
93
Orientation 95 Seeing the Sights 139
Getting Around 99 FROMMER’S FAVORITE MADRID
FAST FACTS: MADRID 103 EXPERIENCES 151
Where to Stay 104 Shopping 155
Where to Eat 120 Madrid After Dark 161
AN EARLY EVENING TAPEO 125 THE SULTRY SOUND OF FLAMENCO 167
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5
 SIDE TRIPS FROM MADRID 
172
Toledo 173 Chinchón 202
Aranjuez 185 Ávila 203
San Lorenzo de El Escorial 189 Cuenca 209
Segovia 194 Soria 213
Alcalá de Henares 200
6
 OLD CASTILE & LEÓN 
217
Ciudad Rodrigo 218 León 232
Salamanca 221 Valladolid 237
Zamora 229 Burgos 241
7
 EXTREMADURA 
247
Guadalupe 248 Cáceres 255
LAND OF THE CONQUISTADORS 251 Mérida 260
Trujillo 252 Zafra 264
8
 ANDALUSIA 
267
Jaén, Baeza & Úbeda 268 Costa de la Luz 324
Córdoba 277 Ronda 326
Seville 290 PREHISTORIC CAVE PAINTINGS 329
Jerez de la Frontera 314 Granada 332
Cádiz 319 A Driving Tour of the Pueblos
Blancos 352
9
 THE COSTA DEL SOL 
365
Algeciras 366 A MARBELLA TASCA CRAWL 382
BEACHES: THE GOOD, THE BAD Fuengirola & Los Boliches 384
& THE UGLY 369 Mijas 386
Estepona 370 Torremolinos 387
Puerto Banús 372 Málaga 392
Marbella 374 Nerja 401
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10
 VALENCIA & THE COSTA BLANCA 
406
Valencia 407 Alicante 427
Benidorm 425 Elche 433
11
 BARCELONA 
435
Catalonian Culture 436 Seeing the Sights 481
Orientation 439 FROMMER’S FAVORITE BARCELONA
THE BARCELONA CARD 443 EXPERIENCES 487
Getting Around 445 Active Pursuits 496
FAST FACTS: BARCELONA 446 Shopping 497
Where to Stay 449 Barcelona After Dark 503
Where to Eat 463
12
 CATALONIA 
511
Montserrat 512 CATALONIA REMEMBERS PABLO CASALS 519
Tarragona 515 THE BEACHES OF THE COSTA DORADA 522
A JOURNEY TO ANDORRA 516 Sitges 524
13
 GIRONA & THE COSTA BRAVA 
530
Girona 531 THE MAD, MAD WORLD OF SALVADOR
Lloret de Mar 540 DALÍ 548
Tossa de Mar 543 Cadaqués 550
Figueres 546
14
 ARAGÓN 
553
Zaragoza 554 Nuévalos/Piedra 562
Tarazona 560 Sos del Rey Católico 563
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15
 NAVARRE & LA RIOJA 
564
Pamplona 565 Sangüesa 579
THE RUNNING OF THE BULLS 571 Logroño 581
Olite 575 Haro 584
Tudela 577
16
 THE BASQUE COUNTRY 
587
Vitoria 589 Guernica 607
San Sebastián 593 Bilbao 609
Fuenterrabía 604
17
 CANTABRIA & ASTURIAS 
621
Santander 623 DRIVING TOUR 3: CANGAS DE ONÍS TO
Laredo 629 PANES 639
Santillana & Altamira Caves 631 Gijón 643
Los Picos de Europa 635 JURASSIC PARK IN ASTURIAS 646
DRIVING TOUR 1: PANES TO POTES 636 Oviedo 646
DRIVING TOUR 2: POTES TO CANGAS
DE ONÍS 638
18
 GALICIA 
650
A Coruña 651 Rías Bajas 669
Santiago de Compostela 656 Pontevedra 670
EUROPE’S OLDEST HOTEL 661 El Grove & La Toja 674
Rías Altas 666 Túy 675
19
 THE BALEARIC ISLANDS 
677
Majorca 678 Formentera 730
Ibiza 713 Minorca 733
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20
 PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO SPAIN 
750
Getting There  751 MAJOR CHANGE IN CREDIT CARDS 765
Getting Around  754 THE VALUE OF THE EURO VS. OTHER
Tips on Accommodations 758 POPULAR CURRENCIES 764
FAST FACTS: SPAIN 759 WHAT THINGS COST IN MADRID 765
21
 USEFUL TERMS & PHRASES 
770
Basic Words & Phrases 770 Emergency Terms 773
Travel Terms 773
INDEX 
774
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Where to Stay in Central Madrid(cid:2)106 Girona & the Costa Brava(cid:2)532
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OCWEhAeNre to Eat in Central Madrid(cid:2)P122O R T UArGagAón(cid:2)L555
What to See & Do in Central Madrid(cid:2)140 Navarre & La Rioja(cid:2)567
Madrid Environs(cid:2)175 Pamplona(cid:2)569
Toledo(cid:2)177 The Basque Country(cid:2)591
Old Castile & León(cid:2)219 San Sebastián(cid:2)599
Salamanca(cid:2)223 Bilbao(cid:2)611
Extremadura(cid:2)249 Cantabria & Asturias(cid:2)624
Andalusia(cid:2)269 Galicia(cid:2)653
Córdoba(cid:2)279 Santiago de Compostela(cid:2)657
Seville(cid:2)292 The Balearic Islands(cid:2)679
Seville Environs(cid:2)313 Majorca(cid:2)681
Granada & the Alhambra(cid:2)335 Palma de Majorca(cid:2)684
Where to Stay & Eat in Granada(cid:2)344 Ibiza & Formentera(cid:2)715
The Costa del Sol(cid:2)367 Ciudad de Ibiza(cid:2)716
Marbella(cid:2)375 Minorca(cid:2)735
The Costa Blanca(cid:2)409
viii
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