Butler - Discover Spain

This Is Spain

Spain could be Europes most exotic country. From soulful flamenco and Spanish food, to architecture and avant-garde cities, Spain is a beguiling mix of stirring and often curious traditions, live-for-the-moment hedonism and a willingness to embrace the future with a relentlessly adventurous spirit.

Spain has a dramatic and diverse landscape. Some of Europes most beautiful mountain ranges the Pyrenees and Picos de Europa in the north and the Sierra Nevada in the south are found here, and often close to coastlines of singular beauty.

Villages of rare and timeless beauty have colonised the most improbable locations. Whether in the postcard-perfect pueblos blancos (white villages) of Andaluca or the stone-and-timber architecture of hamlets across Central Spain and the northern mountains, these are vestiges of Old Spain that still cling to traditions like nowhere else in Europe.

Spains dynamic cities are temples to all thats modern and cool. Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville have become bywords for that peculiarly Spanish talent for living the good life, and for doing so at full volume and all night. At the same time, most cities promise a daytime feast of more sedate but nonetheless exceptional sites, from world-class art galleries to graceful Islamic-era monuments, from barrios (neighbourhoods) overflowing with medieval charm to zany Gaud flights of fancy.

Spain has obvious appeal. However, some visitors feel as though visiting the country is akin to standing outside a riotous party with your nose pressed up against the glass. Spain is perhaps the best-known, least-understood country in Europe, but its also one of the most welcoming and accessible. By demystifying the central pillars of Spanish life such as flamenco and eating customs and cherry-picking the very best that Spain has to offer, this guide takes you inside a party where having a good time is almost guaranteed.

Flamenco performance, Madrid
PHOTOGRAPHER: BRUCE BI

Spains Top Experiences

Alhambra

The palace complex of Granadas Alhambra ( ) is close to architectural perfection. It is perhaps the most refined example of Islamic art anywhere in the world, not to mention the most enduring symbol of 800 years of Moorish rule in what was known as Al-Andalus. From afar, the Alhambras red fortress towers dominate the Granada skyline, set against a backdrop of the Sierra Nevadas snow-capped peaks. Up close, the Alhambras perfectly proportioned Generalife gardens complement the exquisite detail of the Palacio Nazares. Put simply, this is Spains most beautiful monument.

KARL BLACKWELL