First of all: Spain is a developed country in the middle of Europe, so you will be able to buy about everything over here. You might not find the selection you are used to, but from camping gear to equipment for water sports everything is available.

What to Bring on a Sightseeing-Trip in Spain

The most important: bring comfortable shoes! Nothing can ruin your vacation like sore feet, so if you plan to do sightseeing you will most likely walk A LOT! In my experience the most practical footwear for trotting asphalt all day are sneakers, my favourite (= most comfortable) brand being New Balance. But any shoes you are comfortable in walking all day are fine.

You should adapt yourself to a certain degree to the Spanish dress code. A tank top and flip flops are not an appropriate outfit for visiting a church or a museum. Actually in the eyes of a Spaniard this kind of clothes is fit for only one place: the beach. Even simpler restaurants will require you to wear a shirt (t-shirts and decent shorts are fine for a simple place); if you go out for dinner you should dress up a little. The same applies if you want to visit a classical concert, the opera or a theater: the Spanish like to dress up and in general pay a lot of attention to their appearance.

In summer it can get very hot, so bring light clothes, or buy them in Spain – there are a lot of shops to explore! In spring and autumn there might be rain, the northwest of Spain gets a lot of precipitacion from the Atlantic – they say that the rain is an art in Santiago de Compostela… Winters can get very cold in Central-Spain, be prepared for snow if you plan to visit a place above 800 metres (2400 feet) of altitude. At the coast winters can get quite windy with wind speeds up to 120 km/h. Even if the temperature normally is well above freezing point, you will get cold very fast, so bring warm clothes.

What to bring for hiking trips

There is plenty of opportunity to go hiking in Spain, one of the most famous tours being the Camino de Santiago, a increasingly popular pilgrimage that leads 800 kilometres (?? miles) from the french border to the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela. Shirley MacLane has done part of the way and wrote a book about it:The Camino : A Journey of the Spirit but the most famous novel about the “Camino” is Paulo Coelho – El Camino de Santiago / Paulo Coelho to Santiago de Compostela

There are plenty of National Parks and Natural Monuments that are perfect for hiking as well, at National Park “Picos de Europa” in Northwestern Spain there are peaks of more than 2000 metres (6500 feet) of altitude at less then 30 kilometres of the coast.

If you want to do serious hiking you will need good equipment. In the Picos de Europa for example, weather conditions can change from one minute to another and you might get into a snow storm or heavy fog even in summer. Solid hiking boots that cover the ankles and a light but warm jacket are a must. If you plan to camp (only allowed in designated camping sites) you want to bring a wind prove tent and a fairly warm sleeping bag.

Don´t forget good quality sunglasses (you might even need them in winter) and a hat to prevent insulation. A water bottle is also useful, as you always have to bring water. When planning a walk through an arid landscape bring closed shoes ( no sandals), not so much because of snakes (you might encounter them, but usually they try to get away from you) but because of the vegetation that very often consists in thorny bushes and spiky grasses. There might be the occasional scorpion here and there as well.

What to bring for a beach vacation

A towel, a bikini, lots of sunscreen and a good book!

Iñaki Uria had been warned: he had refused to pay the “voluntary revolutionary tax” ETA collects from thousands of Basque businesses, and several of his building sites had been burned down. Inspite of all this he didn´t want bodygards to protect him.

At his funeral a group of Basque businessmen made a statement to the effect, that they wouldn´t let this attac of the terrorist interfere with their business. “This is the best way for us to serve the Basque country” their spokesman said.

Iñaki Uria is the fourth fatal victim of ETA in 2008. In the entire country of Spain and also in the Basque Country itself this new ETA assasination has caused grief and indignation.

Looking for travel tips for Spain? Go Here!

Spain is a member of the Schengen Area (that includes the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden). When entering an of these countries you will get a Schengen visa that allows you to enter and leave the member countries freely.

And everybody else? Members of the following countries don´t need a visa for Spain, regardless of the length of their stay: all countries of the European Union, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

Members of the following countries are allowed to stay in Spain for up to ninety days without a visa: Andorra, Anguilla, Argentina, Australia, Bermuda, Brazil, British National Overseas, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong SAR, Israel, Japan, Korean Republic, Liechtenstein, Macao SAR, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Montserrat, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, St. Helena, The Caiman Islands, The Falklands Islands, The Virgin Islands, Turks & Caicos Islands, Uruguay, USA, Vatican City, Venezuela

If you are holder of a travel document issued under the Geneva Convention of July 1951, you also can stay in Spain up to ninety days if you are from Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.

If you are not of any of the nationalities mentioned above, you will need a visa to visit Spain. You will have to visit the Spanish embassy or consulate in your country, allow plenty of time, as it takes quite a while for your application to be processed.

On this page you can find the nearest Spanish embassy. The staff of the embassy will inform you of the documents required for an application for a visa to Spain. Here you can print out an application form for a visa to Spain.

At the eastern end of La Concha you will find the Ajuntamiento (mayors office), the place in front of the pretty building is a popular meeting point for families – kids are attracted by the carrousel and the street vendors that sell cheap toys and sweets.
Walking eastwards you will get to the harbour with its sport- and fishing boats. You will pass the departure point of the little ferry that brings you to Santa Clara, the island that marks the center of San Sebastian bay. A short stroll and you reach the new Aquarium. It had basically to be rebuild completely after the ceiling almost broke down. The dull little basins that dated back to 1928 gave way to a modern exhibition well worth a visit.

The path around the Monte Urgull is a popular spot for walks, although using it with bad weather might prove to be a wet pleasure. When the wind is too strong and the waves to high, authorities close the pass, because it is notorious for accidents – you can actually be sucked out in the Atlantic by the tide… On top of the Monte Urgull you will find the Castillo de la Mota, the most important point of defense for San Sebastian in former times.

Having walked around the Monte Urgull you will get to La Parte Vieja, the old part of town. The pretty streets will be one of the highlights when you travel to San Sebastian. The old city center is actually not that old, in 1813 San Sebastian was burned down almost completely by British and portuguese troops. But its narrow streets dotted with little shops and bars, where you can try the famous tapas are still a nice for a stroll. One of the buildings that weren´t destroyed completely is the monastery San Telmo. It houses one of the most important museums of the city. The exhibition shows a collection of ethnographic objects f the region and paintings of Basque artists.
The center of La Parte Vieja is the Plaza de la Constitución with the building that used to be the mayors office. Check out the balconies – they are numbered, a reminiscence of times when the place was used for bull fights.

The market La Brexta (the gap) was the spot where the British and Portuguese started their final attack – thus the name. Today it closes the gap between traditional and modern shopping culture: during the week there are stalls od fruit- and vegetable vendours outside the building, inside are the meat- and fish stalls. Right next to the market there is a modern shopping mall to be found. The Boulevard Zumardia markes the limit between La Parte Vieja and the modern San Sebastian.
From the bridge Puente Zurriola you already see the Kursaal, like two shiny ice cubes deposited at the beach of the Barrio Gros. When it was build in 1999 it raised a lot of controversial discussions – some of the inhabitants of San Sebastian liked it a lot, and some not at all. Today it is just another element of the city and everybody pretty much got used to it… Since it is home to the famous San Sebastian film festival people all over the world can contemplate it on TV every year in September.

Walking along the pretty promenade that runs along La Concha towards the Monte Igeldo you will get to see where traditionally the royal family (and later the Spanish dictator Franco) spend their summers. The royal bath house still exists, today it houses a restaurant.
Crossing the Playa Ondarreta you will get to the Peine del Viento (the wind comb) by Basque artist Eduardo Chillida. Supposedly he was inspired to the gigantic iron sculptures by his wife – one windy day he watched her straitening out her hair.

There is in fact a lot more to discover when you travel San Sebastian, these are only the most important sights. There are excellent brochures at the tourist office near the Puente Zurriola, or you can buy a little guide at local bookshops. If you have time, you might rent a car and explore the surroundings of the city, the lush green hills dotted with little villages and excellent restaurants are among the most rewarding travel destinies the north of Spain hast to offer

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