Galicia in particular and Northern Spain in general have long been considered to be a hidden jewel in the entire Spanish tourist industry. The climate is much milder than in the southern Iberian Peninsula and all of the autonomous regions in Northern Spain can provide all of the necessary ingredients that can make up a successful holiday.
The Atlantic coast of northern Spain boasts extremely attractive sandy beaches whilst inland the mountain ranges are criss-crossed by numerous foot paths.
If you look at all of the autonomous regions that make up modern day Spain, Galicia has to be the most remote. Located in the northwest corner of the Iberian Peninsula Galicia is a green, rain swept region remarkable for the diversity of its landscape, where coastal cliffs alternate with lowlands and ?rias.?
Galicia is proud to be the home of one of the most visited religious pilgrimage sites in the world whilst of a more earthly nature the region is extremely famous for its excellent cuisine especially the seafood. Indeed a whole tourism industry has sprung up around Santiago de Compostela and the whole Way of St. James otherwise known as the ?Camino de Santiago.?
The Galicians, whose origins are Celtic, are fiercely proud of their culture and language.
Historically, always classed as the poorer cousin to some of the other richer regions Galicia had an economy that did not easily lend itself to modernisation. Because of its location and partisan traditions Galicia was always fairly inward looking having managed to survive throughout the centuries without ever really been conquered by anybody. It was only very briefly an independent monarchy in the 10th and 11th centuries.
Bordering Portugal to the south and enclosed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean in the west Galicia could offer its inhabitants little in the way of new land for cultivation. The end result of all this was that like Ireland in the north in Galicia, emigration became a major industry.
Thankfully slowly throughout the 20th century Galicia has begun to develop a way in which to manage the traditional lifestyles with a modern community to ensure that none of its rich history is lost.
Galicia has always maintained strong links with the sea and the port cities of Vigo and Corunna are centres of culture and industry. As befits a province that has such reliance on the sea, the seafood here is amongst the best in Spain and fishing is vital to the economy.
As well as the major ports the coastline of Galicia is dotted with tiny little fishing villages. The Galician coastline which was devastated in 2002 with the sinking of the oil tanker prestige has slowly managed to recover and in some cases is now better than ever.
The major geographical point on the Galician coastline is probably Cape Finisterre which is the westernmost part of the Spanish mainland. Inland, the hillsides which are quite often shrouded in mist conceal the remains of Celtic settlements throughout the region. Other examples of the Celtic traditions can be found in the many stone crosses found at crossroads and junctions throughout the region whilst also the continued use of the old traditional stone granaries found in many villages.
As with other Celtic regions, the love of music and the arts is very common in Galicia and as well as its own traditional language, Gallego, Galicia has its traditional musical instrument the bagpipes!
The other way the Celtic tradition is also represented in Galicia is within the various art and Cultural forms. With respect to the Galicians, there is a certain Melancholy to their traditional songs and poetry and this too they have in common with the Irish, Breton, Scottish, Welsh and other Celts. With regards to Galicia (as with County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland), as anyone who has experienced some of the fierce storms coming in from the Atlantic perhaps this is understandable.
Those searching for luxury will just head straight for the exclusive hotels and ?Paradors? whilst even the family run ?casas rurales? are excellent places to stay and escape the hustle and bustle of the city. The region is dotted with mountain refuges with stunning views not to mention that in the coastal areas you can find quite a few campsites.
As expected the hotels in Galicia and Northern Spain are extremely spacious very clean and comfortable. The hotels are awarded between one and five stars and these are allocated by the local tourist Authority. If you need actual visible proof of the standard of your hotel you can find confirmation indicated by a small blue plaque near the hotel front door.
You can usually find en-suite bathrooms or at least a shower in each Hotel bedroom. You may well be surprised but it is unlikely that these sorts of facilities would be found in the smaller hostels and ?Pensiones?.
Don't assume that just because you might be forced to stay in a one or two star hotel that the quality of the service is inferior to a five star hotel because in some cases it might actually be better because the stars are allocated for the facilities the hotel can offer not the quality of the service. As you would expect the range of facilities on offer in the more exclusive hotels would run to air conditioning, on site parking, televisions in each room, facilities for the disabled and in some cases internet-access.
Two or three star hotels are the most popular in this region and their rates vary on the season or time of year that you stay there. It has been found that in this area quite often the hostels (hostales) and guest houses are actually more popular; the fact that they are cheaper may have something to do with this. Quite often these small establishments are family run and may be limited to just the few beds so yet again it is wise to plan ahead.
This area of Northern Spain otherwise known as Green Spain claims to have a total of 92,000 beds registered over 1,500 Hotels, Hostels and ?Pensiones?.
The biggest hotel chains in northern Spain are the Grupo Sol-Melia and NH with hotels in the main towns. Their facilities are of a high standard and include internet-access amongst other features. There are a growing number of small privately run hotels that have quite distinctive character and charm and can also provide a quite relaxing and memorable stay.
In Spain they have dotted throughout the country a series of state run hotels that are known as Paradors. Paradors are between three to five stars in accommodation standard. Spain's first Parador opened in 1928 and now there is a wide network of them throughout the country. The idea behind the hotels when they were setup was that there should never be more than one day's drive from one Parador to another. The best known Parador in the area is the Parador de los Reyes Catolicos in Santiago de Compostela and this is in a former royal hunting lodge. Other Paradors can be found in Castles, Monasteries and various other monuments?. More recently a growing number of Paradors have been purpose built and these are usually located either in areas of spectacular scenery or towns of historic interest.
You can rely upon the Parador to deliver a consistently high level of comfort but it might not necessarily be the best hotel in town. The standard of each Parador is extremely consistent with comfortable and spacious bedrooms all furnished to the same high standard. Quite often you will find that they offer outstanding samples of regional cuisine. It might be wise to book in advance if you are planning to visit the area either during the high season or if you wish to stay in one of the smaller Paradors. Bookings can be made either using the Central de Reservas which is a centrally based service based in Madrid or you can contact each Parador direct. Rates can be expensive it is worth looking for special deals especially in the high season but to be brutally honest this has to be the same anywhere you go.
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