IF YOU'RE in the Comunidad Valenciana any time between now and the early hours of March 20, you may notice an awful lot of noise and colour on the streets. It's the season for the region's biggest festival,...
More 'European Bests' in Spain: Cultural, Art Nouveau, 'Green', and Family Holiday
12/08/2022
ONE THING is for everyone who visits your town, province or country to tell everyone else how wonderful it is and to give it lots of stars on TripAdvisor, but quite another is when the European Union itself endorses a destination and even pays you handsomely just because you're good.
Founded in Brussels in 2009 in conjunction with the European Commission's EDEN (European Destination of Excellence Network), an extensive, exhaustive portal covering destinations all over the continent – not just in the EU – viewed annually for holiday inspiration by over six million people, publishes rankings by year and permanent ones by category, most through public votes from those who have experienced the places mentioned in person, and some through official criteria set down by the 27-country bloc.
European Best Destinations (Europeanbestdestinations.com) gets around half a million votes per category, and those which make the annual lists get free publicity in the world's top glossy magazines and search engines.
The crème of rankings, the European Best Destination 2022, was won this year by the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, whilst Spain came in at number two with Costa del Sol holiday hotspot Marbella, which also featured top in the Most Exclusive European Destination 2022 poll.
And European Best Beaches 2022 had five Spanish locations among the 22 most-voted.
Other lists are more or less fixed, such as 'Best Blue Water Destinations' and 'Best Sustainable Destinations', where three parts of Spain appeared between the two.
In fact, locations in Spain feature in almost every one of the multiple 'European Best' selections; in many cases, one particular town, city, coast, island or visitor attraction crops up in several categories.
They're too numerous to list in one article, so now we've given you beaches, blue water, sustainable, and exclusive, the next batch of 'Bests' are a little different.
In these, it's more about urban sightseeing and man-made beauty, so the focus is mainly on cities.
Best Cultural Destinations, Best Art Nouveau Destinations, Best Green Capitals, and Best Family Holiday Destinations come under the spotlight.
Best Cultural Destinations in Europe: Bilbao (Vizcaya province, Basque Country)
“The big plus of Bilbao is not its museums, its charming hotels, its restaurants, but its soul and that of its inhabitants,” according to European Best Destinations.
“What is most striking...[is] a rich mixture of all generations [who] meet in the squares of the old town in the evening and have a good time together.”
In a list topped by Plovdiv in Bulgaria – Europe's oldest continuously-inhabited city, having been lived in for over 8,000 years – followed by Athens, Florence, London, Paris, and Rome, Bilbao is at number seven; but when you realise it's beaten Salzburg (Austria), Den Haag, or The Hague (The Netherlands), Basel (Switzerland), the Austrian capital of Vienna, and Milan (Italy), in that order, the scale of the Basque city's achievement is thrust sharply into perspective.
Naturally, an article about the capital of the province of Vizcaya is automatically going to mention the spectacular, futuristic Guggenheim Museum (pictured above), the once-controversial and now well-loved creation by world-famous architect Frank Owen Gehry, so stunning on the outside that tourists travel from all over Europe just to view it from the street – popping indoors to admire the modern art on display tends to be a bit of an afterthought.
Anyone with a phobia of spiders might be a bit reticent about visiting this glistening, silvery, curvy structure, due to the eight-legged, nine-metre sculpture at the entrance – but try not to think of it as an arachnid. It's a tribute by its creator, France's Louise Bourgeois, to her mum, who was a weaver (and, we would hazard a guess, not someone prone to involuntary, blood-curdling screams when she saw real-live versions of her daughter's statue in the bathroom).
Think of it as 'Mum', or Maman, as it's titled, and picture a hard-working Frenchwoman at her loom, and you'll hopefully warm to it rather than run from it screeching in terror.
Close by, another famous statue you'll definitely warm to is the building-sized puppy covered in flowers – fresh blooms, replaced as soon as they start to wither – whose name didn't involve much head-scratching to come up with. Puppy is as much a symbol of Bilbao as the Guggenheim itself, and every bit as colourful as the city – check out the historic quarter and, especially, the street known as Artekale, but bring sunglasses. Its vibrant red, yellow, orange, blue and pink houses, shops and apartments remind one of Buenos Aires' La Boca district, Cape Town's Bo Kaap neighbourhood, or the Alicante-province town of Villajoyosa's fishermen's cottages, which were reportedly painted in flamboyant shades so that their owners could make out their homes as they sailed back to shore.
Read up more on why you should visit Bilbao in our article on the world's least-polluted cities – this Basque port hub is 11th from top, and fourth in Spain.
European Best Green Capitals, and Best European Destinations for a Family Holiday: Madrid
We're surprised it didn't make one of the Best Cultural Destinations – Madrid, after all, has three massive, world-famous art galleries within walking distance of each other, not counting all the smaller, less-renowned ones; it's also home to the only real-live Royal residence on earth that tourists can actually walk into, wander around and take photos of – but Spain's capital appears in two different lists in the European Best Destinations polls, so we're trying not to be greedy.
When one thinks of 'family holiday' destinations, what springs to mind tends to be water parks, theme parks, safari parks, beaches, resort complexes with swimming pools and children's clubs – but the ranking works on the basis of something for every member of the family, of any age, along with educational-but-fun days out for the little ones and exciting new experiences, as well as child-friendly places, safety, and the likelihood of being affordable for a large group with youngsters in it.
That's why Athens, London, Lisbon, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Porto (Portugal), and the Dalmatia region of Croatia, join the likes of Malta, Corfu (Greece), Brittany (France), and the Algarve (Portugal) on the list.
Algarve is top, followed by Athens, and Madrid comes in at number nine, after London.
It beats – in order – Malta, at number 10; Paris; Dalmatia; Porto; Rome, and Vienna at number 15.
“Your children will love this incredible city,” European Best Destinations assures.
“The capital of Spain is famous for its quality of life, its magnificent parks, but also for its football team.”
Actually, Madrid has several football teams, two of which are top league clubs – the article mentions taking a tour of the Atlético de Madrid grounds, but guided trips can also be booked to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, home of Real Madrid CF.
Highlighting the city's 'magnificent parks', the piece uses a picture of the boating lake in the massive, green Retiro gardens to illustrate it – you can hire these and row around the giant pond, hang out under the trees, grab a cold drink or an ice-cream and chill out on one of the picnic tables, and feel as though you're in the heart of the countryside rather than the second-largest national capital in the European Union.
Activities listed which European Best Destinations considers 'perfect for families' include a trip to the Optical Illusions Museum (Museo de las Ilusiones), which is exactly what it says on the tin; we'd also add that a day out at Warner Park is unmissable if you have kids – or even if you don't. Click on the name of it above to find out all about it.
'Green Capitals' is not a list compiled by public vote, but by a long list of objective criteria including 'air and water quality, public transport with zero CO2 emissions, green spaces per inhabitant, percentage of people who walk, cycle or catch public transport to work, quality of life, kilometres of cycle paths', and cities granted 'European Green Capital' status by the EU's Environment Commissioner, Virginijus Sinkevičius.
Mostly – but not all – country capitals, 'green' entries are not ranked. Along with Madrid are Ljubljana (Slovenia), Helsinki (Finland), Bern (Switzerland), Stockholm (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark), Tallinn (Estonia), Oslo (Norway), Berlin (Germany), Budapest (Hungary), Vienna (Austria), Prague (Czech Republic), Brussels (Belgium), Paris (France), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), and London (UK).
The few that are not national capitals on the list are Grenoble (France), Nijmegen (The Netherlands), and the lakeland city of Lahti (Finland).
What is it that makes Madrid 'green'?
Well, its central hub is shut to traffic, other than buses and taxis, delivery vehicles during restricted hours, residents in their cars – and emergency vehicles, of course – with the exception of zero-emissions cars, vans, motorbikes and so on, which can use any part of the city as long as they have a sticker to prove it.
European Best Destinations points out that 'more than 80%' of Madrid's residents get to work using public transport, bicycles, or on foot, and indeed, the underground metro system is so regular, modern and efficient, and with stations so close together, that taking the car to work is, at best, pointless, if not actually a major hindrance.
The article calls the Retiro Park 'one of the most beautiful' urban gardens in Europe, and even directs visitors to the central Atocha station which, it says, is 'more like a botanical garden' than a train terminus.
“Madrid is also ranked among Best Erasmus Destinations in Europe and Best Sunny Christmas Destinations in Europe,” the article concludes.
Best Art Nouveau Destinations in Europe, and Best European Destinations for a Family Holiday: Barcelona
Spain's second-largest city, probably one of its most colourful and certainly most weird, wacky and flamboyant, it's very unlikely Barcelona's key visitor hotspots will remind you of those of anywhere else. You'll never come away from the Catalunya capital thinking, “I've seen a hundred like that already, what's so exciting about it?”
Practically nothing on earth looks remotely like the splendidly bizarre – and unfinished – Sagrada Família cathedral (pictured above), the psychedelic mosaïc Parc Güell (below), the wobbly Casa Batllò (all by the legendary Antoni Gaudí), or the intriguing Poble Espanyol, a complex with little enclaves depicting typical buildings in almost every province in Spain. You can wander from Teruel to Mérida, to Sevilla and Burgos, from Guadalajara to Málaga, and all along the Mediterranean seaboard, in one open-air museum, as well as visiting arts and crafts shops and joining in pottery and weaving workshops.
We think kids and adults alike will love these, and children will have a great time whizzing up the cable car to the Montjuïc to see the Olympic village and FC Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium, as well as the fun, lively tourist boulevard, the Ramblas, with its silver 'human statues' and endless stalls.
Barcelona has beaches, too, and the European Best Destinations article mentions taking a trip to Port Aventura theme park – home to the highest rollercoaster on the continent, skydiving simulators, water rides, sections dedicated to various countries and historical eras such as Imperial China and Aztec México, a rail ride through the Himalayas, and over 100 shows to watch including Sesame Parade and 4D Sea Odyssey.
Barcelona is third on the 'Family Holiday' list, after the Algarve and Athens, and beating Brittany and Corfu at numbers four and five respectively.
“Art Nouveau is a style inspired by nature, flowers, animals, in total opposition to the massive industrialisation of the 19th century,” European Best Destinations explains.
It involves daring, bold colours, creativity, and 'audacity', and is not necessarily just the exterior décor of a building – 'also inside, in the mouldings, the decoration of the house, the tiles, the furniture', the introduction to the Art Nouveau article recalls.
These, again, are not voted for by the public, but listed by the Council of Europe as those which have best preserved their Art Nouveau heritage.
Turquoise, lilac and yellow buildings with green and pale-blue shutters and magenta-red roofs put the Romanian town of Oradea at number one, then Budapest, at number two, centre of the 'Hungarian Secession' cultural movement, is flagged up for its 'masterpieces' by Ödon Lechner, described as the 'Hungarian Gaudí' – already a nod to Barcelona, which is third.
The city's particular brand of Art Nouveau is referred to as 'Catalán Modernism', and 'the easiest way to discover' it is 'obviously, to visit the masterpieces of the architect [Antoni] Gaudí', according to European Best Destinations.
It also recommends the turreted, stone-fronted Casa Pons i Pascual, the ornate and detailed Casa Fuster – now a hotel and restaurant, meaning you can pop inside – the incredibly intricate turn-of-the-century Baron of Quadras Palace (Palau del Baró de Quadras) on the Avenida Diagonal, the castle-like Casa de Terradas or Casa de les Punxes, with its multiple clay-red spires, and the fancy and decorative Casa Thomas on the C/ Mallorca.
The Sagrada Família is also listed as one of the site's Seven Wonders of Europe, along with London's Tower Bridge, Brussels' Grand Place, Rome's Colisseum, Athens' Acropolis, Porto's Luiz I Bridge, and Paris' Eiffel Tower.
Best European Destinations for a Family Holiday: Costa Brava (Girona province coast)
Ranked number six, above Lisbon (seven) and London (eight), the shores of Catalunya's northernmost province of Girona have proven a hit in general – several of its towns, its individual beaches, and the coast as a whole have made it into several lists this year.
European Best Destinations describes it as 'perfect for families' who want to relax in the sun 'and have everything to hand', including 'hotels, apartments, villas at affordable prices'.
The Costa Brava in its entirety is fourth out of the 17 'Best Blue Water Destinations', where it is described as 'about sun, beaches, coves surrounded by nature, refreshing dips in crystal-clear water, peace and calm, strolls along coastal footpaths, charming fishing villages', and two stretches of its coastline were voted for Best Beaches of 2022.
Cala Sa Boadella, a cosy, secluded bay surrounded by thick pine forest, is a world away from Lloret de Mar's bustling, busy and vibrant urban beaches, offering visitors stark contrasts within the same town.
And in Blanes, the main beach is a picturesque, rural cove, but with all the convenient facilities and services normally found in a key holiday hotspot, as well as being a local favourite for snorkelling.
The Costa Brava doesn't have to be high-rise, commercialised, purpose-built, typically 'holiday-resort' or 'tourist-brochure'. But it can be if you want it to be. Or, if you don't, it can be quaint, traditional, trapped in a sweetly-simple time-warp of working fishing families and tiny villages with sparsely-populated beaches on their doorstep, or a majestic, monumental, historical cityscape – pretty much anything you feel like on the day.
So we're really not surprised it's been chosen as a perfect family destination.
Best Art Nouveau Destinations in Europe: Terrassa (Barcelona province)
Coming after Aveiro in central Portugal, Darmstadt in Germany, Subotica in Serbia, and the Latvian capital of Riga, the city of Terrassa – home to nearly a quarter of a million inhabitants – is ranked eighth, and its most iconic, modernist building, the Masía Freixa, is also ranked top of a list of 52 sights and activities in the area on TripAdvisor.
This plush estate, in the heart of Sant Jordi Park, is described by visitors as a 'real architectural gem', with its distinct 'melted' arches, domed tower, and faint Middle Eastern look – guided tours take you around the grounds and inside what used to be a textiles factory and then became a private residence.
The National Science and Technology Museum of Catalunya – housing classic cars, too – is another key modernist building rated highly on TripAdvisor, as is the sumptuous and beautiful palace known as the Casa Alegre de Sagrera, with it elaborate tiled ceilings and stained-glass windows, original murals, paintings and other artworks from the early 19th century when it was built as a textile workshop and factory before being fully renovated as a residence about 100 years later.
Guided tours are not generally offered, but the entrance fee is nominal and, for Terrassa residents, free of charge, since the palace is now owned by the local council.
Terrassa was a major focal point of the textile industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and it was this newfound trade and source of local wealth that changed the face of its buildings, according to European Best Destinations.
“As in other parts of Europe, it was in reaction to this industrialisation that Art Nouveau succeeded in imposing itself,” says the article, but notes that, in the case of Terrassa, rather than said cultural movement being a rebelling against the relentless commercialisation and capitalism, it sought to harmonise with it.
“Interestingly, [Art Nouveau] was also used here in the construction of industrial buildings,” the article explains.
“Some of these buildings are now converted into museums, apartments, and offices.”
And so, it seems, there's more to the province of Barcelona than Barcelona itself – and, in Terrassa, more than just Art Nouveau, too.
The Cartoixa de Vallparadís Castle, the Granja Aventura Park – a petting zoo and farm – Vallparadís Park with its huge, open-air swimming pool and a footpath and cycle path that lets you explore the full length of the city, the Renaissance or 'Golden Age' cathedral, the JuegaRV 'virtual reality gaming' theme park, the Sant Francesc d'Assis Convent, and the Textile Museum all get rave reviews.
Or, if you have time for a full-length holiday in the area, you could easily 'do' Barcelona city and Terrassa in one hit – a perfect cultural break with wowsome sights, and a short distance to a string of blue-flagged beaches if you still need a bit of R&R, sunshine and refreshing waves.
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ONE THING is for everyone who visits your town, province or country to tell everyone else how wonderful it is and to give it lots of stars on TripAdvisor, but quite another is when the European Union itself endorses a destination and even pays you handsomely just because you're good.
Founded in Brussels in 2009 in conjunction with the European Commission's EDEN (European Destination of Excellence Network), an extensive, exhaustive portal covering destinations all over the continent – not just in the EU – viewed annually for holiday inspiration by over six million people, publishes rankings by year and permanent ones by category, most through public votes from those who have experienced the places mentioned in person, and some through official criteria set down by the 27-country bloc.
European Best Destinations (Europeanbestdestinations.com) gets around half a million votes per category, and those which make the annual lists get free publicity in the world's top glossy magazines and search engines.
The crème of rankings, the European Best Destination 2022, was won this year by the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, whilst Spain came in at number two with Costa del Sol holiday hotspot Marbella, which also featured top in the Most Exclusive European Destination 2022 poll.
And European Best Beaches 2022 had five Spanish locations among the 22 most-voted.
Other lists are more or less fixed, such as 'Best Blue Water Destinations' and 'Best Sustainable Destinations', where three parts of Spain appeared between the two.
In fact, locations in Spain feature in almost every one of the multiple 'European Best' selections; in many cases, one particular town, city, coast, island or visitor attraction crops up in several categories.
They're too numerous to list in one article, so now we've given you beaches, blue water, sustainable, and exclusive, the next batch of 'Bests' are a little different.
In these, it's more about urban sightseeing and man-made beauty, so the focus is mainly on cities.
Best Cultural Destinations, Best Art Nouveau Destinations, Best Green Capitals, and Best Family Holiday Destinations come under the spotlight.
Best Cultural Destinations in Europe: Bilbao (Vizcaya province, Basque Country)
“The big plus of Bilbao is not its museums, its charming hotels, its restaurants, but its soul and that of its inhabitants,” according to European Best Destinations.
“What is most striking...[is] a rich mixture of all generations [who] meet in the squares of the old town in the evening and have a good time together.”
In a list topped by Plovdiv in Bulgaria – Europe's oldest continuously-inhabited city, having been lived in for over 8,000 years – followed by Athens, Florence, London, Paris, and Rome, Bilbao is at number seven; but when you realise it's beaten Salzburg (Austria), Den Haag, or The Hague (The Netherlands), Basel (Switzerland), the Austrian capital of Vienna, and Milan (Italy), in that order, the scale of the Basque city's achievement is thrust sharply into perspective.
Naturally, an article about the capital of the province of Vizcaya is automatically going to mention the spectacular, futuristic Guggenheim Museum (pictured above), the once-controversial and now well-loved creation by world-famous architect Frank Owen Gehry, so stunning on the outside that tourists travel from all over Europe just to view it from the street – popping indoors to admire the modern art on display tends to be a bit of an afterthought.
Anyone with a phobia of spiders might be a bit reticent about visiting this glistening, silvery, curvy structure, due to the eight-legged, nine-metre sculpture at the entrance – but try not to think of it as an arachnid. It's a tribute by its creator, France's Louise Bourgeois, to her mum, who was a weaver (and, we would hazard a guess, not someone prone to involuntary, blood-curdling screams when she saw real-live versions of her daughter's statue in the bathroom).
Think of it as 'Mum', or Maman, as it's titled, and picture a hard-working Frenchwoman at her loom, and you'll hopefully warm to it rather than run from it screeching in terror.
Close by, another famous statue you'll definitely warm to is the building-sized puppy covered in flowers – fresh blooms, replaced as soon as they start to wither – whose name didn't involve much head-scratching to come up with. Puppy is as much a symbol of Bilbao as the Guggenheim itself, and every bit as colourful as the city – check out the historic quarter and, especially, the street known as Artekale, but bring sunglasses. Its vibrant red, yellow, orange, blue and pink houses, shops and apartments remind one of Buenos Aires' La Boca district, Cape Town's Bo Kaap neighbourhood, or the Alicante-province town of Villajoyosa's fishermen's cottages, which were reportedly painted in flamboyant shades so that their owners could make out their homes as they sailed back to shore.
Read up more on why you should visit Bilbao in our article on the world's least-polluted cities – this Basque port hub is 11th from top, and fourth in Spain.
European Best Green Capitals, and Best European Destinations for a Family Holiday: Madrid
We're surprised it didn't make one of the Best Cultural Destinations – Madrid, after all, has three massive, world-famous art galleries within walking distance of each other, not counting all the smaller, less-renowned ones; it's also home to the only real-live Royal residence on earth that tourists can actually walk into, wander around and take photos of – but Spain's capital appears in two different lists in the European Best Destinations polls, so we're trying not to be greedy.
When one thinks of 'family holiday' destinations, what springs to mind tends to be water parks, theme parks, safari parks, beaches, resort complexes with swimming pools and children's clubs – but the ranking works on the basis of something for every member of the family, of any age, along with educational-but-fun days out for the little ones and exciting new experiences, as well as child-friendly places, safety, and the likelihood of being affordable for a large group with youngsters in it.
That's why Athens, London, Lisbon, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Porto (Portugal), and the Dalmatia region of Croatia, join the likes of Malta, Corfu (Greece), Brittany (France), and the Algarve (Portugal) on the list.
Algarve is top, followed by Athens, and Madrid comes in at number nine, after London.
It beats – in order – Malta, at number 10; Paris; Dalmatia; Porto; Rome, and Vienna at number 15.
“Your children will love this incredible city,” European Best Destinations assures.
“The capital of Spain is famous for its quality of life, its magnificent parks, but also for its football team.”
Actually, Madrid has several football teams, two of which are top league clubs – the article mentions taking a tour of the Atlético de Madrid grounds, but guided trips can also be booked to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, home of Real Madrid CF.
Highlighting the city's 'magnificent parks', the piece uses a picture of the boating lake in the massive, green Retiro gardens to illustrate it – you can hire these and row around the giant pond, hang out under the trees, grab a cold drink or an ice-cream and chill out on one of the picnic tables, and feel as though you're in the heart of the countryside rather than the second-largest national capital in the European Union.
Activities listed which European Best Destinations considers 'perfect for families' include a trip to the Optical Illusions Museum (Museo de las Ilusiones), which is exactly what it says on the tin; we'd also add that a day out at Warner Park is unmissable if you have kids – or even if you don't. Click on the name of it above to find out all about it.
'Green Capitals' is not a list compiled by public vote, but by a long list of objective criteria including 'air and water quality, public transport with zero CO2 emissions, green spaces per inhabitant, percentage of people who walk, cycle or catch public transport to work, quality of life, kilometres of cycle paths', and cities granted 'European Green Capital' status by the EU's Environment Commissioner, Virginijus Sinkevičius.
Mostly – but not all – country capitals, 'green' entries are not ranked. Along with Madrid are Ljubljana (Slovenia), Helsinki (Finland), Bern (Switzerland), Stockholm (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark), Tallinn (Estonia), Oslo (Norway), Berlin (Germany), Budapest (Hungary), Vienna (Austria), Prague (Czech Republic), Brussels (Belgium), Paris (France), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), and London (UK).
The few that are not national capitals on the list are Grenoble (France), Nijmegen (The Netherlands), and the lakeland city of Lahti (Finland).
What is it that makes Madrid 'green'?
Well, its central hub is shut to traffic, other than buses and taxis, delivery vehicles during restricted hours, residents in their cars – and emergency vehicles, of course – with the exception of zero-emissions cars, vans, motorbikes and so on, which can use any part of the city as long as they have a sticker to prove it.
European Best Destinations points out that 'more than 80%' of Madrid's residents get to work using public transport, bicycles, or on foot, and indeed, the underground metro system is so regular, modern and efficient, and with stations so close together, that taking the car to work is, at best, pointless, if not actually a major hindrance.
The article calls the Retiro Park 'one of the most beautiful' urban gardens in Europe, and even directs visitors to the central Atocha station which, it says, is 'more like a botanical garden' than a train terminus.
“Madrid is also ranked among Best Erasmus Destinations in Europe and Best Sunny Christmas Destinations in Europe,” the article concludes.
Best Art Nouveau Destinations in Europe, and Best European Destinations for a Family Holiday: Barcelona
Spain's second-largest city, probably one of its most colourful and certainly most weird, wacky and flamboyant, it's very unlikely Barcelona's key visitor hotspots will remind you of those of anywhere else. You'll never come away from the Catalunya capital thinking, “I've seen a hundred like that already, what's so exciting about it?”
Practically nothing on earth looks remotely like the splendidly bizarre – and unfinished – Sagrada Família cathedral (pictured above), the psychedelic mosaïc Parc Güell (below), the wobbly Casa Batllò (all by the legendary Antoni Gaudí), or the intriguing Poble Espanyol, a complex with little enclaves depicting typical buildings in almost every province in Spain. You can wander from Teruel to Mérida, to Sevilla and Burgos, from Guadalajara to Málaga, and all along the Mediterranean seaboard, in one open-air museum, as well as visiting arts and crafts shops and joining in pottery and weaving workshops.
We think kids and adults alike will love these, and children will have a great time whizzing up the cable car to the Montjuïc to see the Olympic village and FC Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium, as well as the fun, lively tourist boulevard, the Ramblas, with its silver 'human statues' and endless stalls.
Barcelona has beaches, too, and the European Best Destinations article mentions taking a trip to Port Aventura theme park – home to the highest rollercoaster on the continent, skydiving simulators, water rides, sections dedicated to various countries and historical eras such as Imperial China and Aztec México, a rail ride through the Himalayas, and over 100 shows to watch including Sesame Parade and 4D Sea Odyssey.
Barcelona is third on the 'Family Holiday' list, after the Algarve and Athens, and beating Brittany and Corfu at numbers four and five respectively.
“Art Nouveau is a style inspired by nature, flowers, animals, in total opposition to the massive industrialisation of the 19th century,” European Best Destinations explains.
It involves daring, bold colours, creativity, and 'audacity', and is not necessarily just the exterior décor of a building – 'also inside, in the mouldings, the decoration of the house, the tiles, the furniture', the introduction to the Art Nouveau article recalls.
These, again, are not voted for by the public, but listed by the Council of Europe as those which have best preserved their Art Nouveau heritage.
Turquoise, lilac and yellow buildings with green and pale-blue shutters and magenta-red roofs put the Romanian town of Oradea at number one, then Budapest, at number two, centre of the 'Hungarian Secession' cultural movement, is flagged up for its 'masterpieces' by Ödon Lechner, described as the 'Hungarian Gaudí' – already a nod to Barcelona, which is third.
The city's particular brand of Art Nouveau is referred to as 'Catalán Modernism', and 'the easiest way to discover' it is 'obviously, to visit the masterpieces of the architect [Antoni] Gaudí', according to European Best Destinations.
It also recommends the turreted, stone-fronted Casa Pons i Pascual, the ornate and detailed Casa Fuster – now a hotel and restaurant, meaning you can pop inside – the incredibly intricate turn-of-the-century Baron of Quadras Palace (Palau del Baró de Quadras) on the Avenida Diagonal, the castle-like Casa de Terradas or Casa de les Punxes, with its multiple clay-red spires, and the fancy and decorative Casa Thomas on the C/ Mallorca.
The Sagrada Família is also listed as one of the site's Seven Wonders of Europe, along with London's Tower Bridge, Brussels' Grand Place, Rome's Colisseum, Athens' Acropolis, Porto's Luiz I Bridge, and Paris' Eiffel Tower.
Best European Destinations for a Family Holiday: Costa Brava (Girona province coast)
Ranked number six, above Lisbon (seven) and London (eight), the shores of Catalunya's northernmost province of Girona have proven a hit in general – several of its towns, its individual beaches, and the coast as a whole have made it into several lists this year.
European Best Destinations describes it as 'perfect for families' who want to relax in the sun 'and have everything to hand', including 'hotels, apartments, villas at affordable prices'.
The Costa Brava in its entirety is fourth out of the 17 'Best Blue Water Destinations', where it is described as 'about sun, beaches, coves surrounded by nature, refreshing dips in crystal-clear water, peace and calm, strolls along coastal footpaths, charming fishing villages', and two stretches of its coastline were voted for Best Beaches of 2022.
Cala Sa Boadella, a cosy, secluded bay surrounded by thick pine forest, is a world away from Lloret de Mar's bustling, busy and vibrant urban beaches, offering visitors stark contrasts within the same town.
And in Blanes, the main beach is a picturesque, rural cove, but with all the convenient facilities and services normally found in a key holiday hotspot, as well as being a local favourite for snorkelling.
The Costa Brava doesn't have to be high-rise, commercialised, purpose-built, typically 'holiday-resort' or 'tourist-brochure'. But it can be if you want it to be. Or, if you don't, it can be quaint, traditional, trapped in a sweetly-simple time-warp of working fishing families and tiny villages with sparsely-populated beaches on their doorstep, or a majestic, monumental, historical cityscape – pretty much anything you feel like on the day.
So we're really not surprised it's been chosen as a perfect family destination.
Best Art Nouveau Destinations in Europe: Terrassa (Barcelona province)
Coming after Aveiro in central Portugal, Darmstadt in Germany, Subotica in Serbia, and the Latvian capital of Riga, the city of Terrassa – home to nearly a quarter of a million inhabitants – is ranked eighth, and its most iconic, modernist building, the Masía Freixa, is also ranked top of a list of 52 sights and activities in the area on TripAdvisor.
This plush estate, in the heart of Sant Jordi Park, is described by visitors as a 'real architectural gem', with its distinct 'melted' arches, domed tower, and faint Middle Eastern look – guided tours take you around the grounds and inside what used to be a textiles factory and then became a private residence.
The National Science and Technology Museum of Catalunya – housing classic cars, too – is another key modernist building rated highly on TripAdvisor, as is the sumptuous and beautiful palace known as the Casa Alegre de Sagrera, with it elaborate tiled ceilings and stained-glass windows, original murals, paintings and other artworks from the early 19th century when it was built as a textile workshop and factory before being fully renovated as a residence about 100 years later.
Guided tours are not generally offered, but the entrance fee is nominal and, for Terrassa residents, free of charge, since the palace is now owned by the local council.
Terrassa was a major focal point of the textile industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and it was this newfound trade and source of local wealth that changed the face of its buildings, according to European Best Destinations.
“As in other parts of Europe, it was in reaction to this industrialisation that Art Nouveau succeeded in imposing itself,” says the article, but notes that, in the case of Terrassa, rather than said cultural movement being a rebelling against the relentless commercialisation and capitalism, it sought to harmonise with it.
“Interestingly, [Art Nouveau] was also used here in the construction of industrial buildings,” the article explains.
“Some of these buildings are now converted into museums, apartments, and offices.”
And so, it seems, there's more to the province of Barcelona than Barcelona itself – and, in Terrassa, more than just Art Nouveau, too.
The Cartoixa de Vallparadís Castle, the Granja Aventura Park – a petting zoo and farm – Vallparadís Park with its huge, open-air swimming pool and a footpath and cycle path that lets you explore the full length of the city, the Renaissance or 'Golden Age' cathedral, the JuegaRV 'virtual reality gaming' theme park, the Sant Francesc d'Assis Convent, and the Textile Museum all get rave reviews.
Or, if you have time for a full-length holiday in the area, you could easily 'do' Barcelona city and Terrassa in one hit – a perfect cultural break with wowsome sights, and a short distance to a string of blue-flagged beaches if you still need a bit of R&R, sunshine and refreshing waves.
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