THE average Spanish resident will spend between €500 and €1,500 on their holidays this year, with three in 10 set to increase their budget from last year and 16% reducing it.
Where is Spain's 'most beautiful coastal town' according to Lonely Planet?
14/11/2020
FOR ANYONE who has spent time in more than one part of Spain, it must be nearly impossible to pick out the most beautiful municipality on its stunning coastlines, but when guidebook giant Lonely Planet launched a straw poll on Instagram, users were only allowed to choose one.
We've already given you a few pointers if ever you find yourself in a similar dilemma – for example, villages of under 1,000 inhabitants a stone's throw from the nearest beach, or Mediaeval towns in Spain's coastal provinces (some right on a beach and some a relatively-easy drive away), the towns along Spain's most Flickr'd beaches, and some of the towns housing social media influencers' favourite sites in the Comunidad Valenciana (including Valencia city itself) – but of the top four the Lonely Planet voters plumped for, we haven't yet mentioned three of them.
So, we thought now was a good time to do so – but we're not going to apologise for having left them out until today, because, well, we did tell you Spain had too many for us to choose from, didn't we?
Number four is Calella de Palafrugell, right on the Costa Brava and a village of just 733 residents – you can read all about it in our article mentioned above on municipalities of under 1,000 inhabitants close to the beach; it's the first one featured.
Now for the others.
Number three: Lastres, in Asturias
Retaining its ancient fishing-village essence, with colourful houses, winding narrow streets and seafront mansions, Lastres belongs to the Most Beautiful Villages in Spain (Pueblos Más Bonitos de España) network – and this is no idle boast.
It shot to fame when it was used as the scene for the popular TV series, Doctor Mateo, between 2009 and 2011, and the panorama from the San Roque viewing point over the historic quarter – which climbs up the side of a hill directly above the La Griega beach and the green cliffs that drop into the sea – is spectacular. Lastres is not short of visitor attractions, although it's small enough (1,951 inhabitants) that you can practically see them all in a day, and they include the 18th-century Santa María de Sábada church, a blend of neo-classical and Baroque with a splendid altarpiece, pretty little chalet-style houses with wooden balconies and shutters, the Clock Tower (the clock in question comes from London), the brightly-coloured fishing port, the lighthouse out in the mountains four kilometres away, the dinosaur footprints on the beach – find out more about those in the nearby Asturias Jurassic Museum – and the house of the fictitious Doctor Mateo himself.
Our picture two, by Omer Toledano via Wikimedia Commons, will make you want to go back and watch every episode of the show.
Number two: Cudillero, Asturias
Although Lastres may be on a 'beautiful villages' network, Cudillero's tourist office describes it as the most beautiful village in the region.
Larger than Lastres – home to 5,183 residents – and said to be the most-visited seaside town in Asturias, it's brightly-coloured, sits around 750 metres above sea-level, and its quaint little houses are built in the shape of an amphitheatre around its central square, which is replete with pavement cafés and fresh fish restaurants, opening out onto the port. You can find out all about its history as a fishing village in the old Lonja, or harbour market building, right in the plaza.
If you're feeling energetic, the uphill hike – steps and steep lanes – takes you to the lighthouse, watchtower and lookout point which offers you a splendid view across the red rooftops over the whole of the harbour, green cliffs and mountains beyond.
Words will never do it justice. Few photographs will, either, but our picture number three, by José Luis Martínez Álvarez via Wikimedia Commons, certainly comes close.
Number one: Cadaqués, Girona province, Catalunya
Right on the Costa Brava and a holiday hotspot for scores of famous faces throughout the whole of the 20th century, Cadaqués is, officially, and according to the majority vote out of the participating 60,000 of Lonely Planet's 100,000-strong online community, the most beautiful coastal municipality in Spain.
And it's not exactly large – as at last year, it was home to just 2,712 people.
Bordering the Cabo de Creus nature reserve, Cadaqués was the annual summer residence of some of the most influential painters of the last century: France's Marcel Duchamp (from 1958 onwards), Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Albert Ràfols-Casamada, and British pop-art legend Richard Hamilton. Writer Eugenio d'Ors spent many summers there, as did Spain's best-known poet and playwright, Federico García Lorca, when he was a student.
Its major attractions include the 17th-century Santa María church, the highest point in the old town – and the venue for Cadaqués' well-renowned International Music Festival - and the historic quarters itself with their narrow, hairpin lanes, plus San Jaime Castle, a national heritage site.
And its star visitor magnet is, naturally, the Salvador Dalí House Museum, in the Portlligat Bay. Wrapped by idyllic, peaceful greenery that inspired the artist throughout his career, made up of a number of fishermen's huts clustered together like a labyrinth, it's replete with sketches and other memorabilia of the genius behind the melting clocks. You can tour his workshop, library, bedrooms, living room, garden and swimming pool, although you need to book, especially in summer (by calling 972 25 10 15).
Even more Dalí can be found at Cadaqués Museum on the C/ Monturiol, including exhibitions of his works.
On Cadaqués' remote, enclosed beach, bathers share space with fishing boats – little white open-topped crafts just about big enough for two people.
For a perfect view across the bay, head to the Cabo de Creus lighthouse, which is also a museum and the local tourist information office.
Our pictures one and four, by the private tour guide company Turismo en Cadaqués, clearly show why it's also considered to be one of the most beautiful towns in the whole of Catalunya.
Number one again: Potes, Cantabria
Along with Spain's most attractive coastal town, an earlier poll by Lonely Planet asked its community to name its favourite inland municipality.
And, although we could think of hundreds, if not thousands, of candidates, we can't argue with the one they chose in the end.
Potes, the gateway to the Picos de Europa mountains (2,000 metres up, emerald-green and frequently snow-capped, even in summer sometimes), appears to be a series of houses piled one on top of the other either side of a narrow river with low, arched stone bridges at intervals – flint and dry-stone, with high wooden balconies bursting with flowers, shutters, external wooden beams, all in the wonderfully chaotic, picturesque and quaint style typical of Cantabria.
Very central-European-looking, it reminds you of an olde-worlde French village, a bit of Brittany, Alsace, and the Loire Valley clumped into one; notes of Switzerland, a bit Alpine, a bit Austrian, a bit German – but very traditionally Cantabrian.
This close-knit community of just 2,500 residents is, nevertheless, a tourism gem, with little souvenir shops and food shops dotted along the banks of its river.
Potes is where you catch the Fuente Dé cable-car up the Picos de Europa, too, for a view that will simply blow your mind.
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FOR ANYONE who has spent time in more than one part of Spain, it must be nearly impossible to pick out the most beautiful municipality on its stunning coastlines, but when guidebook giant Lonely Planet launched a straw poll on Instagram, users were only allowed to choose one.
We've already given you a few pointers if ever you find yourself in a similar dilemma – for example, villages of under 1,000 inhabitants a stone's throw from the nearest beach, or Mediaeval towns in Spain's coastal provinces (some right on a beach and some a relatively-easy drive away), the towns along Spain's most Flickr'd beaches, and some of the towns housing social media influencers' favourite sites in the Comunidad Valenciana (including Valencia city itself) – but of the top four the Lonely Planet voters plumped for, we haven't yet mentioned three of them.
So, we thought now was a good time to do so – but we're not going to apologise for having left them out until today, because, well, we did tell you Spain had too many for us to choose from, didn't we?
Number four is Calella de Palafrugell, right on the Costa Brava and a village of just 733 residents – you can read all about it in our article mentioned above on municipalities of under 1,000 inhabitants close to the beach; it's the first one featured.
Now for the others.
Number three: Lastres, in Asturias
Retaining its ancient fishing-village essence, with colourful houses, winding narrow streets and seafront mansions, Lastres belongs to the Most Beautiful Villages in Spain (Pueblos Más Bonitos de España) network – and this is no idle boast.
It shot to fame when it was used as the scene for the popular TV series, Doctor Mateo, between 2009 and 2011, and the panorama from the San Roque viewing point over the historic quarter – which climbs up the side of a hill directly above the La Griega beach and the green cliffs that drop into the sea – is spectacular. Lastres is not short of visitor attractions, although it's small enough (1,951 inhabitants) that you can practically see them all in a day, and they include the 18th-century Santa María de Sábada church, a blend of neo-classical and Baroque with a splendid altarpiece, pretty little chalet-style houses with wooden balconies and shutters, the Clock Tower (the clock in question comes from London), the brightly-coloured fishing port, the lighthouse out in the mountains four kilometres away, the dinosaur footprints on the beach – find out more about those in the nearby Asturias Jurassic Museum – and the house of the fictitious Doctor Mateo himself.
Our picture two, by Omer Toledano via Wikimedia Commons, will make you want to go back and watch every episode of the show.
Number two: Cudillero, Asturias
Although Lastres may be on a 'beautiful villages' network, Cudillero's tourist office describes it as the most beautiful village in the region.
Larger than Lastres – home to 5,183 residents – and said to be the most-visited seaside town in Asturias, it's brightly-coloured, sits around 750 metres above sea-level, and its quaint little houses are built in the shape of an amphitheatre around its central square, which is replete with pavement cafés and fresh fish restaurants, opening out onto the port. You can find out all about its history as a fishing village in the old Lonja, or harbour market building, right in the plaza.
If you're feeling energetic, the uphill hike – steps and steep lanes – takes you to the lighthouse, watchtower and lookout point which offers you a splendid view across the red rooftops over the whole of the harbour, green cliffs and mountains beyond.
Words will never do it justice. Few photographs will, either, but our picture number three, by José Luis Martínez Álvarez via Wikimedia Commons, certainly comes close.
Number one: Cadaqués, Girona province, Catalunya
Right on the Costa Brava and a holiday hotspot for scores of famous faces throughout the whole of the 20th century, Cadaqués is, officially, and according to the majority vote out of the participating 60,000 of Lonely Planet's 100,000-strong online community, the most beautiful coastal municipality in Spain.
And it's not exactly large – as at last year, it was home to just 2,712 people.
Bordering the Cabo de Creus nature reserve, Cadaqués was the annual summer residence of some of the most influential painters of the last century: France's Marcel Duchamp (from 1958 onwards), Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Albert Ràfols-Casamada, and British pop-art legend Richard Hamilton. Writer Eugenio d'Ors spent many summers there, as did Spain's best-known poet and playwright, Federico García Lorca, when he was a student.
Its major attractions include the 17th-century Santa María church, the highest point in the old town – and the venue for Cadaqués' well-renowned International Music Festival - and the historic quarters itself with their narrow, hairpin lanes, plus San Jaime Castle, a national heritage site.
And its star visitor magnet is, naturally, the Salvador Dalí House Museum, in the Portlligat Bay. Wrapped by idyllic, peaceful greenery that inspired the artist throughout his career, made up of a number of fishermen's huts clustered together like a labyrinth, it's replete with sketches and other memorabilia of the genius behind the melting clocks. You can tour his workshop, library, bedrooms, living room, garden and swimming pool, although you need to book, especially in summer (by calling 972 25 10 15).
Even more Dalí can be found at Cadaqués Museum on the C/ Monturiol, including exhibitions of his works.
On Cadaqués' remote, enclosed beach, bathers share space with fishing boats – little white open-topped crafts just about big enough for two people.
For a perfect view across the bay, head to the Cabo de Creus lighthouse, which is also a museum and the local tourist information office.
Our pictures one and four, by the private tour guide company Turismo en Cadaqués, clearly show why it's also considered to be one of the most beautiful towns in the whole of Catalunya.
Number one again: Potes, Cantabria
Along with Spain's most attractive coastal town, an earlier poll by Lonely Planet asked its community to name its favourite inland municipality.
And, although we could think of hundreds, if not thousands, of candidates, we can't argue with the one they chose in the end.
Potes, the gateway to the Picos de Europa mountains (2,000 metres up, emerald-green and frequently snow-capped, even in summer sometimes), appears to be a series of houses piled one on top of the other either side of a narrow river with low, arched stone bridges at intervals – flint and dry-stone, with high wooden balconies bursting with flowers, shutters, external wooden beams, all in the wonderfully chaotic, picturesque and quaint style typical of Cantabria.
Very central-European-looking, it reminds you of an olde-worlde French village, a bit of Brittany, Alsace, and the Loire Valley clumped into one; notes of Switzerland, a bit Alpine, a bit Austrian, a bit German – but very traditionally Cantabrian.
This close-knit community of just 2,500 residents is, nevertheless, a tourism gem, with little souvenir shops and food shops dotted along the banks of its river.
Potes is where you catch the Fuente Dé cable-car up the Picos de Europa, too, for a view that will simply blow your mind.
Related Topics
You may also be interested in ...
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