In August 2015, three weeks after I returned from my trip to the Middle East, I flew to Madrid and began my three-month backpacking trip in Western Europe. I selected Spain as my first destination because I intended to travel north by land. I ultimately spent a week journeying from Madrid to Seville and concluded in Granada.
My entire experience in Spain was a bit surreal as I grew accustomed to the way the Spaniards live. From having to wait until 3pm for lunch to enjoying free tapas with every beer ordered, follow me, and I'll show you Spain in 23 photos.
Madrid
I arrived in Madrid at 10 am and hit the ground running. I went on a free walking tour organized by MADride. Since I had absolutely no clue about what to see in Madrid, this free walking tour was a great opportunity to shed light on everything at once.
I like how, in Europe, they have free organized walking tours that rely on tips and gratitude from the people to create a business. My guide, Sara from Latvia, did an incredible job providing information while entertaining us with local legends. I would highly recommend going on one of these free walking tours if you are in the city and don't have a lot of time.
That night, I went on a pub crawl with MADride as well, and it was incredible. Needless to say, I woke up at noon the next day. I spent the following day walking around the Royal Palace and the parks in the area before hopping on the bus to Seville.
Seville
While I was on the bus to Seville, I struck up a conversation with this incredible Spanish woman who told me about how she acquired her English-speaking skills by flying to the United States alone, with no connections, and working as a babysitter. I found this incredibly inspiring because she was only 22 back then and did not know a single word of English!
There are many things to see in Seville. The Alcázar, the cathedral, and the Metropol Parasol are a few things I saw.
The highlight, though, was the Plaza de España, which is a stunning red palace located near Maria Luisa Park. Its vast space, unique architectural design, and humongous size made it a must-see place in Seville.
To make the place even better, it turns out the plaza was used to shoot one of the scenes in the movie Star Wars!
Usually, something this beautiful would be crowded with tourists, but that was not the case when I was there. Possibly due to its vast space and open-air style building, it felt like I had the entire place to myself.
Granada
This is possibly the best city I've been to in Spain. With a more relaxed vibe, the nature that surrounds the area, and the people I befriended at the hostel, I enjoyed Granada the most.
As usual, on the first day I arrived, I went on a free walking tour with a bunch of friends I made at the hostel. The guide took us through an old part of town and hiked up to Sacromonte for one of the best sunset spots you can experience in Spain.
From the top, you get a view of the famous Alhambra fortress, which was built in the 9th century.
Another amazing attraction was the waterfall hike that would take you through an incredibly diverse landscape of Granada. It was so great that I went there twice!
The trail will take you through several suspension bridges, caves, and small passages. Get your adventurous goggles on because you're going to have one here.
The hike was also a good way to get away from all the annoying tourists in the city.
You can get an incredible panoramic view of the landscape from one of the many lookout points along the trail.
Some of the passages were so narrow, we had to hang our bodies out of the side of a cliff with a metal handlebar.
And at the end, you will be rewarded with a beautiful waterfall and an incredibly refreshing pool of water to jump into.
This trail has no concrete endpoint, so you will need to turn back at one point. I decided to turn back at the open area surrounded by canyons, where people camp.
The next day, I was back at the waterfall again, but this time we took a different route to a smaller waterfall hidden behind bushes. We brought out our beers and spent hours having one of those deep conversations you get so often when traveling.
My incredible companion on our second expedition, exploring the waterfall trail.
Before leaving Granada, I decided to hike to the top of Sacramonte to watch the sunset again, this time with a few more friends and an unlimited supply of beers.
Isn't this the best sunset, or what?
What an incredible journey it had been, and that was only a week into my 3-month trip! I will surely be back in Spain again, but this time I bid you farewell. Stay tuned for more details about my Spain trip, followed by incredible photos from Switzerland!
Now that we have all the information we need, it's time to start planning your trip! Here are some resources to help you get going:
Are you planning to travel independently? Be sure to check out my guide on How To Plan A Backpacking Trip here.
Want to take your photography game to the next level? Here are some resources to help you upgrade your work and photography gear:
Further Reading for Spain
I hope you found this guide helpful in your trip planning. If you want to read more about Spain, I have written a few more travel guides, all listed here:
- Looking for a complete travel guide to Spain? Check out my 10-day backpacking itinerary for Spain.
- Are you traveling to Spain as part of a bigger Europe trip? Be sure to check out my 3-month itinerary for Europe from Portugal all the way to Sweden.
- Packing for a trip to visit a region as big as Europe can be extremely daunting. Here's a packing guide to help you: What to Pack for Europe - The Essential Packing List.
- Want to visit Europe in winter? Better prepare for the cold. Here's a winter packing guide to help you: What to Pack for Europe in Winter - The Essential Packing List.
- Madrid is a great place to start your journey in Spain. Here’s a 9 Incredible Things to Do in Madrid, Spain to get you started.
- Seville is home to one of my favorite pieces of architecture in Spain, the Plaza Espana. If you are heading to Seville, be sure to check out our travel guide on 8 Best Things to Do in Seville, Spain.
- Granada is also another great city to visit. The city is full of culture, cheap tapas, and the beautiful Alhambra fortress waiting for you to explore. Check out my 8 Best Things to Do in Granada, Spain.
- Barcelona is in its own league when it comes to culture and unique architecture compared to the rest of Spain. Here’s a complete 2 Days in Barcelona Itinerary, the capital city of Catalonia.
- You can also watch my Spain travel video here: "Spain to Leave Spain" travel video.
- To see all articles about Spain, visit Spain Travel Guide page.
- Looking for a place to go after Spain? How about France or Portugal? Visit our France travel guide page and Portugal travel guide page for more information.
- Looking for more travel guides for Europe? You can find more on my Europe Travel Guide page.
- Or, if you want something more specific to the region, visit our Southern Europe Travel Guide page.
- For more of my travel guides like this, visit my Destinations page.
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