Spain Heaven Or Hell

D epending on who you listen       Contemporary Spanish architecture  to, Spain can be heaven on      is considered to be among the      earth, or it can be the         best in the world…                 worst place imaginable to visit.                                         Who is right?                         What is more, getting around in                                          Spain to see all these things is   There is no doubt that Spain has      now much easier than just a few    many charms and can be extremely      years ago. There is an excellent   attractive as a tourist               network of highways, and a         destination. It is, in fact, the      growing number of high-speed       third most visited country in the     (AVE) train lines. A number of     world (after France and the           domestic airlines, and even a      United States).                       couple of international low-cost                                         operators, offer flights between   The reasons are many, beginning       most of the major cities.          with a climate that is reliable                                          enough for visitors to find sun       So, what is the problem?           almost year round. But not                                               everyone goes to Spain for a          Some people will tell you that     beach holiday. More and more          the tourist destinations in Spain  people are travelling to Spain to     are overcrowded, the buildings     enjoy the wonderful cultural          are like beehives, you can't find  heritage of the country: Spain        a place to lay your towel on the   has the second-highest number of      beach, etc. Others say that Spain  UNESCO World Heritage sites in        is an unsafe country, where you    the world, after Italy. The           are likely to be mugged or         country is dotted with castles        robbed.                            and palaces, with snowcapped                                             mountains, stunning sights and        While these criticisms have some   vibrant, modern cities.               truth in them, I think they        should not put you off visiting       it all inland, in the mountains    Spain. It is true that some of        or in the countryside.             the most popular tourist resorts                                         on the Costa Brava or Costa de la     Finally, the argument about Spain  Luz may be extremely crowded, but     being unsafe is only relatively    there are many other resorts          true. Spain has become much less   where you can find peace and          safe than a few years ago, but     quiet. It is also true that the       unfortunately this is true of      resorts are overcrowded between       much of the developed world. When  June and September, and if you go     visiting Spain, you need to take   out of season you can enjoy all       the same precautions as you would  the facilities of a first-class       in any other place - even in the   resort without the overbearing        major cities in your own country.  crowds. What is more, this                                               argument only refers to beach         All things considered, I think     resorts, whereas more and more        it's fair to say that Spain is     people are looking to Spain for       neither a heaven or a hell, but    cultural or scenic trips. It is       on balance it has a lot more in    extremely easy to get away from       favor than against.                About the Author: Terry Roberts has lived in Spain for many years and knows the country well. To find out all about Spain, visit his website Travel Information and Advice - Travel to Spain Published At: www.Isnare.com