Trip Report: Spain

Visited in July 2002

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This article is a love story about Spain.

Honestly, the country on the Iberian Peninsula is among my absolute favorites. That might sound like a tired cliché. After all, Spain is one of the most touristy destinations in Europe. But there’s a good reason for that! I’ve been to Spain eleven times so far. The only country I’ve visited more frequently is Germany – more than twenty times, not even counting the quick border crossings, since I live just a few kilometers away.

Here is a list of all my trips to Spain over the years

1. Lloret de Mar (2002)
2. Barcelona (2008)
3. Mallorca (2010)
4. Mallorca (2011)
5. …and again Mallorca (2015)
6. Marbella (2015)
7. Madrid (2017)
8. Seville (2018)
9. Barcelona (2018)
10. Valencia (2025)
11. Murcia (2025)

All these short trips were excellent and there are still so many places in the country that I would like to visit.

So, let’s go through the different eras in which I was in Spain.

2002-2011: The early days – cheap booze & long nights

The first time I went to Spain was also the first vacation I had without my parents. I traveled to Lloret de Mar in 2002 with a group of friends. It was a loud and rather unattractive party spot north of Barcelona, mostly visited by very young people looking to drink and dance.

After a short visit to Barcelona six years later in 2008, my third and fourth trips to Spain took me to Mallorca. And no, not to the scenic side of the island, but to El Arenal, also known as the “Ballermann”.

I first went to Mallorca right after graduating from college. Our class organized a final trip to celebrate the end of three years of studying. The second visit happened later with a different group of friends. All three trips, the one to Lloret de Mar and the two to Majorca, were pretty much the same: endless nights, cheap drinks, and someone throwing up on the dance floor.

In short, typical adventures of young people looking to party.

Looking back, I would not call those real travel experiences. I mean, I have not really seen anything of the country on these trips. But back then, they were fun. I still have plenty of photos from those days, though I am not sure sharing them would be such a great idea.

2015: Majorca and Marbella

The first time I went to Spain was also the first vacation I had without my parents. I traveled to Lloret de Mar in 2002 with a group of friends. It was a loud and rather unattractive party spot, mostly visited by very young people looking to drink and dance.

After a short visit to Barcelona in 2008, my third and fourth trips to Spain took me to Majorca. And no, not to the scenic side of the island, but to El Arenal, better known as the Ballermann.

I first went to Majorca right after graduating from college. Our class organized a final trip to celebrate the end of three years of studying. The second visit happened later with a different group of friends. All three trips — the one to Lloret de Mar and the two to Majorca — were pretty much the same: endless nights, cheap drinks, and someone throwing up on the dance floor.

In short, typical adventures of young people looking to party.

Looking back, I wouldn’t call those real travel experiences. But back then, they were fun. I still have plenty of photos from those days, though I’m not sure sharing them would be such a great idea.

2015: Mallorca & Marbella

Four years after my last trip to Mallorca, I returned to Spain’s largest island in 2015. A colleague’s family had bought a house there, and my colleague kindly invited me and another co-worker to spend a long weekend on the island. It was the first time I truly saw how beautiful this place is.

I fell in love with Palma, the capital of the island, an absolutely fantastic city. We explored the charming old town, enjoyed delicious food, and experienced the vibrant nightlife. The city also had a slightly upscale atmosphere. So if you plan to go, make sure to dress nicely.

Only one month later, I traveled to Marbella. Once again, a friend of mine who owns a house there kindly invited me and another friend for a long weekend. I did not spend much money on accommodation during the summer of 2015.

Although the beach in Marbella was not particularly impressive, I really enjoyed the nightlife around the harbor. Marbella also has a very upscale atmosphere, even more so than Palma. You will see plenty of yachts, as well as wealthy visitors from Russia and the Arab world, often sitting in bars with large bottles of vodka on their tables.

Marbella is also a great destination if you want to do day trips. Granada or Ronda are not very far and you can also go to Malaga (most people arrive there anyway, as Marbella’s nearest airport is in Malaga). Plus, you can even go Gibraltar, but this story is reserved for the United Kingdom travel report.

Mallorca (the nice parts at least) and Marbella are both places that I really enjoyed, and it’s only a matter of time until I will be back.

My early thirties: Madrid, Seville and Barcelona

Between March 2017 and October 2018, I visited three major cities on the Spanish mainland. The first one was the capital. I sometimes get the impression that Madrid is often overlooked when compared to Barcelona. In my opinion, that is a mistake.

Even though we had terrible luck with the weather — it dropped to zero degrees at night in late March — our group still had an amazing weekend in Madrid. I would not call the city particularly beautiful, but it is full of energy and a lot of fun. The nightlife is among the best in Europe.

Did you know that Madrid has one of the highest bars per capita-ratios in Europe? One bar or pub follows the next, which makes it a great place for a bachelor party or simply a fun night out with friends.

Madrid is also a fantastic place for anyone who loves good food. Tapas bars, food markets, bakeries — they are everywhere you look. Spanish cities in general are a paradise for people who enjoy eating well, but Madrid truly stands out from the rest.

I cannot really remember how the food was in Seville, but I loved everything else of that city. Seriously, you must see Seville! The capital of Andalusia is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Although the city is not too big, you have plenty of sights and attractions, one more beautiful than the other. I didn’t manage to see all the sights, but that gives me a reason to revisit Seville soon.

Seville’s only downside is the extreme temperature. It’s not unusual that temperatures are above 40°C in summer, what makes the city hard to visit during this period. The good thing is, however, that you can travel to Seville in early spring or late autumn and still have good weather. That’s not a bad deal I guess.

…and then there is Barcelona. I have been to Barcelona twice now, but the first time in 2008 didn’t really count, as the only thing I saw was Las Ramblas. Seriously, I was walking up and down Las Ramblas for two days. However, the priority was not sightseeing but attending a football game. I didn’t like the city back then, but as I haven’t seen much I knew that I have to comeback for a better judgement.

Now, after the second visit, I am still not into this city. I guess, it is the overtourism that bothers me, but well… I am part of the problem. I already knew that Barcelona is very crowded in summer before I visited the second time, that’s why I chose to come back in mid-October, but alas, it didn’t make a big difference.

Another thing I don’t like is how spread out the city is. Rome for example is also spread out, but it’s still worth walking from the Vatican to the Collosseo, as you can see many nice things on your way. It’s different in Barcelona. Let’s say, you want to walk from the harbor to Sagrada Familia and after that to Park Güell. There isn’t much to see between these places (okay, the first part between the harbor and Sagrada Familia isn’t that bad…) and you will walk through many ugly districts.

Don’t get me wrong, Barcelona is not a bad city and a city that offers a lot. However, it’s not a city that blows me away and I would never call it one of the best cities in Europe like many people do. But tastes are different and that’s okay.

If I had to compare the three cities, I would say that Seville is a combination of the best elements that all three cities have to offer. Madrid is the least beautiful of these cities, but the capital has the best nightlife and is also the best city for delicious food. And Barcelona is certainly not a bad city but just not my taste.

What I love about a Spain

As I said, I have been to Spain nine times and all of these trips were excellent. What’s best about Spain is the people’s way of living. Tapas, siesta, sangria, wine… you name it. The way of living is also the reason for the lowest productivity within the European Union, but why should a tourist care about that.

Of course, the weather is another great asset of Spain. You are not spoiled with amazing weather when you live in Central Europe so that you really appreciate the temperatures in Spain. Summer starts earlier and ends later. It’s absolutely possible to enjoy a weekend with temperatures above 20°C in March or November. Not many European countries can offer that.

One thing that could be better is the communication between the Spanish and people from other countries. Spaniards usually speak one language only: Spanish (surprise, surprise). But I don’t blame them, because almost half a billion people in the world speak that language. That means they have an excuse at least. In contrast to the Italians…

My travel experience in Spain

Although I have been to Spain nine times, I have only seen seven different places. This isn’t much in a country with this size. Needless to say that I will revisit Spain many more times. Valencia, Bilbao and San Sebastian are the cities I would like to see next. Plus I always wanted to visit Ibiza, however, I think I need to do this before I turn 35. I’m not sure if I can a handle a weekend in Ibiza when I’m older.

Long story short: I will definitely revisit Spain many times. The only places that never interested me were the canary islands though. I can’t really explain why, but maybe because these islands are rather all inclusive destinations and not intriguing destinations for me

If I had to rank the places in Spain from best to worst, the ranking would look like this:

1. Seville
2. Palma de Mallorca
3. Marbella
4. Madrid
5. Barcelona
6. El Arenal
7. Lloret de Mar

All in all, Spain seems to be the total package. It’s a country with nice weather, great food, cool nightlife, beautiful cities, interesting things to see and do etc. It doesn’t come to a surprise that many Europeans choose Spain as the country where they want to enjoy their retirement. For me, Spain remains one of the best countries to visit, and I’ll be back soon.

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