The Tierras del Ebro and its mountains, situated in the south of Catalonia, offer anything an adventure lover could wish for – pleasant boat rides, walking or horse-riding expeditions, paragliding flights for the most daring, kitesurfing for the more sports inclined or potholing for inquisitive minds, among many other activities. Here, then, is a selection of activities you can embark on to make the most out of your visit to these splendid climes during a three-day getaway.

First Day

Safari in the Ebro Delta
A good way of making your first contact with the Ebro Delta is by venturing across it. The crew at Natura & Aventura offer an interesting outing along its beaches, lagoons and rice paddies. An expert ornithologist will point out the most interesting species on the way, prominent among them being flamingos, which are sure to be the subject of some of your souvenir photos.

A Bird’s-Eye View of the Priorat
Imagine being able to see the vineyards of the Priorat from the air! With Parapente Montsant, you can do just that. Located in Cornudella de Montsant, they offer flights in a two-seater which will take you above the Serra de Montsant Nature Reserve, an experience you are not likely to forget ever.

Discovering Els Guiamets
After flying over the Priorat, we return to earth and head for the Guiamets reservoir, located in the heart of the Priorat, where the Centro Natura ServiKaYaK offers pleasant rides by kayak, pedal boat or fishing vessel. The idyllic scenery which accompanies the ride is the final flourish to your thrilling first day.

Second Day

The Seductive Sebes Nature Reserve
The second day also starts out in the Ebro Delta, but this time you embark on a guided tour of the Sebes Nature Reserve and the Flix meander. This area is known for its wetlands where you will again be treated to sightings of local fauna, particularly storks, and to exciting panoramic views from a number of observation platforms.

Underground Beauty Too
One of the more unusual attractions in the Tierras del Ebro is provided by the Benifallet Caves, commonly known as the “Cuevas de las Maravillas” (Caves of Marvels), where water has eroded the rock into a unique landscape. Make a point of including it on your wish list.

Third Day

Galloping Across the Montsià
A great way of exploring the Montsià mountain range is on horseback. The Carlos Cid Riding School offers outings through the mountains, following a route studded with olive groves, orange and carob groves, bulls, watering holes with bird-life and dry-farming land. A unique and entertaining way of touring the area. Be sure to sign up for it!

Kitesurfing in the Ebro Delta
Sports enthusiasts should take the opportunity to delight in the playful side of the Ebro Delta’s waters. One option is to try your hand at kitesurfing. The folks at DeltaKiteSup will guide you through your first few paces or bring out your more advanced kitesurfing streak. Take note!

Text and photos by Turisme Catalunya

Brussels has a heady cultural agenda where exhibitions andvernissagesare common fare. Some especially interesting spaces have been unveiled there in recent times, augmenting the established ones. Thus, art enthusiasts and culture devotees in general would do well to visit them on a brief getaway.

The first of these is the ADAM (Art & Design Atomium Museum), located in the Atomium, an iconic construction in the Brussels district of Heysel which was built for the 1958 World Fair. ADAM is an art and design centre which showcases a unique collection of plastic furniture and other objects owned by the Belgian artist, Philippe Decelle, who has been collecting these artefacts since the 1970s. And, while you’re in the vicinity of the Atomium, you should make a point of dropping in on the light and sound installation, ID#2016, which runs until 13 November 2016 and forms part of the ID (Innovative Display) programme, a digital art festival which has been operating since 2013.

Another major cultural landmark in Brussels is MIMA (Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art), located in the enduringly interesting district of Molenbeek. This space revolves around the highly specific, innovative theme of the evolution of contemporary art following the advent of Internet and the emergence of Culture 2.0.

Another highly edifying cultural landmark in Brussels is the Museum of Natural Sciences, famed for its Dinosaur Gallery, and particularly its iguanodons, the skeletons of which were unearthed in 1878 at a mine in Bernissart in southern Belgium. Be sure to also visit the Gallery of Humankind, a unique exhibition unveiled just a year ago which traces the evolution of man and the human body.

It is always a good time to visit the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts, not only because it is one of Belgium’s most dynamic art hubs (it receives an impressive 1 million visitors each year), but for the building itself. Designed by the acclaimed Belgian Art Deco architect, Victor Horta, it is a magnificent specimen of the country’s architectural heritage. An exhibition showcasing 80 sculptures by Pablo Picasso entitled Picasso. Sculptures is due to run here in the next few months – specifically, from 26 October 2016 to 5 March 2017. Organised in conjunction with the Musée Picasso of Paris, the exhibition will feature works expressing the creative power of the innovative Malaga art genius, who used a host of materials and numerous techniques in his sculptures.

Lastly, an area well worth strolling about and which always throws up some novelty is the Parc du Cinquantenaire (“Quincentenary Park”). Located in this park, a case in point is the Horta-Lambeaux Pavilion which showcases the stunning bas-relief known as Human Passions, the crowning work of Jef Lambeaux, sculpted in white Carrara marble. Another interesting venue is Autoworld, featuring the world’s most important automobile collection which this year marks its 30th anniversary.

Ready to discover these offerings in Brussels? Book your Vueling to Brussels here.

Text by Tusdestinos.net

Images by Tusdestinos.net, IRScNB-KBINTh.Hubin (Museum of Natural Sciences) and Visit Brussels (Olivier van de Kerchove)

Visiting Ibiza out of season offers a number of pleasant advantages, making it the ideal destination for a getaway where you can recharge your batteries in a highly attractive – and peaceful – location. You might be taken aback by the idea of it being peaceful, as Ibiza is internationally renowned for being studded with celebrities sailing off its coastline in fabulous yachts, crowded beaches for strutting your stuff and endless revelling in its world famous discos. But there is indeed another side to the island and it’s well worth discovering.

In that “other Ibiza” you can experience the island’s beaches and scenery in all their splendour, and soak up the unique magic emanating from some of its corners. One such surprise awaiting those who visit Ibiza this spring is its culinary offerings. Imagine savouring the island’s typical flavours in some of its prime restaurants at a very special price? It’s yours for the taking from 20 April to 28 May, when the island is due to proffer its gastronomic face to delight visitors (and locals, too, needless to say). Dubbed #IbizaSabor2017, this fair brings together 51 illustrious restaurants which for a few days will be offering haute cuisine at affordable prices, with house menus for 25 euros (wine and drinks apart).

Showcasing Ibizan Cuisine

One of the highlights of this initiative is the presence of Ibizan cuisine on the menus drawn up by the participating restaurants. So, you can taste popular fish dishes such as bullit de peix, or sofrit payés, featuring assorted meats combined with potato, vegetables and the two most popular cured meats on the island –sobrasada and butifarra. Other offerings include cuinat, a typical Holy Week dish seasoned with a herb characteristic of the place and time, borrida de ratjada, with ray fish as the centrepiece, pescado en salmorra (pickled fish), ensalada de crostes, a salad based on bread crusts and dried fish, and the ever juicy and tasty arroz de matanzas (a meat paella rice). Desserts are there, too, especially two island classics – flaó, an Ibizan cheesecake, and greixonera, a kind of steam pudding, which the sweet-toothed will adore.

The restaurants that have signed up for this fair are scattered about the island’s major towns – Ibiza, Santa Eulària, Sant Josep, Sant Antoni and Sant Jona, making this event the perfect excuse for including local cuisine on your itinerary across Ibiza. Of the venues that have joined the #IbizaSabor2017 initiative, you can enjoy haute cuisine at La Gaia, in the Ibiza Gran Hotel, the Aguas de Ibiza Hotel restaurant, Unic, Can Domo and Es Terral. You will be amazed by the long-standing experience in hospitality at Ca Na Ribes, an establishment that goes back ninety years, and Ca N’Alfredo, which can boast seventy-five. Savour the seafood at Sa Caleta or Sa Nansa and discover the charm of locales such as Ses Roques and La Veranda by Atzaró. The long list of eateries also features Ca N’Anneta, Café Montesol and Ibosim where tapas take pride of place (5 euros per tapa, with a glass of wine or beer included). Check out the full list of restaurants in the #IbizaSabor2017 initiative here.

Fire up, book your Vueling to Ibiza and taste the island’s most flavourful fare.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Cascais is a Portuguese municipality some 25 kilometres west of Lisbon. It is now a tourist resort with a host of facilities – extensive beaches and secluded coves, a rugged terrain suited to all kinds of sports, culinary offerings based on quality products and endless leisure options. It also has an exciting history, reminding us that this spot in Portugal was once the refuge of royal families and the nobility and a nest of spies during the Second World War.

Today Cascais is a quiet town dotted with small urban beaches and sheltered from the rough Atlantic by a beautiful bay and a formidable fortress. It is well worth taking a relaxing stroll along the beach known as either La Ribeira or Los Pescadores and discovering its beautiful buildings, notably the Palaces of Condes da Guarda and Seixas.

The ocean is one of Cascais' great assets as it supplies the town with its culinary foundations – fish and seafood, prepared in a special way here. Among the most popular dishes in the region are fresh sea bass and white seabream and the delicious Cascais sole, accompanied by fine garnish. They can be ordered in any of the highly varied array of restaurants in the town, from the simplest, economical eateries to the more refined establishments, where culinary innovation is very much in evidence.

In Cascais harbour you can catch sight of luxury yachts, leisure craft and competition boats, as the town and, by extension, the Coast of Estoril, is a worldwide hub of sailing competitions. Apart from this sport, the waters in this part of the Atlantic attract thousands of surfers (particularly to the beaches of Guincho and Carcavelos), windsurfers, paddle surfers and sports fishing enthusiasts, which is increasingly gaining more devotees. The town harbour is also very lively at nightfall as it is full of restaurants, bars and café terraces, ideal for dining or having a drink.

Home of Kings, Land of Spies
In the late 19th century, this region was a pioneer of tourism in Portugal. Indeed, in 1870, the Portuguese royal family chose the Cascais citadel for their summer residence on account of its excellent location. It was also the destination of the nobility and European families of noble lineage, among them Spain’s monarch in exile, who lived in Villa Giralda for many years.

Apart from being a town that breathes tradition, owing to its geographical situation, during World War II Cascais attracted countless spies, including Ian Fleming (best known for having created the celebrated fiction spy, James Bond) and the Serb Dušan Popov, a hardened womaniser whom Fleming is said to have based his 007 character on. The agents who lived in Cascais followed similar routines. They loved lodging at the elegant Hotel Palácio, having tea and delicious Portuguese pastries at the Pastelaria Garrett and burning the midnight oil in the famous Casino Estoril which witnessed more than one row between the secret agents that gathered there.

On the outskirts of Cascais is the natural vantage point of Boca do Inferno (Hell’s Mouth) and, twenty kilometres further north, Cabo da Roca (Cape Rock), the westernmost tip of continental Europe. This privileged spot, “where the land ends and the sea begins”, as the poet Luís de Camões would have it, affords stunning views of the sunset, reminding onlookers that Cascais is the perfect choice for a relaxing getaway.

Book your Vueling to Lisbon and head for Cascais, where you are sure to succumb to its charm.

Text by Tus Destinos