The environs of Madrid are no less alluring than the city itself. In just over an hour you can steep yourself in nature, view one of the masterpieces of Spanish architecture, feast on a cochinillo asado near a Roman aqueduct or relive a battle from the Civil War. Fancy discovering some of these destinations?

1. El Escorial – A Classic Among Classics

The monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is the major landmark in a town located less than an hour from Madrid. It was originally commissioned by Philip II as a pantheon for the royal family. In 1563, work commenced under the direction of Juan Bautista de Toledo, but, after his death, it was his successor, Juan de Herrera, who was entrusted with completing the work. Behind the sober Herreran exterior lie a number of striking rooms and other areas, prominent among them being the Basilica and the Library, decorated with magnificent frescoes. Another standout feature is the painting collection by artists of the calibre of Velázquez, Jan van Eyck, Hieronymus Bosch, Titian, Tintoretto and Roger van der Weyden.

Apart from the Monastery, other interesting sights include the Casa del Alcalde Mayor (Magistrate’s House), the Casa del Infante (Prince’s House), the Casita del Príncipe (Prince’s Lodge) and the Church of San Bernabé.

Lastly, any outing to El Escorial would be incomplete without a stopover at Charolés to try their fabulous cocido –an imperious must!

2. Segovia – the Aqueduct and Beyond

Just over an hour from Madrid lies the beautiful city of Segovia, famed for its major landmark, the Roman Aqueduct. This symbol of the city was built by the Romans to bring water to Segovia from the Sierra. It is a veritable feat of engineering which never fails to have a stunning impact on the observer. But, visitors to Segovia are in for more surprises too, as its old town reveals some marvels and magical spots. Notable examples include the Cathedral of Santa María, known as the “Lady of Cathedrals”, and the Jewish Quarter, with its former synagogue converted into the Church of Corpus Christi, while literary boffins should seek out the Antonio Machado House Museum. Your visit can be rounded off by a tour of the Alcázar, set on top of a hill, which boasts striking Mudéjar decoration.

Another standout feature of Segovia is its cuisine, celebrated above all for its cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig), a delicacy you should really treat yourself to. Some of the classical venues for savouring it include the Mesón de Cándido and the Restaurante José María.

3. Chinchón – Medieval Past and Culinary Variety

If only for its Plaza Mayor (Main Square), this town situated 45 kilometres from Madrid is well worth visiting. The square, medieval in origin, is surrounded by two- and three-storey houses faced with rows of wooden balconies and lintelled galleries which catch the attention of first-time visitors to Chinchón. For centuries the square acted as a temporary stage for all kinds of performances, notably theatre plays, bullfights, royal festivals and religious services. A short distance from the Plaza Mayor stands the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, displaying a blend of Gothic, Plateresque, Renaissance and Baroque architectural styles. Be sure to venture inside to see Goya’s painting of the The Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Needless to say, Chinchón also has culinary delights in store for you, characterised by a fusion of tradition and the latest gastronomic trends. And, before you leave, you simply must taste their most popular liqueur – anisette.

4. Paredes de Buitrago – in the Footsteps of the Spanish Civil War

If your thing is nature, but you are also interested in history, don’t hesitate to head for Paredes de Buitrago to visit the site of the so-called Frente del Agua (Water Front). During the Civil War, this front was established to defend Puentes Viejas and El Villar, two crucial spots for ensuring the water supply. Comparatively easy to complete on foot, the 12-kilometre layout of the site reveals the remains of bunkers, trenches and pillboxes which came under the control of both sides in the conflict. A heady dose of recent history in the open air makes this a countryside outing with a difference, and just an hour’s drive from Madrid.

5. The Cuenca Alta del Manzanares Regional Park – Nature in its Pure State

Situated in the Sierra de Guadarrama, north-west of Madrid, it was listed as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1993. A prominent feature of this reserve is La Pedriza, one of Europe’s most celebrated granite formations, featuring some amazing rock shapes produced by erosion. The vegetation is dominated by holm oak, which takes up 62% of the Park’s surface area. Bird-lovers should head for the nearby Santillana Dam, with its enormous variety of water fowl and migratory birds. At the foot of the dam stands the Castle of Manzanares El Real, also known as the Castle of the Mendozas. Built in the 11th century, it is one of the best preserved castles in the Community of Madrid.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by Chris Gladis, Jerome Bon, Kus Cámara, Jose Luis Cernadas Iglesias, Raúl A.-

There are endless opportunities to dive into Marrakech, a magical and vibrant Maghreb city. We can not say goodbye to the city without visiting:

1.- Majorelle Garden

Majorelle Garden is the most important art work performed by the French painter Jacques Majorelle, designed during his stay in Marrakech at the villa where he was staying. 

It is a lush botanical garden rich in different species of exotic plants which Majorelle brought from his many travels around the world. It was opened in 1947 and closed in 1962. It remained closed until the designer Yves Saint-Laurent bought it and restored for later reopening in 1980, adding more plant specimens. The blue coloured walls in this wonderful palace contrast to the deep green of this paradise’s vegetation, full of cactus, palms, yuccas, lilies, coconut and banana, among many others. Exploring this unique paradise is priceless.

2.- El Palmeral

The Palmeraie (El Palmeral) more than 13,000 hectares of land that conform a particular and mystical ecosystem, full of palm.

Conservation is very important since it is the first supplying source of wood and dates in  Marrakech. This ancient park is often visited both in chaise or by camel. By about 100 dirhams (10 euros), you can take a camel ride along inside it. Rent a chaise with horses is a bit more expensive, from about 200-250 dirhams (20-25 euros), but it is also charming. The chaise ride takes about two hours and goes from theJemaa el Fna to Palmeraie Golf Palace Hotel, located at the furthest point in the area. You can also find a number of buildings and luxury hotels as well as some golf courses that only suits the wealthiest pockets. Is a fairly sightseeing tour but very pleasant and is worth trying the experience at least once.

3.- The Djemaa el Fna

The Djemaa el Fna, the most iconic and well known place in the city.

In this diverse activity center there is also room for a spiritual reality: the seers who read the hands or throw the tarot and snake charmers are the key characters in this mix of cultural movement. For those who love ostentation, there is a luxury restaurant called Al Baraka in the same square where you can mingle with high class people for eating typical delicious dishes while dancing girls dance around, it is is perfect for Ali Baba’s a thousand nights.

The traditional process of tanning leather is one of the city’s oldest crafts.

We recommend going with a guide who can detail perfectly this interesting procedure’s different stages and we should not forget to take a few mint leaves that are available at the entrance to help the nose soothe the unpleasant sensation caused by the smell . Living this experience will lead us directly to theMiddle Ages.

5.- Medina’s Teahouses

Medina’s Teahouses in Marrakech are a must on your trip to the Arab world.

Some of the most glamorous and chic teahouses are the Arabic Cafe and La Terrasse des Epices. It is also highly recommended to try the exotic saffron tea.

6.- Hammams

A Hammam is a traditional bath room where you get fully relax.

7.- Ksar of Aït BenHaddou, Sus-Masa-Draa

The Ksar or fortified city of Aït BenHaddou is considered World Heritage Site since 1987.

It has been used as a location for many films such as Gladiator or The Mummy, because of it’s adobe-house architecture’s great beauty and the spectacular views it offers. It is a dream place that strikes for it is extremelly well maintained. Getting here is not easy, the journey is 200 km from Marrakech by vehicle through mountain ports, which takes about four hours. Once arrived there, you will forget all the effort that has involved getting into a new world merged by ocher, green palm trees and blazing blue sky.

Picture by Donarreiskoffer

By Blanca Frontera

A place well worth discovering! Check out our flights here.

Do you dream of taking home the best photos of Santiago? Buying postcards and books might be the quickest solution, but, if you enjoy taking your own pictures, you shouldn’t hesitate to embark on this eminently photogenic route through Compostela. Here are 10 of its most emblematic subjects.

1. Praza do Obradoiro

We admit you’d be hard put to capture its entirety, as it covers 7,700 square metres. Surrounded by monumental buildings, snapping a whole picture of the Praza do Obradoiro is no mean feat. A wide-angle shot of the portico of the Colexio de San Xerome will yield an image of the Cathedral – cloister and towers included – as well as the Pazo de Xelmírez, the front of the Hostal dos Reis Católicos and the Paxo de Raxoi to the left.

2. Cathedral Facade

The centre of the square is a reasonable viewpoint, as are the arcades of the Pazo de Raxoi, to stand square in front of the Cathedral, if you have a fish-eye lens. But, if you’re looking to take full-length photos with a normal lens, the trick is to go down the stairs of the Rúa de Raxoi, where you get a complete view of the facade with the towers. Ideal for group photos.

3. Goal and Excitement

While its monumental beauty tends to hog everyone’s gaze, the Praza do Obradoiro and its surroundings are indeed the most intensely exciting spots in all Santiago de Compostela. The arrival of pilgrims and the display of satisfaction at having achieved their goal are commonplace scenes in this privileged setting.

4. Bird’s-Eye View

The ascent to the Cathedral Rooftops, 30 metres above the Praza do Obradoiro, affords some of the best views of the squares surrounding the Cathedral, as well as revealing its architectural features and the rooftops and chimney stacks in the old town. The tapestry gallery in the cloister, which can be visited using your museum ticket, provides another fine perspective of the Obradoiro, and of the cityscape south of the Cathedral.

5. The Photogenic Quintana

The stark bareness of the Plaza de la Quintana takes on special significance with the interplay of light on the stone. Noon yields snapshots of the granite in all its hardness. Late afternoon throws the shadows of the spires and lantern of the Cathedral on the wall of the Convento de Antealtares. Night lighting turns the surface into a quasi aquatic medium, like some silent fish tank. You can also get good shots from the Casa da Conga arcades.

6. A Tiny Playhouse

Secluded and motley, the Plaza de las Platerías and its stairs provide splendid group snapshots all day long, thanks to the south-facing portal. In a low-angle shot, the horses on the fountain will seem to graze the Torre del Reloj. To capture the whole square, you have to backpedal to the entrance to the Rúa do Vilar. If you have a wide-angle lens, use the towers to frame the shot. Night light endows the Casa del Cabildo and the stepped cloister tower with a special relief when seen from the church door.

7. Streets and Towers

The rúas (streets) in the monumental site are rich showcases of typical Galician architecture. The Torre de las Campanas or Belltower can be photographed from the middle and upper stretches of the Rúa do Franco. The Rúa do Vilar, flush with the Airas Nunes Café, provides a classic view of the arcades and main facades, with the Torre del Reloj or Clocktower in the background. The parallel street, Rúa Nova, affords a picture postcard view of the porticoed houses around the tower of the Church of Santa María Salomé.

8. The Bountiful Market

Getting back to the historic core, the Mercado de Abastos or market is abuzz with activity, particularly first thing in the morning, suggesting detailed portraits of myriad people and gastronomic delights. Between the green of peppers and turnip greens, the orange of the velvet crabs and the blue of the lobsters, your pictures will look almost aromatic.

9. A Park With a View

You get to Bonaval Park through the Porta do Camiño, between the CGAC and the Convento de Bonaval. There, Álvaro Siza and Isabel Aguirre designed a succession of platforms and terraces which are a delight for any photographer. They are highlighted by the shadows cast by trees, the ruins of old monastic dwellings, the spring, the old cemetery with its lone cypress tree… Late afternoon light is magical, revealing splendid views of the monumental precinct with back lighting. The best time is in autumn, when the landscape is carpeted with yellow, red and brown foliage and branches become denuded, revealing towers and sturdy chimneys in the distance. Extraordinary views of the city from its carballeira and the neighbouring Rúa de Bonaval, which in the afternoon reflects the sun’s rays like no other street.

10. Walkway To A Historic City

By proceeding down the Avenida de Xoán XXIII as far as the transport terminal you get a contrasting image between the contemporary layout of the long steel marquee and the back facade of the Convento de San Francisco. The pergola grows smaller as you approach the monumental area, creating the optical effect of having “entered” the historic city.

How long can you afford to put off enjoying such a beautiful setting, Come on – free up some space on your smartphone and start packing. Check out our flights here.

Text and images: Santiago de Compostela Turismo

In truth, Belgrade has not been fairly treated by history, as the peoples, cultures and religions that passed through the city left more of a trail of destruction than a positive, lasting historical footprint. Surprisingly, however, Belgraders have chosen to preserve the vestiges of those civilisations that occupied and also ravaged the city.

Former Singidunum

A Celtic tribe first settled Singidun (meaning “round fort”) in the 3rd century BC, on the site of the extant Kalemegdan Fortress. Subsequently, the Roman army arrived and changed the name to Singidunum, which endured until the city became Beograd in the year 878.

Remains of the fort built by the Celtic tribes, as well as some dating from the Roman period, can still be seen in Kalemegdan Park, where the original garrison was sited. Sections of an aqueduct, cisterns and some stretches of the wall stand side by side with an unusual mixture of buildings from different periods, such as those from the Ottoman and the Austro-Hungarian periods, which we will be looking at in a moment.

No fewer than 18 Roman emperors were born in Serbia; no wonder, then, that the Roman legacy still lingers in parts of the country. Notable examples are Viminacium – present-day Kostolac – or Felix Romuliana, situated near the archaeological site of Gamzigrad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007.

In Belgrade, the two museums you cannot fail to visit if you want to research the country’s Roman heritage are the Belgrade City Museum and the National Museum of Serbia.

Ottoman Belgrade

Traces of the Ottoman period can be seen in the 15th-century stone paving of Skadarlija, Belgrade’s best known pedestrian precinct in the Bohemian Quarter. Here, things get into full swing at nightfall when the numerous restaurants, taverns and cafés are frequented by Serbians and foreigners alike, eager to taste the cuisine hot off the fire. Notable dishes include sarma (vine leaves stuffed with meat and vegetables), kebab (meat on the skewer) and baklava (the famous confectionery of honey-rolled nuts), liable to transport diners back to Belgrade’s Ottoman past.

Of the 273 mosques that once existed in the city, only the Bajrakli Džamija mosque, dating from 1575, is still standing. Having survived the passage of time, partial destruction and other attacks, it was rebuilt and is now open to Belgrade’s Muslim community.

Several Ottoman vestiges can also be seen in the aforementioned fort in Kalemegdan Park, including the Sahat Tower, with its striking clock, and the Tomb of Silahdar Damat Ali Pasha, housing the remains of the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire and “Conqueror of Morea” (the Byzantine name for the Peloponnese), who ruled from 1713 to 1716.

Belgrade also features a very interesting museum for those wishing to find out more about the city’s Ottoman legacy. This is the Galeriji Fresaka (Gallery of Frescoes), with its exhibition of over 1,300 frescoes, which are actually copies of icons found on Serbian monuments dating from the 11th to the 15th century, some of which are Byzantine in style. Some of the icons have been destroyed in their original location, while others have fallen into disrepair.

Austro-Hungarian Belgrade

Perhaps the entire heritage of Belgrade’s Austro-Hungarian past, which lasted from 1867 to 1919, can be summed up in one word – Zemun. This is the name of an unusual district which did not become part of Serbia until the outbreak of the First World War and which breathes an atmosphere unlike that of any other district in the city.

But the whole ensemble of eclectic art dating from the period 1860 to the late 1920s, in addition to neo-Renaissance historicist architecture, abounds along the pedestrian precinct of Kneza Mihaila, Belgrade’s major thoroughfare and shopping area. Stretching for one kilometre, it features striking mansions from the late 1870s, as well as bookshops, fashion stores, cafés and souvenir stalls where you can soak up the vibrant everyday activity of Belgrade.

Another lively spot in the city, and also a meeting point for Belgraders and foreigners, is Trg Republike (Republic Square), with its emblematic “Horse”. Executed in 1882, this equestrian statue of Mihajlo Obrenović III (Prince Michael) commemorates his expulsion of the Turks. Behind it stands the aforementioned National Museum of Serbia, due to open to the public again in April 2016 as it is currently closed for renovation. 

I bet you hadn’t thought of a city like this! Why wait to discover it for yourself? Check out our flights here.

Text and photographs by Ana Isabel Escriche (Planeta Dunia)