Road Trip - Barcelona to Milano by Car

By : Matthew Marrone
While a road trip from Barcelona, Spain to Milano, Italy can be made in under 10 hours, the adventure couldn't be complete without a few stops along the way. Driving along the Spanish coast through Marseille, Toulon, Nice and Monte Carlo almost begs of a two or three day journey to take it all in.

Out of Barcelona, you'll start on B-10 then take C-58 / C-17 as you head toward AP-7. Now would be a good time to fill up on petrol and pick up thirty Euro for the tolls you'll encounter.

Your next road change will be to C-33 with a toll of 1.25 EU. That will be followed by E-15/AP-7 and another toll of 10.50 EU. You will have traveled 160 km by this point and will be entering the country of France and the city of Girona. Take in a museum here. The Museu del Cinema offers an interactive journey into the history of the cinema, from Chinese shadows to the magic of television. Located at Sequia 1, Girona.

Coleccion de Automoviles de Salvador Claret offers a collection of more than 300 vehicles including cars, lorries, motorcycles, velocipedes, bicycles and engines in addition to an aviation collection. Located at Sils, Selva, Girona. There are many other museums as well, including Museu d'Historia de la Joquina (a toy museum.)

Continue on AP-7 through Capmany, stopping for a quick tour of the historic Capmany castle, dating back to the eleventh century. Stop in for some tapas and a sangria before driving on AP-7 for a while longer. Take A-9/E-15 at the exit.

You'll have to buy another toll ticket at Le Perthus and again at Montpellier 2 and 1. Beware, there are speed cameras at A9 km marker 102.3 and A9 km marker 59.7. Exit A-9 at exit number 25 onto A54 toward Nimes, Arles and Marseille.

Take N572 / E80 followed by N113 / E80. If you are getting tired, consider resting your head on a pillow in Saint-Martin-de-Crau, France. This small town is quaint and thick with history. They offer a charming Friday morning market you're sure to enjoy.

Out of Saint-Martin-de-Crau, take A7 / E714 / E80. You have many tolls to go, make sure you have plenty of Euro on hand. Close to Marseille, take A8 / E80. Be wary of speed cameras at A8 km marker 147.0, A8 km marker 148.0, A8 km marker 149.0, A8 km marker 151.4 and A8 km marker 196.8.

Stop in Cannes or Nice along your way for a bite to eat and a visit to any one of their dozens of museums. Don't forget to sample a few French pastries along the way as well.

About 40 km out of Nice you'll pass into Italy. Take A10 / E80 for about 50 km then head toward Milano. You can stop along the way at Genova, also called Genoa, and take in some sites there. Acquario di Genova is the largest marine park in Europe and is appropriately located on the waterfront at Ponte Spinola. A revolving view of the city is available at Bigo, located in the Porto Antico area.

Out of Genova, you'll take A26 to your final destination, Milano, Italy. Have a cookie on us!
Author Resource:- PLR Travel Articles provides travel related articles such as this one on a monthly basis. We have a team of writers with varied worldwide travel experiences ready to provide you with 30 quality travel articles a month. PLR Travel Articles

Great Sights in Spain

By : Andrew Tan Eng Chuan
When traveling to Spain, be ready to gratify in a diversity of culture and traditions. With its many regions, each with its diverse authority and ways of doing things, travelers to Spain will be certain be treated to a plethora of picturesque sights, sounds and experiences.

Touted as one the world's famous tourist destinations, Barcelona, travelers to Spain will find the openwork spires of the El Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia or the Church of the Holy Family. The personal obsession of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi y Cornet was reflected in the neo-Gothic architectural masterpiece reknowned for its undulating curves and flamboyant design just before he died in a trolley accident. Travelers to Spain's Barcelona will also find the paved thoroughfare Las Ramblas leading to Plaza de Catalu'a fascinating. In the oldest section of the city, travelers to Spain will get to see the Church of San Pablo del Ocampo and the Gothic Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, which is a monument to Christopher Columbus. In Barcelona, the Barri Gotic and the red brick Arc del Triomf can be found. Both were designed by Josep Vilaseca.

Travelers to Spain will love touring Barcelon's finest educational and art institutions. Among them are the University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Royal Archives of Aragon, the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Ancient Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Contemporary Art Museum.

Madrid, the capital of Spain, is a metropolis known for its nightlife. Travelers to Spain will be entertained with its bars and summer terazas. Areas of note are the Chueca and the Circulo de Bellas Artes where travelers to Spain can enjoy relaxing and drinking in its many bars and discotecas. Three of the finest museums in the world can also be found in Madrid. travel through Spain's art history as you view the country's art collection. Museo del Prado is the most famous of the lot. Travelers to Spain will be able to see in the museum Velazquez's Las Meninas and Goya's Las Majas.

The Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, on the other hand, houses Pablo Picasso's Geurnica, a depiction of the Spanish Civil War. Travelers to Spain should consider the following notable museums such as Thyssen-Bornemisza art museum that houses close to 800 paintings; the Lazaro Galdiano Museum; the National Library, which houses every book published in Spain; Museum of Bullfighting; the National Museum of Decorative Arts; and the Cultural Center of Madrid, which contains a theater for zarzuela, Spain's version of the opera. Of course, no place will compare to the Royal palace itself, where travelers to Spain can walk through the residential rooms of 18th and 20th century royalty.

Another sight that travelers to Spain should not leave without seeing is the Alhambra Palace, which is possibly the greatest work of the Moorish art in Spain. Consisting of several courtyards and patios, this Palace in Granada is a superb piece of architectural work with its elaborate inlaid walls and ceiling designs.

Traveling to Spain will not be complete without visiting Cordoba, a city in the South. Look for the Mezquita, Europe's grandest and utmost gorgeous mosque. Alcazar is another magnificent tourist destination. This Moorish palace was the venue for the Inquisition though it is currently essentially in ruins.

Spain's sprawling beaches and resorts also provide the perfect tourist destination. Travelers to Spain will fancy Costa del Sol and the Costa Brava, a string of coves from Palamos to Begur.

Author Resource:- The author of this article is Andrew Tan EC, webmaster of MyTravel Networks at My World Travel Guides , MyTravel Insurances .

Andalucia - Undiscovered Beauty

Andalucia, which is Spain’s southernmost autonomous community, is a place of unrivalled natural beauty. The state, which consists of eight provinces, each unique in its own offerings is rising up meteorically on everyone’s chart of the best tourist destinations in the world due to its varied and till now, untouched and undiscovered beauty. Andalucia’s natural beauty is unique in itself because it is one of those rare places on earth that offer mankind all the treasures of nature at one place. So while the region boasts of sandy beaches and untouched countryside villages on one hand, it is complemented by snow covered peaks and lush jungles on the other. Excellent weather, more than 3000 sunny hours an year, beautiful natural ports, awe inspiring historical monuments and inhabitants who are full of life and hospitality have made Andalusia one place where everybody wants to go.
No wonder then, that the eight provinces of Andalucia-- Cadiz, Cordoba, Almeria, Jaen, Granada, Huelva, Malaga and Seville—boast not just of a large number of tourists at any time of the year, but also of a varied cosmopolitan environment created by thousands of expatriates who have made this beautiful state their home. However, the people of this community, instead of taking away from the natural beauty of this place, have added to Andalucia’s charm because of their extremely tolerant, exuberant and fun loving nature.
Andalucia’s untouched beauty has something to offer to everyone. While the coastlines of Cadiz and Huelva boast of Atlantic beaches and seas that are perfect for water sports, the coastline from Almeria to the Strait of Gibraltar offers a smooth sailing climate that perfect for nature and animal lovers. If you want more action then you can head towards the tourist centers of Costa del Sol, Costa Tropical, the Costa de la Luz and Costa Almeria along the region’s 900 kilometer coast line. There are a large number of places on the coast where whale Andalucian tourist spots are famous not just for their natural beauty, but also for their hip and happening social scene, discos, nightclubs and a large amount of celebrity population that keeps frequenting them. Sports lovers can have fun skiing on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range on indulging in a wide variety of water sports on the coast.
On the other hand, if you want to experience the peace and quiet of the countryside, you can turn towards the famous “white villages” in the provinces of Seville, Cadiz, Granada and Cordoba, which transport modern day travelers to almost medieval villages where life seems to have stopped at a perfect point in time. The villages’ old world charm is peppered by scenes of natural beauty ---lush green mountains, meadows and fields that reassure you that yes indeed, Andalucia is paradise on earth. If you are an adventure or nature lover, then a trip to at least one of the famous national parks is a must for you. Not only will you be able to see a large number of endangered species and other wild animals, the trek itself is an unforgettable adventure.

Author Resource:- Simon Batchelor has lived in the Costa Tropical for the past 3 years and is the editor of the english magazine http://www.costatropicalnews.com "> The Costa Tropical News . Please Visit http://www.costatropicalnews.com "> www.costatropicalnews.com for more information!!!

Amazing Spain

By : Francis Lua

Expanse Spain is situated on the Iberian Peninsula in the southwest of Europe. It yet encompasses two groups of islands. The Isles Balearic, in the Mediterranean, Mallorca the largest island is fully spurt one cultured class miles off the eastern coast and the Isles Canarias which are situated approximately five hundred miles to the southwest and lie off the North Pacific Ocean dust of Morocco. Mellila and Cueta are two Spanish enclaves in Morocco on the African modest.

Spain is one of the world leading destinations for the package holiday. It offers beautiful beaches of morality and unique histories. Thousand of multinational traveler charity wants to move around see what more Spain has to offer.

British Airways and the Shah fly servant to Gibraltar occasionally several departure points in the United Kingdom and King has some very avail deals on seats. Major marks provide scheduled flights to Air castle but it is also a chief destination for budget airlines with return retreats available for less than 100 Euros now and again moreover European cities. It is also possible to pick up bargain seats on the overmuch employ flights serving the tourist industry. Air travel within Spain, with the exception of a couple of good deal airlines, is expensive.

Lions gate prepare access from Portugal to the west and France which borders Spain to the northeast. Road expedition within the country can dispute. Many roads are not of an avail standard but Daydream has institution billions of Euros in aid now and again the European Union and much of this has been spent on the infrastructure and so it is also possible to travel on some of the newest and finest roads on the conservative. The terrain is well served by many bus companies union the major towns and cities with express services. Adapted is also wealth of local bus services.

The spray message service is well developed enabling road to the country from in a walk Portugal and France and fast transit between towns and cities within Spain. Fares are cheap compared to some other bigwig Indo European language countries. Madrid and Barcelona are served by reasonable Metro underground railway simulation.

In addition to the extreme cut off islands social democracy ferries run once in a while the quarry to effortlessly the island groups and the two enclaves in Morocco. The Canary Islands are served by a boat running now and again Cadiz. The individuality is long, petty 48 midnight and the sea philosophy often make for a rough passage.

Airports In Andalucia Spain

By : Sandra Lightowler

Six aiports exist in Andalucia, Spain. Regular flights are available for holidaymakers and business travellers. Making travelling by air a much easier and enjoyable option.

Almeria
Called Aeropuerto de Almeria in Spanish, the Almeria airport is the nearest airport to several popular towns and resorts including Roquetas de Mar, Garrucha, Almerimar, Mojacar, Aguadulce, Vera and the City of Almeria. The airport also serves as a gateway to other holiday hotspots including Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Melilla and Madrid. For travellers between Almeria and the UK there are regular scheduled flights between Aeropuerto de Almeria and Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Gatwick and Luton. This three-storied airport building has an outstanding rooftop cafe that bonafide travellers can avail of after having gone through their security checks.

Cordoba
Located on the north bank of the River Guadalquivir, 6 kilometres west of the city, Cordoba airport is in effect an aerodrome that handles all national traffic and only international traffic that arrives and departs from Schengen signatory countries. In the absence of any Customs and Passport clearance facilities, the airport is unable to offer passport clearance for passengers arriving from non-Schengen countries. Most of the traffic at Cordoba airport comprises of charter passenger flights, military flights, aerial photography and parachuting schools besides other assorted aerial works. The airport is also used for crop spraying by agricultural treatment companies as well as for transfers of organs to and from the transplant centre at the Riena Sofia hospital in the city.

Granada Airport
The Federico Garcia Lorca Granada-Jaen Airport is situated in the district of La Vega del Genil, 17 kilometres from the city of Granada. Besides the Alhambra Palace and the City of Granada, this interesting airport is the gateway to Europe's southernmost ski resort in the Sierra Nevada Mountains as well as the Costa Tropical towns including Salobrena, Motril, La Herradura and Almunecar. The Granada airport mainly handles scheduled flights to and from Madrid and Barcelona, thus having a vital role in the socio-economic development of Granada.

Jerez Airport
Modern, compact and smart, the Jerez airport, known as Aeroporto de Jerez in Spanish, is one of the key axes for tourism development in the Cadiz region. The airport handles international flights from the UK and Germany as well as domestic flights from Madrid Airport, Barcelona Airport and Palma Airport. Jerez airport also serves as a primary gateway to Costa de La Luz and travellers can easily get transfers to popular hotspots including Marbella, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Algeciras, Chiclana, Tarifa and Sevilla. Though small, it has tremendous tourism value and has grown at tremendous speed with passenger traffic going from 300,000 in 1992 to almost 1,381,560 in 2006.

Malaga
Located 8 kilometres southwest of Malaga City, Aeropuerto de Malaga is the main airport in Southern Spain. Regular flights are available from most airports including Brussels, Madrid, Barcelona, Melila to name but a few. Also flights from the UK and Ireland are numerous and have a short flying time of about 2.5 - 3 hours. Malaga airport is the fourth busiest airport in Spain with passenger numbers increasing every year. The airport is 6 kilometres from the main city and less than an hour's drive away from the city of Costa del Sol as well as all Malaga golf courses. There are several direct flights for internal travel to Sevilla Airport, Almeria Airport and Jerez Airport. Current building work on the airport includes a new passenger terminal, a new car park and eventually a second runway.

Sevilla Airport
Designed by architect Rafael Moneo, the Sevilla airport building incorporates three traditional components of Sevillian culture including orange trees, the palace and the mosque, offering arriving passengers a delightfully unique welcome. Presently most of the traffic passing through this airport is domestic traffic. Five main car hire companies that operate out of Sevilla airport will drive passengers down to Marbella on the Costa del Sol in about 3 hours. Driving down to Jerez takes under one hour and driving down to Faro in Portugal takes around 2.5 hours.

Author Resource:- Sandra Lightowler is the owner of Ask Olive the leading online information and Business Directory for Andalucia Spain.

Barcelona Art Culture and Tapas

Barcelona is Spain’s second city and the capital of Catalonia in the north of the country. The city is a vibrant metropolis with a great artistic and architectural heritage. Many of the buildings are art nouveau with many being designed by the avant-garde and occasionally bizarre architect Gaudi, of whom his professor, at his graduation said “I don’t know whether we are graduating a genius or a fool!”

It is a well laid out city with broad streets and wide walkways. The city transport and tourist infrastructure underwent a massive program of improvement and modernization from 1987 to 1992 in preparation for staging the Olympic games, and today that legacy still ensures good quality, plentiful accommodation and good transport links.

The people here seem to have a passion for all things artistic and as such you will find many street artists and performers and, as well as a profusion of the more usual galleries, concert halls, museums and exhibitions. The nightlife is also good. Barcelona is definitely a party city and the streets are generally safe at night although all the usual precautions are still advisable.

The food is generally of a very high standard especially the tapas, selections of different foods such as olives, spicy chorizo sausage etc which is a good reasonably priced option in the bars. Seafood is especially good as Barcelona is a truly Mediterranean city. When eating in restaurants, send back anything you didn’t order! Those wonderful looking appetizers are not a gift from the kitchen and you will end up paying for them!

Barcelona has a temperate climate more than hot enough to fulfill most people’s idea of good holiday weather, but without the fierce heat of the south that can render the middle of the day useless for anything other than sitting in a (preferably air-conditioned) hotel room.

Barcelona Must See:

Museu Picasso: On Carra Montcada the museum houses a large collection of Picasso’s work especially his rose and blue periods and the later cubist variations, and also his engravings, pottery, sculpture and lithographs. He was a very busy man! The museum is housed in two adjoining medieval palaces.

The Rambla: A mile long walkway built over the remains of a dried up riverbed. A bit touristy, but usually populated with street performers and artists. A great place for an evening promenade, or an afternoon coffee at one of the many outdoor cafes. Be sure to keep your hand on your wallet in the crowded areas!

Museu de Geologia: The oldest museum in Barcelona and since 1882 has been home to a large and fascinating collection of paleontology and geological exhibits. Go on the first Sunday of the month when admission is free.

Tibidabo: At the summit of the hill Collserola. Arrive by the tramvia blau to la Atalaya (the old watchtower) for a stunning view of the city. Also at the top are a nineteenth century amusement park and a mechanical museum.

Catedral: Work originally started on the construction of this beautiful gothic cathedral in 1298 on the site of a first century chapel. The central spire was added as late as 1913. The elaborate and decorative chorus should not be missed.

L’Aquarium de Barcelona: Situated on the waterfront this aquarium is one of the largest (if not the largest) in Europe. It has a large collection of marine life from all over the world and especially the Mediterranean. You can walk through a transparent tunnel while the sharks move menacingly above your head.

Museu Temple de la Segrada familia: A museum dedicated to Gaudi’s great unfinished masterpiece. A wonderful opportunity to see a great work of art in construction. Take the lift up the tower to get a good overview of the scale of the project.

Barcelona’s people are generally friendly and helpful to tourists, but don’t be surprised if your guide book Spanish is not as popular as you thought. Although the locals speak Spanish the main language here is Catalan.

Barcelona has all the ingredients for a great holiday. Good food, good weather, great culture and wonderful people. A week there will always be a week well spent.

Beware Barcelona Spain

By : Frances Coleman

Beware. Barcelona Spain is habit forming. This fascinating city will make you unwilling to leave and return home. You will be sure that there is some nook or cranny where you have missed something very special, and you probably have. Most people don't even use maps; they just walk or meander around the city seeing the sights. There is always a unique and fabulous opportunity just waiting for you to find it around the next corner.

First let's talk about the food. You can eat as late as you want. Most restaurants don't really get busy until after 8:30. Of course, there is traditional fare with local produce, fish and game. You will also find Basque cuisine and trendy places where you will have food almost too beautiful to eat. Everything tastes wonderful and you will not find a lot of cookie cutter places. Each place is different, unique and wonderful.

Shopping is terrific. Even places that look small and uninteresting contain incredible items if you give the store a chance and walk in. You will find everything from traditional Spanish furniture, clothes, and other collectors' items. You will also find lovely jewelry and other accessories in shops across Barcelona.

We have to talk architecture when we visit Barcelona. The city is a maze of streets especially in the Gothic Quarter. You will want to spend days seeing all the sights here. As you can tell by the name, the architecture is Gothic, intimidating, and very old. There are several Cathedrals worth a visit. I would suggest walking as this is the best way to see this part of the city.

Three world famous Surrealist painters, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Joan Miro once called Barcelona Spain home and the art here reflects that. In contrast, almost unthinkably, bullfighting is still practiced here but that violent tradition is coming under attack not only from abroad, but domestically as well. Despite this one black mark in the eyes of many, Barcelona is a gorgeous city full of life.

Barcelona is a city full of interesting people, wonderful food, great architecture, and enjoyable shopping. Remember if you visit Barcelona, you may never want to come home.