- The peoples of Spain that still resist the coronavirus
- Holidays on a boat, the family alternative to mass tourism in Spain
No organized holidays, no big popular festivities ( prao festivals and orchestras are still in the air in the town squares), no festivals or, predictably, beaches with traffic jams on the banks. This summer, in principle, the beach bars will not be filled with guiris in the sun either.
If 83.7 million foreign tourists visited Spain last year, 1.1% more than the previous year, according to figures from the National Statistics Institute (INE), in this summer, if possible, tourism will be national. This year is (hopefully) an opportunity to discover hidden and little-traveled Iberian and island corners.
An opportunity to bet on empty hiking trails , make a safari from your private car , listen to little-known stories of Madrid, prepare family picnics and go to the beach, but on little crowded coastlines.
At the moment, you can imagine a summer vacation with transfers between provinces at the end of June, once phase 3 of the de-escalation ends according to the dates set by the Government.
Iberian safari
Elephants, giraffes, lions and rhinos in semi-freedom and without leaving the Peninsula. In the 750 hectares that the Cabárceno Nature Park occupies , you can see some 120 species from the five continents. And from the private car, driving along the 20 kilometers of roads that run through an old open-cast iron mining operation, where the animals now live. This is one of the plans suggested by Gabriela Mayans, founder three years ago of the Viajes Exploring Cantabria agency.
Accustomed to organizing excursions for small groups of national tourism ("the province is a great stranger to foreigners"), she is expecting a lot of "last minute" reservations this summer. He proposes routes away from the typical bustle of the months of July and August: " I would bet on getting to know less popular towns, but with a lot of charm, such as Liérganes, Vega del Pas, Carmona or Bárcena Mayor . Isolated areas, not as common as classic destinations Comillas or Santillana del Mar ".
Beyond the Altamira Cave or the Soplao Cave, in Cantabria there are more sites. "If they open, it is worth the visit to the Covalanas Caves , in the municipality of Ramales de la Victoria, which are only accessed by seven people, a World Heritage Site, to contemplate the paintings of the red deer." Or enjoy, if possible, "the 200 km of very little crowded coast" of the province, he hopes.
Outdoors, it offers to hire a private guide and take a hiking route through Cabezuelo or through the Peña Cabarga massif. "Also the descent of the Deva river by canoe , because you interact only with the rowing partner." In addition to excursions, his agency offers travel. "This year we are going to buy an ozone machine to disinfect the eight-seater van every time a customer gets off," reveals the businesswoman.
Pintxos outdoors
After 11 years traveling, Ernes Olasagasti decided to return home three years ago and founded Ikusnahi Tours, which means curiosity in Basque. "I spent two years traveling around the world first and then I was a guide in Bhutan, Cina, Japan, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Canada ... some 17 countries, I calculate. And I realized that in the end I did not know my land. His Until March, the business was focused on a profile of a foreign tourist, with high purchasing power, who is looking for a comfortable trip without much walking. " Imagining a different summer, organize plans tailored to this national traveler. "We thought of plans at demolition prices, according to this situation [away from the 425 euro tours for two people, their cheapest pre-coronavirus ticket] outdoors," he reveals.
The new proposals "will all be plans in the open air and in very small groups." It proposes "a day or a half day of hiking through Hondarribia [Fuenterrabía], covering part of the Camino de Santiago del Norte, through Mount Jaizkibel, stopping at the hermitage of Guadalupe, where we will have a picnic with local delicacies (Idiazabal cheese, tuna and anchovies dull by ourselves and quality sausages, he says.) We would finish with a tour of my town, visiting the castle of Carlos V, with its Rubens tapestries ... ", details Olasagasti.
In the absence of a future gastronomic route of the pintxo , he suggests a three or four-hour walk through the architectural San Sebastián. "From the old part, although it must be borne in mind that the city burned down entirely in 1813, to the buildings of French influence, La Belle Époque, modernism rationalism and the Kursaal, symbol of the city of the 21st century. Of course , we would go through La Concha, the typical picture of the city. As I imagine a traveler profile much more andarin than what I am used to, we can start the route going up to Mount Igueldo ".
While that visitor arrives, in these fallow months he is also devising other plans. "I even study tours that we will give away to the doctors. I feel like doing it and giving something back for their work," he adds.
WOMEN OF THE HISTORY OF MADRID
Yes, the capital also has stories suitable for times of coronavirus. Through a WhatsApp group, María Luisa Rubio is in contact with her colleagues from APIT, the Association of Official Tourism Guides of the Community of Madrid. Together they plan to return to the activity. With no international travelers on the agenda ("Until June, every day I had a group of French people," he laments), the organization is considering alternative routes. "The national or local tourist already knows the typical visit to the capital, so we propose different excursions for a very small audience , " he adds.
Safety is the key this year. To ensure social distancing, the official guide works with audios . "They allow us to be separated and we also talk about everyone wearing masks," he reveals.
As special walks think of "the Medieval Madrid of the three cultures, a literary route from El Capitán Alatriste to talk about the seventeenth century villa. Following the novel by Arturo Pérez Reverte, we make a tour of the time of Felipe IV, we went to taverns, inns, we talked about how the administration was, the customs of the town ... ", explains the specialist.
It also suggests an itinerary talking about the relevant women in Madrid. "The tour started with the statue of Miguel de Cervantes, well known, but who was poor Catalina, his wife? We are talking about queens, about nuns like Sister Mariana de Jesús, the city's co-patron; about actresses and singers , of the first university students, suffragettes, and of writers like Emilia Pardo Bazán ", he details.
The 2020 course was marked with the Galdosian Year . To commemorate the centenary of his death, the guide has prepared a tour about life in the 19th and 20th centuries, the arrival of the lighting in the city, the figure of the serene ... " A walk that will also surprise the people of Madrid ", ensures.
LEVANTE, MORE THAN BEACHES
María Hernández-Reinoso, official guide of the Valencian Community, imagines the next few months with routes in small committee , "like the one I propose: Valencia of sculptures. A walk through some of the most representative of the city , with a bus to go separately and at the pace set by tourists. " The art historian plans to start the itinerary at the Marqués del Campo statue (on the Gran Vía del Marqués del Turia), "from the journeys she traveled to her current location. This point also serves to analyze the expansion of the city, the end of the Christian walls in 1865 and the importance of farmers for the city ", details the founder of María Hernández-Reinoso Guided and cultural visits.
Following the tour that suggests, about two hours long, "we would arrive at the sculpture of Doctor Moliner that helps us to explain the city of the early nineteenth century and the Valencian Renaixença [literary, cultural and social movement of the late nineteenth]. And We would end up in the gardens of El Parterre, full of sculptures, also natural, like the two spectacular picus, living heritage. "
As another destination in the autonomous community, he recommends Peñíscola (Castellón de la Plana): "It has a beach, history, a papal castle ... and even if it is in summer, you can also carry out non-crowded plans," he says.
OIL ROUTE
The old railway line that linked Linares (Jaén) with Puente Genil (Córdoba) has been the Oil Greenway for two decades , "the longest in Andalusia and the second in Spain," explains Antonio Camacho, technical director of the Subbética Cycling Center , a bicycle rental point, also a workshop open to the public and for tourist information, located in an area that allows overnight stays for caravans.
The difficulty of possible excursions on the path on foot or by bicycle is minimal, with a difference of 2 or 3%. The path runs between olive forests and the limit of the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park . It runs through 128 km, but it can be done in sections. From town to town. "Every 10 or 15 km there is a rehabilitated station, which offers restoration services and maintains the railway marriage. In Cabra there are two old locomotives and old cubatos , the giant water tanks that supplied the railways," he explains. In addition, the road passes through 13 iron viaducts built in France by two disciples of Gustave Eiffel .
The most beautiful stretch for Camacho runs from the towns of Cabra and Luque, about 30 km apart. "Just the Subbética Cycling Center, in the town of Doña Mencía, is halfway and you can choose direction or do both. As we offer a pick-up service, tourists can also leave the tour whenever they want," he explains. Just pedaling 4 km from Doña Mencía you reach Zuheros, "one of the most beautiful towns in Spain , which is well worth a visit."
For this summer, the businessman prepares games for families, with clues (through QR codes) and challenges to get a treasure on a bicycle; and the Now We Take Care of You campaign, with free experiences for restrooms and members of the security forces and bodies .
If the heat suggests more refreshing plans, there is also a beach in Córdoba, Valdearena . Of fresh water and XX km of coastline. With deckchairs, XXX and water activities (paddle surf, kayak or a boat ride). Located in the extreme south of the province, one hour from the capital (and about 50 minutes from Doña Mencía), "the Iznájar reservoir beach is the largest in Andalusia. After a swim you can have a drink at the beach bars or take your own picnic, "says Camacho.
LAND OF CONQUERORS
In the world there are 17 populations that repeat the name of Trujillo : in Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico ... A copy to the municipality of Cáceres, which owes its fame (and architectural legacy) mainly to the conqueror of Peru Francisco Pizarro.
With all the high season already lost, "from the Andalusian bridge [February 28] to May, I prepare routes to save a summer, which in principle would receive fewer tourists," says Rafael Rebollo, guide of the town and of Extremadura, founder of Destino Trujillo.
To the morning appointment, he adds a night, "without the burden of the summer heat." The route starts at "The jewel in the crown: the Plaza Mayor". At that time, the entire excursion is outdoors. "We are talking about Francisco Pizarro, Francisco de Orellana, discoverer of the Amazon, and Diego García de Paredes , the Samson from Extremadura. We see the Palace of the Duke of San Carlos, the largest Renaissance-style palace in Extremadura; the Chain House , where Felipe II stayed back from Portugal after being crowned there as king, the Palacio de Juan de Orellana and the first house for hiring and coupling, which they later moved to Seville ".
The visit also stops at the typical photo of Trujillo: "On the corner balcony of the Palace of the Marquis of the Conquest, raised by the Pizarro family with the money that came from America," explains Rebollo.
As an extraordinary measure, the guide considers giving all his tourists a mask .
YOGA WITHIN THE VOLCANO
A summer, in principle, without cruise passengers. And with far fewer than the three million tourists who walk on the island throughout the year. The guides prepare to receive a national or Canary traveler. " Many Spaniards do not even know our own land . We do not know what we have at home," says Jon Bilbao, Jumpy Guides official guide.
This year is ideal to " feel the energy of the island, " he says. The guide suggests walking through the Natural Park of the Volcanoes, a protected area that can be reached by private car. "On the road from Geria to Tinajo, you can park and walk through the protected area, between rock formations and over the lava." After a walk of about 50 minutes, the crater of the Cuervo volcano is called. "Practicing yoga in its crater is wonderful. Highly recommended," he says.
He also advises placing himself inside a volcanic bubble . "In the center. Without shoes, with open legs, arms on the chest and eyes closed," he explains. A ritual that "calms, balances your energy", which should last from 15 to 20 minutes. Bubbles, he says, are all over the island, a territory of about 800 km2 with more volcanoes in the world, just behind Hawaii. Only the house of César Manrique (now home to the foundation named after the island's aesthetic designer), is built on five.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more- Spain
- Andalusia
- Estremadura
- Valencia
- Cordova
- Carlos V
- Valencian Community
- Madrid's community
- Jaen
- Miguel de Cervantes
- tourism
- Stay at home
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