If you don’t already have a reason to visit Spain, then carry on reading. This summer can be a bit of a disappointment in the UK. Apart from the odd three days of awful heat thanks to climate change, we don’t see a lot of sunshine. If you are looking for some sun, sea and culture then you need to get yourself to Spain!

I’ve only been to Spain a few times. When I was very young my first trip abroad was to Mallorca – we loved it so much that we went again the following year. I have then been to Barcelona for a few days and a press trip to Portaventura World. Here’s why I think you should visit Spain, based on my personal experiences.

Barcelona

I went to Barcelona back in 2017. We went in June which is always a great time to visit Spain and the weather was glorious. In fact, it was so hot that I managed to get very sunburnt. I definitely won’t be going without my Factor 50 after that. Barcelona generally has better weather than the UK during the summer and even if it’s a bit drizzly, there’s plenty of things to do.

Park Guell

You can’t visit Spain without seeing some of Antoni Gaudi’s famous architecture. We spent an afternoon in Gaudi’s famous Park Guell. Here, we got to see some beautiful works of art in the form of architecture and gardens. The views from the top of Park Guell are beautiful and well worth a visit. You can’t leave without getting a photo with the mosaic walls either.

Sagrada Familia

Of course, Antoni Gaudi’s most famous piece of architecture in Barcelona is the Sagrada Familia. He was famously killed during the construction, when he stepped back into the road to admire the building.

We stayed in an apartment just around the corner, so we were lucky enough to see this spectacular building every day. The building is still unfinished, however you should definitely buy a ticket to go inside. It’s just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside.

Barcelona beach

Although we didn’t actually step foot on the beach, we had a lovely walk along the seafront. There’s a lot of different cafes and restaurants which you can sit outside of and admire the view. It was in one of these cafes where I received my offer to study my Masters degree, so I have fond memories of Barcelona beach.

Barcelona Zoo

We spent half a day wandering around Barcelona Zoo, which was fantastic. We spent a lot of time with the orangutans which were so interactive. One of them even copied me and stuck his tongue out for a selfie. We saw dolphins, komodo dragons and hippos amongst many other types of animals.

Portaventura

On another trip to Spain, I visited Portaventura World. This theme park is just outside of Barcelona and is home to Ferrari Land and Europe’s fastest and tallest rollercoaster – Red Force. I was there for the grand opening of Ferrari Land and it was a lot of fun. Of course, we had a ride on Red Force and it lived up our expectations. We loved it so much that we went straight back on again afterwards!

Spanish food

If you’re a food lover then there’s just so much choice for you in Spain. Spanish cuisine consists of a lot of very rich foods, things that I would see as a treat whilst at home. Probably the most famous Spanish food is paella which is readily available in almost every Spanish restaurant. My personal favourite Spanish food is tapas. Having a few little dishes so you can try many different things at once is just so much more appealing than one big dish.

There are plenty of different places that I would love to visit in Spain. Madrid is high on my list, as is Costa Blanca.