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Top ten: Spanish tourist traps you should avoid

Top ten: Spanish tourist traps you should avoid

Everyone knows that Spain is jam-packed with amazing sights for visitors, but sadly not all that glitters is gold. Here The Local rounds up some of the country’s top tourist traps to avoid at all costs. You’ve been warned!

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Plaza Mayor, Madrid: Centuries of history -with everything from bullfights to public executions held between its beautifully decorated walls – and now what does it have? People hawking useless toys, mariachi bands and a fat man dressed as Spiderman. What exactly did Madrid Mayor Ana Botella mean when she said “there’s nothing quite like drinking a relaxing cup of café con leche in Plaza Mayor”? Nothing quite as hellish and overpriced? Photo: isalella/Flickr
Sagrada Familia, Barcelona: If your idea of a good time is standing in a queue for an hour while builders high up above clamber up scaffolding, then ok. There’s no denying it’s majestic and unique from the outside and in, but €15 to get into a half-built cathedral is a bit much. Locals have even called for the town hall to build wider pavements in the neighbourhood because hordes of tourists make it impossible to move around. Photo: Shutterstock
Playa de Las Americas,Tenerife: Most coastal locations in Spain run the risk of turning into ‘Little Britain’, with the same array of ghoulish characters as the hit UK comedy. The south of Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands is a fine example of this: overrun with pubs, chippies, tacky nightclubs and zero culture. The tourist spots of Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos are a far cry from the north of the island, with its amazing Mount Teide (Spain’s highest peak), dense forests and colonial towns often getting overlooked by sun-obsessed tourists.Photo: Mataparda/Flickr
Gibraltar: OK, we’re cheating a little here. But while Gibraltar is not technically a part of Spain it makes it onto the list of tourist traps— because we felt like it. Let’s face it: once you’ve admired the bright red pillar boxes, eaten your fish and chips and been chased by an angry ape, there’s not much to do in this British outpost on the Med. The best thing about Gibraltar? The views of Spain and Africa of course.Photo: Chris Goldberg/Flickr
Majorca: Yep, calling the whole island a tourist trap is a bit unfair. But if you are going in summer in the hope of winding down, it’s going to be tough – because the island is packed! Not everywhere is like the alcohol-poisoned hellhole of Magaluf we’ll give you that, but it’s overpriced and overbooked. What about the other Balearic islands? Menorca is much quieter and has some pristine beaches and Ibiza is the world clubbing capital. Use your noggin next time! Photo: Jaime Reina/AFP
Marbella: If you have money to burn, why spend your holidays in a place with a mediocre beach and obnoxious people? Marbella exploded onto the scene in the 90s thanks to corrupt businessman/mayor Jesús Gil, who turned a fishing village into a playground for the rich and famous. Loads of showboating - especially in the Ferrari-infested Puerto Banus area – and yet no class whatsoever. Andalusia, the southern region where Marbella is located, has so much more to offer in terms of city beauty and beaches. Photo: Natt Muangsiri/Flickr
Puerta del Sol, Madrid: Spain’s capital has bags of beautiful and buzzing ‘plazas’ and this is definitely not one of them. Whether it’s the pickpockets or the creepy adults dressed as cartoon characters, Madrid’s main square is undoubtedly tacky and sends the wrong message to tourists about what Spain is all about. Go, take a selfie with the bear statue and never come back!Photo: Shutterstock
Seville Fair: Spain’s famous Fería de Seville draws thousands of foreign tourists every year. The five-day party is an astonishing feast for the senses, and makes for some seriously fantastic photos. But what people don’t tell you is that most of the fairground marquees are closed to the public, and that if you don’t know any locals you’ll spend hours watching other people having bucket loads of fun. By day three you’ll be hoping to never see another glass of rebujito (sherry and lemonade) again.Photo: Tom Raftery/Flickr
Guggenheim Musuem, Bilbao. How can something so amazing on the outside be so wrong on the inside? Whether you like this building or not (the New York Times half-admiringly called it a Looney Tunes project), there’s no doubting Frank Gehry’s building is a modern masterpiece. But lots of visitors say the people running the museum it houses aren’t holding up their end of the bargain. For €13 visitors get poorly organized exhibits that swim in a sea of space. But, hey, at least you can admire the architecture.Photo: Andrea Ciambra/Flickr
Cave flamenco shows, Sacomonte, Granada. One of the highlights of Granada is a visit to the Sacromonte neighbourhood, a heartland of Spain’s Gitano (Gypsy) culture. With its amazing caves, thought to have been excavated buy Jews and Moors expelled from the city, this is a must-see. But unless your idea of a flamenco show is expensive drinks, mediocre music and excitable middle-aged northern Europeans, you might want to give the local ‘tablaos’ (flamenco clubs) a miss. Try the city’s Peña La Platería — Spain’s oldest flamenco club — instead.Photo: bobbyfiend/Flickr
<a href="http://bit.ly/1ur8z4X"> Want to see the best that Spain has to offer? CLICK HERE FOR SPAIN'S BEST BEACHES</a>


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