![Gaudi's Park Guell in Barcelona.](/web/20170326121223im_/http://www.traveller.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/v/6/h/q/image.related.TravellerThumbnail.300x200.gms84a.png/1479789150485.jpg)
Twenty things that will shock first-time visitors to Spain
No one speaks English, it's amazingly cheap and Barcelona's not that dodgy.
No one speaks English, it's amazingly cheap and Barcelona's not that dodgy.
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Madrid is a mix of old and new; high culture and fun.
If you're interested in Basque cooking, San Sebastian really is the place to be.
"We eat ham at every meal," says Carlos. "We drink, we eat ham. We snack, we eat ham."
Seville's latest tourist attraction is the residence of the 18th Duchess of Alba, full of relics of her life as Spain's richest person.
Spain has distinctive food, festivals and architecture to savour.
To explore the fizzing genius of the flamboyant artist, it pays to take your time or risk sensory overload.
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Incredible art is placed front and centre on the Spanish stage, with architecture born from rebellious and creative spirits such as Dali, Picasso and Gaudi. Throw Roman ruins, Islamic architecture and gothic cathedrals into the mix, and you have an enthralling destination. Cities are linked by diverse landscapes; mountain ranges, Mediterranean coastlines, and rustic villages that cling to dusty hilltops, not to mention the food... oh the food.