Destinations

If it is at all possible for you to plan several months in advance for your future trips, you should really do that. The savings that you could get could be so amazing by beating everyone else to it. Many of the airlines may put their tickets up for sell, far in advance, so watch out for those kinds of deals. You will also have to keep in mind that remaining flexible with your schedule is very important when hoping to get a great priced airfare ticket to Paris.

You may find many different travel sites on the internet, offering good deals on airfare tickets to Paris, so make sure you give yourself enough time to do the proper research available to you for finding the most affordable airfare tickets to Paris, otherwise you might end up breaking yourself, before you ever even get to enjoy all there is to enjoy while you are in Paris. If an airline finds that they have available seats left on the flight then they are going to offer some discounts in order to fill those remaining seats. Keep an eye open for these types of discounts when planning for your traveling adventures.

Knowing when to choose your flight is something pretty important when trying to save yourself a little bit of money. Traveling during the off peak seasons is your best bet because better deals will be offered to customers during these times. If you do not know what the peak seasons are just remember that they are between January and March and again, from November through December. Remember to book these flights during the week also, because traveling on the weekends will definitely cost you more than you are wanting to spend.

If you could plan on flying to Paris from a more popular airport that could end up saving you quite a bit of money also because the number of flights departing to Paris is much higher when using these airlines. Because of them always flying to Paris, you will find that they offer more discounts on the airfare tickets that would be available to you. So, if you can do it this way, it would really benefit you. Do not forget to be flexible with your flying schedule because you may find that there is a better deal on a different day than the original day that you had first chosen, it would be worth it to just wait and fly then, in order to save some money on your airfare tickets.

Whether you are an experienced traveler or not, you should know first and foremost, that you never travel during the holiday seasons to Paris by air, if it can at all be avoided. The prices on airfare tickets normally goes up during this time because they know that many, many people will be traveling to get home for the holidays and even if they do raise those prices, people are still going to have to pay them, because they would not dream of NOT getting to fly home for the holidays. It is a win win situation for the airliners during this time of the year.

When you understand a brief history of Spain, it will help you to understand a little about the country and also the people. You will find it well worth your time to learn about the country before you set off on your vacation.

Spain lies between Europe and Africa and has been invaded from both areas. The Romans invaded in the 3rd century AD, and again they were invaded by Germanic tribes in 409 AD. They ruled until 711 when the Muslims came via the Strait of Gibraltar. By 714 the Muslims ruled everywhere except the Northern part of Spain and they ruled the country for almost 800 years.

It was during this time that the arts and sciences were prosperous, and lots of new agricultural ideas were introduced; as well as, Mosques and other buildings not seen in Spain before were built.

Before the end of the 13th Century there were two main powers, Isabel of Castilla and Fernando of Aragón were married. They were the Catholic monarchs and Spain became one under them. But in 1478, the Spanish Inquisition took place, where thousands of Jews and Non-Christians were either killed or expelled from the country. In 1482, Granada was invaded and the last of the Muslim Kings surrendered to them. As Spain developed an empire it then had a number of wars with France, Netherlands and Britain. After a tempestuous time and various wars in which they were defeated, Spain started to lose the countries in their empires. During a 20 year period, the Inquisition was re-established and the Americas won their independence. By the end of 1898, the Spanish Empire was ended. When Spain fought America they lost Cuba, Guan, Philippines and Puerto Rico.

In 1936 Spain split into two parts and it was during this time that the army tried to overthrow the government. What followed was the Civil War which lasted until 1939. The Nationalists won the war and more than 350,000 Spaniards died during this time. After the war ended it was thought that around 100,000 people had been killed or had died in prison. Spain then had 35 years of dictatorship which caused Spain to be isolated. It was in the early 50’s that America gave them some funds which caused the country to start to recover from the recession.

When Franco died, his grandson was the successor. Spain then went from a dictatorship and became a democracy. 1977 was the first time elections had been held for many years and, following this election, a new constitution was written. Following this was a failed military coup, and in 1982 there was an election which resulted in a socialist government. But, there still remained the problem of ETA who wanted an independent country for the Basques and around 800 people have been killed.

Spain joined the European Union in 1986, hosted the Olympic Games in 1992 and Expo 1992. Following another election in 1996, the conservatives were voted in to lead the country. Following a terrorist attack in Madrid in 2004, when 192 people were killed, the government lost the election returning the socialist party to lead the country. Since then the government has made many changes to the way the country is run.

This is a brief history of Spain, which will help you to understand some of the buildings you will see, the history of the people and the culture of the country.

Valencia is the home of the paella and you should try it at least once at a restaurant where the locals eat. The original recipe will have rabbit and snails in it. The locals like to eat rice at lunch and then head for the Las Arenas area of the city. If you go to the Old City you will find many Tapas Bars. There are also cafés and restaurants all charging different prices. Another advantage of finding the places the locals like to eat is that you will be charged local prices and not tourist prices. If you like to enjoy a nice lunch, you will be disappointed because most restaurants don’t start to serve food until 2 pm.

Ribera 17 is a very cheap taverna but the food is excellent and it is definitely worth having a meal there.

Los Toneles is opposite the bullring and it has been serving food for 60 years. The locals love the calamari that is served there.

La Utielana packs in the local crowd because the food is wholesome and it is a good value for the money. To ensure you get a table you need to arrive early, before the locals, because there are no reservations accepted here.

La Tastaolletes serves vegetable tapas. The salads are excellent and the cheesecake with fruit is something you shouldn’t even consider missing.

La Pepica was a favorite restaurant for Ernest Hemingway. All your food is cooked right out in the open so you can see everything that happens in the kitchen.

La Rosa is a place where the locals flock to. Lunch starts at 2pm but you should get there around 1.30pm if you want a table overlooking the sea.

Raco del Turia is a place to learn about local foods. The food served here is very traditional and you will find a mixture of local people and foreigners eating here.

Casa Montana is one of the five classic Tapas bars in Valencia. It is not one of the easiest places to find but it is worth taking the time to find it.

Café & Te is a chain where you will find many locals having their coffee and breakfast. They serve meals during the day and you can also get snacks as well.

Many of the restaurants in Valencia are tourist restaurants and you should ask the locals to recommend some of the hidden secret places. They will know where they get those great meals and, by asking, you will learn about them yourself.

It is almost impossible to have a bad meal when you are visiting Madrid. There are restaurants, cafes and bars which will suit everybody’s taste and price range. But when it comes to finding good restaurants you will want to know where the locals eat out in Madrid. If the food is good enough for the locals then it will be good enough for you!

One place that is well-known to the locals has no name but the locals know it as Tienda de Comunista in Chueca by the square. It opens at 9pm and it is always full. From all the reviews on this restaurant, you should definitely try to find it.

La Playa is a place where Madrilerios often go for their lunch. Many of them eat what has been eaten for generations and this is the place to satisfy that need.

La Taberna de San Bernardo is the restaurant where the locals head to on a Saturday evening. Normally the restaurant is quiet but it becomes transformed when the locals arrive.

Le Café is where the locals come from the offices for their lunch. You need to get here early because it can be impossible to get a table otherwise.

Bar Melo’s is an easy place to miss but it is a famous bar for great food. This is another restaurant that is packed on a Friday and Saturday evening.

Café del Real serves the great chocolate cake and carrot cake, and you can get various types of coffee. Many locals come here on a Sunday afternoon.

Café Labra is one of the favorite tapas bars for the locals. It is an old café established in 1860 and one of the dishes the locals eat is dried codfish. You should try it in this bar. This bar has a history as the place where the Spanish socialist party was formed.

Casa Perico is a restaurant that is used by only a few people who know about it. When you enter the restaurant, it is hard to believe you are in a restaurant but the food is exceptional.

Wok is a reasonable priced Asian food restaurant. This is one of the better Chinese restaurants in Madrid. As the name suggests all the food is cooked in a wok.

Restaurante Sobrino De Botin is in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest restaurant in the world. It features in many novels about Spain. The food is excellent but, because of the number of people wanting to eat here, it is not the place for a leisurely meal.

When you are in a foreign country, it is often tempting to eat at some of the big chain restaurants and eat the food you would normally eat at home. If you do that, then you may miss out on some of the best food you have ever eaten.

When you visit the local market, take a look at where the locals are eating. Many of these little cafes will be cooking fresh food using local products. You will need to use common sense when you choose where to eat, but again, if it is full of locals then it is probably a good place to eat.

One of the best ways of finding the local restaurants is to ask a local person. Be careful who you ask, because some people such as taxi drivers are given a commission if they recommend a restaurant. Local people are proud of where they live and they will be more than happy to tell you the best kept secrets.

Dong Lin Chinese Restaurant is a restaurant serving authentic Chinese food and there usually isn’t a tourist in sight.

El Quatre Gats is a restaurant where Picasso visited and took his first commission…the cover on the menu. Many young artists come here to hang out.

Euskal Etxea is another great Tapas bar. Grab a plate and order a drink. Eat until you have had enough and then pay your bill.

Costa Gallega is full of local shop workers and business people and that is a great sign that the food is great.

Cal Pep Restaurant is another restaurant full of local people having their evening meal.

Restaurant Pitarra is a place where many local politicians eat and, from the photos on the wall, most of the Parliament has eaten here at one time or another.

Organic is always full and one of the best places for vegetarian foods.

Hofmann is somewhere different to eat. This is hidden away at the cuisine school and it is where many of the top chefs have trained. The current students have the opportunity to try all the different skills they have learnt.
Can Mano is the place to come if you want to have a noisy evening at a packed table. The food served here is excellent and you can have prawns for breakfast.