Spectacular Spain Holiday with Family, A Must Visit Country!

-By Rajakumar Thiayagarajan

The delicious cuisine, rich culture, and diverse landscapes of Spain attracted my family and me to visit this country. Due to my busy work schedule, I never really had a chance to spend quality time with my wife and two boys in the past few months. Although my family never complained about it, but deep down in my heart, I knew it must be hurtful to them. So, I started looking forward to taking a break from my daily work life and planning a holiday. For your information, this trip wasn't a planned one with my family, but a surprise to them. After the end of the year and March closing, I applied for my long-awaited holiday, and they sanctioned it. The next thing I had to do was book flight tickets and hotels for a peaceful holiday.

I planned to make all the bookings through a reliable travel agency. One of my friends suggested to me Myholidays, an online travel website. Earlier, I was a little concerned about the services, but the quality of services amazed me. I must say, we had a nice and enjoyable trip. Hotels and internal train and car transfers were on time, and sightseeing was also arranged nicely. Myholidays made it one of the memorable trips for us; it was indeed the best surprise for my family ever from my side.

Our Spain tour packages included 4 nights' accommodation in Madrid, 4 nights' accommodation in Barcelona and 1 night's accommodation in Valencia. It also included transportation for sightseeing sites and 2nd class train tickets, as well as daily breakfast. Altogether, it was a fantastic 10-days 9-nights trip. Let's start the travel story our Spain trip.

Day 1: Arrival in Spain & Train to Madrid

Our enticing Spain tour started with our arrival at Barcelona airport. Since we had to spend 4 nights in Madrid first, we went towards Barcelona train station, through private transfer. The boys were excited about this train journey as it was their first foreign travel experience. The train journey took us 2 hours 30 minutes to reach Madrid. Through our private transfer service, we reached our hotel. Since it was a long journey, I preferred to rest; my wife also accompanied me. However, the boys were not ready to slow down, so they explored the entire hotel. After a few hours, all four of us went to enjoy the traditional live Flamenco show. The show was incredible, with mouthwatering Spanish cuisine. Patatas Bravas, Gazpacho, Croquetas, and Churros Con Chocolate are some of the signature dishes we relished.

However, day 1 in Madrid was a bit lazy; we were not able to roam around the city as we were exhausted. After enjoying the show and having dinner, all four of us sat for scrabble. After two rounds of the games, my wife fell asleep, but the boys were still active and were forcing me to play another round. Well, this time I had to scold them, and finally, I finished the game and went to sleep.

Day 2: Exploring Madrid City with Hop-on-Hop Bus Tour

Day 2 in Madrid started with a delicious Spanish breakfast. I had delicious sandwiches along with freshly squeezed orange juice. My wife and kids are fans of churros, so they even had that for breakfast. After breakfast, we were set to explore Madrid. We opted for a Hop-On-Hop bus tour to explore all the renowned tourist places of Madrid. It is one of the best ways to explore the city from your own comfort. This bus service can take you to all the iconic places of the city. The best thing about this bus trip was that we could stop by every spot and again get on the bus as many times as we wanted. However, they do not allow you to explore the places by entering them.

We decided to just roam around the city and embrace its beauty. Madrid is beautiful, and if you ever get a chance, you must plan your trip to this country. This iconic city has several tourist attractions that demonstrate the vibrant culture and rich history of Spain. Along with it, throughout our day trip, the weather was so pleasant that we didn’t get tired or had enough of the tour. After a while, it was time for lunch, and we stopped by the food heaven of Spain, Mercado de San Miguel. This place hosts more than 5 million tourists every year. People from every part of the world visit this market to try some iconic Spanish delicacies and street food. We tasted some of the specific Spanish street food along with a scrumptious main course.

We had so much food that we were not able to walk; however, after a wait of half an hour, we got back to the bus.

The time was running fast, and we had to get back to the hotel before dawn. After roaming for another few hours, we get back to our hotel. Now it was the time for some pool activities. Me and boys jumped into the summing pool while my wife opted for a spa session. I want to share a bit of personal information with you all; never jump into a swimming pool along with your teenagers if your purpose is to relax. Oh God, it was another exercise session for me. As soon as my wife came back from her relaxing session, I accompanied her to our hotel room. Kids were still in the pool, waiting for her mother to scold them. After a while, we were called for dinner; my wife and I wanted to have something light for dinner. We just had broccoli & carrot soups, the boys had their pizza, and we were ready to hit the bed.

Day 3: Time to Attend Spain’s National Sport

Fortunately, all four of us are great fans of football, and this holiday would not have been accomplished without attending a football match. Since the morning my boys woke up, they were excited about the match. It was going to be our first time to attend a live football match. However, the match was in the, so we decided to start our day a little slowly. We skipped our lunch and headed directly for the brunch. Since my family wanted to have something special for lunch, we exited our hotel and a Nepali restaurant. We were so happy to find this restaurant at the Kathmandu Tandoori House; the menu was satisfying.

We had ordered authentic chicken Momo, Pollo biryani, Thupka and Sel roti. The food was to die for, especially the Momo and biryani. We all were so amazed to have such desi kind of food in Madrid. After having a delicious lunch, we came back to our hotel. It was kind of a leisure day for us, and I personally wanted to just relax. After coming back to the hotel, all four of us decided to watch a movie together. But the question was, which movie to watch? Finally, four of us agreed to watch "How to Train Your Dragon". While watching the movie, I fell asleep, and three of them continued with the movie. The clock was ticking, and it was time to leave the hotel to attend the Real Madrid football match.

The boys and I wore the iconic Spain football team t-shirt, it was quite a moment for us. We did not want to get late by any chance, so we hurried up and reached Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. We took our seats and were ready to witness the first-ever live football match. The moment we saw the team entering the stadium, we all started cheering up with joy. My boys went literally crazy; if there was a provision, they would have been on the ground with others. After attending this magical football match, we roamed around the stadium, took pictures and got back to our hotel. We had our dinner on the way to the hotel, so we were ready to get a good night's sleep. The next day was going to be tiring as we were planning to roam the historic places of the city.

Day 4: Royal Tour & Cultural Walk

We started the day on a sweet note, and it was my wife’s birthday. The sweet staff of our hotel arranged a special breakfast for us. They decorated the breakfast area with balloons and a freshly baked cake on the table. She cut the cake, and we had a delicious breakfast loaded with blueberry pancakes, devil eggs, mashed potato sandwiches and freshly brewed coffee. We all were stuffed with food and ready to roam around the city. Firstly, we chose to explore the Royal Palace of Madrid. The largest royal palace in Western Europe offers a glimpse into Spanish culture, heritage and tradition.

Me and my wife, make sure to introduce our kids to the history and culture of places we visit. That’s why we first chose this place; it was a great learning experience for all four of us. After exploring this palace, we stopped by an ice cream parlour and enjoyed some delicious and unique flavours. Now, it was time to move on towards our next destination. By the afternoon, it was time to visit El Retiro Park. It is a popular public park in Madrid and is also listed among the UNESCO World Heritage sites. It was a perfect place to enjoy nature, relax and simply explore the entire park. After exploring the park, we took a boat ride and enjoyed boating while enjoying the pleasant weather.

Right beside this park is the renowned Crystal Palace of Spain. Made of iron and glass, this palace looks beautiful from the inside out. This palace is now a hub for art enthusiasts, and it hosts exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. By the time we were there, there was a temporary art exhibition going on. The boys were not interested in attending the art exhibition, so we let them be and entered the exhibition area. Both of them were mesmerised while taking a look at modern art paintings. I wish I could buy one, however, none were for sale. After this tour, all four of us were ready to celebrate the birthday dinner. Since we four are pizza people, so we chose a signature Italian restaurant, Villa Capri, which is one of the best Italian restaurants in Spain. After having a scrumptious dinner, we returned to our hotel and called it a day.

Day 5: A Tour to Valencia & Time to Try Paella

Our day 5 of Spain tour started a little early as we had to take an early morning train to Valencia. My kids and me were already waiting for me in the breakfast area. I quickly freshened up and packed all the bags. Headed for breakfast, placed all the bags in the cab, and moved towards the Madrid train station. Our ticket was already included in the package, so without any hassle, we took our seats and waited to start our train journey. After a pleasant 2-hour journey, we arrived at Valencia. Our private taxi driver was waiting for us at the station to drop us off at our hotel. It took almost an hour to reach the Hotel Illunion, and the generous hotel staff welcomed us with great zeal.

Finally, we got into our room, unpacked our bags, rested, and were ready to explore the beautiful city of Valencia. We had booked our 24-hour Hop-On-Hop city bus tour, and the first stop of our city tour was the Central Market of Valencia. The architectural design of this market is so attractive that you can't resist shopping. It is time to loosen up my pocket, though my boys are not so much into shopping; they just accept whatever their mother buys for them. My wife bought a lot of traditional and modern-era products from this market. Now the real problem is who will carry those bags, as we had just started our city tour.

Our next stop was Valencia Cathedral; the unique structure of this church makes it worth visiting for tourists. It's one of the most gorgeous churches I have ever visited in my life. In addition to this Valencia tour, we visited Serranos Towers, Gulliver Park, Jardin Del Turia and Museo Taller De Valencia. We returned back to our hotel and enjoyed some pool time before having our dinner. For dinner, we ordered some paella, and you must know that Valencia is globally famous for paella. It is basically a rice dish with some chicken and beans. Now, it was time to sleep a bit early because we had to leave Valencia and moved ahead towards our next destination.

Day 6: Arrival at Barcelona

After breakfast, we went to catch a train to Barcelona from Valencia train station. It took us almost 4 hours to reach Barcelona. We had to wait at the train station as our driver was unable to find us. After half an hour of waiting, we finally found each other and headed to the Fira Congress Hotel. My younger son was a bit unwell; he had a mild fever and headache. That’s why we decided to spend the rest of the day in the hotel only. I gave him some medicine and put him to sleep. By the time my elder son and wife went to explore the local market. On their way back, they brought some Patatas Bravas, Tapas & Tino. Well, it was our dinner, of course not for my younger one. He got a little well, but his mother just gave him some porridge. On this note, we were ready to rest; a long day awaited us.

Day 7: Barcelona City Tour

The moment I woke up in the morning, the first thing I did was check on my son. Thank God his temperature was normal, and he was feeling much better now. All four of us got freshened up and gathered at the breakfast table. We were served Croissants, coffee and delicious pastries. After stuffing up our tummy, we were ready to explore Barcelona. Our Hop-On-Hop bus tour started at the right time, and our first stop was La Sagrada Familia. The stunning architecture and exterior facades depicting the birth of Jesus are something everyone should witness. After spending some time, we got on the bus and stopped at Casa Batllo. It is one of the best and signature works of art by Antoni Gaudi. The bone-shaped balconies and lively tilework are breathtaking; it is also listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

After admiring the beauty and uniqueness of Casa Batllo, it was time to move ahead towards our next destination. We stopped by the Gothic Quarter to explore the different iconic places of Barcelona. We explored Barcelona Cathedral, The Call, Placa Del Rei, and some iconic historical buildings. By the time our city tour ended, we all got tired and hungry and decided to stop by a cafe. We ate Bombas, Tapas and some crispy chicken tenders. Once we finished our meals, we returned back to our hotel.

Day 8: Flamenco & Gaudí’s Masterpiece

It was ideally the last day of our holiday in Spain. Me and my wife woke up early and took a walk around our hotel. The pleasant climate made our morning; after a while, we returned to the hotel and woke up our boys. Within half an hour, all four of us were at the breakfast table. Moving forward, our last day's trip started with visiting Park Guell, which is one of Barcelona's significant tourist attractions. Since we opted to skip the line entry, we were not required to wait for our entry. The panoramic view of Barcelona city, the dragon fountain and the aesthetic structure of this park make it worth visiting.

It was also structured by the great architect and designer Antonio Gaudi. Our expert guide introduced us to this park and its historical insights. Believe it or not, advance booking for this park was a great decision as people have been standing in line since morning. After the tour of this park, we were ready to enjoy some delectable lunch. My poor boys were hungry, so my wife ordered us pizzas, pasta and burgers. We already had our plan for the evening Flamenco show, so instead of returning to the hotel, we roam around the city. Our show tickets for the City Hall theatre were booked, so we reached them directly. It was indeed a great experience. We also attended this show in Madrid, but here in Barcelona, it was something beyond magic. The show was followed by a scrumptious dinner, and we returned to our hotel.

Day 9: End of the Trip, Goodbye Spain

Goodbyes are always the worst part of life. Our Spain tour almost ended, and we must get back to our normal life, I woke up with all these thoughts in mind. After waking up we all packed our bags and got ready for our breakfast. It was our last meal in Spain, so without stopping our boys we let them order whatever they wanted. As soon as we finished our breakfast, I called the driver to pick us for the airport. The hotel gifted us small little gifts, I really appreciate their effort. After meeting and greeting, we move ahead towards Barcelona airport.

At last, I would like to thank the great team of Myholidays. This holiday would be not possible without their top-notch support and travel planning for each of their customers. If you are planning a trip to Spain, must read out the following pointers before booking your Spain family tour packages.

Tips to Follow Before Planning a Trip to Spain

Always consider best time to visit Spain, April to May or September to October are best months to explore this country.
To minimise the complexities associated with international trips, it is better to get along with reliable travel partner.
Pack your warm clothes, the weather can be chilly.
Apply for visa in advance or ask your travel partner to arrange the same for you.
Must get an idea about the culture and tradition of the country to avoid weird experiences.
You do not need to carry cash in Spain; you can simply use your cards.
Never ever tip anyone in the country, it is considered as an act of disrespect.
To save some extra bugs always choose a fixed price restaurant for lunch and dinners.
Must learn some basic words to communicate with locals.

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