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Almost 30% of all international travellers to Spain arrive by air. The figure of over fifty million passengers arriving or leaving Spanish airports, with nearly 70% travelling on non-scheduled flights, ranks Spain as the world's leading user of charter flights. Spain's strategic geographical situation, taken together with its tourist industry, explains the importance of international passenger travel, especially vis-à-vis Europe which accounts for roughly 75% of the total. The number to call for complete information and bookings on domestic and international flights is Infor Iberia, Domestic air traffic tends to concentrate on Madrid-Barajas Airport which, linked via a shuttle service to Barcelona, handles some 2,500,000 passengers per year. The busiest routes, apart from the shuttle, are the Madrid-Balearic and Madrid-Canary Island runs.

The Pilgrims’ Way To Santiago

The network of Jacobean pathways leading to Santiago de Compostela, acknowledged as the First European Cultural Itinerary, due to its role in the spread of cultural ideas and in establishing a common identity among the diverse peoples of Europe- was doubtless the first great route that brought voyagers from every part of the world through the northern reaches of Spain.

For the space of more than eight centuries, the cult engendered by the figure of the Apostle James (Santiago) has resulted in an endless flow of pilgrims. This flow becomes more intense in Jubilee years, and tends to have a spiritual element that surpasses and prevails over the wealth of experience afforded by a journey marked by the wide cultural variety of regions and districts passed en route, the hospitality of the local people and the long litany of impressions of scenery, events and anecdotes.

The overland route par excellence and, at the same time, the one that is best known, maintained and served, is the French Pilgrims' Way. It enters Spain as two routes, via the passes of Somport and Orreaga-Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees, to come together as one at Puente la Reina. Traversing Navarre and La Rioja, the route takes in landmark points of the stature of San Millán de la Cogolla and Santo Domingo de la Calzada before reaching Burgos, with its monumental Gothic Cathedral and Las Huelgas Reales Convent.

Thereafter the trail meanders through the Palencian countryside with its treasure-trove of Romanesque remains (Frómista, Villalcázar de Sirga, Carrión de los Condes), past Sahagún and San Pedro de Dueñas, and on to León with its Cathedral, suffused with the radiance of its majestic stained-glass windows, and the Churches of St. Isidore and St. Mark, splendid examples of Romanesque and Plateresque, respectively.

Onwards now, through Astorga and the El Bierzo hill country, the Way winds into Galicia via O Cebreiro, home to the venerable Church of St. Mary Royal and site of a popular pilgrimage excursion (romería) commemorating the miracle of the Holy Eucharist. The path takes the traveller to Santiago past a number of gorgeous abbeys (San Xulián de Samos, Vilar de Donas, Sobrado de los Monjes), pre-Romanesque and Romanesque churches and chapels (San Antolín de Yoques, San Pedro de Mélide, Santiago de Barbadelo) and ancient roadside hostals where the original wayfarers once lodged (Palas de Rei, Leboreiro, Castañeda), till finally reaching Lavacolla and Monte del Gozo on the city outskirts. All that remains is to continue the last stage on foot and prostrate oneself before the Saintly relics in the Cathedral precincts.

The city of the Apostle is a city of sights, and the best thing is to explore its streets (known by the Galician term rúa, rather than by the standard Spanish word, calle), squares and hidden corners before succumbing to the delights of Galician cuisine and purchasing an example of the renowned local gold- and silverwork and/or handicrafts as a memento of one’s stay. The main feast days are 24th and 25th July, in honour of the city’s patron saint, Santiago.

Another interesting route offering monumental sights of note is the Northern (or Asturian) Way, which traverses the Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias.

The Silver Route

The Silver Route, Roman in origin, was a traders’, miners’, cattle drovers’ and military highway running from Gijón to Seville.

Conceived from ancient times as a Via Lata or Wide Highway to link the regions lying in the west of the peninsula along a north-south axis, the Silver Route became important as an adjunct to the cattle trails (Cañadas) used by the guilds or associations of livestock breeders (Mesta) to drive their flocks and herds to the winter and summer pastures. The bedrock of cultural and commercial exchange, it received a boost with the appearance of the railway and is nowadays an attractive tourist route, both on the stretches paralleling the N-630 national road and along its branches and byways, affording enjoyment of scenery of exceptional beauty and a marvellous tour of the sights that mark its passage through towns and cities.

Going from south to north, the starting point of the route is Seville, Andalusian city par excellence and Hispalis of yore. Thanks to its fusion of cultures and privileged geographical situation, Seville is one of Spain’s gems, boasting sights such as the Cathedral and its landmark Giralda bell-tower (formerly the minaret of the long-vanished Great Mosque), the Lonja, with the Indies Archives and Royal Fortress (Alcázares Reales), plus charming old districts, like the Santa Cruz Quarter, the famous María Luisa Park, and Cartuja Island, site of the 1992 World Fair.

From Seville, past the ruins of Itálica, ancient city of the Roman Baetica (named after the River Baetis, later known as the Guadalquivir), the route takes one via Zafra and Almendralejo to Mérida, the so-called Roma Hispánica, on the banks of the Guadiana. Here, the Theatre, Amphitheatre and Roman Museum, all situated in the archaeological heart of the city, are the leading sights.

Continuing, one finds oneself bound for the walled city of Cáceres and its splendid 15th- and 16th-century Old Quarter, serenely beautiful in style. Still in the Cáceres region of Extremadura, Plasencia, with its superb Cathedral and medieval quarter is yet another important milestone en route, as is the Jewish District (judería) of Hervás, whence one travels on to Castile and the town of Béjar, which possesses an important historical heritage in its ducal palace and 16th-century churches.

The route now leads to Salamanca, cradle of one of Europe’s great universities. The old part of town has to be one of Spain’s most outstanding treasures, with the Main Square (Plaza Mayor), Cathedral, House of Shells (Casa de las Conchas) and University being a "must".

Heading constantly northwards, the architectural feast on display in Zamora will again astound the traveller, particularly as regards the profusion of Romanesque churches and palatial medieval mansions. Fields of wheat and small lakes take one on to Benavente and thence to Astorga, capital of the Maragatos country (Maragatos: a people who settled these parts in bygone times), with its exquisite Cathedral and Episcopal Palace designed by Gaudí.

León, capital of the ancient kingdom of the same name, is home to three architectural masterpieces: St. Isidore’s Basilica, prototype of the Romanesque Style; St. Mark’s, once a pilgrims’ hospital and now refurbished and refitted as a Tourist Parador, and the Cathedral, one of the world’s prime examples of Gothic splendour. The city also has its typical old part and a tradition of fine food. Campomanes and Pola de Lena are the first Asturian outposts to greet the traveller before getting to Mieres and Oviedo, the capital of Asturias, endowed with a handsome Old Quarter, in which the Cathedral is the pièce de résistance. Journey’s end is Gijón, with its typical streets, museums and close ties with the sea, which make it a favourite with tourists.

The Silver Route, throughout the length of its 800 kilometres, is a scenic, cultural, gourmet and essentially human itinerary, as rich in contrast and nuance as it is in history.

The Don Quixote Route

Of the paths charted by literature, Spain’s Don Quixote route is doubtless the one with most universal appeal.

Don Quijote de la Mancha, the immortal work by Cervantes, serves as the basis of and "excuse" for a delightful tour through the land of La Mancha, with its promise of windmills, castles built by the medieval Military Orders of Knights and the possibility of tasting the local fare.

Leaving Madrid by the N-401 national road in the direction of Toledo, turn off at the 35-kilometre mark or thereabouts to get to Esquivias and there visit the Cervantes house and museum. Returning to the main road, carry on to Toledo, the nation’s capital in the Middle Ages and now an exquisite monumental showcase in which the Cathedral, churches, palaces, synagogues and mosques should on no account be missed.

After rejoining the same road as before, one travels on to Ciudad Real and, via the C-415, to Almagro, which boasts a charming and unusual Main Square, churches, convents and monasteries of note, and the best conserved, still-functioning 16th-century theatre (Corral de Comedias) in Spain. Taking the C-417, one arrives in Puerto Lápice, an important point of reference in Cervantes’ book, whence the N-420 leads to Herencia, Alcázar de San Juan, Campo de Criptana, El Toboso, Mota del Cuervo and Belmonte, all in the heartland of La Mancha, a world of country inns and windmills through which the gentle knight wandered on his quest for adventure.

This same road carries on to Cuenca, the enchanted city, a veritable prodigy of Nature and culture, whose Old Quarter is one of the most spectacular in Spain. Milestones marking the fictional adventures of Don Quixote do not end here but continue through the hills of Molina de Aragón to Zaragoza and Barcelona, which also provided the backdrop for some of our hero’s escapades.

The traveller will discover Spain to have countless routes catering to individual tastes and interests. The mix of cultures and civilisations will take him/her down the Al-Andalus, Sefarad or Castle routes, where the nation’s history will come alive. Among others, the Wine, Art (regardless of School or Style), Traditional Architecture, Gourmet and Nature routes are well publicised, and more specific up-to-date information can be found in tourist brochures and pamphlets.