Spanish Culture and Traditions

Hiking in the Pyrenees, you quickly notice that the landscape is not the only thing that changes from valley to valley. Languages shift. Food changes. Even the atmosphere in mountain huts feels different. Cross a single pass and you may find yourself in a place that feels culturally worlds apart from where you started that morning. This is no coincidence. The Pyrenees are not one cultural region, but a mosaic shaped by isolation, borders, and centuries of mountain life. When hiking in the Pyrenees, you are not just crossing mountains, you are crossing cultures.

At first glance, the Pyrenees don’t shout for attention. There are no needle-sharp skylines like in the Alps, no endless cable cars slicing up the slopes. Instead, the range stretches calmly between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, wide and compact, as if it has been there forever. In a way, it has. The Pyrenees are one of Europe’s oldest mountain ranges, and that age explains much of what hikers feel here today: the quiet trails, the long ridgelines, the sense of remoteness, and the deep connection between landscape and history. It is exactly this timeless character that makes hiking in the Pyrenees such a unique experience compared to other European mountain ranges.

Picos de Europa is a stunning national park in Northwestern Spain, a fantastically preserved hiking secret that remains unknown to many. Here, you'll discover rugged landscapes, beautiful lakes, local culinary surprises, and untouched nature. You might even spot a vulture or a wolf! The coast and cities like Bilbao and Santander are nearby, making the journey convenient. The possibilities for hiking in Picos de Europa are endless. Reason enough for us to explore this area and share with you how to make the most of your hut-to-hut trek in Picos de Europa. The oldest national park in Spain is a green oasis where you'll encounter a variety of landscapes for hiking, from peaceful meadows with cows and sheep to rugged peaks and charming villages. Glacial lakes sparkle in the sun, and a local shepherd guides his flock through a narrow street. Take the cable car up at Fuente Dé, enjoy the views, and reward yourself in the afternoon with a local 'sidra.' Vamos!

Santiago de Compostela is a familiar name to pilgrims; for more than 1,000 years, many feet have walked to this Spanish destination. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people visit the city's cathedral, having completed a journey of many kilometers on a Camino. The Camino del Norte is one of the routes leading to Santiago and starts on the Spanish coast near the Bay of Biscay. The Camino del Norte starts in Irún, located on the border of Spain and France, and has a total length of 822 kilometers. Along the way, you can enjoy expansive ocean views, beautiful beaches, pass by cosy towns and have no lack of culinary delights. We focus in this blog post mainly on the last 100 kilometers of the route, the distance required for a certificate (compostela). Curious? Bookatrekking.com tells you all about the Camino del Norte! The Camino del Norte is one of the routes to Santiago de Compostela and is a well-loved, but more unknown, variant after the Camino Francés and the Camino Portugués. The overall route takes you from Irún to Santiago, passing through several autonomous regions such as the Basque country and Galicia along the way, each with their own charm. You don't have to worry about an empty stomach on the Camino del Norte either. Unknown does not make unloved in this case, vamos!

La Gomera is not a secret for enthusiasts anymore, but thankfully the island still is not on the radar of the mass tourist. No all-inclusive hotels, no fighting over beach chairs and no fish 'n chips. This is La Gomera, the green pearl of the Canary Islands, loved by hippies, hikers, and connoisseurs of the good Canarian life. If you've hiked in Tenerife, you will have seen La Gomera from a distance. The quirky little island floats off the coast of its bigger brother, so to speak, and in the shape of a ferry, this green gem is attracting more and more people who want something different. Tenerife is perfect as a beach and walking holiday, but La Gomera offers just that little bit more hiking and when you understand why you won't even go looking for a beach. In this blog post, we introduce you to the best hiking routes and help you take your first steps into this hiking paradise.

Welcome to Tenerife, the Canary Island of eternal spring. Spring? Absolutely, temperatures here never actually dip below 20 Celsius. That is why everyone knows someone who regularly flies to Tenerife or one of the other Canary Islands. There is a remedy for any kind of blues in Tenerife. For you, that is in the form of the ideal walking holiday. Hiking in Tenerife including accommodation, rental car and a choice of trails that you make all your own. At Bookatrekking.com, we not only know the most popular trails but also hike the secret gems. Our trekking experts will take you to eternal spring! ¡Vamos!From the absolute summit of Teide National Park, the matchless gorge of Masca to the family-friendly Roques de García Trail. Tenerife is too beautiful to just lie on the beach and sip cocktails for a week. Outdo your aunt and uncle's beach holiday, seek altitude and discover the island of eternal spring's most popular and best-hidden trails. In our blog post, we will introduce you to the best trails and take the first steps of your ideal walking holidays together.

The isle of Mallorca? That's an island in the Mediterranean where you can go for a beach holiday, right? Soak up the sun and sea and enjoy good food and drinks. You can certainly do that in Mallorca, but the island has much more to offer! You will find beautiful nature, lovely authentic villages and you can hike a long-distance trail, the GR221. Reason enough for Bookatrekking.com to take a look.Mallorca is part of the Balearic Islands, a group of islands in the Mediterranean Sea which also includes Ibiza and Menorca. The island has been a popular holiday destination for sunny beach holidays for decades, which is where you might recognize Mallorca from. Besides a number of seaside resorts, the island also boasts a varied and mountainous landscape with a nice sea breeze. Here you walk among almond and orange trees and enjoy views of the sea and mountains. Meanwhile, you'll hear the occasional goat bleating among the tall grasses and you might encounter a shepherd with his flock.

Hiking in the Pyrenees is the next best thing. Away from the busy trails in the Alps and upwards and onwards to some of the most pristine hiking trails and mountain huts Europe has to offer. With a touch of French and a hint of Spanish, the Pyrenees offers the best - and highest - of both. Whether you’re hiking from coast to coast, taking it all in on Catalonia's highest peak or introducing your kids to the mountains in Aigüestortes.  Everyone has heard of the Pyrenees. They are those other mountains in Europe, right? Yeah, somewhere between France and Spain. And isn't Andorra super mountainous as well? Not bad, not bad. That's right, the Pyrenees basically shape a natural border between France and Spain and right in the middle of everything, you can find the tiny mountain state of Andorra. When thinking about Spain or France, there may be other things coming to mind first. Not for us. When we think France, we think Refuge and when we think Spain, we think Refugi. Let's take you on the finest hut-to-hut hiking routes in the Pyrenees! 

It's quite a statement to say that the Porta del Cel is the hut-to-hut trek to heaven. And yet, it is true. Porta del Cel is Catalan for Heaven's Gate and if you consider that the highest point of this trek is Pica d'Estats, the highest peak in Catalonia, it somewhat makes sense. In the Catalan Pyrenees, you can't go higher than the Porta del Cel. This makes this trek an adventure for seasoned mountain goats. If you want a little piece of Catalan heaven, then the Porta del Cel with 65 kilometers and 11.000 vertical meters, is the hiking route to take. Som-hi!Just as the Carros de Foc, this is the Catalan side of Spain and the Pyrenees. Som-hi is Catalan for Let's go. Sure, you can get around with Spanish, but if you want to crack a smile in the Catalan refuges, it will be worth it to work on your Catalan. On the Porta del Cel you will have at least 5 hiking days to practice your Catalan. Before we get carried away by this beautiful language, let's have a closer look at this hiking route. What is the Porta del Cel? Where do you start? What is so special about this hiking route? Is it for you? In this blog post, we'll answer all your questions!

There are plenty of opportunities for hiking in the Spanish Pyrenees, but does it get any better than the Carros de Foc? To be fair, it's also one of the best-known multi-day hut-to-hut hikes in the area. And for good reason, because with 65 kilometers, over 3,500 meters of elevation gain, and 9 welcoming huts, an epic adventure awaits you on the Carros de Foc. Hiking in, quite a mouthful, Parc Nacional d'Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici doesn't get any better than this. Are you ready to discover the wild and adventurous side of Catalonia?What started as a joke among local hut wardens, visiting each other’s huts, the Carros de Foc has now grown into a world-renowned multi-day mountain trek that is mentioned in many a guidebook as one of the most beautiful multi-day hut-to-hut treks in Europe. What makes the Carros de Foc so special? Why is it called "Chariots of Fire" in Catalan? Where do you start? Is the Carros de Foc something for you? Although well-known, one can still have a lot of unanswered questions about this epic trek. In this blog post, we'll answer them all for you!

You may know Spain from the beaches, the Rioja wine, and the bullfights, but did you know that Spain is actually a true mountain country? That's right, the Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands all have some of the best trails in Europe

El Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James in English, is one of the oldest pilgrimage routes in the world. Dive deep in the Mediterranean culture and walk through vineyards, dine in little bistros and meet like-minded pilgrims while walking el Camino de Santiago. A glass of Rioja is well deserved after a good day of trekking along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Find out about how long does it take to walk the Camino de Santiago, what is the best month to do it, the routes of the Camino, the food along the way, the distance, a map, and more! When walking the Camino de Santiago, there are several options to choose from in order to get to Santiago de Compostela. The French way is by far the most popular route, but, having said that, the Portuguese, English, and Finisterre way gained a great number of trekkers as well over the last few years. Below we will tell you about the different options, the costs of the trek, the best month to do it, and a lot more! Go for a 7-day trek to complete the last 100 km or go the long way and become a true pilgrim during the three-week trek. Vamos!