SHARE
COPY LINK

CULTURE

Spain ranks top for solo travellers and thrill-seekers

Spain ranks highly for being 'fun' and 'friendly' and is the perfect place for those who love to travel solo.

Spain ranks top for solo travellers and thrill-seekers
A tourist looks at the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) in Ronda. Photo: Jorge Guerrero / AFP.

Spain was rated the best country worldwide to travel alone, according to the rankings released by US News & World Report on Wednesday.

“There’s no need for a partner during a late night stroll by the Alhambra. Flamenco can be watched at a table of one. And tapas taste just the same alone as in a crowd,” the rankings report states. “When it comes to being a solo tourist, many people think Spain is as good as it gets.”

The rankings were based on a survey of 16,000 people worldwide who were asked to associate each country with certain attributes. The responses were then broken down into various categories, including adventure, power, entrepreneurship and quality of life.

Germany was ranked the best country overall, followed by Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and Sweden. Spain fell to 16th place overall.

Still, Spain took second place for its cultural and historical heritage behind just Italy, and second place for the best country to study abroad, also right behind Italy.

European exchange students have long favoured Spain as their destination of choice for study abroad.

READ: Nine awesome reasons why to spend your Erasmus year in Spain

Spain made third place for adventure by scoring highly for being fun (a 9.5 out of 10), friendly (9.4) and having a “pleasant climate” – a perfect 10.

“People like adventure in their lives,” according to the rankings report. “Research shows that a chance to break away from the normal rhythms of daily life reduces stress and improves health and well-being.”

READ: Ten adrenaline-fuelled adventures for thrill-seekers in Spain

It didn't score as well in the sexiness category – 4.1 out of 10.

Brazil came in first place for adventure, followed by Italy. 

Spain's cultural influence was also rated highly, making it into fourth place for the category, which included such aspects as fashion, entertainment, trendiness and happiness.

“Cultural achievements, from the artistic mastery of Velazquez, Goya and Picasso to the globally renowned novel 'Don Quixote' by Cervantes, and traditions like flamenco music and dance are a source of unity and national pride,” the report states.

Spain scored the worst for being considered a “mover” in the global market, meaning a metric used by the researchers to predict future GDP growth did not bode as well for the country. Spain placed below Iran and Jordan for being an up-and-coming economy, according to this category.

Spain also ranked poorly for starting a career and opening a business, due to perceptions about corruption and bureaucracy.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

GALICIA

Hórreos: What are those small stone houses on stilts in Spain’s Galicia?

If you’ve ever been to Galicia in north-western Spain, the chances are you will have seen these odd stone or wooden structures on stilts in people’s gardens and wondered what they were for.

Hórreos: What are those small stone houses on stilts in Spain's Galicia?

Anyone who has walked the Camino de Santiago in Galicia will of course have seen these odd-looking buildings known as hórreos. There are so many in fact that they’ve become somewhat of a cultural symbol of the region.

Hórreos are typically built from stone, but some can be wooden too. They’re small, narrow buildings, but range in size. Some of them are only around one metre long, while others could are big enough for a few people to lie down in them.

READ ALSO: Five reasons why Galicia is Spain’s version of Ireland

They’re easy to spot because they’re raised up on stone stilts or platforms and typically have a set of steps going up to reach them. The sides traditionally have narrow wooden slats so that if you got up close you could probably see inside and the roofs are properly tiled, often with a stone cross stuck on the top.

Many question whether they’re small homes for animals such as chicken coops, places for religious offerings or even similar to garden sheds.

These strange buildings actually date back to the 15th century and are in fact granaries, originally built to store feed for animals or farm produce and keep it dry and off the ground to protect it from potential wild animals.

Some even have small indentations on the base that were filled with water so that not even the ants could climb up and get into the food either. 

READ ALSO: The pros and cons of living in Spain’s Galicia

The exact number of hórreos in Galicia isn’t known, but at the beginning of the 20th century it was estimated that there were about 30,000, one for every square kilometre of the region.

In modern times, people don’t have a specific use for them and unfortunately, many hórreos have fallen into a state of disrepair.

Hórreos can be renovated but you should first check the local rules pertaining to their renovation and future use. Photo: locuig/Pixabay
 

This is also because they’re protected, so if you want to renovate one, you have to apply for a special licence and pay several associated fees.

Unfortunately, even if you spend money on renovating an hórreo, Galician law doesn’t technically allow for it to be used as a living abode, although that hasn’t stopped many from renting them out as rooms on Airbnb.

In neighbouring Asturias, where you can also find hórreos, authorities have a taken a more lenient approach to them being renovated for different economic or practical purposes suited to modern habits and trends, especially as a means of ensuring their survival.

Hórreo Facts

– One of the largest horreos in Galicia is Horreo de Carnota, which has now even become a tourist attraction. It was built in 1768 and is 34.76 metres long, standing on 22 pairs of feet. Historians believe it was built as part of a rivalry between two neighbouring towns.

– Lira, the rival to Carnota is located nearby and stands at just over 36.5 metres long and 1.60 metres wide. It also stands on 22 pairs of stone feet.

Hórreos come in different shapes, sizes and materials. Photo: Vicente Aragones/Pixabay
 

– The longest hórreo is hórreo de Araño in Rianxo at 37.05 metres long. It was built in the 17th century and has been Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.

– Combarro is the town with the most hórreos in Galicia, home to more than 60 of them. 30 of them are also lined up facing the sea, which makes for a spectacular photo.

Hórreos are not only found in Galicia, you can also find many in the neighbouring region of Asturias, although they’re not so well known there. Other places you can find a few of them include Aezkoa in Navarra, Agirre and Ertzilla in the Basque Country, Liébana in Cantabria, Bierzo and Los Beyos in Castilla y León and Bueño, in Asturias.

SHOW COMMENTS