Need to Know

High Season (Jun–aug, public holidays) ❚ Accommodation books out and prices rise by up to 50 per cent. ❚ Low season in parts of inland Spain. ❚ Expect warm, dry and sunny weather; more humid in coastal areas. Shoulder (Mar–may, Sep & Oct) ❚ A good time to travel: mild, clear weather and fewer crowds. ❚ Local festivals can send prices soaring. Low Season (Nov–feb) ❚ Cold in central Spain; rain in the north and northwest. ❚ Mild temperatures in Andaluc´ıa and the Mediterranean coast. ❚ This is high season in ski resorts. ❚ Many hotels are closed in beach areas but elsewhere prices plummet. Daily Budget Currency: Euro (€) Midrange: €80-175 ❚ Double room in midrange hotel: €65–140 ❚ Lunch and/or dinner in local restaurant: €20–40 ❚ Car rental: per day from €25 What’s new in Spain Fast-train Expansion Spain’s fast-train network just got bigger, cutting travel time significantly from Madrid to numerous regional towns, among them Leo´n, Palencia, Zamora and Salamanca, while Galicia also just got a whole lot closer. (www.renfe.com) Goya in Zaragoza Zaragoza’s already fabulous Museo Ibercaja Canon Aznar has received a facelift, a new name (Museo Goya – Coleccion Ibercaja) and 39 new works, including some Goyas. (www.museogoya.ibercaja.es) Wolf-watching The Sierra de la Culebra offers Europe’s best wolfwatching and it has the freshly minted Centro de Lobo Iberico de Castilla y Leo´n (www.centrodellobo.es) and the Festival Territorio Lobo (www.festivalterritoriolobo.com) to prove it. There’s also the new Casa y Cercado del Lobo (www.lacasadellobo.com) in Belmonte de Miranda, Asturias. Market food Madrid and Barcelona long ago recognised the value of converting their freshfood markets into fashionable foodie hang-outs, but the trend is only now spreading into smaller towns, most enjoyably in Me´rida and Vejer. Game of Thrones Game of Thrones has fallen in love with Spain. Filming locations for seasons Five and Six included Peniscola, Girona, Seville’s Alcazar and Granada’s Alhambra.