Spain Sports & Outdoors

Soccer

by SirRichard

Soccer is the national sport here in Spain. The most popular and a common conversation topic in bars and offices.The main teams are:- Real Madrid (Madrid)- FC Barcelona (Barcelona)- Valencia CF (Valencia)- Athletic de Bilbao (Bilbao)- Atletico de Madrid (Madrid)- Betis (Sevilla)Of all these the Real Madrid is the most well known abroad and many tourits come to see the team play at his stadium Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.The Barça is the popular name of the main Barcelona team, whose stadium Camp Nou is also often visited.If you have a chance, having a drink at a bar during an important match (Champions League, National Team matches...) is a true experience, is interesting to see how passionatley this sport is live in Spain, people shout, insult, jump, cry...

Footing at Retiro Park (Madrid)

by SirRichard

If you are staying in Madrid for more than 2-3 days and like making some exercise, running and so, the Retiro Park is a good place to do so. Is big enough to get lost inside and forget about the traffic and noises and is full of trees and quiet paths to run around.Metro: Retiro

Diving

by africaking

L'Estartit, the subject of the tip, a small tourist town in Cataluna. It is known for it's great scuba diving and three islands (medes) which happen to be protected reserves, perfect for diving.Prices are reasonable about 25 euro's for an hour, all equipment supplied, with an instuctor.This is a picture of myself doing one of the hour courses, and let me tell you, it was awesome. All the equipment is supplied, but you can take your own.

futbal, the true National religion

by Faracy

Everyone, (with the exception of a few odd individuals) has a futbal team that they are adament about. My husbands family are Beticos, REal Betis Bomlompie fanatics. They HATE the other team here in Sevilla, Sevilla F.C. The same goes for Sevilla fans.Common practice is the wear a towel like thing around ones neck with the teams name and emblem on it, and to hover around the television on Sunday night... Its more important that any other activity.. I think funerals and weddings are scheduled around futbal games.. I think fathers have missed births of children because of futbal matches. It seems insane to me, but I´ve never cared about sports. Its worse than American Football as far as fan dedication..It really is a religion. Go to a bar with the game on, and watch how nuts people get. Notice how quiet the streets are during a major match.. everyone is at home or at a bar watching it.The...

Tarifa is a poular windsurfing destination

by AKtravelers

Neither of us windsurf, but we couldn't help be impressed by the practitioners in Tarifa. Apparently, the meeting of the Mediterranean and Atlantic air masses generates a lot of wind in Tarifa, and it is one of Europe's top windsurfing destinations. I inquired -- it is NOT the place to be a beginner!

Fight a bull yourself

by AKtravelers

I think you can do this if you want. People do. I have no idea how you'd go about fighting a bull or why you'd want to. But go for it if you want to. A pink cape for the beginning of the fight and a red cape for the end of the fight. A sword is necessary to administer the final kill. An elaborate wardrobe, complete with tight pants and a hat, is required. I would think a protective cup would also be useful.

Go to a Bullfight

by AKtravelers

Bullfighting is the national sport of Spain. Certainly, it's controversial -- especially among non-Spaniards -- for its cruelty. But, it is an integral part of Spanish culture and can be arrestingly beautiful. Bring your camera! If you want to understand machismo and bravado, you should see a bullfight. Predictably, only us guys went to the event while the women did, well, we don't know what they did. The bullfights are held at 8 p.m. on Sunday and nothing else is open then -- we were hoping they'd get the shopping out of their system. We bought tickets on the shady side (a must) despite the extra cost, and we saw three torreadors fight two bulls a piece. The fans sitting next to us explained to us everything that was going on. There is a lot of ritual to a bullfight! So, before getting too judgemental about the sport, go see it for yourself. Bring binoculars, since the bullrings can be...

Bullfighting

by acemj

There are many outstanding bullrings in Spain, most notably in Madrid and Sevilla and you can join the locals for this interesting spectacle during the season which runs from late spring to late fall.

Surfing in Northern Spain

by gmg61

There are good spots for surfing in Northern Spain, along the coast of Cantabria and Galicia. I'll suggest you the towns of Plentzia, Bakio, Mundaka (probably the best one).

Bernabeu Stadium

by la_beba