Spain Tourist Traps

 
by Roadquill
 
  •   Tourist Traps
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  • Marquee flag for Triana
      Marquee flag for Triana
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      Muelle is near cruise ships in dock
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  • Pretty chicas all in a row
      Pretty chicas all in a row
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      Buy us please!
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Most Viewed Tourist Traps in Spain

76.

Places To Avoid   Barcelona

Places To Avoid, Barcelona

 35 Reviews  Poble Espanyol (touted as a "one hour" way to get to know Spain) is just a couple of fake buildings, some with painted on windows, and fake artisan workshops. There is one interesting contemporary art... 

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77.

Eating & drinking   Madrid

Eating & drinking, Madrid

 15 Reviews  When you are at the Plaza Mayor you may find it nice to have a bite at one of the many terraces they have, they all look so nice and you can be in the sun... beware however that these restaurants are... 

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78.

Flamenco   Sevilla

Flamenco, Sevilla

 5 Reviews  Even though the flamenco show is meant for tourists, it features excellent bailaores, guitarists, and cantaores. The food is acceptable. What is not acceptable is that our camera with more than 300... 

 See All 29 Tourist Traps in Sevilla

79.

Reality check   Palma de Mallorca

Reality check, Palma de Mallorca

 5 Reviews  There's some really irritating thing about Mallorca: "People see tourists as walking wallets". There are lots of really hard to reach beaches, that after some almost suicinding driving experiences... 

 See All 29 Tourist Traps in Palma de Mallorca

80.

The West End, San Antonio.   Ibiza

The West End, San Antonio., Ibiza

 1 Review  Great if you like hoards of drunken Brits marauding around the streets looking for members of the opposite sex in a drunk enough state not to reject them, puddles of vomit and urine (I'm not... 

 See All 13 Tourist Traps in Ibiza

81.

Beaches   Majorca Island

Beaches, Majorca Island

 2 Reviews  Beware of the very tall man 6ft 4" who slowly walks round the three beaches of Palma Nova pretending to look at the ladies when in fact he is looking for the ladies bags. He carries a towel over his... 

 See All 19 Tourist Traps in Majorca Island

82.

Las Ramblas   Barcelona

Las Ramblas, Barcelona

 39 Reviews  My fiance wanted to eat on las ramblas.....as it was his birthday I gave in....I so wish I hadn't and so does he! We ate at an over-priced mediocre restaurant where they obviously just piled your... 

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83.

Monuments & highlights   Madrid

Monuments & highlights, Madrid

 11 Reviews  It's just a big square plaza with very expensive restaurants, nothing to see, nothing to do. Only 'nice' thing is the Casa de la Panederia, wich is 400 years old, with nice fresco's. walk though the... 

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84.

Cathedral and Giralda   Sevilla

Cathedral and Giralda, Sevilla

 6 Reviews  Giralda is an attraction for itself, in the marvel of the cathedral. It's easy to climb, because it has inclines instead of stairs, and they seem not too steep. That's right. But they are...... 

 See All 29 Tourist Traps in Sevilla

85.

Dodgy deals / scams   Palma de Mallorca

Dodgy deals / scams, Palma de Mallorca

 7 Reviews  The Inca Market is something the tourist board advertizes as something to see. We went. It was nothing more than a large flea market at best. Nothing of real interest was sold here - leather purses,... 

 See All 29 Tourist Traps in Palma de Mallorca

86.

Caves   Majorca Island

Caves, Majorca Island

 2 Reviews  Wonderful flyer pictures and descriptions which are overrated. Nice enough for those that like caves but very large groups are ushered through the cave system on hard on the feet paths. Very crowded... 

 See All 19 Tourist Traps in Majorca Island

87.

Overrated Sites   Barcelona

Overrated Sites, Barcelona

 34 Reviews  Poble Espanyol was built for the 1929 International Exhibition as an open air museum that was meant to showcase different Spanish architectural styles and crafts. Today, you pay an admission fee to... 

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88.

Flamenco   Madrid

Flamenco, Madrid

 4 Reviews  This is supposed to be one of the best places to watch flamenco. Unfortunately, the service, food and view were so bad (as well as the stage) that it took the enjoyment right out of the evening. Not... 

 See All 70 Tourist Traps in Madrid

89.

Gypsies and Pickpockets   Sevilla

Gypsies and Pickpockets, Sevilla

 5 Reviews  Around the touristic places there use to be people (usually gypsis) looking for tourist to read the hand or tell them any other story with the aim only of asking you for money. As everywhere, just... 

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90.

Overpricing   Palma de Mallorca

Overpricing, Palma de Mallorca

 5 Reviews  Don't go to the Nu-parc bar / cafe beside the lake opposite the Cathedral unless you want to order the most expensive beer or coffee in Palma. The waitresses need a lesson in customer service and the... 

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91.

Soller & Puerto de Soller   Majorca Island

Soller & Puerto de Soller, Majorca Island

 1 Review  In my opinion Soller is almost a tourist trap. It is not an ugly town, but it's not a nice place. Do some shopping, have a rest or a stroll. You coud go to Biniaraix; a small village 1,5 km far from... 

 See All 19 Tourist Traps in Majorca Island

92.

High Prices   Barcelona

High Prices, Barcelona

 20 Reviews  Although we liked walking along the promenade at Barceloneta beach the target group of all the cafes there is the tourists. This means high prices, bad service (we were waiting 25 minutes to order in... 

 See All 227 Tourist Traps in Barcelona

93.

Security   Madrid

Security, Madrid

 5 Reviews  Madrid is very safe and not a place to get violently robbed, but pick pockets problem remains. The fast city has certain locations where you should watch out. These are Sol, Plaza Mayor and El Rastro... 

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94.

More tourists than inhabitants   Palma de Mallorca

More tourists than inhabitants, Palma de Mallorca

 2 Reviews  Overall we really enjoyed our holiday to Majorca but we did find it very british and lacking in culture in the resorts.There were british pubs,amusements and everything was in english so it sometimes... 

 See All 29 Tourist Traps in Palma de Mallorca

95.

People to Avoid   Barcelona

People to Avoid, Barcelona

 20 Reviews  Be aware of anybody walking close to you and/or behind you. Always keep a strong hold of your valuables. We witnessed people trying to open purses on pedestrian crossings, in railway stations or... 

 See All 227 Tourist Traps in Barcelona

96.

Transports   Madrid

Transports, Madrid

 4 Reviews  In order to avoid the hassle with taxi drivers at the Madrid Airport, I had pre-booked the non exclusive shuttle service with Aerocity on GoMadrid.com. The web site stated 6 euro per person. We... 

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97.

Bullfights   Barcelona

Bullfights, Barcelona

 9 Reviews  The great majority of people from Barcelona and rest of Catalonia not only are against bullfight but also hate it. In fact the Catalan law of Animal Protection will quite probably be modified next... 

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98.

Shopping   Madrid

Shopping, Madrid

 5 Reviews  Wealth Warning: Avoid using Chequepoint to change money in Madrid or anywhere else for that matter. Some of my British and American friends have told me horror stories of the rip-off rates charged by... 

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99.

Purchases to Avoid   Barcelona

Purchases to Avoid, Barcelona

 9 Reviews  Barcelona is without doubt the city of Gaudi and his many works. You will also find many people trying to sell you Gaudi items, souveniers, photos, whatever. And you will see copies of his works, most... 

 See All 227 Tourist Traps in Barcelona

100.

Nightlife   Madrid

Nightlife, Madrid

 3 Reviews  Like all con merchants and charlatans, these Chinese street masseurs can be found at popular tourist spots in Madrid such as Plaza de Santa Ana and Plaza Mayor. My wife and I got conned by them.... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Different languages

by -deja.Ismael

Most of foreign tourists don't know Spanish is not the single language spoken in Spain. Travel guides often show only the Spanish names of places to visit. Specially if you go to Basque Country, Galicia or Catalonia the local name of the place (and the one showed in road signs) may be different than the one written in your guide. It may be annoying not to find 'O Grove' in your guide, because it is (in alphabetical order) in the 'E' of 'El Grove' :-)

A dull building built by a dull man.

by worldkiwi

The Monasterio se San Lorenzo de El Escorial, in the town of El Escorial just north west of Madrid, sounds interesting when one reads about it, but it had to be my biggest disappointment on the trip.The Monastery/Palace is one of the most dull, uninviting buildings I have ever seen. Its only slightly interesting draw is its size. It's a monster of a building and the only way to get a decent photo of it is to photograph a scale model inside!The building was designed by a puritan King intent on creating just the effect he got... he didn't think longterm into the century of mass tourism. Everything is grey, plain, and heavy looking. All very sombre and tiring. There are just a few things that spark the imagination: the beautiful wooden carved doors up on the floor near the King's bedroom (I can't remember exactly where) and the King's bedroom itself - the definitive statement about its...

Tip Photo
Paella only in Valencia!

by Edu_G

Paella is NOT a typical spanish dish, it is JUST valencian. So, never never never never eat it if you are not in the Community of Valencia (Castellón, Alicante and Valencia) because you are not going to eat paella at all (I remember a restaurant in Barcelona that they sold curry rice as paella).I know many people that said me "I don't like paella" because they tried in Madrid, but they loved later in Valencia. Even worse NEVER never never try something called "Paellador " (you'll go directly to hell). It's like precooked Paella that put in the oven or microwave, and they have even Mexican Paella!!! (puaj). Be careful, because even in Valencia there are these Paellador cheap things, avoid them!!! (it's like going to Italy and have pizza in Pizza Hut, that's not real italian pizza!). Never have paella in a place that they don't cook themselves. Go to tradicitonal restaurants in Valencia,...

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Mallorca is nothing but a...

by monica78

Mallorca is nothing but a tourist trap. We met people speaking our language in almost all restaurants/bars. The menues in the restaurants was translated to the most common languages. (Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, English, German a.s.o)Mallorca was a very beautiful island, but it could have more charm... It looses some identity.... The photo shows Magaluf, a bigger city than Santa Ponsa.

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Plaza Mayor in Madrid. If you...

by iandsmith

Plaza Mayor in Madrid. If you eat there, make sure you know how much it will cost you first. Don't let the waiter decide for you! At least there's an agreeable view while you're being ripped off! This is a snap of some of the allegorical frescoes surrounding the plaza.

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Great town..Monte Carlo!!...

by Marina-cro

Great town..Monte Carlo!! Looks very expencyve and extravagant. There you can meet rich people or tourists (like me) who are courious what is going on in the casinos!! :-)Watch out!!! Money can easilly run away from your pocket!!! ;)Just kiding...

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WHEN YOU WANT TO ENJOY A NICE...

by VincentJJ

WHEN YOU WANT TO ENJOY A NICE VIEW AND GO OUT OFF THE CAR, A L W A Y E S LOCK YOUR CAR,AND SHUT THE WINDOWS.ONE PERSON SHOULD STAY NEARBY THE CAR. BEWARE OF LOCAL MOTOR-RIDERS WHO ALSO WANT TO 'ENJOY' THE VIEW!

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If you hire a car and return...

by dreamdragon

If you hire a car and return it to the airport on your way home, be aware that the car park at the airport does not open until 06.00 hours, so there is no point getting there early if you have the early flight home.

(Left Photo)The ever famous...

by yeah_baby

(Left Photo)The ever famous Sagrada Familia of BarcelonaAntonio GaudiPottery in Las Bisbald

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I would like to warn travelers...

by Saints_fan

I would like to warn travelers that in certain parts of Spain be on the look out for people selling time-share properties.They approach you in the streets and hand you a prize ticket and of course you win first prize.if you go along with them they pay for your taxi and you go off to some lovely appartments that take your breath away.The salesmen want you to make up your mind there and then and ask for monies up front a lot of monies up front.We got caught this way in Ibiza and spent the best part of 3 hours and mist the sun,what you go abroad for and mist my few beers as well.So be warned if any-body comes up to you in the streets and asks if you are British,Dutch,Germen to mention a few put a prize ticket under your nose say NO THANK YOU ! as you will waste 3 to 4 hours of your holiday or vacation

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Questions and Answers

Arjola profile photo

Q:  Hi everyone, I really need some help to decide where to bring my young family this year for holiday. I am keen on going to the... 

gwened profile photo

A: all there is child friendly catering to families like yours. Great area indeed. y ou can check on destination above tips by posters like us or the tourist office... 

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