5 Things You Don't Know About Spain

By Patricia Harris and David Lyon

Despite the Spanish financial crisis, the country remains a welcoming destination, especially for travelers with dollars or pounds in their pockets. To reap the benefits of the soft economy, go where the Spaniards go. We always recommend neighborhood restaurants and taverns for the most authentic dining experiences, and now they're an even better deal as proprietors trot out "crisis" menus and extra courses to keep customers coming. Likewise, you can score really nice rooms at business hotel groups like NH Hoteles (www.nh-hotels.com) for a fraction of what you might have paid before the go-go economy got up and went.

Photo caption: The NH Alicante in Alicante, Spain.

Spain completed most of its high-speed rail network (www.renfe.es) before austerity measures set in. With the opening of the Madrid-Alicante line, 10 trains a day now connect Madrid and Cuenca, home of the famous "hanging houses" and a favorite getaway for Madrileños. The former 3-hour trip takes just 51 minutes. Similarly, the dedicated Avant line now puts romantic, medieval Toledo just a half hour from Madrid -- faster than a bus at about the same price. You can crisscross the country by train in less time than you'd spend going to and from airports.

Photo caption: A view of a RENFE Avant train from the platform of the Toledo rail station.

We once asked Spanish superchefs Ferran Adrià and José Andres the best destination for a gastronomic holiday. They answered unequivocally: San Sebastián. The small city has 60 percent of Spain's Michelin three-star restaurants, but you don't have to raid the retirement account to feast like a king. The creative food culture trickles down to the least expensive bars. Pintxos (as the Basques call tapas) are some of the best food deals in Europe. Start pintxos-hopping on Calle 31 de Agosto, but don't miss the Gros district, which locals favor but travelers often overlook.

Photo caption: Eating tapas along Parte Vieja in San Sebastian, Spain. Photo by Bruce Burger/Frommers.com Community

Because most winter visitors to Spain flock to the southern beaches, Madrid is a bargain. True, the dry plateau climate is cooler than the coast, but it's also drier. Most days are sunny with temperatures rising to around 60°F (15.5°C). Attractions and restaurants are less crowded, hotel prices are at their best all year, and the city looks majestic in the winter light. During the last half of the month, the Madrid Gastrofestival (www.esmadrid.com/gastrofestival) offers special menus, discount tapas, and a host of food events.

Photo caption: Plaza Mayor. Madrid, Spain.

Majestic white storks winter in North Africa, but when they begin to feel amorous (around February) they fly to Spain to nest, lay eggs, and raise their chicks. Many land in Extremadura, where ancient trees and even more ancient ruins host up to a dozen nesting pairs. Look for them on the Roman aqueduct towers outside Mérida and on virtually every building in the old city of Cáceres. In La Rioja, about 400 nesting stork pairs -- the largest concentration in the world -- cover the Colegiata de San Miguel church in Alfaro. Until August, when they begin to migrate back to Africa, you can watch chicks in the nests from an elevated lookout.

Photo caption: A white stork in Zamora, Spain.

White wine lovers and critics have fallen in love with Spanish wines vinted from the Albariño grape grown in the Rias Baixas coastal region of Galicia. The picturesque O Rosal subdistrict, which parallels the Miño river that separates Spain from Portugal, is studded with vineyards. Meander the country road between Tui and A Guarda to visit the tasting and sales rooms.

Photo caption: Rias Baixas, Spain.