The latest news from Paradores

Northern Spain is home to some of the oldest cave art in Europe. The well-preserved prehistoric cave paintings, which depict animals, handprints and abstract shapes, offer a glimpse of what life was like for our ancestors between 35,000 and 11,000 BC.

The beautiful, mountainous city of Ronda in southern Spain has served as inspiration for many artists over the centuries. British author Mary Anne Evans, known by her pen name George Eliot, famously named the title character of her controversial Victorian novel Daniel Deronda.

It can be difficult to pull yourself away from the breathtaking vistas along Catalonia's Mediterranean coast. But inland within the region's mountainous north awaits an area that not only rivals the seaside in natural beauty, but is also home to many historic monuments.

Spanish cuisine isn't just wine and cheese. One of Spain's most famous dishes is the cocido, a hearty stew of different meats and vegetables. This delicious fare has almost as many varieties as Spain has regions, and the curious traveller could spend months going from place to place sampling the local cocidos.

Flickering candles, heavy incense and regional Spanish music fill the city squares of Zaragoza during its annual Festival of the Virgin Mary of the Pillar, one of Spain's most traditional celebrations. Dating back hundreds of years, the religious festival kicks off on the Saturday prior to 12 October - the Virgin Mary of the Pillar's feast - when a city official announces the start of the festivities from atop the historic city hall's balcony, and they continue through the week until the following Sunday.

For the second consecutive year, Parador Santiago de Compostela has been named Spain's top Parador by the readers of TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel website. Beating the other 94 national Paradores in the "Traveller's Choice Paradores de Turismo" ranking, the 15th century landmark located in the famed Plaza do Obradoiro - next to the Galician capital's famed cathedral - was selected by the website's patrons because of its rich architectural setting and its excellent service.

The battle was bloody and lasted for days, but when the smoke cleared over the Andalusian plain, it was clear that Napoleon Bonaparte's supposedly unbeatable troops were retreating, defeated by the scrappy Spanish army. Such was the scene in 1808 in the area surrounding the tiny Spanish village of Bailén, and today this turning point in Spain's War of Independence continues to be commemorated in an annual historical re-enactment.

Whales have captivated our imaginations for centuries with their size, grace and intelligence, and so it is no surprise that many people brave sea winds and rocking boats to catch a glimpse of these majestic creatures in their natural habitat. Whale watching has become a popular activity for those who want a chance to get up close to some of the world's largest animals.

The Canal of Castile, or Canal de Castilla in Spanish, is one of the largest and one of the few man-made water channels in all of Spain. The wide waterway carves a Y-shaped path through the region of Castile and León in the north of Spain, stretching 207 kilometres and passing through more than three dozen towns and cities, including locations near luxury hotel Parador Cervera de Pisuerga.

Even centuries before the development of mobile phones, the inhabitants of the island of La Gomera, part of Spain's Canary Islands, were able to communicate with each other from mountain peak to mountain peak, "speaking" across deep ravines and wide valleys.

In the age of knights and castles when Christians and Muslims fought over the land we now know as Spain, one figure still stands out above the rest: the skilled military commander known as El Cid. Castilian nobleman Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, more commonly referred to as El Cid, is considered a national hero in Spain for his prowess on the battlefield in the 11th century during the Spanish Reconquista.

Seafood is always on the menu in the small Spanish city of O Grove along the Atlantic coast. Nicknamed the "paradise of seafood", the city's economy relies heavily on tourism and fishing, so with this in mind, the people of O Grove throw a seafood festival every October to celebrate the very best of Galician cuisine.