Spain conjures up images of whitewashed villages, passionate flamenco dancers accompanied by liely guitar music, bullfights, and the clear blue waters of the Meditterranean. While this vision holds true, it is just one perspective on a country suprisingly diverse in customs, architecture, cuisine, and even language. Barcelona, with a diverse population of 1.6 million, is markedly cosmopolitan, wearing its reputation for being Spain's "Gateway to Europe" as a badge of considerable honor. Spain's cuisine has gained well-deserved international recognition over the past decades, due to a proliferation of tapas-style restaurants and celebrity chefs. With an emphasis on high-quality, simple ingredients, such as rice, olive oil, fresh seafood, manchego cheese, and delivious, dry-cured jamon serrano.

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Visa Information: U.S. citizens are not currently required to have a visa to enter Spain. Non U.S. citizens must check local visa requirements, including requirements for countries passed through in transit.