Many places in Spain dress up like a fairy tale when Christmas arrives. Nativity scenes, lights, patios open to the public, Christmas sweets, carols, illuminated trees and street markets take over the squares and streets of our towns and cities, turning them into a party capable of making us return to childhood and live the warmth of these days. in midwinter.
These four destinations in the country – Córdoba, Oviedo, Málaga and Bilbao – seem like perfect places to us, where we can enjoy the days of Christmas magic accompanied by our friends and family. If you want, you can start with the preparations.
Cordova
Around 40 patios in Córdoba open their doors on these dates. In addition to the typical vegetation that adorns the walls, ceiling and floors of these exposed spaces to form true sculptures, declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity, plants typical of this era are added, such as the poinsettias with their lively colors.
Artistic performances also take place in the patios with flamenco groups, bell ringers and zambombas, which can also be enjoyed in the surrounding streets. Andalusian art takes over a unique city.
But Córdoba at Christmas is not just its patios. The Andalusian city is also decorated with a Christmas market in the Plaza de las Tendillas. The little ones are guaranteed fun on the Gran Capitan Boulevard, where they can ride a castle, a carousel and the ice skating rinks. And for those who are willing to delve deeper into the world of the arts in this special time, the city offers a sample of Cordoban choirs and a nativity scene route.
Oviedo
La Vetusta de Azorín, the setting for ‘La Regenta’, whose sculpture by Mauro Álvarez shines in the Plaza Alfonso II with the Cathedral of San Salvador in the background, dresses up during the Christmas days with a delicate elegance. The light tunnel on Pelayo Street has become a symbol of this era in the capital of Asturias along with the large Escandalera tree and the luminous corridors of Campo San Francisco.
The Oviedo nativity scene association exhibits its wonderful creations with life-size figures in the Plaza de Trascorrales and the Plaza de la Catedral. In the Asturian city there is also no shortage of Christmas markets, such as those in Plaza Porlier, Calle Mendizábal, Plaza de la Catedral and Calle Eusebio González Abascal.
The City Council, for its part, offers a free ‘Christmas train’ from the Plaza de Ayuntamiento and also a Navibús, a tourist bus that tours Christmas in Oviedo.
While for adults the best gastronomy is found in the Plaza del Fontán, for the little ones there is an ice rink, a multi-game tent and a pedal kart circuit, among others, on the El Bombé del Campo promenade in San Francisco. There is also the Santa Claus parade with trills and elves on December 24 along with the parade and reception of the Three Wise Men.
Whoever is looking for the best classical music has only to go to the Príncipe Felipe Auditorium or the Campoamor Theater.
Malaga
A Christmas plan by the sea. The good temperatures of the Costa del Sol make Malaga a special destination to travel in December. In recent years, moreover, the lighting on Larios Street has become quite a spectacle. The main street of the Andalusian city has striking arch-shaped lighting that adds more color and music to this commercial avenue every year.
It is not the only place that has special lighting these days with videomapping and drones, also the south side of the Cathedral, the cruise terminal or the Botanical Garden of La Concepción.
On these dates you will also find more Christmas proposals such as the market in Plaza de la Marina, with more than a hundred stalls. But there is also more at Pier One and Paseo del Parque. On the other hand, four Christmas trees, the icon of these dates, stand in the coastal city in the Plaza de la Constitución, Plaza del Obispo, Calle Alcazabilla and Plaza de la Marina, in addition to being able to walk along a birth route.
For music lovers, Málaga delights the ears with both classical and popular music. For the first, we can visit the Christmas concerts in the Cathedral and the Cervantes Theater, while the verdiales gangs take over the streets. The verdiales are a festive manifestation of peasant origin that consists of a sung and danced fandango accompanied by guitars, cymbals and castanets.
For those who want to be tempted by its museums, Malaga has unique art spaces such as the Picasso Museum, the Carmen Thyssen, the Pompidou Center, the Interactive Museum of Music or the Saint Petersburg Russian Museum Collection.
Bilbao
The capital of Bizkaia is another destination to enjoy at Christmas in all its glory. The most iconic neighborhoods and the route of the estuary are elegantly illuminated. There is a good atmosphere in the city, as some Bilbao residents celebrate these festivals in groups singing Christmas carols in the bars.
While the Ripa Pier hosts a traditional Christmas market with wooden booths, at the Arenal Pier you can also enjoy a Christmas Craft Fair with your family. The skating rink or the ice slide, for their part, are also located at the Arenal Pier and the Ripa Pier, respectively.
The Bizkaia Nativity Scene Association proposes a beautiful route through some of the nativity scenes shown in the city. A modest mountain birthplace can also be seen at the top of Gorbea, where a group of mountaineers reenacts that moment under the cross.
Christmas trees take over the Basque city. The most emblematic are the one in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and the one in front of the Arriaga Theater, but they are not the only ones, since there are more than 50, both natural and artificial, spread throughout the neighborhoods.
We cannot forget the appointment with Olentzero, the Basque Santa Claus, who prepares his traditional clothes on December 23 to descend to Bilbao from the mountains, one day before he begins his task of distributing gifts.
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