Many places in Spain dress up like a fairy tale in the run-up to Christmas. Nativity scenes, lights, terraces open to the public, Christmas sweets, Christmas carols, illuminated trees and street markets invade the squares and streets of our cities, transforming them into a celebration capable of taking us back to childhood and experiencing the warmth these days in the middle of winter.
These four destinations in the country – Córdoba, Oviedo, Málaga and Bilbao – seem to us to be perfect places to enjoy the magical days of Christmas accompanied by our friends and family. If you wish, you can start with the preparations.
Cordoba
On these dates, around forty terraces in Córdoba open their doors. In addition to the typical vegetation that adorns the walls, ceiling and floors of these exposed spaces to form real sculptures, declared intangible heritage of humanity, there are plants typical of this era, such as brightly colored poinsettias.
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 isn’t just about its patios. The Andalusian city also has a Christmas market on the Plaza de las Tendillas. Little ones are sure to have fun on Gran Capitan Boulevard, where they can ride a castle, a carousel and ice rinks. And for those who wish to deepen their knowledge of the world of the arts in this particular period, the city offers a sample of Cordovan choirs and a nativity scene.
Oviedo
La Vetusta de Azorín, setting for “La Regenta”, whose sculpture by Mauro Álvarez shines in Plaza Alfonso II with the Cathedral of San Salvador in the background, dresses during Christmas days with delicate elegance. The light tunnel of Calle Pelayo has become a symbol of this era in the capital of Asturias, along with the great Escandalera tree and the light corridors of Campo San Francisco.
The Oviedo Nursery Association exhibits its wonderful creations with life-size figures in Trascorrales Square and Cathedral Square. 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 Hall, for its part, offers a free “Christmas train” from the Plaza de Ayuntamiento as well as a Navibús, a tourist bus that goes around Christmas in Oviedo.
While for adults the best gastronomy can be found in the Plaza del Fontán, for the little ones there is an ice rink, a multi-game tent and a pedal karting circuit, among others, on the El Bombé del promenade. Campo in San Francisco. There is also the Santa Claus parade with trills and elves on December 24 as well as the Three Kings parade and reception.
Anyone looking for the best classical music just has 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 preferred destination for traveling in December. In addition, in recent years the lighting of Larios Street has become a real spectacle. The Andalusian town’s main street features striking arc-shaped lighting that adds more color and music to this commercial avenue each year.
It’s not the only place that gets special lighting these days with video mapping and drones, also the south side of the cathedral, the cruise terminal or the La Concepción botanical garden.
On these dates you will also find more Christmas offers such as the market in Plaza de la Marina, with more than a hundred stands. But there’s also much more to Pier One and Paseo del Parque. On the other hand, four Christmas trees, icon of these dates, stand in the coastal town in the Plaza de la Constitución, Plaza del Obispo, Calle Alcazabilla and Plaza de la Marina, in addition to being able to walk a path of birth. .
For music lovers, Malaga delights the ears with its classical and popular music. For the first, we can attend Christmas concerts in the Cathedral and the Cervantes Theater, while bands of verdiales invade the streets. The verdiales are a festive event of peasant origin which 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 Music Museum or the Collection of the Russian Museum of Saint Petersburg.
Bilbao
The capital of Biscay is another destination to enjoy Christmas in all its splendor. The most emblematic districts and the route of the estuary are elegantly illuminated. There is a good atmosphere in the city, as some Bilbao residents celebrate these holidays in groups singing Christmas carols in bars.
While Ripa Pier hosts a traditional Christmas market with wooden stalls, at Arenal Pier you can also enjoy a Christmas craft fair with the family. The ice rink or the slide, on the other hand, are also located on the Arenal pier and the Ripa pier respectively.
The Association of Nurseries of Biscay offers a nice tour through some of the nurseries presented in the city. At the top of Gorbea, one can also see a modest mountain birthplace, where a group of climbers re-enact this moment under the cross.
Christmas trees invade 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, natural and artificial, distributed throughout the neighborhoods.
We cannot forget the appointment with Olentzero, the Basque Santa Claus, who prepares his traditional clothes on December 23 to descend from the mountains to Bilbao, a day before starting his task of distributing gifts.
