logo
Fairytale pink town in Europe once named the country's prettiest that tourists always overlook

Fairytale pink town in Europe once named the country's prettiest that tourists always overlook

Business Mayor21-04-2025
IN THE hills of central Spain is the pretty pink town of Albarracín.
With medieval walls and the remains of castles, it's even been said to look like a scene from a fairytale.
4 Albarracín is a town found in the province of Teruel Credit: Alamy
4 Medieval architecture, including old castle walls and bell tower, remain standing Credit: Alamy
Albarracín is known for its narrow, winding streets and pink hues.
With every building being a shade of terracotta, when the sunlight hits it at the right hour, the town turns a different colour.
Albarracín is a quiet town and in the centre is the main square, Plaza Mayor.
There's also a fountain surrounded by old buildings with wooden balconies.
Albarracín dates back over 8,000 years, but many of the buildings were first built in the Middle Ages.
Surrounding the town are the ruins of the old wall that was once used as its defence.
Santa María Church is one of the oldest churches in Albarracín, and its bell tower stands tall, looking over the town. The inside is decorated with detailed paintings.
The 16th-century Catedral del Salvador features a bell tower built on the remains of a Romanesque temple.
You'll also find the old Andador Tower there, built in the 10th century and serving as a defensive outpost.
Around the town is the Guadalupe River, which is the fifth-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula and the second-longest river with its entire length in Spain.
Villajoyosa the Spanish town that smells like chocolate
4 Albarracín is one of the most beautiful towns in Spain Credit: Alamy
While Albarracín is not a sought-out holiday destination, it was voted the most beautiful town in Spain in 2018.
When it comes to food, certain dishes have a Muslim influence since the area was under Muslim rule during the Middle Ages.
For anyone wanting to take a deeper dive into the town's history, visit the Museo de Albarracín to discover its archaeological and historical past.
It has also been noted that, as the town is so small and fairly isolated, most residents do not speak English.
Getting there is a tad complex. From the UK, you'll need to get to Castellón de la Plana.
You can get a direct flight from Stansted Airport with Ryanair.
From Castellón de la Plana, it is a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Albarracín.
Plus, the Spanish seaside town named Europe's best-kept secret has £23 flights and five beaches.
And the often-overlooked Spanish town with one of the world's best climates and a vast, golden beach that is a hit with locals.
'Magical' coastal town that Spanish locals visit in the summer – with African day trips
A coastal town known to Spanish locals is often overlooked by Brits. Tarifa is the southernmost point of Europe, and stretches along the south coast of Spain.
The white sand beaches are pristine, which are the main attraction of the town. But due to its location, it is also known as being one of the windiest towns in Europe too.
This means kitesurfers flock to the area, and is a great spot to watch or even try it yourself with a local-run lesson. Dolphin and whale watching is also an option, which can be spotted by boat.
There is also the 800-year-old Tarifa Castle, between the old Town and seafront which is worth a visit. Otherwise the Old Town itself is lined with bars and restaurants, with a mix of both Spanish and Moroccan influences.
This is the same for the stalls too, attracting a range of African and Moroccan souvenirs. Otherwise you can walk between both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea with a long pathway between the two.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

65 of our favorite places to eat in the San Fernando Valley
65 of our favorite places to eat in the San Fernando Valley

Los Angeles Times

time6 hours ago

  • Los Angeles Times

65 of our favorite places to eat in the San Fernando Valley

Los Angeles has many valleys, but only one is the Valley. You know it as soon as you crest over the 101, 405, 170 or 5 freeways, its bordering hills verdant or golden depending on the time of year. Pull off almost any exit and you'll immediately be greeted by shopping centers, strip malls, mom-and-pop markets and fine-dining dens serving up some of the city's most ambitious and heartfelt meals. Bounded by mountains on all sides, the San Fernando Valley spans 260 square miles and is home to nearly half of L.A.'s population, around 1.8 million people. Across its expanse, it assumes many identities. Long before its peaks and basins were crisscrossed with highways and miles-long boulevards, the Tongva people lived along the water-rich and wooded areas of the Valley for more than 7,000 years. In the late 18th century, Spanish settlers by way of Mexico traversed over the Santa Monica Mountains into what is now known as Encino. More than a century ago, the citrus orchards began to give way as Warner Bros., Walt Disney and Universal studios built out their filming lots. A tinge of Tinseltown and tourism followed, while room to grow brought a midcentury housing boom to the region. Themed restaurants and tiki haunts popped up to keep diners entertained. Now, it's difficult to find a Valley establishment that hasn't made a TV or film appearance. As Valley dwellers began settling in — immigrants, suburban families, celebrities — its food scene flourished in step. On Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, you'll find Casa Vega, its dim interior practically untouched since Rafael 'Ray' Vega first founded it in 1956. The son of Tijuana-born immigrants who ran popular Cafe Caliente on Olvera Street beginning in the 1930s, Vega introduced many Valley diners — including a flock of silver screen regulars — to Mexican-American staples such as fajitas and enchiladas. Farther south in Studio City, take your pick from a parade of Japanese restaurants along Sushi Row. The stretch of Ventura Boulevard became a hub for high-end Japanese cuisine after pioneering chef Kazunori Nozawa opened his Edo-style sushi restaurant Nozawa in 1987. Though that location has since closed, Nozawa has spawned a global restaurant empire with his KazuNori, Nozawa Bar and Sugarfish chains. Pull off the main drag and you'll find hidden gem burger shacks, taquerias, hot dog joints, kebab shops and neighborhood delis. Meanwhile, Valley residents are spearheading new concepts. 'We're born and bred Valley kids, so we had to do it in the Valley,' said Marissa Shammas on opening Yala Coffee, a Middle Eastern-inspired cafe, with her husband Zain Shammas in Studio City. '[People] commonly think [the Valley] is where things go to die — and we think that that's where things go to be more.' There's more to discover than ever when it comes to dining in the 818 (or 747). Eight Times food writers spent months exploring the Valley in search of the best for this guide, reconnecting with old favorites and finding new surprises. For me, it was also an exercise in nostalgia. Old shortcuts returned like muscle memory as I reacquainted myself with the Woodland Hills blocks where I navigated young adulthood. In North Hollywood, my home for several years into my early 30s, former standbys suddenly returned to the forefront of my mind: The tiki bar across the street from my old apartment, a hole-in-the-wall Puerto Rican restaurant where salsa music draws you in, a vibrant Jamaican bistro that now sits in Sherman Oaks. I found myself wishing I could linger in the Valley longer. Here are our favorites, spanning Filipino-Mexican fusion in a Northridge car wash-turned-restaurant, a DMV-adjacent street-stand for lamb barbacoa in Arleta and a fast-growing mini chain of Sephardic pastries. It's time to dig into the Valley. — Danielle Dorsey

Pilgrimage route cut as Spanish wildfires spread to Picos de Europa mountains
Pilgrimage route cut as Spanish wildfires spread to Picos de Europa mountains

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Pilgrimage route cut as Spanish wildfires spread to Picos de Europa mountains

Pilgrimage route cut as Spanish wildfires spread to Picos de Europa mountains By Guillermo Martinez and Nacho Doce PALACIOS DE JAMUZ, Spain (Reuters) -Raging wildfires in Spain spread to the southern slopes of the Picos de Europa mountain range on Monday and authorities closed part of the popular Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. About 20 wildfires, fuelled by a severe 16-day heatwave, have devastated more than 115,000 hectares (285,000 acres) in the regions of Galicia and Castile and Leon over the past week. "This is a fire situation we haven't experienced in 20 years," Defence Minister Margarita Robles told radio station Cadena SER. "The fires have special characteristics as a result of climate change and this huge heatwave." She said thick smoke was affecting the work of water-carrying helicopters and aircraft. The Spanish army has deployed 1,900 troops to help firefighters. Highways and rail services have been cut in the area, as well as the "Camino de Santiago" hiking route, an ancient pilgrimage path trodden by thousands in the summer. It links France and the city of Santiago de Compostela on the Western tip of Spain, where the remains of the apostle St James are said to be buried. Authorities in the Castile and Leon region have closed the path in the area between the towns of Astorga and Ponferrada, which are about 50 km (30 miles) apart, and told hikers "not to put (their) lives in danger". A firefighter died when his truck crashed on a forest path near the village of Espinoso de Compludo. Four firefighters have died so far. The Interior ministry says 27 people have been arrested and 92 are under investigation for suspected arson since June. Southern Europe is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in two decades, with Spain among the hardest-hit countries. In Portugal, wildfires have burnt 155,000 hectares so far this year, according to the ICNF forestry protection institute - three times the average for this period between 2006 to 2024. About half of that area burned in the past three days. Robles said things are not likely to improve until the heatwave that has seen temperatures hit 45 Celsius degrees (113 Fahrenheit) starts easing on Monday evening or Tuesday. The heatwave is the third hottest since 1975, when the national weather agency started tracking them. Most of the country is subject to wildfire warnings. (Writing by Inti Landauro; editing by Giles Elgood)

I'm a rigorous journalist, and nearly fell victim to this £370k holiday scam
I'm a rigorous journalist, and nearly fell victim to this £370k holiday scam

Yahoo

time9 hours ago

  • Yahoo

I'm a rigorous journalist, and nearly fell victim to this £370k holiday scam

I was half asleep when I checked my emails first thing. There was one from which made me sit up straight. It said my hotel booking in Spain later that month was at risk of cancellation unless I confirmed some details. There was a link that took me to a page where I was asked to fill out my name, address and bank details to pay for the hotel. I vaguely remembered paying already, but assumed I was wrong – the page looked completely legitimate, and I thought I must have selected the option to pay later when I made the reservation. I even double-checked by logging into my account. I saw the email again in my inbox, from the Spanish hotel, telling me to fill out my details to avoid the booking being cancelled. I couldn't think of anything worse than losing my August bank holiday booking – it had taken me hours to find that hotel, and I couldn't bear the thought of doing it again. So I quickly filled out my name and email, and was seconds away from putting in my credit card details for the £500 payment when I realised I didn't have the right card to hand. By the time I found my card, I'd received another email from the hotel via repeating the same thing – if I didn't fill out my details in six hours, the booking would be at risk of cancellation. That was when I started to get suspicious. Why would the hotel send the same message twice? Also, on second thought, why did I have to fill out my credit card details when they were already saved to my profile? Something felt wrong, so I logged on to the app to check my booking. It was showing up as fully paid and confirmed. I tried to search for the page I'd first clicked through to, telling me to confirm my details, but I couldn't find it anywhere. It didn't exist. It was all just a scam – and I'd very nearly handed £500 to cyber hackers. This experience was a wake-up call. As a journalist, I've always prided myself on being discerning. I never thought someone like me could fall prey to cyber scams, but this experience proved me wrong. If my credit card was where it was supposed to be, I would have lost £500, and not even realised I'd been hacked. 'Scams are getting more sophisticated and messages can look very convincing,' explains Jessica Barker, author of Hacked: The Secrets Behind Cyber Attacks. 'This is made worse by AI because criminals can now draft perfectly written emails and texts, regardless of language barriers, and can scale up their attacks much more easily.' I was shocked by how convincing the fake page looked – there was even a customer service chat window that I very nearly used to find out more information about the payment request. I'm not the only one who was taken in. Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime, received 532 reports of this scam over the last year, with victims collectively losing £370,000. The organisation issued a warning alert earlier this year urging customers to look out for unusual messages from hotel accounts using the platform. 'If you receive an unexpected request from a hotel's account you booked using asking for bank or credit card details, it could be a fraudster trying to trick you into parting ways with your money,' explains Adam Mercer, deputy head of Action Fraud. 'Contact or the organisation directly if you're unsure.' This scam is particularly deceptive because the messages come directly from platform. The hackers target the hotel and accommodation providers, using the site with phishing emails to scam them out of their passwords to take over their accounts. Once they have full control of their accounts, they email holidaymakers who have bookings with them, trying to deceive them into sending payments. 'If you have made a reservation via or a similar platform, being aware of this scam is the first step in staying safe,' says Barker. 'When criminals have a successful scam on one site, they will generally try to replicate it as much as possible. 'If you receive any urgent payment requests – for example, threatening a booking cancellation – contact the customer service team via the details on the official website or app to check this is legitimate before you make a payment.' She also stresses that hotels or accommodation providers should protect their accounts as much as possible, since they are the gateway to customers receiving these scams: 'It's a reminder of how account compromise can have a domino effect, because one account being compromised can lead to a much larger number of people being scammed.' is aware of this scam, and confirms that while there hasn't been a breach of its systems, it is taking steps to protect customers. A spokesman said: 'Cyber security is a top priority at and as such, we continuously enhance and extend the robust measures we have in place. Thanks to these measures and our continuous efforts to enhance them, we are able to detect and block the majority of threats before they can have an impact. 'In the rare event that a customer is targeted by cybercriminals and suffers financial loss as a result, we encourage them to contact their bank in the first instance, and our customer service team is committed to providing support to those impacted where possible.' I was lucky not to lose any money, but almost falling for it – despite being a millennial raised online and a journalist trained to fact-check everything – shows how easy it is to be caught out. Scammers are evolving fast, and the only way to avoid them is to stay alert and informed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store