Latest news with #BarcelonaAirport
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- The Irish Sun
The secret sunshine spot 20 minutes from major city with €2.50 pints, 23C heat and Aer Lingus flights from €50
TAKE a look at this secret sunshine spot that's just 20 minutes from a major city with 23C heat and pints starting from €2.50. Castelldefels is located in the suburban town of the Metropolitan Area of 7 Castelldefels is located less than 30 minutes from Barcelona, Spain Credit: Alamy 7 Castelldefels harbour has a stunning view of the blue waters Credit: Alamy 7 Castelldefels Castle gave the sunshine spot its unique name Credit: Alamy 7 The most popular golden shore is the Castelldefels Beach Credit: Alamy This stunning destination is the perfect holiday spot this summer for everyone, with Despite it being frequently bypassed in favour of Barcelona, Castelldefels is the ideal spot for sightseeing lovers, with castles and Olympic stadia to see. Get a guided tour of the place that gave the stunning town its name. The Castillo de Castelldefels is just €10 for adults to explore with kids from ages 7-17 allowed in for just €7. READ MORE ON TRAVEL The Parroquia Santa Maria is the ideal Visit the famous location that hosted the canoe sprint events for the 1992 Summer Olympics. The Canal Olímpic de Catalunya is perfect for active travellers as it is a popular spot for canoeing, kayaking, cycling, and other aqua activities. Soak up the sun in the 23C heat on one of the many Most read in City The most popular golden shore is the Castelldefels Beach. With its long, sandy look it is the perfect spot for swimming, sunbathing, and all water sports. Family getaway with Jet2 to the serene beach town of Algor There is fun for all the family in this secret sun spot, just an 11-minute drive from Barcelona Airport. Keep the kids entertained with one of the many circuses to choose from in the town. Enjoy a spa retreat when you stay in one of the many apart The most popular resort is the Solifemar aparthotel with rooms for less than €100 just a two minute walk from the nearest bus stop and beaches. For a more romantic getaway, enjoy an evening meal or night out for two along the seafront. There are over 20 restaurants and bars to pick from for the perfect date night. Rincon de Lola is the most popular spot for a fine dining experience by the seaside. This hidden 7 Keep all the family entertained with one of the many circuses in town Credit: Alamy 7 There are many hotels and apartments to choose from for your stay Credit: Alamy 7 Canal Olímpic de Catalunya is a popular spot for water sports Credit: Trip Advisor
Saudi Gazette
29-04-2025
- Saudi Gazette
Travel mayhem in Spain and Portugal as power outage grounds flights, paralyzes train networks
MADRID — A blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, halting trains and causing major disruption at airports. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica said that restoring power to large parts of the country and neighboring Portugal could take 6-10 hours. Capital cities Madrid and Lisbon, as well as Seville, Barcelona and Valencia, have been left without the internet and electricity, plunging transport networks into chaos. Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Eléctrica, told journalists it was unprecedented, calling the event 'exceptional and extraordinary'. The power outage sparked mayhem at airports in Spain and Portugal on Monday. So far, around 200 flights, mostly to and from Lisbon, have been canceled. There have been no complete closures as airports are operating on backup generators. Spain's Transport Minister, Oscar Puente, said in a post on X that air traffic control towers were operating with restrictions and air traffic capacity has been reduced by up to half in some areas. At Madrid airport, many flights to destinations within Spain and to/from Portugal were cancelled. There could be further schedule changes overnight if power is not restored soon. Some departures from Madrid and Lisbon to the US are severely delayed, and overnight flights to Latin America could be affected by a prolonged outage, leaving thousands of passengers potentially stranded. At Barcelona Airport, international flights are operating with a one or two-hour delay, while many domestic flights have been scrapped. Airports in Alicante and Malaga don't appear to be severely affected. Airports in the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands have not been affected and are operating as normal, with only some cancellations of domestic flights. In a post on X, Aena advised passengers to contact their airline for updates. In Lisbon, terminals closed, and throngs of tourists sat outside in the sun and the shade, waiting for news about their flights. Three out of 10 flights from Lisbon have been cancelled so far, according to aviation analysts Cirium. 'We haven't seen any plane arriving or departing in the 50 minutes we've been waiting here,' Dutch tourist Marc Brandsma told The Associated Press. EasyJet released a statement earlier in the day stating that the blackout was impacting access to some airports and affecting its flight operations in Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona. "Like all airlines, we are experiencing some disruption to our flying programme meaning that some return flights from Lisbon and Madrid have been unable to operate," the airline said. "Our flying programme at Porto and Faro airports is operating as planned." The airline is urging passengers to monitor local travel advice and flight trackers for updates. They also say passengers in Spain or Portugal who are unable to travel are being provided with free-of-charge transfers within 72 hours or a flight voucher, according to the BBC. The video aired on Spanish television showed people evacuating metro stations in Madrid and empty stations with trains stopped in Barcelona. The country's railway operator, Renfe, made an announcement just after midday, saying that the 'entire National Electricity Grid was cut off' and that trains were unable to depart from stations. At 4.30 pm CET, Renfe confirmed that all services were still suspended due to the power outages. Puente said that it was not likely that medium and long-distance train services would resume today. The aim is to resume shorter-distance, commuter services as soon as the electricity supply is restored. It could take some time, however, for rail services to return to normal as control systems need to recover and trains will need to be repositioned. In a post on X, Puente advised passengers not to go to stations until further notice. Work is still underway to rescue people from the 116 trains stranded due to the blackout. The following stations will remain open all night: Atocha, Chamartín, Sants, Bilbao, Valencia, Sevilla, Córdoba, Zaragoza, Valladolid, Málaga, Pamplona, Camp de Tarragona, Tudela, Santiago, Zamora, and León. Passengers will be evacuated to these stations. Portugal's rail network has also been hit by the blackout, but travellers were already braced for disruption due to a national strike which saw train services suspended on Monday anyway. Although there were outages in some parts of France, too, trains don't seem to have been affected. 'In France, homes were without power for several minutes in the Basque Country. All power has since been restored,' said RTE, the French electricity operator. — Euronews
Euronews
29-04-2025
- Euronews
Travel mayhem in Spain and Portugal as power outage grounds flights and paralyses train networks
ADVERTISEMENT A blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, halting trains and causing major disruption at airports. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica said that restoring power to large parts of the country and neighbouring Portugal could take 6-10 hours. Capital cities Madrid and Lisbon, as well as Seville, Barcelona and Valencia, have been left without the internet and electricity, plunging transport networks into chaos. Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Eléctrica, told journalists it was unprecedented, calling the event 'exceptional and extraordinary'. Here's what travellers need to know about train services and flight operations in Spain and Portugal. Flights cancelled to Spanish and Portuguese airports The power outage sparked mayhem at airports in Spain and Portugal on Monday. So far, around 200 flights, mostly to and from Lisbon, have been cancelled. There have been no complete closures as airports are operating on backup generators. Spain's Transport Minister, Oscar Puente, said in a post on X that air traffic control towers were operating with restrictions and air traffic capacity has been reduced by up to half in some areas. At Madrid airport, many flights to destinations within Spain and to/from Portugal were cancelled. There could be further schedule changes overnight if power is not restored soon. Some departures from Madrid and Lisbon to the US are severely delayed, and overnight flights to Latin America could be affected by a prolonged outage, leaving thousands of passengers potentially stranded. At Barcelona Airport, international flights are operating with a one or two-hour delay, while many domestic flights have been scrapped. Airports in Alicante and Malaga don't appear to be severely affected. Airports in the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands have not been affected and are operating as normal, with only some cancellations of domestic flights. In a post on X, Aena advised passengers to contact their airline for updates. In Lisbon, terminals closed, and throngs of tourists sat outside in the sun and the shade, waiting for news about their flights. Three out of 10 flights from Lisbon have been cancelled so far, according to aviation analysts Cirium. ADVERTISEMENT 'We haven't seen any plane arriving or departing in the 50 minutes we've been waiting here,' Dutch tourist Marc Brandsma told The Associated Press. EasyJet offers stranded passengers free-of-charge transfers EasyJet released a statement earlier in the day stating that the blackout was impacting access to some airports and affecting its flight operations in Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona. "Like all airlines, we are experiencing some disruption to our flying programme meaning that some return flights from Lisbon and Madrid have been unable to operate," the airline said. "Our flying programme at Porto and Faro airports is operating as planned." The airline is urging passengers to monitor local travel advice and flight trackers for updates. ADVERTISEMENT They also say passengers in Spain or Portugal who are unable to travel are being provided with free-of-charge transfers within 72 hours or a flight voucher , according to the BBC. Train networks in Spain and Portugal grind to a halt Train services in both countries have been thrown into chaos. The video aired on Spanish television showed people evacuating metro stations in Madrid and empty stations with trains stopped in Barcelona. The country's railway operator, Renfe, made an announcement just after midday, saying that the 'entire National Electricity Grid was cut off' and that trains were unable to depart from stations. ADVERTISEMENT Related Ryanair punishes Denmark over 'harmful' new tax by scrapping flights to major airports Paris, Istanbul, Madrid: Which European airports are finally exceeding pre-Covid passenger levels? At 4.30 pm CET, Renfe confirmed that all services were still suspended due to the power outages. Puente said that it was not likely that medium and long-distance train services would resume today. The aim is to resume shorter-distance, commuter services as soon as the electricity supply is restored. It could take some time, however, for rail services to return to normal as control systems need to recover and trains will need to be repositioned. In a post on X, Puente advised passengers not to go to stations until further notice. Work is still underway to rescue people from the 116 trains stranded due to the blackout. The following stations will remain open all night: Atocha, Chamartín, Sants, Bilbao, Valencia, Sevilla, Córdoba, Zaragoza, Valladolid, Málaga, Pamplona, Camp de Tarragona, Tudela, Santiago, Zamora, and León. Passengers will be evacuated to these stations. ADVERTISEMENT Portugal's rail network has also been hit by the blackout, but travellers were already braced for disruption due to a national strike which saw train services suspended on Monday anyway. Although there were outages in some parts of France, too, trains don't seem to have been affected. 'In France, homes were without power for several minutes in the Basque Country. All power has since been restored,' said RTE, the French electricity operator.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
Travel mayhem in Spain and Portugal as power outage grounds flights and paralyses train networks
A blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, halting trains and causing major disruption at airports. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica said that restoring power to large parts of the country and neighbouring Portugal could take 6-10 hours. Capital cities Madrid and Lisbon, as well as Seville, Barcelona and Valencia, have been left without the internet and electricity, plunging transport networks into chaos. Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Eléctrica, told journalists it was unprecedented, calling the event 'exceptional and extraordinary'. Here's what travellers need to know about train services and flight operations in Spain and Portugal. The power outage sparked mayhem at airports in Spain and Portugal on Monday. There have been no complete closures as airports are operating on backup electrical systems. However, some flights were delayed or cancelled, according to Aena, the company that runs 56 airports in Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona. At Madrid airport, many flights to destinations within Spain and to/from Portugal were cancelled. There could be further schedule changes overnight if power is not restored soon. Some departures from Madrid and Lisbon to the US are severely delayed, and overnight flights to Latin America could be affected by a prolonged outage, leaving thousands of passengers potentially stranded. At Barcelona Airport, international flights are operating with a one or two-hour delay, while many domestic flights have been scrapped. Other airports serving destinations including holiday hotspots Alicante, Malaga, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands are only seeing some domestic flights grounded. In a post on X, Aena advised passengers to contact their airline for updates. In Lisbon, terminals closed, and throngs of tourists sat outside in the sun and the shade, waiting for news about their flights. 'We haven't seen any plane arriving or departing in the 50 minutes we've been waiting here,' Dutch tourist Marc Brandsma told The Associated Press. EasyJet released a statement earlier in the day stating that the blackout was impacting access to some airports and affecting its flight operations in Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona. "Like all airlines, we are experiencing some disruption to our flying programme meaning that some return flights from Lisbon and Madrid have been unable to operate," the airline said. "Our flying programme at Porto and Faro airports is operating as planned." The airline is urging passengers to monitor local travel advice and flight trackers for updates. They also say passengers in Spain or Portugal who are unable to travel are being provided with free-of-charge transfers within 72 hours or a flight voucher, according to the BBC. Train services in both countries have been thrown into chaos. The video aired on Spanish television showed people evacuating metro stations in Madrid and empty stations with trains stopped in Barcelona. The country's railway operator, Renfe, made an announcement just after midday, saying that the 'entire National Electricity Grid was cut off' and that trains were unable to depart from stations. Related Ryanair punishes Denmark over 'harmful' new tax by scrapping flights to major airports Paris, Istanbul, Madrid: Which European airports are finally exceeding pre-Covid passenger levels? At 4.30 pm CET, Renfe confirmed that all services were still suspended due to the power outages. Portugal's rail network has also been hit by the blackout, but travellers were already braced for disruption due to a national strike which saw train services suspended on Monday anyway. Although there were outages in some parts of France, too, trains don't seem to have been affected. 'In France, homes were without power for several minutes in the Basque Country. All power has since been restored,' said RTE, the French electricity operator.
The Irish Sun
22-04-2025
- The Irish Sun
Tiny Spanish-speaking country is one of the cheapest European destinations year-round – and you may not have heard of it
WEDGED between France and Spain is a cheap year-round destination that is often overlooked by Brits. Measuring only 468sqkm, the Spanish-speaking Andorra is mostly known for offering a 5 Andorra is about a two hour bus journey from Barcelona Airport Credit: Getty 5 The ski season in Andorra runs from early December to late April Credit: Alamy However, the small destination also offers cheap hotels year round, especially in the summer. Whilst December is one of the most expensive times of the year to stay in Andorra - as the ski season kicks off - the price of a hotel is still less than staying in other ski spots for the same time of year. The average price for a hotel per night in Andorra in December is $217 (£162.23), but in comparison France would set you back on average $346 (£258.67), Switzerland $504 (£376.80) and Austria, a staggering $825 (£616.78), according to May offers the cheapest month to visit the landlocked country, costing around $83 (£71.37) a night - making it a cheap summer holiday destination too. Read more on Europe holidays In addition, prices when eating and drinking out in Andorra are relatively cheap. The average cost for a local beer is €2.60 (£2.24) and a mid-range three-course restaurant meal for two people costs around €44 (£37.84). Visitors can also expect to pay around €6 (£5.16) for a glass of wine in restaurants or a bar. In addition to great skiing, the summer months Andorra have a wide variety of outdoor activities on offer. Most read in News Travel As the snow subsides, a number of In Compapedrosa Valley National Park, visitors can explore numerous different hiking routes, including one to Comapedrosa Peak, which is the highest point in Andorra at 2,942 metres. I visited the 'secret' European ski resort that Brits often overlook with empty slopes and perfect snow Many of the routes include forests, small lakes and waterfalls and there are a number of high mountain refuges where a number of excursions take place, including an astronomy festival. One route, Estanys de Tristaina, is of moderate difficulty but takes hikers four kilometres around the Tristaina lakes in approximately three hours. There is also a car park where visitors can walk from and to the first lake it only takes around 40 minutes, making it the ideal route for families. However, during the summer months access via road is not permitted and the only way to reach the area is via cable car, unless you cycle or walk. Though, bathing is permitted in the area in the summer. For those who prefer to explore history, Andorra la Vella is the capital's old town, which boasts narrow winding streets, Romanesque architecture and many shops. 5 In addition, Andorra is also home to Tobotronc - the longest alpine slide in the world Credit: Instagram 5 The country also boasts a historic centre with a lot of destinations to explore Credit: Alamy One building, Casa de la Vall, served as the seat of government for Andorra for centuries and Sant Esteve Church one of the region's examples of Romanesque architecture. For a slightly quirkier destination, head to La Noblesse du Temps - a museum dedicated to the history of timekeeping. Alternatively, head to Tobotronc - the longest alpine slide in the world, which is open from late spring to early autumn. There is also a Tibetan suspension bridge, which offers panoramic views of the Vall del Rui valley. There currently aren't any direct flights from the UK to Andorra and the easiest way to get there is to fly to Barcelona in Spain and then hop on one of the buses from the airport to Andorra, taking around two hours. The cheapest months to fly to Barcelona are May and July, costing on average £28 return. The Andorra direct bus runs 16 daily services between Barcelona Airport and Andorra la Vella, costing around €60 (£51.60) for an open return ticket. Temperatures fluctuate throughout the year, but the hottest month to visit is July with average highs of 28C and the coldest months to visit are January and February, which the temperature sits around -2C. The Sun's Julia Atherley recently Plus, the 5 The town is home to many historic alleys, restaurants and shops Credit: iStock - Getty
