Spain has made global headlines with stories of “tourist go home” graffiti, pickpockets, and even locals spraying water guns at tourists. “Is it safe to visit Spain?” or “Will I be treated poorly in Spain?” are the questions I’m asked all the time by friends and family who want to visit.
I hate to say it, but the fear isn’t entirely unfounded. You might see that locals are fed up with tourists in cities like Madrid or Barcelona, and sometimes for good reason. Locals have been pushed out by rising rent prices, housing shortages, disrespectful behavior, and over-tourism. But the loudest aren’t necessarily the majority, and my recent experience in the Spanish pueblo is proof of that.
The Road Trip
I just got back from a quick trip to the north of Spain, to a region called Burgos. We rented a car, loaded up our dog Charlie, and drove the 3 hours north to a small pueblo called Bustillo del Páramo.
On the way, we decided to pull over in a pueblo called Lerma for lunch. When we arrived, the city was full of people bustling around their Wednesday market. We snacked on delicious cecina, chorizo, local quesos, and a glass of wine before getting back on the road.
The GPS told us to turn left on a gravel road, and we stopped in our tracks, partly thinking the GPS had made a mistake. We still had about 15 minutes left in our drive before we reached our destination, and we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere.
We passed through small pueblos like Hormazuela on the way, and found ourselves at our destination in Bustillo del Páramo.
Bustillo del Páramo and Its 8 Residents
This was the tiniest pueblo I had ever seen. The houses were built of stone and looked like they’d been around forever, in the most charming of ways. Right next to the casa rural was a beautiful old church with an arch of roses around the front door.
Our host greeted us and told us a little bit about the town. The pueblo had 8 residents total – mostly farmers and retirees.
To be completely honest, I wasn’t sure what to think at first. We were in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service and a tiny town with no grocery store, hospital, restaurant, or any contact to the outside world. Was this okay? Were we going to be accepted here?
The Apple Cake
An hour or so after checking into the Airbnb, our host brought us a homemade apple cake made with apples fresh from her trees. Not only was it a kind gesture, but it was insanely tasty.
A couple of hours later, we heard a knock on the door. This time, it was the neighbor bringing fresh tomatoes from their garden. Followed quickly after, another neighbor brought by cucumbers from their garden too.
It felt like we were immediately becoming a welcomed part of the community, at least for the weekend.
Groceries & Garlic
To get our groceries for the week, we had to drive about 15 minutes into a town called Villadiego. This was a tiny town just slightly bigger than Bustillo del Páramo, and even had a supermarket and carnicería – which was a big deal. We loaded up on supplies, did a quick walk around town, and headed back to the casa rural.
When we made dinner that night, we realized we forgot to get garlic from the grocery store, which was now closed. We asked our neighbor if there was any chance they had some, and they happily brought over plenty of garlic for us to make dinner. At first we were hesitant about reaching out for help, but after the way we were received, we thought they wouldn’t mind helping us out – and they didn’t.
After the garlic was procured, we had the best asado (or grilled dinner) with local meat from the carnicería and vegetables from the market. The quality and price was jaw-dropping compared to what we’re used to in Madrid – not to mention the neighbors’ special contribution to our meal.
Exploring the Region of Burgos
The next day, we decided to check out Orbaneja del Castillo, which is a beautiful pueblo in the mountains with a huge waterfall flowing right through it. We hiked up from the base of the waterfall into the small town and were in awe of this beautiful old town that has been around for centuries. We brought the two dogs in our group and spent the day wandering the streets of the small village before stopping for lunch on the way home.
During our trip, we also went to the lake at Playa de Arija to take the dogs swimming, and went into the bustling city of Burgos on the way home.
From the colorful houses to the enormous cathedral, I was so surprised at how beautiful and full of life Burgos was. We saw an opera concert in the park and a flea market, while restaurants were filled with locals enjoying a Sunday lunch. To be honest, Burgos was just a quick stop on our road trip, but it’s certainly a place I’ll come back to.
The Mountain Party
Back in Bustillo del Páramo, we chatted with neighbors and learned that they were having an annual mountain party the weekend that we were in town. They told us that they get together with the neighboring towns and share food together, drink, and dance from noon to 11pm. They invited us excitedly and encouraged us to join them for the evening.
To be honest, I wanted to go out of pure curiosity. It was very kind of them to invite us in the first place, and when else would we get to experience a pueblo mountain party?
We got ourselves ready and drove up the mountain to the remote clearing where they hosted their fiesta. We immediately saw about 10 cars parked outside and saw a group of people dancing with matching t-shirts, a DJ, and a bar setup.
We grabbed a drink and were hesitant at first about how this would go. But immediately, the community started coming over to chat with us and pulling us onto the dance floor. The party included families, farmers, retirees, and a few other transplants like us who were dating or friends with someone from the pueblo.
It ended up being a great time. We did the limbo, talked to locals, heard their stories, and danced together. They even took our song requests, which of course included Bad Bunny.
What I Learned From the Pueblo
When we booked this casa rural on Airbnb, we thought it would just be our home base for the trip where we would leave and explore elsewhere. But it ended up being much more than that.
As we talk about the highlights of the trip, the mountain party and the kindness of the community were consistently the #1 highlight. When you hear stories of Spaniards fed up with tourists, we weren’t sure what the local reaction would be. But this experience proved that openness, acceptance, and kindness go a long way, and that if you treat people with kindness and respect, they’ll treat you the same way in return.
So, does Spain hate tourists? What it’s tired of is tourism without respect for local culture. If you visit with genuine interest and respect for the culture, and treat people with kindness, you’ll be easily accepted. And if you don’t believe me, drive up to the pueblos and feel it for yourself!
What’s your experience like in Spain? Let me know in the comments!
Other blogs you may like:
Leave a Reply