Your introduction to the white villages (
pueblos blancos) of Andalusia begins with
Arcos de la Frontera, 17 miles (28 km) east of Jerez (off of A-4 via route A-382), where whitewashed houses stand on a limestone ridge above the Guadalete River valley. The newer town is located on the lower slopes of the ridge.
If you park in the car park at the bottom of the hill, you can take the Paseo de los Boliches up for great views of the valley. You can also drive into town and attempt to park at the main square Plaza del Cabildo. It’s usually a losing proposition to try to find parking, especially in high season (€1 per hour, get a ticket from the machine), and the streets are narrow and quite steep. In other words, don’t try it.
The Old Town is a maze of cobblestone streets leading up to the castle (Castillo Ducal). Calle Maldonado is lined with 18th-century palaces with windows covered with wrought-iron (called rejas).
The Plaza del Cabildo is the center of town and the starting point for your visit. The mirador (viewpoint) offers spectacular views of the countryside. The Parador (state-run hotel) is here and a great place for a break or lunch. Also here is the city hall with a tourist-information center (open Mon-Sat 10am-2pm and 3:30pm-7:30pm, Sun 10am-2pm). Pop into Santa María. Built on the sight of a mosque, this church is a mixture of many styles (Renaissance carved-wood altar, Gothic, Baroque and Rococo). The church is home to the “uncorrupted” remains of St. Felix, a third-century martyr (if you like that sort of macabre stuff). Head east down Calle Escribanos. You’ll pass (on your right) the Convento de las Mercedarias where the hard-working nuns sell boxes of pine-nut cookies called magdalenas for €5 in the lobby. Just push the buzzer.
Next to the convent you’ll find the market (closed Sunday and Monday) located in an unfinished church.
If you continue down Calle Boticas you’ll ultimately reach the church of San Pedro, perched on the edge of the cliff.
Just past the church of San Pedro is the Galeria de Arte where you can purchase pottery, paintings and local products.
This excerpt is taken from Open Road's Best of Spain.
Paris restaurant recommendation: Le Severo.
Berlin's new DDR Museum presents everday life in the former communist East Germany in a playful and interactive way. All aspects of life in the former communist state of East Germany (the "DDR") are featured. You'll sit in a tiny Trabant automobile (pictured here), check out communist-era concrete slab buildings, relax in an authentic DDR living room and learn about the Stasi (the secret police). The DDR Museum will be featured in Andy's upcoming Best of Germany book (to be released early next year). 
Your introduction to the white villages (pueblos blancos) of Andalusia begins with Arcos de la Frontera, 17 miles (28 km) east of Jerez (off of A-4 via route A-382), where whitewashed houses stand on a limestone ridge above the Guadalete River valley. The newer town is located on the lower slopes of the ridge.
The new (second) edition of Open Road's Best of Spain is now available. The guide has been fully updated and we've added a section on the island of Ibiza. Here are three great places to dine in Ibiza.
The location of the Führerbunker (Hitler’s Bunker) is now marked. For years, the German government had specifically left it unmarked in fear that it would become a pilgrimage shrine for neo-Nazis. There’s a parking lot on the spot where it’s said that the bodies of Eva Braun and Adolph Hitler were burnt. Some of the bunker was destroyed by the Soviets at the end of the war, and other parts were recently discovered during a construction project. It’s located at the corner of In den Ministergarten and Gertrude Kolmar Strasse (near the Holocaust Memorial). The site of Hitler's Bunker is part of the Berlin Wall Walk found in "Berlin Made Easy." 
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