Creator of world-famous ‘Monkey Christ’ restoration passes away, Marbella property prices reach record high, avalanche kills three people in Spanish Pyrenees and more news on Tuesday December 30th.
Madrid to keep public transport discounts in 2026
Madrid’s current public transport discounts will remain in effect from January 1st 2026, as announced by the regional government on Monday.
This maintains free and discounted fares for the Metro, urban buses, interurban buses and the Light Rail.
Free travel passes continue to be offered for children under seven and seniors over 65, as well as for children under 14.
Additionally, there are 50 percent discounts on the Youth Pass and 40 percent discounts on other monthly passes for users aged 26 to 64.
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Marbella property prices reach record high
Marbella’s property market ended November 2025 with an average price of €5,485 per square metre, the highest level on record.
Price were up 1 percent month-on-month compared to October, +4.3 percent quarterly (August–November) and 9.5 percent year-on-year.
Marbella’s prices more than double the national average, further consolidating itself as one of the country’s premium real estate enclaves.
Nagüeles – Golden Mile (€6,738/sqm), Nueva Andalucía (€5,961 euros/sqm) and Marbella Pueblo (€5,512/sqm) are the most expensive areas to buy in Marbella, while San Pedro de Alcántara (4,598 euros/sqm), Elviria – Cabopino (€4,632/sqm) and Las Chapas – El Rosario (€5,361/sqm) are the most affordable.
Avalanche kills at least three people in Spanish Pyrenees
An avalanche near a Spanish Pyrenees mountain resort killed three skiers and injured another on Monday, police said, the latest deadly natural disaster to strike the country in days.
The bodies of two men and a woman were found in Panticosa, an area in the northeastern region of Aragón popular with long-distance skiers, after an avalanche on the Tablato peak, the Civil Guard said.
Six people were practising ski mountaineering when the disaster struck. One woman was lightly injured with hypothermia and the two other skiers were unhurt, the force added.
The avalanche came after rescuers in the southern region of Andalusia found three bodies following weekend floods.
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Creator of world-famous ‘Monkey Christ’ restoration passes away
Cecilia Giménez, the woman behind the world’s most famous botched art restoration, has died aged 94 in her town of Borja in Aragón, northeast Spain.
It was here where in 2012 she ‘restored’ the local 19th century ‘Ecce Homo’ (‘Behold the Man’) depiction of Jesus with a crown of thorns, turning Jesucristo into a monkey-like creature bearing no resemblance to the Christian saviour.
Before-and-after images of the fresco’s new look were seen around the world, and although it was initially embarrassing for Giménez that she appeared to be a global laughing stock, she invertedly put Borja on the map as a quirky tourist destination.
“One of Borja’s most beloved residents has passed away,” the town’s mayor Eduardo Arilla said in a statement on Monday.
“Her boundless generosity is evident in everything we’ve been able to accomplish thanks to the Ecce Homo project”.
With additional reporting by AFP.
