I visited many of the places you mention in northwestern Spain last year. Here are my pics. Click on Slideshow/Play to see the captions on the photos.

https://plus.google.com/photos/10755...87825290891645

Once went to Vitoria knowing nothing about it - spent of one of the most riotous evenings in the old town one Saturday night.

Leon magnificent cathedral, Santiago of course, Burgos to see El Cid, Pamplona even outside of San Fermin is really fun. Santo Domingo de la Calzada with the chickens in the cathedral. Astorga lots of chocolate bars.

I just remember Valencia being hot, and lots of those massive pans for cooking paella.

Other off-the-beaten-track routes:

Camino del Cid
http://www.caminodelcid.org/default.aspx

Vía de la Plata
http://www.rutadelaplata.com/en/

Great pics, Joannyc...they give a great idea of this alternative route while in Spain!!

Ugliest & boring capitals of a province. My top 3 is:
Ciudad Real, Castellón, Badajoz.

You´ve forgotten Albacete...

Thanks for taking time to do this; if you have the time and inclination, I would love to read more about lesser-known towns and cities that either have great food markets or a great tapas scene..

(by "scene" I did not mean trendy crowds, but rather, a lot of bar, and restaurants with great tapas. I think Logrono is one of these, no?

Hi Mike! Aside from Burgos I am almost embarrassed to say that I have not been to any of the cities on your list.

Leon, Burgos, Santiago get two thumbs up for things to see, food to eat and wine to drink.

I love Spain, and Spanish cuisine everywhere but the best overall eating experience was in the north.

As a destination the Picos de Europa area is just amazing. The basque coast is worth a trip by itself.

Hi Mikelg; Been to Spain perhaps 4 times.

Love Caceres. Been there on the way to Zafra. On a second visit we stayed over night.

For Leon we were there last September and had a 2 night stay at the Parador. But we saw some of the sights and after 1 night decided to move on to Oviedo for 1 night. We enjoyed Oviedo more than Leon.

Our second to last stop was in Burgos for 2 nights and we enjoyed the old city.

Many talk about going in and out in a few hours in this old town, but in Santillanna del Mar, we had a very nice night at the old Parador.

We visited Santillana del Mar from Santander for several hours.
Pretty old town, but I will alway remember it because of the horrific Museum of Torture.

Thanks very much, mikelg!

Hard to take a bad photo there, everything is so beautiful! I had a wonderful trip and highly recommend NW Spain.

"I just remember Valencia being hot, and lots of those massive pans for cooking paella."

Doesn´t sound like you got around much. Hopefully others don´t go away with the same feeling.

I loved Santillana del Mar, but we got there late in the afternoon and stayed overnight in a lovely little hotel. So we did not experience the tourist swarm.

We used to think Costa del Sol was the place to go but then thanks to this forum (mikelg) discovered the Basque Country. Wonderful and can't wait to go back. We also love Seville and Barcelona. In September we are returning to Barcelona (friend lives there) and are thinking of going to Valencia.. Looking forward to reading what you think of it annhig.

Micheline, that´s a very nice compliment!! Thank you!!

Next 5 province capitals in some minutes, then on to those smaller places that I particularly find not to be missed (and off the beaten path)

- Cádiz, often neglected for unknown reasons, called The Silver Tea Cup (La Tacita de Plata), located in an isthmus and said to be the oldest city in Europe (founded by the fenicians, I think). Lovely atmosphere and beaches.

- Lugo, with its medieval walls, probably the cheapest place to live in Spain, located in Galicia. The inland is gorgeous, the coast is lovely.

- Canary Islands (I´ve been in four, my favorite is La Palma and also Fuerteventura), ignored by American tourists but a real gem, they have everything you may want: great gastronomy, beautiful volcanic but also green luscious landscapes, people are extraordinary, excellent beaches)

- Palma de Mallorca, a beautiful cathedran and a very nice old quarter. Famed for its beaches, but the inland is gorgeous.

- Melilla, in northern Africa, a Spanish city as well...moorish reminiscences all over town, beautiful beaches, nice old quarter.

That would by my list of my favorite towns off the beaten paths. Of course, Segovia-Granada-Santander etc etc...but those are more visited and well known by visitors.

Another great thread! Thanks again, mikelg.