I'm starting to think about ideas for a 2026 trip, and while I have many new-to-me places on my bucket list, returning to Spain is always an option. I have already done trips to Madrid/Andalucia and Barcelona/Costa Brava/Mallorca. The focus of this next trip would be Valencia, but I'm wondering what to pair with it. I'm specifically looking for suggestions of towns in western Spain since I'm pretty unfamiliar with that part of the country - maybe a combination of coastal and hill towns. I love history, architecture, gardens, food. Not looking for nightlife or outdoor sports. I speak Spanish fairly well and am open to renting a car. Time of year would likely be spring or fall and the trip length would be about two weeks.

I haven't yet put in the work to come up with an itinerary; at this point I'm just looking for suggestions of towns in western and southwestern Spain that others have enjoyed.

I'd recommend taking a look at towns in Extremadura (Caceres, Trujillo, Jarandilla de la Vera, etc)

I love the Andalusian province of Cadiz, which encompasses Cadiz city, Jerez de la Frontera, Vejer de la Frontera, and many beautiful small "white" towns both in the hills and on the Atlantic Coast: Arcos de la Frontera, Medina Sidonia, Zahara de los Attunes..... The latter has glorious beaches. This area is pretty compact and I am able to drive from green rolling hills to long sandy ocean beaches in about 30 minutes...

You could spend a wonderful two weeks in that area; I am in this area right now, for a bit over two weeks.

Can you rent a car?

The region of Western Spain is call Extremadura. Has the reputation of being Spain's outback, cowboy country. I haven't been, but I have heard great things about it. I have long thought about visiting. Especially Merida and Caceras. Not sure I'd ever visit Trujillo, though, which is the city of Pizarro.

Huelva, where I love to spend my summer vacation (I live in Bilbao, up north) is the very hidden gem in southwestern Spain. This province has it all: endless beaches, beautiful sierras, great jamón ibérico and other fantastic pork products, excellent seafood and white towns all over the place, specially those along the Guadiana river. And castles, and churches, and walled towns, and beach resorts...but do not tell anyone...

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

I realized that I should have said Eastern and Southeastern Spain. (For some reason I tend to get east and west mixed up for any country that is not the US!)

Suggestions for western Spain are still welcome though - it would be easy to spend several days in Valencia and then another week or so in a totally different region.

Please clarify what you mean by "eastern Spain", and "southeastern Spain." For the latter do you mean the area around Almeria?

ekscrunchy Good question. Let's say Tarragona down through Almeria, including the inland provinces east of Madrid/Toledo. I realize that's a huge area of the country...

As you realize, you are now asking for ideas about a very different area -- maybe close this thread out and start a new one?

Although you now specify EAST of Madrid / Toledo, if you haven't visited Salamanca, you might give it some thought. And Segovia and Avila and Cuenca....

This album starts in the Pyrenees and goes around Madrid passing by Segovia, Avila, Salamanca, Caceres etc. while going south to Seville. Things have undoubtedly changed, as it was taken in 1985, but you might get some ideas out of it.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjp5co3q

Since you are thinking of an entirely different region of Spain, eastern to south eastern, Tarragona to Almeria, down the Med, I would follow kja's advice and start another thread.
Directly east and southeast of Madrid would be the provinces of Guadalajara, Cuenca, Teruel, Castellón, which is part of the large Community of Valencia, and within the Comunitat Valenciana, the provinces of Valencia, Alicante, then Murcia to the south and to end in Almería, the eastern most province of the region of Andalucía

Salamanca and Extremadura would be a far detour from Madrid to the west, although both are wonderful---for another trip, best done in spring or fall, west of Madrid.