Fodor's Essential Spain 2022
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
Spain—the name alone evokes images of feisty flamenco dancers, packed tapas bars, silver-green olive groves, and Mediterranean beaches. From Madrid to Sevilla to Barcelona to San Sebastian, the country appeals to travelers of all types: To architecture buffs, it’s the land of Calatrava, Churriguera, and Gaudí. To gastronomes, it’s the cradle of modernist cuisine (hola, Adrià brothers and Juan Mari Arzak) and ground zero for paella, saffron, Rioja wine, and acorn-fed ibérico ham. Even if you haven’t been to Spain, you’ve probably imagined it, whether through Goya’s paintings, Paco de Lucía’s guitar ballads, Almodóvar’s films, or Cervantes’s Don Quixote.
Yet while you can still find vestiges of la antigua España in Spain today, don’t be fooled by the age-old tropes: Spain is a moder...
Read MoreSpain—the name alone evokes images of feisty flamenco dancers, packed tapas bars, silver-green olive groves, and Mediterranean beaches. From Madrid to Sevilla to Barcelona to San Sebastian, the country appeals to travelers of all types: To architecture buffs, it’s the land of Calatrava, Churriguera, and Gaudí. To gastronomes, it’s the cradle of modernist cuisine (hola, Adrià brothers and Juan Mari Arzak) and ground zero for paella, saffron, Rioja wine, and acorn-fed ibérico ham. Even if you haven’t been to Spain, you’ve probably imagined it, whether through Goya’s paintings, Paco de Lucía’s guitar ballads, Almodóvar’s films, or Cervantes’s Don Quixote.
Yet while you can still find vestiges of la antigua España in Spain today, don’t be fooled by the age-old tropes: Spain is a modern, forward-thinking country with stunning hotels and agroturismos, cutting-edge galleries, bumping nightclubs, and a burgeoning restaurant scene that goes far beyond tapas and tabernas.
Madrid and Barcelona, rival cities with deep and sometimes conflicting histories, are non-negotiable stops on any tour of the Iberian Peninsula. The former boasts a bevy of world-class museums including the Prado—one of the best in the world with priceless Goyas, Velázquezes, and El Grecos amassed by royals through the ages—and the Reina Sofía, which houses Picasso’s Guernica and a stunning cocktail bar with UFO-shaped sofas and sheeny red ceilings. It’s also Spain’s cultural nerve center with a never-ending rotation of concerts, plays, sporting events, and art exhibitions, plus sundown-to-sunup nightlife to satisfy even the most debaucherous revelers.
Barcelona appeals to all the senses: There’s wine to be swirled and pristine seafood to be gobbled, passageways to be explored and paintings to be pondered. The ancient and avant-garde intermingle in the Catalan capital, where you can find Roman ruins, Moderniste apartments, and high-fashion boutiques in the span of a few blocks. Within arm’s reach are Girona, Figueres, and Cadaqués, charming beachside towns you can retreat to if Barcelona’s tourist hordes jangle your nerves.
Due southwest in Andalusia, Moorish citadels and gardens are a reminder of Spain’s rich Islamic past. Granada’s Alhambra fortress-palace complex, with its impossibly ornate arabesques, and Córdoba’s mosque-cathedral, with its millennium-old arches, are the region’s undisputed crown jewels, though it’s almost as famous for its sherry, flamenco, beaches, and palpable sense of alegría.
Every food lover should make at least one pilgrimage to the Basque Country, the autonomous region on the French border with more Michelin stars than it knows what to do with. But it’s not all tweezed-and-foamed fare here: The Basques are also famed for their pintxos, one-bite wonders similar to tapas but more elaborate, and down-home sagardotegiak (cider houses), which open their doors from January to May when the local cider is at its sour best.
West of the Basque Country lie Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia, the misty, Celtic-influenced regions that are arguably the newest frontier in Spanish travel. Go for the Camino de Santiago or for the ski slopes atop the Picos de Europa; stay for the exceptional albariño wines and soul-satisfying cuisine (we’re looking at you, cachopo, Cabrales, and Galician-style octopus).
But Spain doesn’t stop at the Portuguese and French borders, it continues out to sea with scattered exclaves and islands. The Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera) draw partiers and back-to-nature types alike with their vibrant beach scene and secret calas (inlets), while the Canary Islands, flung off the Saharan coast, are a real-life paradise with moonlike landscapes and year-round temperatures hovering in the low 80s.
The more you get to know Spain and its patchwork quilt of cultures, cuisines, and traditions, the more you realize you don’t know it at all—and that’s what makes it so thrilling to visit again and again.
Fodor's Essential Spain 2022
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
Top Destinations
Top Destinations

Barcelona
Between the infinite variety of street life, the nooks and crannies of the medieval Barri Gòtic, the ceramic tile and stained glass of Art Nouveau...

Madrid
Madrid, the Spanish capital since 1561, is Europe's city that never sleeps. A vibrant and increasingly international metropolis, Madrid has an infectious appetite for art...

Andalusia
Gypsies, flamenco, horses, bulls—Andalusia is the Spain of story and song, simultaneously the least and most surprising part of the country: least surprising because it...

Canary Islands
A historic way station between the Old and New Worlds, the Canary Islands have been influenced over the centuries by African, European, and South American...

Bilbao and the Basque Country
Situated in the crook of the Iberian Peninsula between Spain and France on the Bay of Biscay, the Spanish Basque Country (known as “Euskadi” in...

Galicia and Asturias
Spain's westernmost region is en route to nowhere, an end in itself. This magical, remote area is sure to pull at your heartstrings, so be...

Ibiza and the Balearic Islands
Could anything go wrong in a destination that gets, on average, 300 days of sunshine a year? True, the water is only warm enough for...

Catalonia, Valencia, and the Costa Blanca
The long curve of the Mediterranean from the French border to Cabo Cervera below Alicante encompasses the two autonomous communities of Catalonia and Valencia, with...

Castile–Leon and Castile–La Mancha
Madrid, in the center of Spain, is an excellent jumping-off point for exploring, and the high-speed train puts many destinations within easy reach. The Castiles...

Costa del Sol and Costa de Almeria
With roughly 320 days of sunshine a year, the Costa del Sol well deserves its nickname, "the Sunshine Coast." It's no wonder much of the...

The Pyrenees
Separating the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of the European continent, the snowcapped Pyrenees have always been a special realm, a source of legend and...

Mallorca
Saddle-shape Mallorca is more than five times the size of Menorca or Ibiza. The Sierra de Tramuntana, a dramatic mountain range soaring to nearly 5,000...

Seville
Seville's whitewashed houses bright with bougainvillea, ocher-color palaces, and baroque facades have long enchanted both sevillanos and travelers. It’s a city for the senses—the fragrance...

Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands. Its standout feature is the volcanic peak of El Teide (also known as Mount Teide or Monte...

Bilbao
Time in Bilbao ("Bilbo" in Euskera) may be recorded as BG or AG (Before Guggenheim or After Guggenheim). Seldom has a single monument of art...

Extremadura
Rugged Extremadura a nature lover's paradise, so bring your mountain bike (or plan on renting one), hiking boots, and binoculars. The lush Jerte Valley and...

Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria has three distinct identities: Its capital, Las Palmas (pop. 379,000), is a thriving business center and important shipping and cruise port; the white-sand...

Granada
The Alhambra and the tomb of the Catholic Monarchs are the pride of Granada. The city rises majestically from a plain onto three hills, dwarfed—on...

Lanzarote
With hardened lava fields, black and red dunes, and treeless mountainsides, Lanzarote's interior is right out of a science-fiction movie (literally—Clash of the Titans, One...

Palma
If you look north of the cathedral (La Seu, or the seat of the bishopric, to Mallorcans) on a map of the city of Palma...

San Sebastian
San Sebastián (Donostia in Euskera) is a sophisticated city arched around one of the finest urban beaches in the world, La Kontxa (The Shell), so...

Menorca
Menorca, the northernmost of the Balearics, is a knobby, cliff-bound plateau with some 193 km (120 miles) of coastline and a central hill called El...

Cordoba
Strategically located on the north bank of the Guadalquivir River, Córdoba was the Roman and Moorish capital of Spain, and its old quarter, clustered around...

Valencia
Valencia, Spain's third-largest municipality, is a proud city with a thriving nightlife and restaurant scene, quality museums, and spectacular contemporary architecture, juxtaposed with a thoroughly...

Ibiza
Tranquil countryside, secluded coves, and intimate luxury lodging to the north; sandy beaches and party venues by the score to the south; a capital crowned...

Santiago de Compostela
You don’t need to be a pilgrim to enjoy this medieval city, which is one of the most popular and beautiful in all of Galicia...

Malaga
Málaga is one of southern Spain’s most welcoming and happening cities, and it more than justifies a visit. Visitor figures soared after the Museo Picasso...

Toledo
The spiritual capital of Castile, Toledo sits atop a rocky mount surrounded on three sides by the Río Tajo (Tagus River). When the Romans arrived...

Salamanca
Salamanca's radiant sandstone buildings, immense Plaza Mayor, and hilltop riverside perch make it one of the most majestic and beloved cities in Spain. Today, as...

Girona
At the confluence of four rivers, Northern Catalonia's Girona (population: 97,000) keeps intact the magic of its historic past; with its brooding hilltop castle, soaring...

Pamplona
Pamplona (Iruña in Euskera) is known worldwide for its running of the bulls, made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his 1926 novel The Sun Also...

The Costa Brava
...

Fuerteventura
Some of Fuerteventura's towering sand dunes blew in from the Sahara Desert, 96 km (60 miles) away, and indeed it's not hard to imagine Fuerteventura...

Eivissa (Ibiza Town)
Hedonistic and historic, Eivissa (Ibiza, in Castilian) is a city jam-packed with cafés, nightspots, and trendy shops; looming over it are the massive stone walls...

Vitoria-Gasteiz
The capital of the Basque Country, and the region's second-largest city after Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz might be Euskadi's least "Basque" city, at least to the naked...

Mahon (Mao)
Established as the island's capital in 1722, when the British began their nearly 80-year occupation, Mahón still bears the stamp of its former rulers. The...

The Murcia Coast
The Murcia Coast is markedly different from the surrounding coastal areas of southeastern Spain. Here you see the curious Mar Menor, an inland sea hemmed...

Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez, world headquarters for sherry, is surrounded by vineyards of chalky soil, producing palomino and Pedro Ximénez grapes that have funded a host of churches...

Marbella
Thanks to its year-round mild climate and a spectacular natural backdrop, Marbella has been a playground for the rich and famous since the 1950s, when...

Caceres
The provincial capital and one of Spain's oldest cities, Cáceres is known for its UNESCO-protected old town and lively tapeo. The Roman colony called Norba...

A Coruña
One of Spain’s busiest ports, A Coruña is often (mistakenly) overlooked by travelers. While the weather can be fierce, wet, and windy, it does give...

Ciutadella
Ciutadella was Menorca's capital before the British settled in Mahón, and its history is richer. Settled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, and Romans, Ciutadella...

Segovia
Medieval Segovia rises on a steep ridge that juts above a stark, undulating plain. It's defined by its ancient monuments, excellent cuisine, embroideries and textiles...

Cadiz
With the Atlantic Ocean on three sides, Cádiz is a bustling town that's been shaped by a variety of cultures and has the varied architecture...

Zaragoza
Despite its hefty size (population 680,000), this sprawling provincial capital midway between Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, and Valencia is a detour from the tourist track, yet...

Oviedo
Inland, the Asturian countryside starts to look picture-perfect. Gently rolling green hills, and wooden, tile-roof hórreos strung with golden bundles of drying corn replace the...

Santander
One of the great ports on the Bay of Biscay, Santander is surrounded by beaches that can often be busy, but it still manages to...

Ronda
Ronda, one of the oldest towns in Spain, is known for its spectacular position and views. Secure in its mountain fastness on a rock high...

Leon
León, the ancient capital of Castile and León, sits on the banks of the Bernesga River in the high plains of Old Castile; today it's...

Tarragona
Tarragona, the principal town of southern Catalonia, today is a vibrant center of culture and art, a busy fishing and shipping port, and a natural...

Trujillo
Trujillo rises up from the boulder-strewn fields like a great granite schooner under full sail. From above, the rooftops and towers are worn and medieval...

Úbeda
Úbeda's casco antiguo (old town) is one of the most outstanding enclaves of 16th-century architecture in Spain. It's a stunning surprise in the heart of...

Alicante
The Greeks called it Akra Leuka (White Summit) and the Romans named it Lucentum (City of Light). A crossroads for inland and coastal routes since...

Fuengirola
Fuengirola is less frenetic than Torremolinos. Many of its waterfront high-rises are vacation apartments that cater to budget-minded sunseekers from Northern Europe and, in summer...

Las Palmas
Las Palmas is a long, sprawling city, strung out for 10 km (6 miles) along two waterfronts of a peninsula. Though most of the action...

Vigo
Vigo's formidable port is choked with trawlers and fishing boats and lined with clanging shipbuilding yards. The city’s gritty exterior gives way to a compact...

Cuenca
The delightful old town of Cuenca is one of the most surreal looking in Spain, built on a sloping rock with precipitous sides that plunge...

Gijon
The Campo Valdés baths, dating back to the 1st century AD, and other reminders of Gijón's time as an ancient Roman port remain visible downtown...

Ávila
In the middle of a windy plateau littered with giant boulders, with the Sierra de Gredos in the background, Ávila is a walled fairy-tale town...

Burgos
On the banks of the Arlanzón River, this small city boasts some of Spain's most outstanding medieval architecture. If you approach on the A1 from...

Getaria and Zumaia
Getaria (Guetaria in Castilian) is known as la cocina de Gipuzkoa (the kitchen of the Gipuzkoa province) for its many restaurants and taverns. It was...

Vielha
Vielha (Viella in Spanish), capital of the Vall d'Aran, is a lively crossroads vitally involved in the Aranese movement to defend and reconstruct the valley's...

Laguardia
Founded in AD 908 to stand guard—as its name suggests—over Navarra's southwestern flank, Laguardia is situated on a promontory overlooking the Río Ebro and the...

Cartagena
Don’t be put off by Cartagena’s outskirts, which house chemical plants and mining machinery; plunge straight into the old town near the port instead. The...

Logroño
A scrappy industrial city of 153,000, Logroño has a lovely old quarter bordered by the Ebro and medieval walls, with Breton de los Herreros and...

Baeza
The historic town of Baeza, nestled between hills and olive groves, is one of the best-preserved old towns in Spain. Founded by the Romans, it...

Jaca
Jaca, the most important municipal center in Alto Aragón, is anything but sleepy. Bursting with ambition and blessed with the natural resources, jacetanos are determined...

Almeria
Warmed by the sunniest climate in Andalusia, Almería is a youthful Mediterranean city, basking in sweeping views of the sea from its coastal perch and...

Torremolinos
Torremolinos is all about fun in the sun. It may be more subdued than it was in the action-packed 1960s and '70s, but it remains...

Llanes
This beach town is on a pristine stretch of the Costa Verde. The shores in both directions outside town have vistas of cliffs looming over...

Merida
Mérida has some of the most impressive Roman ruins in Iberia. Founded by the Romans in 25 BC on the banks of the Río Guadiana...

Soller
All but the briefest visits to Mallorca should include at least an overnight stay in Sóller, one of the most beautiful towns on the island...

Cambados
This breezy seaside town has a charming, almost entirely residential old quarter and is the center for the full-bodied and fruity Albariño, one of Spain’s...

Estepona
Estepona is a pleasant and relatively tranquil seaside resort, despite being surrounded by lots of urban developments. The beach, more than 1 km (½ mile)...

Plasencia
Rising dramatically from the banks of the narrow Jerte River and backed by the peaks of the Sierra de Gredos, this town was founded by...

Sitges
The fine white sand of the Sitges beach is elbow-to-elbow with sun worshippers April–September. On the eastern end of the strand is an alabaster statue...

Denia
The stretch of coastline known as the Costa Blanca (White Coast) begins at Dénia, south of Valencia. Dénia is the port of departure on the...

Antequera
The town of Antequera holds a surprising number of magnificent baroque monuments (including some 30 churches)—it provides a unique snapshot of a historic Andalusian town...

Puigcerda
Puigcerdà is the largest town in the valley; in Catalan, puig means "hill," and cerdà derives from "Cerdanya." From the promontory upon which it stands...

Mijas
Mijas is in the foothills of the sierra just north of the coast. Long ago foreign retirees discovered the pretty, whitewashed town, and though the...

Maspalomas and the Southern Coast
One of the first places in Spain to welcome international tourists (starting in 1962), Maspalomas remains a beach resort with all the trappings. It's somewhat...

Pontevedra
At the head of its ría, right where it joins the sea, Pontevedra is a delightful starting point for exploring the Rías Baixas. Its well-preserved...

Jaen
Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra de Jabalcuz, Jaén is surrounded by towering peaks and olive-clad hills. The modern part of town holds little...

Huesca
Once a Roman colony, Huesca would later become the capital of Aragón, until the royal court moved to Zaragoza in 1118. The town's university was...

Carmona
Wander the ancient, narrow streets here and you'll feel as if you've been transported back in time. Claiming to be one of the oldest inhabited...

Cadaques and Around
Spain's easternmost town, Cadaqués, still has the whitewashed charm that transformed this fishing village into an international artists' haunt in the early 20th century. Salvador...

Santa Eularia des Riu
At the edge of this town on the island's eastern coast, to the right below the road, a Roman bridge crosses what some claim is...

Mundaka
Tiny Mundaka, famous among surfers all over the world for its left-breaking roller at the mouth of the Ría de Gernika, has much to offer...

Tossa de Mar
Christened "Blue Paradise" by painter Marc Chagall, who summered here for four decades, Tossa's pristine beaches are among Catalonia's best. Set around a blue buckle...

Siguenza
The ancient university town of Sigüenza dates back to Roman, Visigothic, and Moorish times and still has splendid architecture and one of the most impressive...

Astorga
Astorga, where the pilgrimage roads from France and Portugal merge, once had 22 hospitals to lodge and care for ailing travelers. Though the city is...

Haro
Haro is the wine capital of La Rioja. Its casco viejo (old quarter) and best taverns are concentrated along the loop known as La Herradura...

Puerto de la Cruz
This is the oldest resort in the Canaries, and sadly, cheap mass tourism and urban sprawl have all but drained it of local charm and...

Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas
The sunniest (and most woefully tacky) tourist area on Tenerife is the southwestern coastline, where high-rise hotels are built chockablock above the beaches without a...

Guadalupe
Guadalupe's monastery is one of the most inspiring sights in Extremadura, and its story begins around 1300, when a local shepherd uncovered a statue of...

Lugo
Just off the A6 freeway, Galicia's oldest provincial capital is most notable for its 2-km (1½-mile) Roman wall. These beautifully preserved ramparts completely surround the...

Formentera
Environmental protection laws shield much of Formentera, making it a calm respite from neighboring Ibiza's dance-until-you-drop madness. Though it does get crowded in the summer...

Begur and Around
From Begur, go east through the calas or take the inland route past the rose-color stone houses and ramparts of the restored medieval town of...

Nerja
Nerja—the name comes from the Moorish word narixa, meaning "abundant springs"—has a large community of expats, who live mainly outside town in urbanizaciones ("village" developments)...

Cangas de Onis
The first capital of Christian Spain, Cangas de Onís is also the unofficial capital of the Picos de Europa National Park. Partly in the narrow...

Camprodon
Camprodón, the capital of its comarca (county), lies at the junction of the Ter and Ritort Rivers—both excellent trout streams. The rivers flow by, through...

Benasque
Benasque, Aragón's easternmost town, has always been an important link between Catalonia and Aragón. This elegant mountain hub, with a population of just over 2,200...

The Axarquia
The Axarquía region stretches from Nerja to Málaga, and the area's charm lies in its mountainous interior, peppered with pueblos, vineyards, and tiny farms. Its...

Cazorla
Unspoiled and remote, the village of Cazorla is at the east end of Jaén province. The pine-clad slopes and towering peaks of the Cazorla and...

Tarifa
Tarifa's strong winds helped keep it off the tourist maps for years, but now it is Europe's biggest center for windsurfing and kiteboarding, and the...

Murcia
Murcia is a busy commercial center with a charming old quarter, plenty of tapas bars, and a lively cultural scene. A particular highlight on the...

Besalu
Besalú, the capital of a feudal county until power was transferred to Barcelona at the beginning of the 12th century, remains one of the best-preserved...

Ainsa
Wander through the uninspiring outskirts of Aínsa’s new town until the road turns sharply upward toward one of Aragón’s most impressive walled medieval towns, where...

Benalmadena
...

Alquezar
As though carved from the rock itself, Alquézar overlooks the Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara and is one of Aragón’s most attractive old...

Figueres
Figueres is the capital of the comarca (county) of the Alt Empordà, the bustling county seat of this predominantly agricultural region. Local people come from...

Pollença
This is a pretty little town, with a history that goes back at least as far as the Roman occupation of the island; the only...

Arcos de la Frontera
Its narrow and steep cobblestone streets, whitewashed houses, and finely crafted wrought-iron window grilles make Arcos the quintessential Andalusian pueblo blanco. Make your way to...

Jerte and El Valle del Jerte (Jerte Valley)
Every spring, the Jerte Valley in northern Extremadura becomes one of Spain’s top attractions for its riot of cherry blossoms. Unsurprisingly, this is where Spain’s...

La Rioja Alta
The Upper Rioja, the most prized subregion of La Rioja's wine country, extends from the Río Ebro to the Sierra de la Demanda. La Rioja...

Puerto de Santa Maria
This attractive if somewhat dilapidated little fishing port on the northern shores of the Bay of Cádiz, with lovely beaches nearby, has white houses with...

La Vera and Monasterio de Yuste
In northern Extremadura, the fertile La Vera region sits at the foot of the Gredos mountains, which are usually snowcapped through June. With its wildflowers...

Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Although Tenerife's busy capital is smaller, quieter, and less attractive than Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, it has its share of worthwhile attractions and elegant...

Luarca
The village of Luarca is tucked into a cove at the end of a final twist of the Río Negro, with a fishing port and...

Santillana del Mar
Santillana del Mar has developed a thriving tourism industry based on the famed cave art discovered 2 km (1 mile) north of town—and the town...

Deia
Deià is perhaps best known as the adopted home of the English poet and writer Robert Graves, who lived here off and on from 1929...

Ribes de Freser and Vall de Nuria
The small town of Ribes de Freser is the starting point of the famous cremallera (cogwheel) train, which connects passengers with Núria, a small mountaintop...

Parc Nacional d'Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici
Catalonia's only national park is a dramatic and unspoiled landscape shaped over 2 million years of glacial activity. Hikers can reach the park from the...

Llivia
A Spanish enclave in French territory, Llívia was marooned by the 1659 Peace of the Pyrenees treaty, which ceded 33 villages to France. Incorporated as...

La Seu d'Urgell
La Seu d'Urgell is an ancient town facing the snowy rock wall of the Sierra del Cadí. As the seat (seu) of the regional archbishopric...

Almagro
The center of this noble town contains the only preserved medieval theater in Europe. It stands beside the ancient Plaza Mayor, where 85 Roman columns...

Calpe (Calp)
Calpe has an ancient history, as it was chosen by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and Moors as a strategic point from which to plant their...

Montilla
In the countryside around Montilla, hills are ablaze with sunflowers in early summer near the vineyards of the Montilla-Moriles D.O. Every fall, 47,000 acres' worth...

Hondarribia
Hondarribia (Fuenterrabía in Spanish) is the last fishing port before the French border and a wonderful day trip from San Sebastián. Lined with fishermen's homes...

Almuñecar
This small-time resort with a shingle beach is popular with Spanish and Northern European vacationers. It's been a fishing village since Phoenician times, 3,000 years...

Sant Feliu de Guixols
The little fishing port of Sant Feliu de Guixols is set on a small bay; Moderniste mansions line the seafront promenade, recalling a time when...

Sepulveda
A walled village with a commanding position, Sepúlveda has a charming main square, but the main reasons to visit are its 11th-century Romanesque church and...

Priego de Cordoba
The jewel of Córdoba's countryside is Priego de Córdoba, a town of 23,500 inhabitants at the foot of Monte Tinosa. Wander down Calle del Río...

Zuheros
At the northern edge of the Subbética mountain range and at an altitude of 2,040 feet, Zuheros is one of the most attractive villages in...

Taull
Taüll is a town of narrow streets and tight mountain design—wooden balconies and steep, slate roofs—that makes an attractive base for exploring the Parc Nacional...

Roncal Valley
The Roncal Valley, the eastern edge of the Basque Pyrenees, is notable for the sheep's-milk cheese of the same name and as the birthplace of...

Doñana National Park
The jewel in Spain’s crown when it comes to national parks, and one of Europe’s most important wetlands, Doñana is a paradise for wildlife in...

Lorca
If you are touring the region, it’s worth a short detour to get a glimpse of Lorca, an old market town and the scene of...

The Cabo de Gata Nature Reserve
The southeast corner of Spain is one of the country’s last unspoiled wildernesses, and much of the coastline is part of a highly protected nature...

Playa Blanca
Playa Blanca is Lanzarote's newest resort. Tourists come for the white-sand beaches at Punta de Papagayo, which can only be reached by driving on hard-packed...

Potes
Known for its fine cheeses, the region of La Liébana is a highland domain also worth exploring for other reasons. Potes, the area's main city...

Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido
This great but often overlooked park was founded by royal decree in 1918 to protect the natural integrity of the central Pyrenees. It has expanded...

Estella
Once the seat of the Royal Court of Navarra, Estella (Lizarra in Euskera) is an inspiring stop on the Camino de Santiago...

Ribadesella
The N632 twists around green hills dappled with eucalyptus groves, allowing glimpses of the sea and sandy beaches below and the snowcapped Picos de Europa...

Valldemossa
The jumping-off point for a drive up the spectacular coast of the Tramuntana, this pretty little town, north of Palma, is famous for the vast...

Costa Teguise
A green-and-white complex of apartments and several large hotels, Costa Teguise is a typical ’80s resort that some would say is past its heyday, although...

Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera
Blink and you miss it: that's true of most of the small towns in the island's interior and especially so of Santa Gertrudis. It's not...

Villafranca del Bierzo
After crossing León's grape-growing region, where the funky, floral Bierzo wines are produced, you'll arrive in this medieval village, dominated by a massive (and still-inhabited)...

Puerto del Carmen
Most beach-bound travelers to Lanzarote wind up in the sandy strands of the Puerto del Carmen area, the island’s busiest resort. The small fishing port...

Roncesvalles (Orreaga)
Roncesvalles (often listed as Orreaga, its name in Euskera) is a small village and the site of the Battle of Roncesvalles (or Battle of Roncevaux...

Salardu
Salardú is a pivotal point in the Vall d'Aran, convenient to Baqueira-Beret, the Montarto peak, the lakes and Circ de Colomers, Parc Nacional d'Aigüestortes, and...

Setcases
Although Setcases ("seven houses") is somewhat larger than its name would imply, this tiny village nestled at the head of the valley has a distinct...

Casares
The mountain village of Casares lies high above Estepona in the Sierra Bermeja, with streets of ancient white houses piled one on top of the...

Grazalema and the Sierra de Grazalema
The village of Grazalema is the prettiest of the pueblos blancos. Its cobblestone streets of houses with pink-and-ocher roofs wind up the hillside, red geraniums...

Sanlucar de Barrameda
This fishing town has a crumbling charm and is best known for its langostinos (jumbo shrimp) and manzanilla, an exceptionally dry sherry (known as fino...

Alarcon
This fortified village (population: 148) on the edge of the great plains of La Mancha stands on a high spit of land encircled almost entirely...

Aracena
Stretching north of the provinces of Huelva and Seville is the 460,000-acre Sierra de Aracena nature park, an expanse of hills cloaked in cork and...

Mt. Teide
The dormant volcano of El Teide, Spain's highest peak, looms large on the horizon no matter where you are on the island, and its (often...

Betanzos
The charming, slightly ramshackle medieval town of Betanzos is still surrounded by parts of its old city wall. An important Galician port in the 13th...

La Manga del Mar Menor
The advance of rocks and sand from two headlands into the Mediterranean Sea transformed what was once a bay into the Mar Menor (Smaller Sea)...

Pasajes de San Juan
Three towns make up the commercial port of Pasaia (Rentería in Spanish): Pasai Antxo (Pasajes Ancho), an industrial port; Pasai de San Pedro (Pasajes de...

O Grove
O Grove throws a famous shellfish festival the second week of October, but you can enjoy the day's catch in taverns and restaurants year-round. From...

Ourense and La Ribeira Sacra
Despite the uninspiring backdrop of Ourense’s new town, Galicia’s third-largest city has bubbling thermal springs and an attractive medieval quarter whose animated streets, tapas bars...

Albufera Nature Park
South of Valencia, Albufera Nature Park is one of Spain's most spectacular wetland areas. Home to the largest freshwater lagoon on the peninsula, this protected...

Altea
Perched on a hill overlooking a bustling beachfront, Altea (unlike some of its neighboring towns) has retained much of its original charm, with an atmospheric...

Baztan Valley
Tucked neatly above the headwaters of the Bidasoa River, beneath the peak of the 3,545-foot Gorramendi Mountain that looms over the border with France, is...

Fisterra
There was a time when this lonely, windswept outcrop over raging waters was thought to be the end of the earth—the finis terrae. In fact...

Espot
Espot is in the heart of the valley, along a clear stream, next to the eastern entrance of Parc Nacional d'Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant...

Puente la Reina
Puente la Reina (Gares in Euskera) is at the junction of the two Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes from northern Europe, one passing through Somport...

Hecho and Anso Valleys
The Ansó Valley is Aragón's western limit. Rich in fauna (mountain goats, wild boar, and even a bear or two), it follows the Veral River...

Muxia
A small fishing village far off the beaten path, surrounded by the stunning rocky cliffs and virgin beaches of the Costa da Morte, close to...

Beget
The village of Beget, considered Catalonia's més bufó (cutest), was completely cut off from motorized vehicles until the mid-1960s, when a pista forestal (jeep track)...

Agua Amarga
Like other coastal hamlets, Agua Amarga started out in the 18th century as a tuna-fishing port. These days, as perhaps the most pleasant village on...

Huelva
When you've had enough of Seville's urban bustle, nature awaits in Huelva. From the Parque Nacional de Doñana to the oak forests of the Sierra...

La Laguna
Known colloquially as "La Laguna," this university town was the first capital of Tenerife. It was planned and built in a Renaissance style in 1500...

The Highlands
The rivers forming the seven main valleys of the Ebro basin originate in the Sierra de la Demanda, Sierra de Cameros, and Sierra de Alcarama...

Calella de Palafrugell and Around
Up the coast from S'Agaró, the C31 brings you to Palafrugell and Begur; to the east are some of the prettiest, least developed inlets of...

The Sierra Nevada
The drive southeast from Granada to Pradollano along the A395—Europe's highest road, by way of Cenes de la Vega—takes about 45 minutes. It's wise to...

Ripoll
One of Catalonia's first Christian strongholds of the Reconquest and a center of religious erudition during the Middle Ages, Ripoll is known as the bressol...

Viveiro
The once-turreted city walls of this popular summer resort are still partially intact. The Semana Santa processions, when penitents follow religious processions on their knees...

Baena
Outside the boundaries of Subbética and surrounded by chalk fields producing top-quality olives, Baena is an old town of narrow streets, whitewashed houses, ancient mansions...

Olot
Capital of the comarca (administrative region) of La Garrotxa, Olot is famous for its 19th-century school of landscape painters and has several excellent Art Nouveau...

Ojen
For a contrast to the glamour of the coast, drive up to Ojén, in the hills above Marbella. Take note of the beautiful pottery and...

Tui
The steep, narrow streets of Tui, rich with emblazoned mansions, suggest the town's past as one of the seven capitals of the Galician kingdom. Today...

Santes Creus
Sitges, with its beach and its summer festivals of dance and music, film and fireworks, is anything but solemn. Head inland, however, some 45 minutes'...

Axpe Atxondo
The village of Axpe, in the valley of Atxondo, sits in the shadow of 4,777-foot Monte Anboto—one of the highest peaks in the Basque Country...

San Vicente de la Barquera
This is one of the oldest and most beautiful maritime settlements in northern Spain; it was an important Roman port long before many other shipping...

La Rabida
La Rábida's monastery is worth a stop if you're a history buff. It's nicknamed "the birthplace of America" because in 1485 Columbus came from Portugal...

Padron
Padrón grew up beside the Roman port of Iria Flavia and is where the body of St. James is believed to have washed ashore after...

Corralejo
Most people visit this part of Fuerteventura for its magnificent sand dunes. Corralejo, a small port town, has one street of tourist restaurants and some...

S'Agaro
S'Agaró is an elegant gated community on a rocky point at the north end of the cove. The 30-minute walk along the sea wall from...

Arrecife
Although Arrecife houses one-third of Lanzarote's population (146,000), it exudes a leisurely island energy, unlike bustling Santa Cruz or Las Palmas. Real talk: It's not...

San Lorenzo de El Escorial
An hour from Madrid, San Lorenzo del Escorial makes for a leisurely day trip away from the hustle and bustle of the Spanish capital. The...

Villaviciosa
Famed for its cider, Villaviciosa also has a large dairy and several bottling plants as well as an attractive old quarter. The Habsburg emperor Carlos...

Alcala la Real
...

Baiona
At the southern end of the AP9 freeway and the Ría de Vigo, Baiona (Bayona in Castilian) is a summer haunt of affluent gallegos. When...

Mazagon
There isn't much to see or do in this coastal town, but the parador makes a good base for touring La Rábida, Palos de la...

Ribadeo
Perched on the broad ría of the same name, Ribadeo is the last coastal town before Asturias. The views up and across the ría are...

Comillas
This astounding pocket of Catalan Art Nouveau architecture in the green hills of Cantabria will make you rub your eyes in disbelief. The Marqués de...

Santa Maria de Poblet
This splendid Cistercian monastery, located at the foot of the Prades Mountains, is one of the great masterpieces of Spanish monastic architecture. Declared a UNESCO...

Elantxobe
The tiny fishing village of Elantxobe (Elanchove in Castilian) is surrounded by huge, steep cliffs, with a small breakwater that protects its fleet from the...

Fornells
A little village (full-time population: 500) of whitewashed houses with red-tile roofs, Fornells comes alive in the summer high season, when Spanish and Catalan families...

Alcudia
Nothing if not strategic, Alcúdia is the ideal base for exploring Mallorca's north coast, with the 13-km-long (8-mile-long) beach from Port d'Alcúdia to C'an Picafort...

Sant Joan de les Abadesses
The site of an important church, Sant Joan de les Abadesses is named for the 9th-century abbess Emma and her successors. Emma was the daughter...

Sort
The capital of the Pallars Sobirà (Upper Pallars Valley) is the area’s epicenter for skiing, fishing, and white-water kayaking. The word sort is Catalan for...

Cova des Coloms
There are caverns and grottoes all over the Balearics, some of them justly famous because of their size, spectacular formations, and subterranean pools. This one...

Italica
Neighboring the small town of Santiponce, Itálica is Spain’s oldest Roman site and one of its greatest, and it is well worth a visit when...

Bermeo
The charm of Bermeo is easy to miss if you don't park and walk from the old town to the port. Before the town became...

Montserrat
A popular side trip from Barcelona is a visit to the dramatic, sawtooth peaks of Montserrat, where the shrine of La Moreneta (the Black Virgin...

Vilalba
Known as Terra Cha (Flat Land) or the Galician Mesopotamia, Vilalba is the source of several rivers, most notably the Miño, which flows down into...

Lluc
The Santuari de Lluc, which holds the Black Virgin and is a major pilgrimage site, is widely considered Mallorca's spiritual heart...

El Toro
The peak of El Toro is Menorca's highest point, at all of 1,555 feet. From the monastery on top you can see the whole island...

Noia
Deep within the Ría de Muros y Noia, the compact medieval town of Noia is at the edge of the Barbanza mountain range. The Gothic...

Fuente Vaqueros
...

Blanes
The Costa Brava (Wild Coast) begins at Blanes with five different beaches, running from Punta Santa Anna on the far side of the port—a tiny...

Puerto del Rosario
Fuerteventura's capital, Puerto del Rosario, has suffered from an image problem for a long time. It used to be called Puerto de Cabra (Goat Port)...

Muros
...

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
A recent Game of Thrones filming location, this solitary stone hermitage clings to a rocky promontory over the Bay of Biscay. A narrow, 231-step passageway...

Bellver de Cerdanya
Bellver de Cerdanya has preserved its slate-roof-and-fieldstone Pyrenean architecture more successfully than many of La Cerdanya's larger towns. Perched on a promontory over the Río...

Burguete (Auritz)
Burguete (Auritz, in Euskera) lies between two mountain streams forming the headwaters of the Urobi River and is surrounded by meadows and forests. The town...

Costa Calma
As you continue south along the coast from Matas Blancas, the beaches get longer, the sand gets whiter, and the water gets bluer...

Betancuria
Betancuria (pop. 839), set in the fertile center of the island, was once Fuerteventura's capital and has several historical monuments. Its quiet streets display typical...

Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña
South of the Aragonese valleys of Hecho and Ansó is the Monastery of San Juan de la Peña, a site connected to the legend of...

Covadonga
To see high alpine meadowland, some rare Spanish lakes, and views over the peaks and out to sea (if the mist ever disperses), take the...

Martinet
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La Rioja Baja
...

Écija
...

Moguer
...

Salobreña
...

San Roque
...

Riotinto
...

Llessui
...

Matalascañas
...

Morro Jable
The old fishing port of Morro Jable, at the southern tip of Fuerteventura, has a long stretch of golden sand. Many more miles of virgin...

Aragues del Puerto
...

Alta Ribagorça Oriental
...

Laredo
...

Leboreiro
...

Lesaka
...

Icod de los Vinos
Attractive plazas rimmed by unspoiled colonial architecture and pine balconies form the heart of Tenerife's most historic wine district. A 1,000-year-old dragon tree, the natural...

Santa Fe
Santa Fe (Holy Faith) was founded in winter 1491 as a campground for Ferdinand and Isabella's 150,000 troops as they prepared for the siege of...

Mondoñedo
Founded in 1156, this town was one of the seven capitals of the kingdom of Galicia from the 16th to early 19th century. The cathedral...

Mollo
...

Guadix
Today, Guadix—and the neighboring village of Purullena—is best known for its cave communities, though this was an important mining town as far back as 2,000...

Pastrana
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Bielsa
...

Lekeitio
...

Aranjuez
...

San Jose
...

Yaiza
Yaiza is a quiet whitewashed village with good restaurants. Largely destroyed by a river of lava in the 1700s, it's best known as the gateway...

Roncesvalles
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Calahorra
...

Garachico
Garachico is one of the most idyllic and historic towns on the islands, and it's well worth a quick visit. It was the main port...

O Cebreiro
Deserted and haunting when it's not high season (and often fogged in or snowy to boot), O Cebreiro is a stark mountaintop hamlet built around...

Tahiche
Only one thing makes Tahíche a destination rather than a drive-through town between Arrecife and the north of the island: the former estate of César...

Pajara
Pájara, the administrative center of the southern peninsula of Jandía, has a two-block strip of boulevard and pretty wrought-iron street lamps. To see remnants of...

Frigiliana
...

Central Highlands
This part of the island has the most otherworldly geography: a drive up the winding mountain roads to the top and then down the other...

Castro-Urdiales
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Ripoll
...

Barcelona
Between the infinite variety of street life, the nooks and crannies of the medieval Barri Gòtic, the ceramic tile and stained glass of Art Nouveau...

Madrid
Madrid, the Spanish capital since 1561, is Europe's city that never sleeps. A vibrant and increasingly international metropolis, Madrid has an infectious appetite for art...

Seville
Seville's whitewashed houses bright with bougainvillea, ocher-color palaces, and baroque facades have long enchanted both sevillanos and travelers. It’s a city for the senses—the fragrance...

Bilbao
Time in Bilbao ("Bilbo" in Euskera) may be recorded as BG or AG (Before Guggenheim or After Guggenheim). Seldom has a single monument of art...

Granada
The Alhambra and the tomb of the Catholic Monarchs are the pride of Granada. The city rises majestically from a plain onto three hills, dwarfed—on...

Palma
If you look north of the cathedral (La Seu, or the seat of the bishopric, to Mallorcans) on a map of the city of Palma...

San Sebastian
San Sebastián (Donostia in Euskera) is a sophisticated city arched around one of the finest urban beaches in the world, La Kontxa (The Shell), so...

Cordoba
Strategically located on the north bank of the Guadalquivir River, Córdoba was the Roman and Moorish capital of Spain, and its old quarter, clustered around...

Valencia
Valencia, Spain's third-largest municipality, is a proud city with a thriving nightlife and restaurant scene, quality museums, and spectacular contemporary architecture, juxtaposed with a thoroughly...

Santiago de Compostela
You don’t need to be a pilgrim to enjoy this medieval city, which is one of the most popular and beautiful in all of Galicia...

Malaga
Málaga is one of southern Spain’s most welcoming and happening cities, and it more than justifies a visit. Visitor figures soared after the Museo Picasso...

Toledo
The spiritual capital of Castile, Toledo sits atop a rocky mount surrounded on three sides by the Río Tajo (Tagus River). When the Romans arrived...

Salamanca
Salamanca's radiant sandstone buildings, immense Plaza Mayor, and hilltop riverside perch make it one of the most majestic and beloved cities in Spain. Today, as...

Girona
At the confluence of four rivers, Northern Catalonia's Girona (population: 97,000) keeps intact the magic of its historic past; with its brooding hilltop castle, soaring...

Pamplona
Pamplona (Iruña in Euskera) is known worldwide for its running of the bulls, made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his 1926 novel The Sun Also...

Eivissa (Ibiza Town)
Hedonistic and historic, Eivissa (Ibiza, in Castilian) is a city jam-packed with cafés, nightspots, and trendy shops; looming over it are the massive stone walls...

Vitoria-Gasteiz
The capital of the Basque Country, and the region's second-largest city after Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz might be Euskadi's least "Basque" city, at least to the naked...

Mahon (Mao)
Established as the island's capital in 1722, when the British began their nearly 80-year occupation, Mahón still bears the stamp of its former rulers. The...

Marbella
Thanks to its year-round mild climate and a spectacular natural backdrop, Marbella has been a playground for the rich and famous since the 1950s, when...

Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez, world headquarters for sherry, is surrounded by vineyards of chalky soil, producing palomino and Pedro Ximénez grapes that have funded a host of churches...

Caceres
The provincial capital and one of Spain's oldest cities, Cáceres is known for its UNESCO-protected old town and lively tapeo. The Roman colony called Norba...

Ciutadella
Ciutadella was Menorca's capital before the British settled in Mahón, and its history is richer. Settled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, and Romans, Ciutadella...

A Coruña
One of Spain’s busiest ports, A Coruña is often (mistakenly) overlooked by travelers. While the weather can be fierce, wet, and windy, it does give...

Segovia
Medieval Segovia rises on a steep ridge that juts above a stark, undulating plain. It's defined by its ancient monuments, excellent cuisine, embroideries and textiles...

Zaragoza
Despite its hefty size (population 680,000), this sprawling provincial capital midway between Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, and Valencia is a detour from the tourist track, yet...

Cadiz
With the Atlantic Ocean on three sides, Cádiz is a bustling town that's been shaped by a variety of cultures and has the varied architecture...

Oviedo
Inland, the Asturian countryside starts to look picture-perfect. Gently rolling green hills, and wooden, tile-roof hórreos strung with golden bundles of drying corn replace the...

Ronda
Ronda, one of the oldest towns in Spain, is known for its spectacular position and views. Secure in its mountain fastness on a rock high...

Leon
León, the ancient capital of Castile and León, sits on the banks of the Bernesga River in the high plains of Old Castile; today it's...

Santander
One of the great ports on the Bay of Biscay, Santander is surrounded by beaches that can often be busy, but it still manages to...

Tarragona
Tarragona, the principal town of southern Catalonia, today is a vibrant center of culture and art, a busy fishing and shipping port, and a natural...

Úbeda
Úbeda's casco antiguo (old town) is one of the most outstanding enclaves of 16th-century architecture in Spain. It's a stunning surprise in the heart of...

Trujillo
Trujillo rises up from the boulder-strewn fields like a great granite schooner under full sail. From above, the rooftops and towers are worn and medieval...

Alicante
The Greeks called it Akra Leuka (White Summit) and the Romans named it Lucentum (City of Light). A crossroads for inland and coastal routes since...

Fuengirola
Fuengirola is less frenetic than Torremolinos. Many of its waterfront high-rises are vacation apartments that cater to budget-minded sunseekers from Northern Europe and, in summer...

Vigo
Vigo's formidable port is choked with trawlers and fishing boats and lined with clanging shipbuilding yards. The city’s gritty exterior gives way to a compact...

Gijon
The Campo Valdés baths, dating back to the 1st century AD, and other reminders of Gijón's time as an ancient Roman port remain visible downtown...

Las Palmas
Las Palmas is a long, sprawling city, strung out for 10 km (6 miles) along two waterfronts of a peninsula. Though most of the action...

Burgos
On the banks of the Arlanzón River, this small city boasts some of Spain's most outstanding medieval architecture. If you approach on the A1 from...

Ávila
In the middle of a windy plateau littered with giant boulders, with the Sierra de Gredos in the background, Ávila is a walled fairy-tale town...

Cuenca
The delightful old town of Cuenca is one of the most surreal looking in Spain, built on a sloping rock with precipitous sides that plunge...

Cartagena
Don’t be put off by Cartagena’s outskirts, which house chemical plants and mining machinery; plunge straight into the old town near the port instead. The...

Getaria and Zumaia
Getaria (Guetaria in Castilian) is known as la cocina de Gipuzkoa (the kitchen of the Gipuzkoa province) for its many restaurants and taverns. It was...

Vielha
Vielha (Viella in Spanish), capital of the Vall d'Aran, is a lively crossroads vitally involved in the Aranese movement to defend and reconstruct the valley's...

Laguardia
Founded in AD 908 to stand guard—as its name suggests—over Navarra's southwestern flank, Laguardia is situated on a promontory overlooking the Río Ebro and the...

Baeza
The historic town of Baeza, nestled between hills and olive groves, is one of the best-preserved old towns in Spain. Founded by the Romans, it...

Logroño
A scrappy industrial city of 153,000, Logroño has a lovely old quarter bordered by the Ebro and medieval walls, with Breton de los Herreros and...

Torremolinos
Torremolinos is all about fun in the sun. It may be more subdued than it was in the action-packed 1960s and '70s, but it remains...

Jaca
Jaca, the most important municipal center in Alto Aragón, is anything but sleepy. Bursting with ambition and blessed with the natural resources, jacetanos are determined...

Almeria
Warmed by the sunniest climate in Andalusia, Almería is a youthful Mediterranean city, basking in sweeping views of the sea from its coastal perch and...

Soller
All but the briefest visits to Mallorca should include at least an overnight stay in Sóller, one of the most beautiful towns on the island...

Llanes
This beach town is on a pristine stretch of the Costa Verde. The shores in both directions outside town have vistas of cliffs looming over...

Merida
Mérida has some of the most impressive Roman ruins in Iberia. Founded by the Romans in 25 BC on the banks of the Río Guadiana...

Cambados
This breezy seaside town has a charming, almost entirely residential old quarter and is the center for the full-bodied and fruity Albariño, one of Spain’s...

Estepona
Estepona is a pleasant and relatively tranquil seaside resort, despite being surrounded by lots of urban developments. The beach, more than 1 km (½ mile)...

Plasencia
Rising dramatically from the banks of the narrow Jerte River and backed by the peaks of the Sierra de Gredos, this town was founded by...

Antequera
The town of Antequera holds a surprising number of magnificent baroque monuments (including some 30 churches)—it provides a unique snapshot of a historic Andalusian town...

Puigcerda
Puigcerdà is the largest town in the valley; in Catalan, puig means "hill," and cerdà derives from "Cerdanya." From the promontory upon which it stands...

Sitges
The fine white sand of the Sitges beach is elbow-to-elbow with sun worshippers April–September. On the eastern end of the strand is an alabaster statue...

Denia
The stretch of coastline known as the Costa Blanca (White Coast) begins at Dénia, south of Valencia. Dénia is the port of departure on the...

Pontevedra
At the head of its ría, right where it joins the sea, Pontevedra is a delightful starting point for exploring the Rías Baixas. Its well-preserved...

Huesca
Once a Roman colony, Huesca would later become the capital of Aragón, until the royal court moved to Zaragoza in 1118. The town's university was...

Carmona
Wander the ancient, narrow streets here and you'll feel as if you've been transported back in time. Claiming to be one of the oldest inhabited...

Mijas
Mijas is in the foothills of the sierra just north of the coast. Long ago foreign retirees discovered the pretty, whitewashed town, and though the...

Jaen
Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra de Jabalcuz, Jaén is surrounded by towering peaks and olive-clad hills. The modern part of town holds little...

Cadaques and Around
Spain's easternmost town, Cadaqués, still has the whitewashed charm that transformed this fishing village into an international artists' haunt in the early 20th century. Salvador...

Santa Eularia des Riu
At the edge of this town on the island's eastern coast, to the right below the road, a Roman bridge crosses what some claim is...

Tossa de Mar
Christened "Blue Paradise" by painter Marc Chagall, who summered here for four decades, Tossa's pristine beaches are among Catalonia's best. Set around a blue buckle...

Siguenza
The ancient university town of Sigüenza dates back to Roman, Visigothic, and Moorish times and still has splendid architecture and one of the most impressive...

Mundaka
Tiny Mundaka, famous among surfers all over the world for its left-breaking roller at the mouth of the Ría de Gernika, has much to offer...

Puerto de la Cruz
This is the oldest resort in the Canaries, and sadly, cheap mass tourism and urban sprawl have all but drained it of local charm and...

Guadalupe
Guadalupe's monastery is one of the most inspiring sights in Extremadura, and its story begins around 1300, when a local shepherd uncovered a statue of...

Cazorla
Unspoiled and remote, the village of Cazorla is at the east end of Jaén province. The pine-clad slopes and towering peaks of the Cazorla and...

Astorga
Astorga, where the pilgrimage roads from France and Portugal merge, once had 22 hospitals to lodge and care for ailing travelers. Though the city is...

Nerja
Nerja—the name comes from the Moorish word narixa, meaning "abundant springs"—has a large community of expats, who live mainly outside town in urbanizaciones ("village" developments)...

Begur and Around
From Begur, go east through the calas or take the inland route past the rose-color stone houses and ramparts of the restored medieval town of...

Haro
Haro is the wine capital of La Rioja. Its casco viejo (old quarter) and best taverns are concentrated along the loop known as La Herradura...

Camprodon
Camprodón, the capital of its comarca (county), lies at the junction of the Ter and Ritort Rivers—both excellent trout streams. The rivers flow by, through...

Ainsa
Wander through the uninspiring outskirts of Aínsa’s new town until the road turns sharply upward toward one of Aragón’s most impressive walled medieval towns, where...

Alquezar
As though carved from the rock itself, Alquézar overlooks the Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara and is one of Aragón’s most attractive old...

Benasque
Benasque, Aragón's easternmost town, has always been an important link between Catalonia and Aragón. This elegant mountain hub, with a population of just over 2,200...

Formentera
Environmental protection laws shield much of Formentera, making it a calm respite from neighboring Ibiza's dance-until-you-drop madness. Though it does get crowded in the summer...

Lugo
Just off the A6 freeway, Galicia's oldest provincial capital is most notable for its 2-km (1½-mile) Roman wall. These beautifully preserved ramparts completely surround the...

Murcia
Murcia is a busy commercial center with a charming old quarter, plenty of tapas bars, and a lively cultural scene. A particular highlight on the...

Besalu
Besalú, the capital of a feudal county until power was transferred to Barcelona at the beginning of the 12th century, remains one of the best-preserved...

Tarifa
Tarifa's strong winds helped keep it off the tourist maps for years, but now it is Europe's biggest center for windsurfing and kiteboarding, and the...

Benalmadena
...

Cangas de Onis
The first capital of Christian Spain, Cangas de Onís is also the unofficial capital of the Picos de Europa National Park. Partly in the narrow...

Arcos de la Frontera
Its narrow and steep cobblestone streets, whitewashed houses, and finely crafted wrought-iron window grilles make Arcos the quintessential Andalusian pueblo blanco. Make your way to...

Luarca
The village of Luarca is tucked into a cove at the end of a final twist of the Río Negro, with a fishing port and...

Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Although Tenerife's busy capital is smaller, quieter, and less attractive than Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, it has its share of worthwhile attractions and elegant...

Pollença
This is a pretty little town, with a history that goes back at least as far as the Roman occupation of the island; the only...

Santillana del Mar
Santillana del Mar has developed a thriving tourism industry based on the famed cave art discovered 2 km (1 mile) north of town—and the town...

La Vera and Monasterio de Yuste
In northern Extremadura, the fertile La Vera region sits at the foot of the Gredos mountains, which are usually snowcapped through June. With its wildflowers...

La Rioja Alta
The Upper Rioja, the most prized subregion of La Rioja's wine country, extends from the Río Ebro to the Sierra de la Demanda. La Rioja...

Puerto de Santa Maria
This attractive if somewhat dilapidated little fishing port on the northern shores of the Bay of Cádiz, with lovely beaches nearby, has white houses with...

Figueres
Figueres is the capital of the comarca (county) of the Alt Empordà, the bustling county seat of this predominantly agricultural region. Local people come from...

Almuñecar
This small-time resort with a shingle beach is popular with Spanish and Northern European vacationers. It's been a fishing village since Phoenician times, 3,000 years...

Ribes de Freser and Vall de Nuria
The small town of Ribes de Freser is the starting point of the famous cremallera (cogwheel) train, which connects passengers with Núria, a small mountaintop...

Parc Nacional d'Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici
Catalonia's only national park is a dramatic and unspoiled landscape shaped over 2 million years of glacial activity. Hikers can reach the park from the...

Hondarribia
Hondarribia (Fuenterrabía in Spanish) is the last fishing port before the French border and a wonderful day trip from San Sebastián. Lined with fishermen's homes...

Llivia
A Spanish enclave in French territory, Llívia was marooned by the 1659 Peace of the Pyrenees treaty, which ceded 33 villages to France. Incorporated as...

La Seu d'Urgell
La Seu d'Urgell is an ancient town facing the snowy rock wall of the Sierra del Cadí. As the seat (seu) of the regional archbishopric...

Almagro
The center of this noble town contains the only preserved medieval theater in Europe. It stands beside the ancient Plaza Mayor, where 85 Roman columns...

Deia
Deià is perhaps best known as the adopted home of the English poet and writer Robert Graves, who lived here off and on from 1929...

Montilla
In the countryside around Montilla, hills are ablaze with sunflowers in early summer near the vineyards of the Montilla-Moriles D.O. Every fall, 47,000 acres' worth...

Calpe (Calp)
Calpe has an ancient history, as it was chosen by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and Moors as a strategic point from which to plant their...

Costa Teguise
A green-and-white complex of apartments and several large hotels, Costa Teguise is a typical ’80s resort that some would say is past its heyday, although...

Playa Blanca
Playa Blanca is Lanzarote's newest resort. Tourists come for the white-sand beaches at Punta de Papagayo, which can only be reached by driving on hard-packed...

Sant Feliu de Guixols
The little fishing port of Sant Feliu de Guixols is set on a small bay; Moderniste mansions line the seafront promenade, recalling a time when...

Sepulveda
A walled village with a commanding position, Sepúlveda has a charming main square, but the main reasons to visit are its 11th-century Romanesque church and...

Taull
Taüll is a town of narrow streets and tight mountain design—wooden balconies and steep, slate roofs—that makes an attractive base for exploring the Parc Nacional...

Valldemossa
The jumping-off point for a drive up the spectacular coast of the Tramuntana, this pretty little town, north of Palma, is famous for the vast...

Potes
Known for its fine cheeses, the region of La Liébana is a highland domain also worth exploring for other reasons. Potes, the area's main city...

Zuheros
At the northern edge of the Subbética mountain range and at an altitude of 2,040 feet, Zuheros is one of the most attractive villages in...

Lorca
If you are touring the region, it’s worth a short detour to get a glimpse of Lorca, an old market town and the scene of...

Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera
Blink and you miss it: that's true of most of the small towns in the island's interior and especially so of Santa Gertrudis. It's not...

Ribadesella
The N632 twists around green hills dappled with eucalyptus groves, allowing glimpses of the sea and sandy beaches below and the snowcapped Picos de Europa...

Estella
Once the seat of the Royal Court of Navarra, Estella (Lizarra in Euskera) is an inspiring stop on the Camino de Santiago...

Roncal Valley
The Roncal Valley, the eastern edge of the Basque Pyrenees, is notable for the sheep's-milk cheese of the same name and as the birthplace of...

The Cabo de Gata Nature Reserve
The southeast corner of Spain is one of the country’s last unspoiled wildernesses, and much of the coastline is part of a highly protected nature...

Priego de Cordoba
The jewel of Córdoba's countryside is Priego de Córdoba, a town of 23,500 inhabitants at the foot of Monte Tinosa. Wander down Calle del Río...

Aracena
Stretching north of the provinces of Huelva and Seville is the 460,000-acre Sierra de Aracena nature park, an expanse of hills cloaked in cork and...

Puerto del Carmen
Most beach-bound travelers to Lanzarote wind up in the sandy strands of the Puerto del Carmen area, the island’s busiest resort. The small fishing port...

Pasajes de San Juan
Three towns make up the commercial port of Pasaia (Rentería in Spanish): Pasai Antxo (Pasajes Ancho), an industrial port; Pasai de San Pedro (Pasajes de...

Roncesvalles (Orreaga)
Roncesvalles (often listed as Orreaga, its name in Euskera) is a small village and the site of the Battle of Roncesvalles (or Battle of Roncevaux...

Ourense and La Ribeira Sacra
Despite the uninspiring backdrop of Ourense’s new town, Galicia’s third-largest city has bubbling thermal springs and an attractive medieval quarter whose animated streets, tapas bars...

Salardu
Salardú is a pivotal point in the Vall d'Aran, convenient to Baqueira-Beret, the Montarto peak, the lakes and Circ de Colomers, Parc Nacional d'Aigüestortes, and...

Casares
The mountain village of Casares lies high above Estepona in the Sierra Bermeja, with streets of ancient white houses piled one on top of the...

Setcases
Although Setcases ("seven houses") is somewhat larger than its name would imply, this tiny village nestled at the head of the valley has a distinct...

Villafranca del Bierzo
After crossing León's grape-growing region, where the funky, floral Bierzo wines are produced, you'll arrive in this medieval village, dominated by a massive (and still-inhabited)...

O Grove
O Grove throws a famous shellfish festival the second week of October, but you can enjoy the day's catch in taverns and restaurants year-round. From...

Altea
Perched on a hill overlooking a bustling beachfront, Altea (unlike some of its neighboring towns) has retained much of its original charm, with an atmospheric...

La Manga del Mar Menor
The advance of rocks and sand from two headlands into the Mediterranean Sea transformed what was once a bay into the Mar Menor (Smaller Sea)...

Betanzos
The charming, slightly ramshackle medieval town of Betanzos is still surrounded by parts of its old city wall. An important Galician port in the 13th...

Alarcon
This fortified village (population: 148) on the edge of the great plains of La Mancha stands on a high spit of land encircled almost entirely...

Mt. Teide
The dormant volcano of El Teide, Spain's highest peak, looms large on the horizon no matter where you are on the island, and its (often...

Sanlucar de Barrameda
This fishing town has a crumbling charm and is best known for its langostinos (jumbo shrimp) and manzanilla, an exceptionally dry sherry (known as fino...

Albufera Nature Park
South of Valencia, Albufera Nature Park is one of Spain's most spectacular wetland areas. Home to the largest freshwater lagoon on the peninsula, this protected...

Ripoll
One of Catalonia's first Christian strongholds of the Reconquest and a center of religious erudition during the Middle Ages, Ripoll is known as the bressol...

Beget
The village of Beget, considered Catalonia's més bufó (cutest), was completely cut off from motorized vehicles until the mid-1960s, when a pista forestal (jeep track)...

Baztan Valley
Tucked neatly above the headwaters of the Bidasoa River, beneath the peak of the 3,545-foot Gorramendi Mountain that looms over the border with France, is...

Olot
Capital of the comarca (administrative region) of La Garrotxa, Olot is famous for its 19th-century school of landscape painters and has several excellent Art Nouveau...

Baena
Outside the boundaries of Subbética and surrounded by chalk fields producing top-quality olives, Baena is an old town of narrow streets, whitewashed houses, ancient mansions...

Calella de Palafrugell and Around
Up the coast from S'Agaró, the C31 brings you to Palafrugell and Begur; to the east are some of the prettiest, least developed inlets of...

Fisterra
There was a time when this lonely, windswept outcrop over raging waters was thought to be the end of the earth—the finis terrae. In fact...

Espot
Espot is in the heart of the valley, along a clear stream, next to the eastern entrance of Parc Nacional d'Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant...

La Laguna
Known colloquially as "La Laguna," this university town was the first capital of Tenerife. It was planned and built in a Renaissance style in 1500...

Muxia
A small fishing village far off the beaten path, surrounded by the stunning rocky cliffs and virgin beaches of the Costa da Morte, close to...

Agua Amarga
Like other coastal hamlets, Agua Amarga started out in the 18th century as a tuna-fishing port. These days, as perhaps the most pleasant village on...

Puente la Reina
Puente la Reina (Gares in Euskera) is at the junction of the two Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes from northern Europe, one passing through Somport...

Viveiro
The once-turreted city walls of this popular summer resort are still partially intact. The Semana Santa processions, when penitents follow religious processions on their knees...

Huelva
When you've had enough of Seville's urban bustle, nature awaits in Huelva. From the Parque Nacional de Doñana to the oak forests of the Sierra...

Elantxobe
The tiny fishing village of Elantxobe (Elanchove in Castilian) is surrounded by huge, steep cliffs, with a small breakwater that protects its fleet from the...

Santes Creus
Sitges, with its beach and its summer festivals of dance and music, film and fireworks, is anything but solemn. Head inland, however, some 45 minutes'...

Santa Maria de Poblet
This splendid Cistercian monastery, located at the foot of the Prades Mountains, is one of the great masterpieces of Spanish monastic architecture. Declared a UNESCO...

Ojen
For a contrast to the glamour of the coast, drive up to Ojén, in the hills above Marbella. Take note of the beautiful pottery and...

Axpe Atxondo
The village of Axpe, in the valley of Atxondo, sits in the shadow of 4,777-foot Monte Anboto—one of the highest peaks in the Basque Country...

Padron
Padrón grew up beside the Roman port of Iria Flavia and is where the body of St. James is believed to have washed ashore after...

Baiona
At the southern end of the AP9 freeway and the Ría de Vigo, Baiona (Bayona in Castilian) is a summer haunt of affluent gallegos. When...

Comillas
This astounding pocket of Catalan Art Nouveau architecture in the green hills of Cantabria will make you rub your eyes in disbelief. The Marqués de...

Alcala la Real
...

Mazagon
There isn't much to see or do in this coastal town, but the parador makes a good base for touring La Rábida, Palos de la...

San Vicente de la Barquera
This is one of the oldest and most beautiful maritime settlements in northern Spain; it was an important Roman port long before many other shipping...

Sant Joan de les Abadesses
The site of an important church, Sant Joan de les Abadesses is named for the 9th-century abbess Emma and her successors. Emma was the daughter...

Ribadeo
Perched on the broad ría of the same name, Ribadeo is the last coastal town before Asturias. The views up and across the ría are...

Arrecife
Although Arrecife houses one-third of Lanzarote's population (146,000), it exudes a leisurely island energy, unlike bustling Santa Cruz or Las Palmas. Real talk: It's not...

La Rabida
La Rábida's monastery is worth a stop if you're a history buff. It's nicknamed "the birthplace of America" because in 1485 Columbus came from Portugal...

Tui
The steep, narrow streets of Tui, rich with emblazoned mansions, suggest the town's past as one of the seven capitals of the Galician kingdom. Today...

Fornells
A little village (full-time population: 500) of whitewashed houses with red-tile roofs, Fornells comes alive in the summer high season, when Spanish and Catalan families...

Alcudia
Nothing if not strategic, Alcúdia is the ideal base for exploring Mallorca's north coast, with the 13-km-long (8-mile-long) beach from Port d'Alcúdia to C'an Picafort...

Sort
The capital of the Pallars Sobirà (Upper Pallars Valley) is the area’s epicenter for skiing, fishing, and white-water kayaking. The word sort is Catalan for...

Corralejo
Most people visit this part of Fuerteventura for its magnificent sand dunes. Corralejo, a small port town, has one street of tourist restaurants and some...

Villaviciosa
Famed for its cider, Villaviciosa also has a large dairy and several bottling plants as well as an attractive old quarter. The Habsburg emperor Carlos...

San Lorenzo de El Escorial
An hour from Madrid, San Lorenzo del Escorial makes for a leisurely day trip away from the hustle and bustle of the Spanish capital. The...

S'Agaro
S'Agaró is an elegant gated community on a rocky point at the north end of the cove. The 30-minute walk along the sea wall from...

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
A recent Game of Thrones filming location, this solitary stone hermitage clings to a rocky promontory over the Bay of Biscay. A narrow, 231-step passageway...

Muros
...

Betancuria
Betancuria (pop. 839), set in the fertile center of the island, was once Fuerteventura's capital and has several historical monuments. Its quiet streets display typical...

Lluc
The Santuari de Lluc, which holds the Black Virgin and is a major pilgrimage site, is widely considered Mallorca's spiritual heart...

Noia
Deep within the Ría de Muros y Noia, the compact medieval town of Noia is at the edge of the Barbanza mountain range. The Gothic...

Italica
Neighboring the small town of Santiponce, Itálica is Spain’s oldest Roman site and one of its greatest, and it is well worth a visit when...

Vilalba
Known as Terra Cha (Flat Land) or the Galician Mesopotamia, Vilalba is the source of several rivers, most notably the Miño, which flows down into...

Blanes
The Costa Brava (Wild Coast) begins at Blanes with five different beaches, running from Punta Santa Anna on the far side of the port—a tiny...

Bellver de Cerdanya
Bellver de Cerdanya has preserved its slate-roof-and-fieldstone Pyrenean architecture more successfully than many of La Cerdanya's larger towns. Perched on a promontory over the Río...

Burguete (Auritz)
Burguete (Auritz, in Euskera) lies between two mountain streams forming the headwaters of the Urobi River and is surrounded by meadows and forests. The town...

El Toro
The peak of El Toro is Menorca's highest point, at all of 1,555 feet. From the monastery on top you can see the whole island...

Bermeo
The charm of Bermeo is easy to miss if you don't park and walk from the old town to the port. Before the town became...

Costa Calma
As you continue south along the coast from Matas Blancas, the beaches get longer, the sand gets whiter, and the water gets bluer...

Puerto del Rosario
Fuerteventura's capital, Puerto del Rosario, has suffered from an image problem for a long time. It used to be called Puerto de Cabra (Goat Port)...

Cova des Coloms
There are caverns and grottoes all over the Balearics, some of them justly famous because of their size, spectacular formations, and subterranean pools. This one...

Covadonga
To see high alpine meadowland, some rare Spanish lakes, and views over the peaks and out to sea (if the mist ever disperses), take the...

Montserrat
A popular side trip from Barcelona is a visit to the dramatic, sawtooth peaks of Montserrat, where the shrine of La Moreneta (the Black Virgin...

Fuente Vaqueros
...

San Roque
...

Ripoll
...

Yaiza
Yaiza is a quiet whitewashed village with good restaurants. Largely destroyed by a river of lava in the 1700s, it's best known as the gateway...

Laredo
...

Garachico
Garachico is one of the most idyllic and historic towns on the islands, and it's well worth a quick visit. It was the main port...

Aranjuez
...

O Cebreiro
Deserted and haunting when it's not high season (and often fogged in or snowy to boot), O Cebreiro is a stark mountaintop hamlet built around...

Llessui
...

Martinet
...

Aragues del Puerto
...

Tahiche
Only one thing makes Tahíche a destination rather than a drive-through town between Arrecife and the north of the island: the former estate of César...

Alta Ribagorça Oriental
...

Santa Fe
Santa Fe (Holy Faith) was founded in winter 1491 as a campground for Ferdinand and Isabella's 150,000 troops as they prepared for the siege of...

Riotinto
...

Moguer
...

Mondoñedo
Founded in 1156, this town was one of the seven capitals of the kingdom of Galicia from the 16th to early 19th century. The cathedral...

Lesaka
...

Écija
...

San Jose
...

Matalascañas
...

Mollo
...

Pastrana
...

Calahorra
...

Lekeitio
...

Salobreña
...

Guadix
Today, Guadix—and the neighboring village of Purullena—is best known for its cave communities, though this was an important mining town as far back as 2,000...

Roncesvalles
...

Icod de los Vinos
Attractive plazas rimmed by unspoiled colonial architecture and pine balconies form the heart of Tenerife's most historic wine district. A 1,000-year-old dragon tree, the natural...

Frigiliana
...

Bielsa
...

Pajara
Pájara, the administrative center of the southern peninsula of Jandía, has a two-block strip of boulevard and pretty wrought-iron street lamps. To see remnants of...

Leboreiro
...

La Rioja Baja
...

Pasaia
Three towns make up the busy little port of Pasaia (Rentería in Spanish): Pasai Antxo (Pasajes Ancho), an industrial area; Pasai de San Pedro (Pasajes...

Castro-Urdiales
...

Morro Jable
The old fishing port of Morro Jable, at the southern tip of Fuerteventura, has a long stretch of golden sand. Many more miles of virgin...

Andalusia
Gypsies, flamenco, horses, bulls—Andalusia is the Spain of story and song, simultaneously the least and most surprising part of the country: least surprising because it...

Canary Islands
A historic way station between the Old and New Worlds, the Canary Islands have been influenced over the centuries by African, European, and South American...

Bilbao and the Basque Country
Situated in the crook of the Iberian Peninsula between Spain and France on the Bay of Biscay, the Spanish Basque Country (known as “Euskadi” in...

Galicia and Asturias
Spain's westernmost region is en route to nowhere, an end in itself. This magical, remote area is sure to pull at your heartstrings, so be...

Ibiza and the Balearic Islands
Could anything go wrong in a destination that gets, on average, 300 days of sunshine a year? True, the water is only warm enough for...

Catalonia, Valencia, and the Costa Blanca
The long curve of the Mediterranean from the French border to Cabo Cervera below Alicante encompasses the two autonomous communities of Catalonia and Valencia, with...

Castile–Leon and Castile–La Mancha
Madrid, in the center of Spain, is an excellent jumping-off point for exploring, and the high-speed train puts many destinations within easy reach. The Castiles...

Costa del Sol and Costa de Almeria
With roughly 320 days of sunshine a year, the Costa del Sol well deserves its nickname, "the Sunshine Coast." It's no wonder much of the...

The Pyrenees
Separating the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of the European continent, the snowcapped Pyrenees have always been a special realm, a source of legend and...

Extremadura
Rugged Extremadura a nature lover's paradise, so bring your mountain bike (or plan on renting one), hiking boots, and binoculars. The lush Jerte Valley and...

The Costa Brava
...

The Murcia Coast
The Murcia Coast is markedly different from the surrounding coastal areas of southeastern Spain. Here you see the curious Mar Menor, an inland sea hemmed...

Maspalomas and the Southern Coast
One of the first places in Spain to welcome international tourists (starting in 1962), Maspalomas remains a beach resort with all the trappings. It's somewhat...

Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas
The sunniest (and most woefully tacky) tourist area on Tenerife is the southwestern coastline, where high-rise hotels are built chockablock above the beaches without a...

The Axarquia
The Axarquía region stretches from Nerja to Málaga, and the area's charm lies in its mountainous interior, peppered with pueblos, vineyards, and tiny farms. Its...

Jerte and El Valle del Jerte (Jerte Valley)
Every spring, the Jerte Valley in northern Extremadura becomes one of Spain’s top attractions for its riot of cherry blossoms. Unsurprisingly, this is where Spain’s...

Grazalema and the Sierra de Grazalema
The village of Grazalema is the prettiest of the pueblos blancos. Its cobblestone streets of houses with pink-and-ocher roofs wind up the hillside, red geraniums...

Hecho and Anso Valleys
The Ansó Valley is Aragón's western limit. Rich in fauna (mountain goats, wild boar, and even a bear or two), it follows the Veral River...

The Highlands
The rivers forming the seven main valleys of the Ebro basin originate in the Sierra de la Demanda, Sierra de Cameros, and Sierra de Alcarama...

The Alpujarras
A trip to the Alpujarras, on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, takes you to one of Andalusia's highest, most remote, and most scenic...

The Sierra Nevada
The drive southeast from Granada to Pradollano along the A395—Europe's highest road, by way of Cenes de la Vega—takes about 45 minutes. It's wise to...

The Guadalhorce Valley
The awe-inspiring Garganta del Chorro (Gorge of the Stream) is a deep limestone chasm where the Río Guadalhorce churns and snakes its way some 600...

Vallferrera and Cardos Valleys
...

Vall d'Aran and Environs
The Vall d'Aran is at the western edge of the Catalan Pyrenees and the northwestern corner of Catalonia. North of the main Pyrenean axis, it's...

Central Highlands
This part of the island has the most otherworldly geography: a drive up the winding mountain roads to the top and then down the other...

Around Ronda: Caves, Romans, and Pueblos Blancos
...

Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido
This great but often overlooked park was founded by royal decree in 1918 to protect the natural integrity of the central Pyrenees. It has expanded...

Doñana National Park
The jewel in Spain’s crown when it comes to national parks, and one of Europe’s most important wetlands, Doñana is a paradise for wildlife in...

Mallorca
Saddle-shape Mallorca is more than five times the size of Menorca or Ibiza. The Sierra de Tramuntana, a dramatic mountain range soaring to nearly 5,000...

Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands. Its standout feature is the volcanic peak of El Teide (also known as Mount Teide or Monte...

Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria has three distinct identities: Its capital, Las Palmas (pop. 379,000), is a thriving business center and important shipping and cruise port; the white-sand...

Lanzarote
With hardened lava fields, black and red dunes, and treeless mountainsides, Lanzarote's interior is right out of a science-fiction movie (literally—Clash of the Titans, One...

Menorca
Menorca, the northernmost of the Balearics, is a knobby, cliff-bound plateau with some 193 km (120 miles) of coastline and a central hill called El...

Ibiza
Tranquil countryside, secluded coves, and intimate luxury lodging to the north; sandy beaches and party venues by the score to the south; a capital crowned...

Fuerteventura
Some of Fuerteventura's towering sand dunes blew in from the Sahara Desert, 96 km (60 miles) away, and indeed it's not hard to imagine Fuerteventura...

La Palma
The Canaries' most northwestern island is known as "La Isla Bonita" (The Pretty Island) for a reason: Its landscapes are some of the most breathtaking...
All Destinations
Expand All Collapse All
Andalusia
- Alcala la Real
- Aracena
- Arcos de la Frontera
- Baena
- Baeza
- Cadiz
- Carmona
- Cazorla
- Cordoba
- Doñana National Park
- Fuente Vaqueros
- Granada
- Grazalema and the Sierra de Grazalema
- Guadix
- Huelva
- Italica
- Jaen
- Jerez de la Frontera
- La Rabida
- Matalascañas
- Mazagon
- Moguer
- Montilla
- Priego de Cordoba
- Puerto de Santa Maria
- Riotinto
- Ronda
- Sanlucar de Barrameda
- Santa Fe
- Seville
- The Alpujarras
- The Sierra Nevada
- Zuheros
- Écija
- Úbeda
Galicia and Asturias
- A Coruña
- Baiona
- Betanzos
- Cambados
- Cangas de Onis
- Castro-Urdiales
- Comillas
- Covadonga
- Fisterra
- Gijon
- Laredo
- Leboreiro
- Llanes
- Luarca
- Lugo
- Mondoñedo
- Muros
- Muxia
- Noia
- O Cebreiro
- O Grove
- Ourense and La Ribeira Sacra
- Oviedo
- Padron
- Pontevedra
- Potes
- Ribadeo
- Ribadesella
- San Vicente de la Barquera
- Santander
- Santiago de Compostela
- Santillana del Mar
- Tui
- Vigo
- Vilalba
- Villaviciosa
- Viveiro
The Pyrenees
- Ainsa
- Alquezar
- Alta Ribagorça Oriental
- Aragues del Puerto
- Baztan Valley
- Beget
- Bellver de Cerdanya
- Benasque
- Bielsa
- Burguete (Auritz)
- Camprodon
- Espot
- Hecho and Anso Valleys
- Huesca
- Jaca
- La Seu d'Urgell
- Lesaka
- Llessui
- Llivia
- Martinet
- Mollo
- Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña
- Parc Nacional d'Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici
- Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido
- Puigcerda
- Ribes de Freser and Vall de Nuria
- Ripoll
- Roncal Valley
- Roncesvalles
- Roncesvalles (Orreaga)
- Salardu
- Sant Joan de les Abadesses
- Setcases
- Sort
- Taull
- Vall d'Aran and Environs
- Vallferrera and Cardos Valleys
- Vielha
- Zaragoza
Andalusia
- Alcala la Real
- Aracena
- Arcos de la Frontera
- Baena
- Baeza
- Cadiz
- Carmona
- Cazorla
- Cordoba
- Doñana National Park
- Fuente Vaqueros
- Granada
- Grazalema and the Sierra de Grazalema
- Guadix
- Huelva
- Italica
- Jaen
- Jerez de la Frontera
- La Rabida
- Matalascañas
- Mazagon
- Moguer
- Montilla
- Priego de Cordoba
- Puerto de Santa Maria
- Riotinto
- Ronda
- Sanlucar de Barrameda
- Santa Fe
- Seville
- The Alpujarras
- The Sierra Nevada
- Zuheros
- Écija
- Úbeda
The Pyrenees
- Ainsa
- Alquezar
- Alta Ribagorça Oriental
- Aragues del Puerto
- Baztan Valley
- Beget
- Bellver de Cerdanya
- Benasque
- Bielsa
- Burguete (Auritz)
- Camprodon
- Espot
- Hecho and Anso Valleys
- Huesca
- Jaca
- La Seu d'Urgell
- Lesaka
- Llessui
- Llivia
- Martinet
- Mollo
- Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña
- Parc Nacional d'Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici
- Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido
- Puigcerda
- Ribes de Freser and Vall de Nuria
- Ripoll
- Roncal Valley
- Roncesvalles
- Roncesvalles (Orreaga)
- Salardu
- Sant Joan de les Abadesses
- Setcases
- Sort
- Taull
- Vall d'Aran and Environs
- Vallferrera and Cardos Valleys
- Vielha
- Zaragoza