74 Best Sights in Catalonia, Valencia, and the Costa Blanca, Spain

On one of the nicest stretches of the Turia riverbed is this huge glass vault, Valencia's main concert venue. Home of the Orquesta de Valencia, the main hall also hosts touring performers from around the world, including chamber and youth orchestras, opera, and an excellent concert series featuring early, baroque, and classical music.

The landscaped gardens of this stepped archaeological walk are below the Barri Vell's restored Carolingian walls (which you can walk, in parts) and enjoy superlative views of the city from belvederes and watchtowers. From there, climb through the Jardins de la Francesa to the highest ramparts for a view of the cathedral's 11th-century Torre de Carlemany.

A 1½-km (1-mile) circular path skirting the surviving section of the 3rd-century-BC Ibero-Roman ramparts, this walkway was built on even earlier walls of giant rocks. On the other side of the path is a glacis, a fortification added by English military engineers in 1707 during the War of the Spanish Succession. Look for the rusted bronze of Romulus and Remus.

The landscape of Calpe is dominated by this huge calcareous rock more than 1,100 yards long, 1,090 feet high, and joined to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. The area is rich in flora and fauna, with more than 300 species of plants and 80 species of land and marine birds. A visit to the top is not for the fainthearted; wear shoes with traction for the hike, which includes a trip through a tunnel to the summit. The views are spectacular, reaching to the island of Ibiza on a clear day.

Sweeping past the Vila Vella, this well-maintained, soft-sand Blue Flag beach runs along the front of town to meet the base of the Cap de Tossa. One of the most photographed coastlines in this area of Spain, it is also, at the height of summer, one of the busiest. Conditions are normally fine for swimming (any warnings are announced via loudspeaker). Running behind the beach, there is no shortage of cafés and kiosks selling ice cream and snacks. There is no natural shade, but you can rent deck chairs and umbrellas. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: snorkeling; sunset; swimming.

Just northeast of the town center, this small sandy crescent is a pleasant Blue Flag beach that's popular with local families. The sand is coarse, but the calm, shallow waters make it ideal for children. Fishing boats bob peacefully in the water nearby after completing their morning's work. At the top of the beach there is a second cove called La Banyera de Ses Dones (the women's bathtub), which provides ideal conditions for diving, though if the sea is not calm, it is dangerous for swimmers. By day there is little natural shade, so bring adequate sunblock and an umbrella if you plan a long beach session. It gets extremely busy in high season. Amenities: none. Best for: snorkeling; sunset; swimming.

This wide (nearly 450 feet) and popular grand municipal beach stretches north from the port and the America's Cup marina more than a kilometer (½ mile) before it gives way to the even busier and livelier Platja de Malvarossa. The Paseo Marítimo promenade runs the length of the beach and is lined with restaurants and hotels. There's no shade anywhere, but the fine golden sand is kept pristine and the water is calm and shallow. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking; windsurfing.

With the massive Baroque facades of the Ayuntamiento (City Hall) and the Correos (central post office) facing each other across the park, this plaza is the hub of city life. The Ayuntamiento itself houses the municipal tourist office and a museum of paleontology.

Pop in just for a moment to marvel at the post office, with its magnificent stained-glass cupola and ring of classical columns. They don't build 'em like that any more.

The plans just inside the gate of this 1st-century AD Roman arena show that what’s now visible is only a small corner of a vast space where 30,000 spectators once gathered to watch chariot races. As medieval Tarragona grew, the city gradually engulfed the circus. At one end stands the Praetorium tower, which is connected to the circus via an underground passageway.

This seminary, with its church, cloister, and library, is the crown jewel of Valencia's Renaissance architecture. Founded by San Juan de Ribera in the 16th century, it has a lovely Renaissance patio and an ornate church, and its museum—Museum of the Patriarch—holds artworks by Juan de Juanes, Francisco Ribalta, and El Greco.

A small plaza contains Valencia's oldest church (dating to the 13th century), once the parish of the Borgia Pope Calixtus III. The first portal you come to, with a tacked-on, rococo bas-relief of the Virgin Mary with cherubs, hints at what's inside: every inch of the originally Gothic church is covered with exuberant ornamentation.

The ruins of the 13th-century Santa Maria Convent, on a hill just outside of town, make a good walk and offer a panoramic view over Besalú.

Founded in 1158 on the banks of the Gaià River, Santes Creus is one of Catalonia's largest and best-preserved Cistercian monasteries. Its otherwise austere church features glorious Cistercian and Gothic stained-glass windows and the royal tombs of King Peter III and James II and his wife Blanche of Anjou of the Kingdom of Aragón. Other highlights include the ornate 14th-century Gothic cloisters.

This town, famous for its early spring calçotada (onion feast) held on the last Sunday of January, is 10 km (6 miles) from Santes Creus and 15 km (9 miles) from Poblet. Even if you miss the big day, calçots are served November through April at rustic farmhouses such as Cal Ganxo in nearby Masmolets ( Carrer de la Font F 14  977/605960).