1027 Best Sights in Spain

Built in the 12th century atop ruins of a conquered mosque, the cathedral, which looms over the Plaza Mayor, lost its Gothic character in the Renaissance. Inside are the tombs of the cathedral's founding bishops, an impressive portico of the Apostles, and a Byzantine reliquary. There's also a museum in the once-cellar of the Bishop's Palace containing a jewel-encrusted Byzantine diptych of the 13th century, a Crucifixion by the 15th-century Flemish artist Gerard David, a variety of carpets from the 16th through 18th centuries, and two small El Grecos. An excellent audio guide is included in the price of admission.

An intricately carved gallery tops the eroded facade of Huesca's 13th-century Gothic cathedral. Damián Forment, a protégé of the 15th-century Italian master sculptor Donatello, created the alabaster altarpiece, which dates to 1533 and has scenes from the Crucifixion.

An important stop on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Jaca's 11th-century Catedral de San Pedro has lovely carved capitals and was the first French-Romanesque cathedral in Spain, paving the way for later Spanish Romanesque architecture. Inside the cathedral and near the cloisters, the Museo Diocesano has excellent Romanesque and Gothic frescoes and artifacts collected from nearby churches.

Across from the alcázar and around the corner from the González Byass winery, the cathedral has an octagonal cupola and a separate bell tower, as well as Zurbarán's canvas La Virgen Niña Meditando (The Virgin as a Young Girl).

The first stone of the cathedral, which faces the Palacio Real, was laid in 1883 by King Alfonso XII, and the resulting edifice was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993. La Almudena is controversial due to its hodgepodge of architectural styles; it is playfully mocked by madrileños, who sometimes call it la fea (the ugly one). Built on the site of the old church of Santa María de la Almudena (the city's main mosque during Arab rule), the cathedral has a wooden statue of Madrid's female patron saint, the Virgin of Almudena, allegedly discovered after being hidden by Christian devotees during the so-called Reconquest. The cathedral's name is derived from the place where the relic was found, within the wall of the old citadel (in Arabic, al-mudayna).

The fragile gabled Gothic arches of this 14th-century cloister make it one of the finest of its type in the country. Inside are the tombs of Carlos III and his wife, marked by an alabaster sculpture. The well-preserved kitchen is one of just three surviving Gothic kitchens of Spain. The Museo Catedralicio Diocesano (Diocesan Museum) houses religious art from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Call in advance for guided tours in English.

Plasencia's cathedral was founded in 1189 and rebuilt after 1320 in an austere Gothic style. In 1498 the great architect Enrique Egas designed a new structure, intending to complement or even overshadow the original, but despite the later efforts of other notable architects of the time, such as Juan de Alava and Francisco de Colonia, his plans were never fully realized. The entrance to this incomplete, and not wholly satisfactory, addition is through a door on the cathedral's ornate but somber north facade. The dark interior of the new cathedral is notable for the beauty of its pilasters, which sprout like trees into the ribs of the vaulting. You enter the old cathedral through the Gothic cloister, which has four enormous lemon trees. Off the cloister stands the building's oldest surviving section, a 13th-century chapter house, now the chapel of San Pablo, a late-Romanesque structure with an idiosyncratic, Moorish-inspired dome. Inside are medieval hymnals and a 13th-century gilded wood sculpture of the Virgen del Perdón. The museum in the truncated nave of the old cathedral has ecclesiastical and archaeological antiques.

The blocky cathedral marks the transition between Romanesque and Gothic. Though largely rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style after serious damage in the town's 1941 fire, the cathedral retained its 12th-century crypt. The chief attraction here is the tomb of Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo (1856–1912), Santander's most famous literary figure. The cathedral is across Avenida de Calvo Sotelo from the Plaza Porticada.

Begun around 1150 and completed in the 16th century, Sigüenza's cathedral combines Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance architecture. Wander from the late-Gothic cloister to a room lined with 17th-century Flemish tapestries, then onto the north transept, housing the 15th-century plateresque tomb of Dom Fadrique of Portugal. The Chapel of the Doncel (to the right of the sanctuary) contains Don Martín Vázquez de Arca's tomb, commissioned by Queen Isabel, to whom Don Martín served as doncel (page) before an untimely death at the gates of Granada in 1486. In a refurbished early-19th-century house next to the cathedral's west facade, the small Diocesan Museum has a prehistoric section and religious art from the 12th to 18th centuries.

This 19th-century neo-Gothic cathedral boasts the tallest church spire in the province. Peek inside to see the beautiful stained-glass windows.

Zaragoza's main cathedral, at the eastern end of Plaza del Pilar, is the city's bishopric, or diocesan seo (seat). It was built in many architectural styles: Mudejar (brick-and-tile exterior), Gothic (altarpiece), churrigueresque (doorways), and baroque (facade). Inside, the Museo de Tapices contains medieval tapestries. The nearby medieval Casa y Arco del Deán forms one of the city's favorite corners.

Oviedo's Gothic cathedral was built between the 14th and 16th centuries around the city's most cherished monument, the Cámara Santa (Holy Chamber). King Ramiro's predecessor, Alfonso the Chaste (792–842), built it to hide the treasures of Christian Spain during the struggle with the Moors. Damaged during the Spanish Civil War, it has since been rebuilt. Inside is the gold-leaf Cross of the Angels, commissioned by Alfonso in 808 and encrusted with pearls and jewels. On the left is the more elegant Victory Cross, actually a jeweled sheath crafted in 908 to cover the oak cross used by Pelayo in the battle of Covadonga.

Built on a site used for temples and other religious buildings since the time of the Phoenicians, Ibiza's Catedral de Santa María has a Gothic tower, a baroque nave, and a small museum of religious art and artifacts. It was built in the 13th and 14th centuries and renovated in the 18th century.

Carrer Major leads to this Gothic edifice with beautifully carved choir stalls. The side chapel has round Moorish arches, remnants of the mosque that once stood on this site; the bell tower is a converted minaret.

Below the alcazaba (citadel) is the local cathedral, with buttressed towers that give it the appearance of a castle. It's in Gothic style but with some classical touches around the doors. Guided tours are available, and admission includes a visit to the ecclesiastical museum.

For a bird's-eye view of the city, join one of the tours arranged by the cathedral museum that takes you across the cubiertas, the granite steps of the cathedral roofs. Pilgrims made the same 100-foot climb in medieval times to burn their travel-worn clothes below the Cruz dos Farrapos (Cross of Rags). Tours are only available in Spanish.

Madrid's most legendary tapas street is crowded with excellent (if arguably overpriced) tapas bars and traditional tabernas (pubs). Its lively, and rather international, atmosphere spills over onto nearby streets and squares including Almendro, Cava Alta, Plaza del Humilladero, and Plaza de la Paja. Expect full houses and long wait times on weekend nights.

A few steps from the cathedral, this small center has a fascinating collection of audiovisual materials and exhibits on the period when the Moors ruled the island.

Next door to the MACBA, this multidisciplinary gallery, lecture hall, and concert and exhibition space offers a year-round program of cultural events and projects. The center also has a remarkable film archive of historic shorts and documentaries, free to the public. Housed in the restored and renovated Casa de la Caritat, a former medieval convent and hospital, the CCCB, like the Palau de la Música Catalana, is one of the city's shining examples of contemporary flare added to traditional architecture and design. A smoked-glass wall on the right side of the patio, designed by architects Albert Villaplana and Helio Piñon, reflects out over the rooftops of El Raval to Montjuïc and the Mediterranean beyond.

Another creation by Gaudí's assistant Francesc Berenguer (Gràcia is Berenguer country), the Centre Moral Instructiu was built in 1904 and still functions as a cultural institution; its wide range of programs—founded, it would seem, on the premise that recreation and sport are morally uplifting—includes chess and table tennis tournaments, craft workshops, language courses, and children's theater performances. The Centre even has its own resident repertory theater company. Berenguer himself was its president at one time.

One of the four branches outside France of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, this outpost opened in March 2015 in the striking glass cube designed by Daniel Buren at Muelle Uno on Málaga port. The museum showcases 20th- and 21st-century modern art, with semipermanent exhibitions that change every two years and always include works (paintings, sculptures, videos, and installations) by renowned artists such as Accardi, Ernst, Léger, and Matisse. There are also regular temporary exhibitions each year.

CAAM has earned a name for curating some of the best avant-garde shows in Spain, with a year-round calendar of exhibitions. The excellent permanent collection includes Canarian art from the 1930s and 1940s and works by the well-known Lanzarote artist César Manrique. The center, open until 9 pm, also has a fine collection of contemporary African art.

Near the Puente del Cachorro, the old Estación de Córdoba train station has been converted into this stylish shopping center with boutiques, bars, fast-food joints, a nightclub, and a movie theater complex.

With none of the 40 original ceramicists remaining in Triana, this restored factory complete with its original kilns provides an interesting insight into the neighborhood's tile-making past. Downstairs, an exhibition explains the manufacturing process and the story of ceramics, while upstairs there's a selection of tiles on display. Free guided tours are offered in English.

Located in a huge brutalist building whose intricate facade imitates the geometric shapes on the mezquita stucco-work, this center operates primarily as a stage for live art with artists in residence and regular dance performances. It also hosts regular exhibitions by contemporary Spanish artists. Every evening at dusk, the exterior facade lights up with artwork, best viewed from the Balcón del Guadalquivir park on the north side of the river.

A short film shown in the interpretive center introduces the park's main sights. Displays explain the plants and geology, and there's a small hunting museum. Staff can advise on camping, fishing, and hiking trails.

Santiago's premier contemporary art museum is housed in a stark yet elegant modern building that contrasts with Santiago's ancient feel. Inside, a lobby of gleaming Italian marble gives way to white-walled, high-ceilinged exhibition halls filled with mind-bending conceptual art—some of which might be a bit \"out there\" for the uninitiated. The temporary exhibits are excellent. Portuguese designer Álvaro Siza built this museum from smooth, angled granite to mirror the medieval convent of San Domingos de Bonaval next door.