1027 Best Sights in Spain

Just across a lane from the cathedral and Capilla Real, this building houses colorful modern paintings by José Guerrero. Born in Granada in 1914, Guerrero traveled throughout Europe and lived in New York in the 1950s before returning to Spain. The center also runs excellent temporary contemporary art shows.

Distinctive blue-and-white-glazed contemporary ceramics are made at Cerámica de Sargadelos, 21 km (13 miles) east of Viveiro. Along with a gallery and museum (€5), you can watch artisans work on weekdays from 9 am to 2 pm. 

The oldest standing church in Logroño, San Bartolomé was built between the 13th and 14th centuries in a French Gothic style. Highlights include the 11th-century Mudejar tower and an elaborate 14th-century Gothic doorway. Some carvings on the stone facade depict scenes from the Bible. This is also a landmark on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage path.

The doorway to this 12th-century church, across the Ega River from San Pedro, has fantastic relief sculptures of St. Michael the Archangel battling a dragon.

This 11th-century church is known as La Aguja (The Needle) for its pyramid-shaped 135-foot Romanesque-Gothic tower.

Note the equestrian statue of the saint Santiago Matamoros (aka St. James the Moorslayer) presiding over the main door of this church, which was reconstructed in the 16th century.

More than a decade in the making, Santiago's City of Culture is a controversial striated-stone-and-glass edifice on Monte Gaiás. It was meant to whisk Galician culture into the future but fell short: construction was stopped in 2013 due to delays and mismanagement. A pared-down version has since opened with a museum, an archive library, temporary art exhibits, and cultural attractions including concerts and talks. The design of the complex, by the American architect Peter Eisenman, takes inspiration from the shape of a scallop shell, the emblem of St. James.

This steep peninsula—the old fishermen's quarter—is now the main nightlife hub. At sunset, the sidewalk in front of bar El Planeta ( Tránsito de las Ballenas 4), overlooking the harbor, is a prime spot to join locals drinking Asturian cider. From the park at the highest point on the headland, beside Basque artist Eduardo Chillida's massive sculpture Elogio del Horizonte (In Praise of the Horizon), there's a panoramic view of the coast and city.

A UNESCO World Heritage site, the 3rd-century Roman walls encircling Lugo provide a picturesque 2-km (1-mile) walk and the best bird's-eye views of the town. There are 71 remaining towers and 10 gates, and the walls have multiple staircases and ramps providing access to the top.

Not an \"Enchanted City\" as its name implies, Ciudad Encantada—situated 35 km (22 miles) north of Cuenca—is a series of large, fantastic mushroomlike rock formations erupting in a landscape of pines. It was formed over thousands of years by the forces of water and wind on limestone rocks, and you can see it in under two hours. See if you can spot formations named Cara (Face), Puente (Bridge), Amantes (Lovers), and Olas en el Mar (Waves in the Sea). Rent a car to get here, or arrange three-hour excursions with Ecotourism Cuenca ( 64/569–4393  www.ecoturismocuenca.com).

Take an evening paseo alongside locals through this central park with promenades and pools on the site of an ancient fortress.

The massive pentagonal Ciudadela is an impressive example of 17th-century military architecture. It has a display of more than 35,000 military miniatures, arranged to represent different periods of history. Check the website to confirm hours, which vary by month.

Archaeological remains of the ancient city of Pollentia, which dates to about 100 BC, include the La Portella residential area, the Forum, and the 1st-century-AD Roman theater. The Museu Monogràfic de Pollentia has a small collection of statues and artifacts from the nearby excavations of the Roman capital of the island.

An abandoned 18th-century church contains this easily digestible museum compiling some of the most important Visigoth artworks on the Iberian Peninsula. It's a branch of the Museo Nacional de Arte Romano, in a separate location north of the Plaza de España, in Mérida's old town.

Santillana del Mar is built around the Colegiata, Cantabria's finest Romanesque structure. Highlights include the 12th-century cloister, famed for its sculpted capitals, a 16th-century altarpiece, and the tomb of Santa Juliana, who is the town's patron saint and namesake.

The Colegiata, originally a 9th-century Moorish alcázar (citadel) for which the town is named, was conquered by the Christians in 1067. An interesting mix of Gothic, Mudejar, and Renaissance details are found in the shaded cloister, and there are biblical murals that date to the Romanesque era. The church, built in the 16th century, contains an almost life-size Romanesque figure of Christ, but restoration has taken away some of the building's charm—its interior brickwork is now only a painted representation. Visits are conducted via guided tour (Spanish only with English pamphlets available) and usually depart every 30 minutes.

Called St. Mary of the Field because the building was once beyond the city's walls, this Romanesque beauty dates to the mid-13th century. The facade depicts the Adoration of the Magi; the celestial figures include St. Peter, holding the keys to heaven. Because of an architectural miscalculation the roof is too heavy for its supports, so the columns inside lean outward and the buttresses outside have been thickened. The interior is often closed, but the exterior alone is worth seeing.

Barcelona's College of Architects, designed by Xavier Busquets and opened in 1962, houses three important gems: a superb library located across the street, where for a small fee the college's bibliographical resources are at your disposal for research; a bookstore specializing in architecture, design, and drafting supplies; and a decent restaurant (one of the city's best-kept secret lunch options for the weary explorer). The Picasso friezes on the facade of the building were designed by the artist in 1960; inside are two more, one a vision of Barcelona and the other dedicated to the sardana, Catalonia's traditional folk dance. The glass-and-concrete modernity of the building itself raises hackles: how could architects, of all people, be so blithely unconcerned—even contemptuous—about the aesthetics of accommodation to the Gothic setting around it?

Built for the Reverend Mothers of St. Theresa in 1889, when Gaudí was still occasionally using straight lines, this former operating school has upper floors that are reminiscent of Berenguer's apartment at Carrer de l'Or 44, with its steep peaks and verticality. Hired to take over for another architect, Gaudí found his freedom of movement somewhat limited in this project. The dominant theme here is the architect's use of steep, narrow catenary arches and Mudejar exposed-brick pillars.

The most striking effects are on the second floor, where two rows of a dozen catenary arches run the width of the building, each of them unique, because, as Gaudí explained, no two things in nature are identical. The brick columns are crowned with T-shape brick capitals (for St. Theresa). Look down at the marble doorstep for the inscription by mystic writer and poet Santa Teresa de Ávila (1515–82), the much-quoted "todo se pasa" (all things pass). The Col·legi is a private secondary school, and normally not open to visitors, but the sisters sometimes organize guided group visits on request.

The architectural temporary exhibitions (see the website for details of the program) on the ground floor of the School of Architecture focus on urbanism and notable architects. The design and architecture bookshop in the basement is reason alone to visit. The stick figure frieze on the exterior of the building was designed by Picasso during his exile, and executed by the Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar in 1955.

Built between 1616 and 1662 on the site of a former mosque, this church (called a concatedral because it shares the seat of the bishopric with the Concatedral de Orihuela) has an austere facade designed by Agustín Bernardino, a disciple of the great Spanish architect Juan de Herrera. Inside, it's dominated by a dome nearly 150-feet high, a pretty cloister, and a lavish baroque side chapel, the Santísima Sacramento, with an elaborate sculptured stone dome of its own. Its name comes from the day that Alicante was reconquered (December 6, 1248) from the Moors, the feast day of San Nicolás.

This Gothic church, built mainly in the 16th century, is now the cathedral and the city's most important religious site. The elegantly carved wooden reredos (dating to 1551), left unpainted according to Extremaduran custom, is barely visible in the gloom. Follow the lines of pilgrims to the statue of San Pedro de Alcántara in the corner; legend says that touching the stone figure's shoes brings luck. A small museum in the back displays religious artifacts.

Noted for its twin baroque towers, the present-day cathedral was rebuilt in the 16th century in a Gothic style atop ruins of a 12th-century Romanesque church.

This museum includes photographic studies and paintings, some of them immense. The 7,900 square feet of bright exhibition space is used to showcase ultramodern artistic trends—the four exhibitions feature changing exhibits from the permanent collection, two temporary shows, and one show dedicated to up-and-coming Spanish artists. The gallery attracts world-class modern artists like Phil Frost, KAWS, and Don Bergland. Outside, don't miss the giant murals behind the museum painted by the street artists Shepard Fairey (aka Obey) and Dean Stockton (aka D*Face).

This former Augustinian convent directly across from the main entrance to the MACBA, built by Bartolomeu Roig in the middle of the 16th century, has been converted into additional exhibition space for the MACBA, with a performing arts venue and an exhibition hall (El Fòrum dels Àngels) rented out on occasion for special events. The Fòrum dels Àngels is an impressive space, with magnificent Gothic arches and vaulted ceilings.

The Basque Gothic architecture of this early-16th-century convent, church, and museum gives way to Renaissance and baroque ornamentation high on the main facade. The Museo Diocesano de Arte Sacro (Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art) occupies a carefully restored 16th-century cloister and turns into a bake sale come Christmastime. The inner patio, ancient and intimate, is alone worth the visit. On display are religious silverwork, liturgical garments, sculptures, and paintings dating back to the 12th century. The convent is across from the Atxuri station just upstream from the Puente de San Antón.

Founded in 1131, this is Toledo's oldest and largest convent—and it's still in use. The handful of nuns who live here produce sweet wine and marzipan. The impressive complex, a bit outside the city center, includes ruins of a mosque on which a chapel was built in the Middle Ages, those of an Islamic house and courtyard (with an ancient well and Arab baths), and those of a Jewish house from the same period. Tours, offered twice daily (though not dependably—be forewarned), might include a visit to the kitchen where the Mother Superior will let you sample some sweets if she's in a good mood. Skip the touristy marzipan shops and buy the real stuff here (sweets are sold at the entrance around the corner in Plaza Padilla). There's also an adjacent cultural center with rotating history exhibits.

This 16th-century convent is one of Vandelvira's religious architectural masterpieces. The building was damaged by the French army and partially destroyed by a light earthquake in the early 1800s, but you can see its restored remains.The fully refurbished interior now serves as Baeza's conference center.

Carrer del Seminari is lined with some of the city's most impressive historic buildings on the west side. Among them is the 17th-century convent of Sant Agustí, which regularly hosts Ciutadella's summer classical music festival (contact  [email protected] for details) in its lovely cloister. The Diocesan Museum's collection of paintings, archaeological finds, and liturgical objects is also impressive. The room housing the historical library and archives is imposing.

This Carmelite convent was founded in the 17th century on the site of the St. Teresa's birthplace. Teresa's account of an ecstatic vision, in which an angel pierced her heart, inspired many baroque artists, most famously the Italian sculptor Giovanni Bernini. There's a small museum with creepy relics, including one of Teresa's fingers. You can also see the small and rather gloomy garden where she played as a child.