1027 Best Sights in Spain

This was the first beach on the island to receive international tourists en masse, from the 1960s on; today its golden sands are flanked by apartment blocks and hotels. The nearby port protects the beach from high winds and waves, so bathing is safe. Lounge chairs and parasols are available for rent. This is a lively beach, with frequent concerts and sporting events, and finding a space for your towel can be a challenge in the summer. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; sunset; swimming.

Bilbaínos wax poetic about this welcoming town green surrounded by concrete jungle. Overlooking the square is the Basque Gothic Iglesia de San Vicente Mártir, whose amply robed sculpture of the Virgin—located on the main facade—had to be sculpted a second time after the original version was deemed too scantily clad, according to local legend. The Jardines de Albia are centered on the bronze effigy of writer Antonio de Trueba, by the famous Spanish sculptor Mariano Benlliure (1866–1947).

The village of Riglos, 43½ km (27 miles) northwest of Huesca, is at the foot of the Iberian Peninsula's most spectacular rock-climbing site. Roped teams dangle hundreds of feet overhead, some bivouacking overnight on the rock face.

Madrid Río takes in some 32 km (20 miles) of green space and bike-friendly paths along the lazy, shallow Manzanares River, beginning at the Puente de los Franceses in the northwest and terminating at the Pasarela Legazpi in the southeast (though footpaths extend much farther south). A popular place to enter is Puente de Segovia, downhill from the Palacio Real; a Christmas market is held here with craft kiosks and food stalls. Outdoor concerts (check out the Veranos de la Villa series; lineups are posted online) and informal riverside dining round out the park’s offerings. Note to nature lovers: Madrid Río connects to Casa de Campo, Parque del Oeste, and Madrid's 64-km (40-mile) Anillo Verde (Green Ring) bike path.

Built between 1528 and 1782, the cathedral is a triumph, although a generally unappreciated one, having been left unfinished when funds ran out. Because it lacks one of its two towers, the building is nicknamed \"La Manquita\" (the One-Armed Lady). The enclosed choir (restored in 2019), which miraculously survived the burnings of the civil war, is the work of 17th-century artist Pedro de Mena, who carved the wood wafer-thin in some places to express the fold of a robe or shape of a finger. The choir also has a pair of massive 18th-century pipe organs, one of which is still used for the occasional concert. Adjoining the cathedral is a small museum of religious art and artifacts. A walk around the cathedral on Calle Cister will take you to the magnificent Gothic Puerta del Sagrario.

Marbella's best beaches are to the east of town, between the Monteros and Don Carlos hotels, and include Costa Bella and El Alicate. The 6-km (4-mile) stretch of yellow sand is lined with residential complexes and sand dunes (some of the last remaining on the Costa del Sol). The sea remains shallow for some distance, so bathing is safe. Beach bars catering to all tastes and budgets dot the sands, as do several exclusive beach clubs (look for Nikki Beach, for instance, where luxury yachts are anchored offshore). Tourists and locals flock to these beaches in the summer, but take a short walk away from the beach bars and parking lots, and you'll find a less crowded spot for your towel. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (mid-June–mid-September); parking (fee in summer); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking.

At the upper edge of town, this fortified church has wonderful acoustics.

This international giant occupies an important position in Barcelona's art-gallery galaxy with exhibits of major contemporary artists from around the world, as well as local stars. Recent shows featured the hyperrealist collages of Antonio López García and the contemporary designer and painter Alberto Corazón.

A museum on the move, this traditional wooden Basque fishing boat called a mater—the last of its kind—was built in 1900 and today gives roving ecotours of the coastline. Visitors can choose from experiences ranging from an out-to-sea itinerary exploring ancestral fishing methods to an in-depth tour through the bowels of the vessel centered on the art of shipbuilding and maintenance.

La Palma native Victoria Torres Pecis is a fifth-generation winemaker who understands the island's soils and microclimates, and she adheres to a minimal-intervention philosophy in both vineyard and cellar. “A volcano constructs and at the same time destroys; my vines grow in volcanic ash, and this is part of who we are,\" she said, reflecting on the 2021 eruption. Snap up as many bottles as you can—Torres's wines (ranging from floral Malvasía to earthy Negramoll) sell out quickly and are hard to come by anywhere else. Visits are private and by email appointment only.

Built in 1892 in a Moderniste style, Almería's main market provides a colorful insight into the province's long list of fresh produce (note that the fish stalls are downstairs). The iron structure, characteristic of late-19th-century buildings, is enclosed by a pretty tiled facade. Don't miss the plaque marking Marie Curie's visit here in 1931.

From the Plaza Felix Saenz, at the southern end of Calle Nueva, turn onto Sagasta to reach the Mercado de Atarazanas. The 19th-century iron structure incorporates the original Puerta de Atarazanas, the exquisitely crafted 14th-century Moorish gate that once connected the city with the port. Don't miss the magnificent stained-glass window depicting highlights of this historic port city as you stroll around the stalls filled with local produce. The bars at the entrance offer good-value tapas, open at lunchtime only. Fish stalls are closed on Monday.

An unapologetically unrenovated building and budget-friendly tapas and groceries make this market a local favorite for both shopping and snacking. The hangarlike space is busiest on Saturdays from noon to 3 pm, when seafood stalls transform into makeshift fish and shellfish restaurants, frying, steaming, and boiling their freshest wares and serving them on plastic plates alongside jugs of unlabeled table wine—quite the fiesta.

Forget the architectural fruit displays and polished tapas stalls of Mercado de San Miguel or Mercado de la Paz—this market's allure is its rough-and-ready atmosphere, neighborhood crowd, and rock-bottom prices. In the morning and late afternoon, you'll spot locals filling their shopping carts with always-fresh meat and produce; from 1:30 to 3 pm, all three floors teem with families and workers on their lunch break scoping out menú del día (set meal) options.

This colorful city market, also known as La Recova, is part bazaar and part food emporium (though the food, for the most part, is nothing special). Stalls outside sell household goods; inside, stands displaying everything from flowers to canaries are arranged around a patio. Downstairs, a stroll through the seafood section will acquaint you with the local fish. Check the website for a monthly schedule of nighttime activities.

Chueca's neighborhood market has been reborn. In 2022, the three-floor complex underwent a massive renovation that gutted and revamped the second floor and added 16 new stalls. After browsing the more traditional grocery stalls on the ground floor, take the escalator up to the second for a rollicking tapeo (tapas crawl), or go up one additional flight to imbibe at 11 Nudos, a sceney (if corporate-feeling) rooftop restaurant and bar owned by Spanish craft gin Nordés.

Adjacent to the Plaza Mayor, this gastronomic market—which receives 10 million visitors a year—is a feast for the senses. Its bustling interior—a mixture of tapas spots and grab-and-go counters—sits beneath a fin-de-siècle glass dome reinforced by elaborate wrought iron. Enjoy a glass of wine and maybe a snack here, but save your appetite: the market, as gorgeous as it may be, has become overpriced and underwhelming in recent years. There are two diamonds in the rough: Rocambolesc, with its futuristic ice creams by the Roca brothers, and Daniel Sorlut, a posh oyster bar. 

The small Triana market, which began as an improvised fish market on the banks of the Guadalquivir in the 1830s, is housed in a shiny building next to the bridge and has been given the stamp \"Traditional Shopping Center.\" The vendors sell a colorful mix of food, flowers, cheap fashion, and costume jewelry until 3 pm every day but Sunday. The dozen or so restaurants and bars open daily till late.

Far more manageable—both in size and crowds—than Boqueria market, this landmark iron-and-brick structure nonetheless impresses with its high ceilings and ornamental elements. Built between 1888 and 1893 by Catalan architect Miquel Pascual i Tintorer in collaboration with Francesc Berenguer, it features wonderful decorative elements, like the swans swimming along the roof line and the snails surrounding Gràcia's coat of arms.

Officially Mercat de l'Abaceria Central, the market got its early name from the nearby Plaça de la Revolució de Setembre de 1868 just a block away up Carrer dels Desamparats. Browse your way through, and consider having something delicious such as a plate of wild mushrooms or a tortilla de patatas (potato omelet) at the bar and restaurant at the far corner on the lower east side.

A mammoth hangar at the junction of Ronda de Sant Antoni and Comte d'Urgell, designed in 1882 by Antoni Rovira i Trias, the Mercat de Sant Antoni is considered the city's finest example of wrought-iron architecture. The Greek-cross-shaped market covers an entire block on the edge of the Eixample, and some of the best Moderniste stall facades in Barcelona distinguish this exceptional space. Fully functioning as of 2017 after years of painstaking restoration to incorporate medieval archaeological remains underneath, the market is a foodie paradise of fruit, vegetables, fish, cheeses, and more. On Sunday morning, visit Sant Antoni, and wander the outdoor stalls of the weekly flea market full of stamps and coins, comic books and trading cards, VHS, CDs, vinyl, and vintage clothing.

This church has a fine-painted and gilded altarpiece. Adjoining the church are the cloisters, now a market with stalls selling fresh produce and a variety of local cheeses and sausages. The central courtyard is a venue for cultural events throughout the year.

The city's much-cherished subway system opened in 1995 and was designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster, winner of the 1999 Pritzker Architecture Prize and architect of Barcelona's 1992 Collserola Communications tower and, more recently, the international terminal at Beijing Airport. The construction project was a necessity when Bilbao began to spread up and down the Nervión estuary. It connects Bolueta, upstream from the Casco Viejo, with Plentzia, a run of 30 km (19 miles), and, in the other direction, with Basauri. The metro is nearly spotless, graffiti is scarce, and most of its passengers ride in a respectful silence. 

Winner of the railway architecture Brunel Prize of 1996, the metro in general and the Sarriko station in particular were designated as the prizewinning elements. The Sarriko station, the largest of all of the 23 stops, is popularly known as El Fosterazo (the Big Foster); the others are Fosteritos (Little Fosters). The most spectacular are segmented glass tubes curving up from underground, such as those at Plaza Circular and Plaza Moyúa, widely thought to resemble transparent snails.

Originally a tiny Visigothic church, the mosque-chapel was transformed into a mosque during the Moorish occupation. The Islamic arches and vaulting survived, making this the most important relic of Moorish Toledo, even if a glaringly out-of-place sculpture of Jesus on the cross is the centerpiece of the building today. Legend has it that the chapel got its name when Alfonso VI's horse, striding triumphantly into Toledo in 1085, fell to its knees out front (a white stone marks the spot). It was then \"discovered\" that a candle had burned continuously behind the masonry the whole time the Muslims had been in power. Allegedly, the first Mass of the Reconquest was held here, and later a Mudejar apse was added. There are remnants of a Roman house in the yard nearby.     

One of the masterpieces of the Bauhaus School, the legendary Pavelló Mies van der Rohe—the German contribution to the 1929 International Exhibition, reassembled between 1983 and 1986—remains a stunning "less is more" study in interlocking planes of green marble, golden onyx, and glass. In effect, it is Barcelona's aesthetic opposite to the flamboyant Art Nouveau/Modernisme of Gaudí and his contemporaries.

Note the mirror play of the black carpet inside the pavilion with the reflecting pool outside, and the iconic Barcelona chair designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) and Lilly Reich (1885–1947). Reproductions have graced modern interiors around the world for decades.

This Barcelona landmark to Christopher Columbus sits grandly at the foot of La Rambla along the wide harbor-front promenade of Passeig de Colom, not far from the very shipyards (Drassanes Reials) that constructed two of the ships of his tiny but immortal fleet. Standing atop the 150-foot-high iron column—the base of which is aswirl with gesticulating angels—Columbus seems to be looking out at "that far-distant shore" he discovered; in fact he's pointing, with his 18-inch-long finger, in the general direction of Sicily.

The monument was erected for the 1888 Universal Exposition to commemorate the commissioning of Columbus's voyage in Barcelona by the monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, in 1491. Since the royal court was at that time itinerant (and remained so until 1561), Barcelona's role in the discovery of the New World is at best circumstantial. In fact, Barcelona was consequently excluded from trade with the Americas by Isabella, so Catalonia and Columbus have never really seen eye to eye. For a bird's-eye view of La Rambla and the port, take the elevator to the small viewing platform (mirador) at the top of the column (open daily from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm). The entrance is on the harbor side. Last access to the viewpoint is 1:30 pm.

The entrance to the touristy restaurant Mirador de la Cilla takes you through a 164-foot tunnel. Don't eat here—the food is subpar—but it's worth making a stop to take in the spectacular mountain view with a beer or coffee.

Designed by César Manrique, this lookout at the northerly tip of a hairpin bend in the LZ-202 road lets you see the islet of La Graciosa from an altitude of 1,550 feet, in addition to the smaller protected isles of Montaña Clara, Alegranza, and Roque del Este. Arrive early to beat the crowds.

Dotting the Asturian coast east and west of Llanes are bufones, cavelike cavities that expel water when waves are sucked in. These active blowholes shoot streams of water as high as 100 feet at unpredictable intervals. They are clearly marked so you can find them, and there are barriers to protect you when they expel water. There is one east of Playa Ballota; try to watch it in action from this mirador east of Llanes, between the villages of Cué and Andrin. If you miss the spurt, the view is still worth a stop—on a clear day you can see the coastline all the way east to Santander.

Steps lead up to this observation deck from a passage on the left side of Ciutadella's columned and crenelated ayuntamiento (town hall) on the west side of the Plaça des Born. From here, you can survey the harbor.