1027 Best Sights in Spain

Five kilometers (3 miles) away from La Rocina Visitor Center, an exhibit at the Palacio de Acebrón explains the park's ecosystems.

This palace has an imposing granite facade, arched doorway, and tower, and the interior has been restored with period furnishings and art to look as it did when the Carvajal family lived here in the 16th century. Legend has it that King Ferdinand IV ordered the execution of two brothers from the Carvajal family, whom he accused of killing one of his knights. Thirty days later, the king was sued in the Court of God. Judgment was postponed until after the king's death, when the Carvajal brothers were declared innocent.

This ornate building on the southeast side of Plaza de la Cibeles, built at the start of the 20th century and formerly called Palacio de Comunicaciones, is a massive stone compound bearing French, Viennese, and traditional Spanish influences. It first served as the city's main post office and, after renovations, is now an administrative building housing the mayor's office, a cultural center called CentroCentro (a pleasant place to study or work), several exhibition halls, dining options (on the second and sixth floors), and a rooftop lookout.

Widely considered Lorca's finest building, the Guevara Palace, built in the late 17th century, has a magnificent baroque facade and interior columned patio. Restoration of the palace was completed in late 2023, and you can now join guided tours to visit the interior rooms that include the salón amarillo (yellow room), with its murals, Venetian furniture and enormous mid-19th-century chandelier. The salón rojo houses the extensive Guevara fan collection, while the dining room showcases porcelain plates. Enquire at the tourist office for times of tours.

This graceful manor-house design is the only one of its kind left in Bilbao—an elegant and sweeping country estate with classic caserío (farmhouse) details amid the generally hard-edged Ensanche district. Now the official seat of the Athletic Bilbao soccer club, the house was originally the residence of the de la Sota family, whose most outstanding member, Ramón de la Sota, founded the company Euskalduna and became one of the most important shipbuilders in Europe. His company specialized in ship repair and opened shipyards in New York, London, Rotterdam, and Paris. Knighted, with the title "Sir," by Great Britain for his services to the Allied cause in World War I, de la Sota went on to found the Euskalerria Basque rights organization, which later joined forces with the Basque Nationalist Party. Because of his affiliation with Basque nationalism, Sir Ramón de la Sota's properties and businesses were seized by the Franco regime in 1939 and not returned to the family until 1973. You can step inside the lobby, but the house is no longer open to the public for tours. It's nevertheless still worthwhile to view from the outside.

Built between the 15th and 16th centuries as a palatial home by Juan Alfonso de Benavides, a cousin of Ferdinand the Catholic, this palace has a flamboyant Gothic facade and a charming marble colonnaded Renaissance patio. It is now part of the International University of Andalucía, and you can wander in and view the patio (only) for free.

This is one of Spain's three best-preserved Moorish palaces. If Córdoba's Mezquita shows the energy of the 10th-century Caliphate and Granada's Alhambra is the crowning 14th-century glory of al-Andalus (the 789-year Moorish empire on the Iberian Peninsula), then the late-11th-century Aljafería is the middle child. Originally a fortress and royal residence and later a seat of the Spanish Inquisition, the Aljafería is now the home of the Cortes (Parliament) de Aragón. The 9th-century Torre del Trovador (Tower of the Troubadour) appears in Giuseppe Verdi's opera Il Trovatore. Online reservation only available for guided tours.

Architect Luis Aladrén created this intensely decorated facade, just two blocks from Plaza Moyúa, for the seat of the Diputación (provincial government) in 1900. A manifestation of the bullish economic moment Bilbao was experiencing as the 20th century kicked off, the building was much criticized for its combination of overwrought aesthetic excess on the outside and minimally practical use of the interior space. The 19th-century Venetian motifs of its halls and salons, the chapel, and the important collection of paintings and sculptures are the best reasons to see the inside of the building.

Built on the highest point of the Peninsula de Magdalena and surrounded by 62 acres of manicured gardens and rocky beaches, this early-20th-century palace is the most distinctive building in Santander. It was originally a summer home for King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenia, and it has architectural influences from France and England. Today it is a venue for meetings, weddings, and classes. There are also daily guided visits (available only in Spanish).

Vandelvira's 16th-century Palacio Juan Vázquez de Molina is better known as the Palacio de las Cadenas because decorative iron chains (cadenas) were once affixed to the columns of its main doorway. It's now the town hall and has entrances on both Plaza Vázquez de Molina and Plaza Ayuntamiento. Molina was a nephew of Francisco de los Cobos, and both served as secretaries to Emperor Carlos V and King Felipe II.

The 15th-century home and official residence of the late 18th Duchess of Alba is an oasis of peace and quiet in the bustling city. Set around an ornate patio with Mudejar arches and a central fountain, the house includes antiques and paintings, as well as memorabilia relating to the duchess. Revered in the city and one of Spain's most important noblewomen and society figures, Cayetana de Alba loved bullfighting, flamenco, and ceramics. The visit (first floor only) also includes the stables, gardens (said to have inspired some of Antonio Machado's most famous early verses), and a Gothic chapel.

In 2019, this working palace belonging to the House of Alba, one of Spain's most powerful noble families, formally opened to the public. Its sumptuous halls and creaky passages are hung with works selected from what many consider to be Spain's finest private art collection—you'll spot Titians, Rubens, Velázquezes, and other instantly recognizable paintings. In the library, Columbus's diaries from his voyage to the New World are on display as well as the first Spanish-language Bible and other priceless official documents. The neoclassical palace was built in the 18th century but was bombed during the Spanish Civil War (only the facade survived); its collection of works thankfully were safeguarded during the conflict. The Duchess of Alba oversaw the reconstruction of the palace to its precise original specifications. Visits are by tour only, but if online tickets are sold out, try your luck as a walk-in.

One of Vitoria's oldest and most splendid buildings, this palace was erected in 1488 and reformed in 1535 and 1865. It's reached from the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca along Calle de Herrería, which follows the egg-shape outline along the west side of the old city walls. It is not open for tours.

At the end of the Paseo Padre Manjón, this 17th-century noble house today holds Granada's municipal archives and is used for municipal functions and art exhibits. You're free to wander about the large garden, the only area open to visitors.

Wander the halls of one of Cáceres's great noble homes on a memorable guided tour (English available). Begun in the late 15th century and finished in the late 16th—hence the sumptuous plateresque facade—the palace bears the insignia of the Catholic Monarchs, who greatly enriched the Golfín family. See if you can also spot the coat of arms of the Golfines, situated beneath a Gothic double window on the top floor.

After you pass through the gate leading to the old quarter, you'll see this palace, dominated by a soaring tower dating to 1515. Only three of the four corner towers remain, adorned with various coats of arms of the families who once lived here. Inside, there are classical colonnaded courtyards with Renaissance details, but they're no longer open to the public. During the Civil War, soon-to-be-Caudillo Francisco Franco declared this building the seat of his nationalist government before moving it to Burgos and, ultimately, Madrid. Until 2019, the facade bore a plaque memorializing the dictator, but it was removed as part of a larger effort by the city to scrub Cáceres clean of fascist propaganda once and for all.

This 17th-century palace is one of Córdoba's most splendid aristocratic homes. Also known as the Museo de los Patios, it contains 12 interior patios, each one different: the patios and gardens are planted with cypresses, orange trees, and myrtles. Inside the building are a carriage museum, a library, embossed leather wall hangings, filigree silver, and grand galleries and staircases. As you enter, note that the corner column of the first patio has been removed to allow the entrance of horse-drawn carriages.

The heart of Estella is the arcaded Plaza San Martín and its chief civic monument, the 12th-century Palacio de los Reyes de Navarra. The palace now houses the Museo Gustavo de Maeztu, displaying work from a 20th-century Navarran painter, Gustavo de Maeztu y Whitney. The building itself is what's really impressive, but the museum is free so you might as well have a peek.

This stone palace with twin Mudejar towers was probably the residence of Ronda's Moorish kings. Fernando and Isabel appropriated it after their victory in 1485. Today it's the museum of Ronda, and you can wander through the patios, with their brick arches and delicate Mudejar-stucco tracery and admire the mosaics and artesonado (coffered) ceiling. The second floor holds a small museum with archaeological items found near Ronda, plus the reproduction of a dolmen, a prehistoric stone monument.

Built in the mid-16th century by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón and one of the most stunning Renaissance palaces in Spain, this lavish abode was meant for an illegitimate son of Alonso de Fonseca I. The building, which opened to the public in 2018, is flanked by towers and has an open arcaded gallery running the length of the upper level. Such galleries—often seen on the ground floor of palaces in Italy—were intended to provide privacy for the women of the house and to cool the floor below during the summer. Walking the halls, feast your eyes on seldom-before-seen Titians, Coellos, and other masterpieces presided over by the Alba family.

The Palacio de Orellana-Pizarro, renovated by the conquistador Juan Pizarro himself in the 16th century, is now a school and has one of the most elegant Renaissance courtyards in town. The ground floor, open to visitors, has a deep, arched front doorway; on the second story is an elaborate Renaissance balcony bearing the crest of the Pizarro family. Miguel de Cervantes, on his way to thank the Virgin of Guadalupe for his release from prison, spent time writing in the palace.

This splendid baroque palace that primarily can be viewed from the outside (guided tours are by appointment only and must be arranged in advance by phone) is largely the work of architect Leonardo de Figueroa. Built between 1682 and 1796, it was first a naval academy and then the residence of the Bourbon dukes of Montpensier, during which time it outshone Madrid's royal court for sheer brilliance. The palace gardens are now Parque María Luisa, and the building itself is the seat of the Andalusian government. The main portal, vintage 1734, is a superb example of the fanciful churrigueresque style.

Visits are by guided tour only and must be booked online.

The battlement tower of this palace is also known as the Torre de las Cigüeñas (Tower of the Storks) for obvious reasons. It's now a military residence, but rooms are occasionally open for exhibitions on the weekends.

Facing the cathedral's main entrance, this is a fine 18th-century mansion with one of the most stunning facades in the city, as well as interesting interior details. Temporary exhibitions, usually with an art or design theme, take place regularly.

This building conceals the Islamic seminary built in 1349 by Yusuf I. The intriguing baroque facade is elaborate; inside, across from the entrance, an octagonal prayer room (viewable from the patio) is crowned by a Moorish dome. It hosts occasional free art and cultural exhibitions.

The prayer room opened for visits in late 2024 (Mon.–Fri. at 11 am; free) via in-person booking only. Leave your name and passport number in the register at the entrance on Calle Oficios. 

Built in the late 19th century by Catalan architect Joan Martorell for the Marqués de Comillas, Palacio Sobrellano is an exuberant neo-Gothic mansion. It now holds surprising collections of sculpture and paintings as well as archaeological and ethnographic material. The chapel has benches and kneeling stalls that were designed by Gaudí.

The neo-Gothic and plateresque (intricately carved in silversmith-like detail) facade of this house built for textile magnate Baron Manuel de Quadras and remodeled (1904–06) by Moderniste starchitect Puig i Cadafalch, has one of the most spectacular collections of Eusebi Arnau sculptures in town (other Arnau sites include the Palau de la Música Catalana, Quatre Gats–Casa Martí, and Casa Amatller). Look for the theme of St. George slaying the dragon once again, this one in a spectacularly vertiginous rush of movement down the facade. Across the top floor is an intimate-looking row of alpine chalet–like windows. The Palau currently houses the Institut Ramon Llull, a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading the knowledge of Catalan culture worldwide.

If you can get through the massive wooden gates that open onto Carrer Montcada (at the moment, the only opportunity is when the first-floor café-theater is open), you'll find yourself in Barcelona's best 17th-century Renaissance courtyard, built into a former 15th-century Gothic palace. Note the door knockers up at horseback level, and then scrutinize the frieze—featuring The Rape of Europa—that runs up the stone railing of the elegant stairway at the end of the patio. It's a festive abduction: Neptune's chariot, cherubs, naiads, dancers, tritons, and musicians accompany Zeus, in the form of a bull, as he carries poor Europa up the stairs and off to Crete.

The stone carvings in the courtyard, the 15th-century Gothic chapel, with its reliefs of angelic musicians, and the vaulting in the reception hall and salon are all that remain of the original 15th-century palace. The ground-floor Espai Barroc café features baroque-era flourishes and period furniture. It also hosts jazz, opera concertante, and other musical performances, as well as nightly (at 5:30, 6:45, 8, and 9:15 pm) flamenco shows.

On the left side of the Plaza de la Virgen, fronted by orange trees and box hedges, is this elegant facade. The Gothic building was once the home of the Cortes Valencianas (Valencian Parliament), until it was suppressed by Felipe V for supporting the losing side during the 1700–14 War of the Spanish Succession. The two salones (reception rooms) in the older of the two towers have superb woodwork on the ceilings. Don't miss the Salon de los Reyes, a long corridor lined with portraits of Valencia's kings through the ages; 30-minute weekday guided tours (required for entry) are available by calling or emailing ( [email protected]) in advance.

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.