1027 Best Sights in Spain

An old-timer in the established Consell de Cent gallery scene, Sala Dalmau shows an interesting and heterodox range of Catalan and international artists.

The dean of the city's art galleries is also the oldest one in Spain. It opened in 1840 as an art-supplies shop; as a gallery, it dates from 1877 and has shown every Barcelona artist of note since. Picasso, Dalí, and Miró exhibited their work here, as did Rusiñol before them. Nowadays, artists like Magí Puig and Carlos Morago get pride of place.

Beside two picturesque lighthouses (one built in 1903 and the other in 1985) are salt flats set amid a starkly black lava landscape. Placards along a footpath explain how salt is extracted from ocean water according to an ancient method. There's a souvenir shop selling various types and textures of salt as well as local wines, T-shirts, postcards, and more, and a good oceanfront restaurant specializing in salt-baked fish that's filleted tableside.

Ferdinand and Isabella used this church and cloister behind the Prado as a retiro, or place of respite—hence the name of the adjacent park. The building, one of the oldest in the city (built in the early 16th century), was devastated in the Napoleonic Wars and rebuilt in the late 19th century.

Older than its more famous pre-Romanesque counterparts on Monte Naranco, the 9th-century church of Santullano has surprisingly well-preserved frescoes inside. Geometric patterns, rather than representations of humans or animals, cover almost every surface, along with a cross containing Greek letters.

This 17th-century church has many fine works by artists such as Martínez Montañés and Francisco Pacheco, but its outstanding piece is Juan de Mesa y Velasco's Jesús del Gran Poder (Christ Omnipotent).

A jasper niche in the lateral facade of this Gothic church contains the Virgen Blanca (White Virgin), Vitoria's patron saint.

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.

This classically dark Spanish church displays the Mudejar style of Islamic decoration and art forms. Córdoba's well-kept city park, the pleasant Jardines de la Victoria (Victory Gardens), with tile benches and manicured bushes, is a block west.

Honoring the patron saint of mariners, San Nicolás de Bari, the city's early waterfront church was built over an earlier hermitage and consecrated in 1756. With a striking baroque facade over the Arenal, originally a sandy beach, the church weathered significant damage at the hands of French and Carlist troops in the 19th century. Sculptures by Juan Pascual de Mena adorn the interior. Look for the oval plaque to the left of the door marking the high-water mark of the flood of 1983.

This church has a beautiful cloister and a stunning carved portal.

This Benedictine abbey has an 11th-century cloister. Ramiro II and his father, Alfonso I, the only Aragonese kings not entombed at San Juan de la Peña, rest in a side chapel.

In a 16th-century monastery behind the parte vieja, to the right (northeast) of the church of Santa María, the former chapel, now a lecture hall, was painted by José María Sert (1876–1945). Creator of notable works in Barcelona's city hall, London's Tate Gallery, and New York's Waldorf-Astoria hotel, Sert's characteristic tones of gray, gold, violet, and earthy russet enhance the sculptural power of his work here, which portrays events from Basque history. The museum displays Basque ethnographic items, such as prehistoric stelae once used as grave markers, and paintings by Zuloaga, Ribera, and El Greco.

This sanctuary, about 20 km (12 miles) south of Zumaia in Cestona, is an exuberant churrigueresque-baroque structure erected in honor of Íñigo Lopez de Oñaz y Loyola (1491–1556) after he was canonized in 1622 for his defense of the Catholic Church against the tides of Martin Luther's Reformation. Almost two centuries later, Roman architect Carlos Fontana designed the basilica that memorializes the saint. The ornate construction contrasts with the austere lifestyle of St. Ignatius, who took vows of poverty and chastity after his conversion. Polychrome marble, flamboyant altar work, and a huge but delicate dome decorate the interior. The fortresslike tower house has the room where Ignatius (Eneko in Euskera) experienced conversion while recovering from a wound received in an intra-Basque battle.

The Sandeman brand of sherry is known for its dashing man-in-a-cape logo. Tours of the sherry bodegas in Jerez (Thursday at 2 pm) give you some insight into his history and let you visit the cellars. Some visitors purchase tapas to have with their sherry tastings. There is also a museum and shop on-site.

The 12th-century Romanesque church of Sant Cristòfol (St. Christopher) has a diminutive bell tower and a rare 6-foot Majestat—a polychrome wood carving of the risen Christ in head-to-foot robes that dates to the 12th century. Keep in mind the church has very sporadic and seasonal hours. For guided tours, contact the tourism office in Camprodon.

The roof of this 17th-century church is an irregular arrangement of tile domes. It is worth visiting for the fresco paintings on the central nave, created by the Mallorcan painter Matas in 1884, and for the chapels. The nearby ajuntament (town hall) is housed in the former monastery of the church.

Have a close look at this baroque church with its modern (1992), pseudo-bodybuilder version of the winged archangel Michael, complete with sword and chain, in the alcove on the facade. (The figure is a replica; the original was destroyed in 1936.) One of the first buildings to be completed in Barceloneta, Sant Miquel del Port was begun in 1753 and finished by 1755 under the direction of architect Damià Ribes. Due to strict orders to keep Barceloneta low enough to fire La Ciutadella's cannon over, Sant Miquel del Port had no bell tower and only a small cupola until Elies Rogent added a new one in 1863. Interesting to note are the metopes: palm-sized gilt bas-relief sculptures around the interior cornice and repeated outside at the top of the facade. These 74 Latin-inscribed allegories each allude to different attributes of St. Michael. For example, the image of a boat and the Latin inscription "iam in tuto" (finally safe), alludes to the saint's protection against the perils of the sea.

One of the oldest medieval churches in Barcelona has been destroyed and restored so many times that there is little left of its past to see except the beautiful stained-glass window that lets light into the stark interior. The word puelles is from the Latin puella (girl); the convent here was known for the beauty and nobility of its young women, and was the setting for some of medieval Barcelona's most tragic stories of impossible love. Legend has it that the puellae, when threatened with rape and murder by the invading Moors under Al-Mansur in 986, disfigured themselves by slicing off their own ears and noses in an (apparently futile) attempt to save themselves.

Carrer de la Cadena leads to this imposing Gothic church, where, in 1435, 200 Jews were forced to convert to Christianity after their rabbis were threatened with being burned at the stake.

This Gothic church was built between 1424 and 1518 on the site of Carmona's former Great Mosque and retains its beautiful Moorish courtyard, studded with orange trees.

This 13th-century Gothic church was rebuilt in the 18th century during the British occupation and restored after being sacked during the Spanish Civil War. The church's pride is its 3,006-pipe baroque organ, imported from Austria in 1810. From May to October, Organ concerts are held Monday to Saturday at 11 am. The altar and the half-domed chapels on either side have exceptional frescoes.

This 14th-century church has many well-preserved medieval tombstones, each carved with a family emblem and the tools or symbols of the buried artisan. One shipbuilder's stone depicts a compass, an anchor, and an ax.

The 12th-century Santa Maria church in the center of town was largely destroyed in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War, but the bell tower remains and is open to visitors. At the top, take in a 360-degree panorama of La Cerdanya's towns, bucolic farmlands, and snowy peaks.

Aside from legends, another draw in this tiny seaside town is its main plaza and the 12th-century church of Santa María das Areas. Romanesque, Gothic, and baroque elements combine in an impressive (if gloomy) facade.

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.

The weatherworn colonial church of Santa María de Betancuria, known for its striking whitewashed exterior and intricate wooden accents, was built in the early 15th century as the island's main church when Betancuria was the capital. It was almost completely destroyed by Berbers in 1593 and then rebuilt. Outside Mass times, the church has no official opening hours, though weekday mornings are often a safe bet.

This octagonal church in Muruzabal was once used as a burial place for pilgrims.

The Mudejar-style Franciscan monastery of this church has a much-venerated 14th-century statue of the Virgen de los Milagros (Virgin of Miracles). There are relics from the discovery of America displayed in the museum and the frescoes in the gatehouse were painted by Daniel Vázquez Díaz in 1930.

Partly in ruins, this 11th-century chapel used to be an important way station on the route into the Vall d'Aran from France. The beveled hexagonal bell tower and the rounded stones, which look as if they came from a brook bottom, give the structure a curious stippled texture. The Romería de Nuestra Señora de Montgarri (Feast of Our Lady of Montgarri), on July 2, is a country fair with food, games, music, and dance. The sanctuary can be reached by following the C142 road until Beret and then walking 6 km (4 miles) along a dirt track that can also be accessed by off-road vehicles. It is difficult to get there during the winter snow season.