4 Best Sights in Spain

This park includes the volcano itself and the Cañadas del Teide, a jumble of volcanic leftovers from El Teide and the neighboring Pico Viejo. The last eruption here was in 1909. Within the park you can find blue-tinged hills (the result of a process called hydrothermal alteration); spiky knobby rock protrusions; and lava in varied colors and textures. The bizarre photogenic rock formations known as Los Roques de García are especially memorable; a two-hour trail around these rocks—one of 30 well-marked hikes inside the park—is a highlight. Visit in late May or early June to see the crimson horn-shaped tajinaste (bugloss) flowers in bloom, a dramatic sight. Due to global heating, 2024 was the first winter in 108 years in which the mountain received no snowfall whatsoever.

Enter the Parque Nacional del Teide at El Portillo. Exhibits at the visitor center explain the region's natural history; a garden outside labels the flora found within the park. The center also offers trail maps, video presentations, guided hikes, and bus tours. A second park information center is located near Los Roques de García beside the Parador Nacional Cañadas del Teide.

To the east of Granada, the mighty Mulhacén, the highest peak in mainland Spain, soars to 11,427 feet. Legend has it that it came by its name when Boabdil, the last Moorish king of Granada, deposed his father, Abu'l-Hasan Ali, and had the body buried at the summit of the mountain so that it couldn't be desecrated. For more information on self-guided and guided trails to the two summits, check these sites:  sierranevada.guide, treksierranevada.com.

Benasque is the traditional base camp for excursions to Aneto, which, at 11,168 feet, is the highest peak in the Pyrenees. You can rent crampons and a piolet (ice ax) for the two- to three-hour crossing of the Aneto glacier at any sports store in town or at the Refugio de la Renclusa, a way station for mountaineers an hour's walk above the parking area, which is 15 km (9 miles) north of Benasque, off the A139. The trek to the summit and back is not difficult, just long—some 20 km (12 miles) round-trip, with a 4,500-foot vertical ascent. Allow a full 12 hours.

Peninsular Spain's second-highest mountain is 11,125 feet high. The view from its summit across the Alpujarras to the sea at distant Motril is stunning, and on a very clear day you can see the coast of North Africa. When the snow melts (July and August), you can drive or take a minibus from the Albergue Universitario (Universitario Mountain Refuge) to within around 400 yards of the summit—a trail takes you to the top in around 45 minutes. It's cold up there, so take a warm jacket and scarf, even if Granada is sizzling hot.