Spain rewards broad exploration — most visitors who think they're just going to Barcelona or Madrid end up wanting to come back for Seville, the Basque Country, or Galicia.
The Alhambra, Granada — The Nasrid palaces of the Alhambra are the finest example of Moorish architecture in Europe. The intricate plasterwork, the reflecting pools, the gardens of the Generalife — it justifies every superlative. Tickets sell out weeks in advance; book online before you arrive.
Sagrada Família, Barcelona — Antoni Gaudí's basilica has been under construction since 1882 and is expected to be completed around 2026. The interior — with its forest of branching stone columns and stained glass flooding the nave in colour — is as extraordinary as the famous facades. Book tickets in advance.
The Prado, Madrid — One of the great art museums of the world, with an unmatched collection of Spanish painting: Velázquez, Goya, El Greco. The Reina Sofía museum nearby holds Picasso's Guernica. Madrid is underrated as an art city; give it more than a weekend.
Seville — Flamenco, tapas, the third-largest cathedral in the world, the Real Alcázar, and some of the finest Semana Santa processions in Spain. The heat in July is oppressive; go in spring or autumn.
The Camino de Santiago — The pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela has been walked for a thousand years. The most popular route, the Camino Francés, begins in the French Pyrenees and takes around 30 days to complete. Shorter routes are possible. Whether you walk it for spiritual reasons or not, the experience is exceptional.
San Sebastián (Donostia) — Consistently ranked among Europe's best food cities. The old town pintxos bars on Calle 31 de Agosto and Calle Fermín Calbetón are the place to spend an evening. The setting — a perfect curved bay, an old quarter on a headland — helps.
The Meseta and Castilian Cities — Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca, and Burgos each have remarkable historic centres within a few hours of Madrid. Toledo sits on a rocky outcrop above the Tagus and has more medieval layers — Jewish, Moorish, Christian — than almost anywhere in Spain.
The Costa Brava and Costa de la Luz — Spain has too many overdeveloped coasts, but also beautiful ones. The Costa Brava north of Barcelona has rocky coves, clear water, and the Dalí museum in Figueres. The Atlantic coast between Tarifa and Cádiz — the Costa de la Luz — has wild Atlantic beaches, old white towns, and kitesurfers at Tarifa.
The Canary Islands — More Africa than Europe in landscape, with volcanic scenery on Lanzarote and Tenerife that's genuinely dramatic. Good in winter when the rest of Spain is cold.