Bejewelled ancient cities, vast wild spaces and sparkling coastlines are just the beginning of Spain’s prettiest pockets. No surprise then that many Spaniards prefer to holiday in their own country instead of heading abroad. Choosing how to explore these dazzling destinations is half the fun, whether you go hiking in the pine-scented hills, snorkelling between rocky coves, tapas-hopping around urban hubs or wildlife-spotting in tightly protected national parks. For the more popular places, visiting outside summer months generally means you’ll dodge the bulk of the crowds.
If there’s one Spanish shoreline that steals the show, it’s the Costa de la Luz of Cadiz, in southern Andalusia. Named for its glowing natural light, this stretch of Atlantic coast remains relatively undeveloped, with sweeping salt-white beaches bordered by pine forests and undulating dunes. Tarifa has a cool beach-town vibe thanks to its kitesurfing scene, while just inland lies one of Spain’s prettiest pueblos blancos (white towns), Vejer de la Frontera. Coastal villages such as Zahara de los Atunes and Barbate have wonderful fresh-produce markets at the heart of a fabulous sherry-loving food scene. Where Cadiz and Huelva provinces meet you’ll find the Unesco-listed Doñana National Park, a major refuge for the rare Iberian lynx and other creatures.
Make it happen
Plaza 18 is a chic, restored 19th-century mansion in Vejer with views towards Morocco and glorious breakfasts.
Jet2 has holiday packages with accommodation at the oceanside adults-only Barcelo Conil Playa hotel, with return flights to Jerez.
2. Santiago de Compostela, Galicia
The Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela
GETTY IMAGES
Almost 450,000 people travelled along the Camino de Santiago to Galicia’s gorgeous capital on foot or by bike in 2023. Santiago de Compostela marks the end of Spain’s most fabled pilgrimage trail, but it’s also one of the country’s most mesmerising cities. Just a glimpse of splendid Praza do Obradoiro beneath the spire-topped Romanesque-origin cathedral stops everyone in their tracks (don’t miss a guided visit to the astonishingly sculpted Portico de la Gloria). All around, glossily cobbled streets burst with traditional Galician buildings, stone-built arcades and camellia-filled gardens. The Mercado de Abastos is easily one of Spain’s most striking markets, especially when admired over a glass of albariño and some tetilla cheese.
Make it happen
Opposite the cathedral, the Parador de Santiago de Compostela is a smart landmark with centuries of history.
Intrepid has a seven-day Walk the Camino de Santiago trip which finishes in the Galician capital.
3. Formentera, Balearic Islands
One of Europe’s most magical islands, Formentera is all understated, bohemian Balearic style, without the club-driven pace of its next-door neighbour Ibiza. Beaches such as Migjorn and Ses Illetes are knockout visions of alabaster sand with a real back-to-nature vibe. Shimmery salt flats going back centuries twinkle under the Mediterranean sun. And the sea is a vivid, glassy turquoise thanks to the underwater seagrass meadows surrounding the island. Just a few tiny whitewashed villages, including the capital, Sant Francesc Xavier, dot the largely flat landscapes, crisscrossed by a network of rewarding hiking and cycling trails.
Make it happen
Breezy Med-view rooms with plunge pools evoke Formentera’s barefoot-glam energy at Gecko Hotel & Beach Club on Migjorn beach.
Expedia has getaways based at Es Pas Formentera Agroturismo, a 200-year-old olive-growing farmhouse.
4. Costa Brava, Catalonia
Illa Roja beach on the Costa Brava
GETTY IMAGES
You could pick almost any corner of Catalonia’s Costa Brava and instantly be wowed by its beauty. This Med-lapped shoreline northeast of Barcelona has colourful fishing villages, sweeping cliffs and tiny rocky coves kissed by pine forests, many of them linked by coastal walking trails known as the Cami de Ronda. Where to start? Perhaps in lovely Begur, topped by a ruined 16th-century castle and with divine little coves such as Aiguafreda, Illa Roja and Sa Tuna nearby. Further north, Cadaques has lured creative minds for years, most famously Salvador Dalí, whose otherworldly home you can wander around in Port Lligat. But nowhere evokes the Costa Brava’s wild spirit quite like the wind-sculpted Cap de Creus, where the Pyrenees meet the sea.
Make it happen
La Bionda is a boutique bolt hole in a 17th-century building in Begur’s magical old town.
Exodus has a six-night Coastal Walks of Catalunya holiday taking in Begur, Cadaques and Cap de Creus.
Times Holidays
5. Granada, Andalusia
The Alhambra of Granada
ALAMY
There’s no shortage of enchanting Andalusian cities set around unparalleled Moorish-era monuments, but Granada might be the prettiest of them all. For many people, the intricately adorned Alhambra palace fortress, with its terraced gardens and fountain-washed courtyards, is Spain’s most beautiful building. No matter how often you visit Granada, it’s impossible not to be blown away by the sight of this Nasrid masterpiece with the moody Sierra Nevada looming behind. Spend time meandering through the sloping Albayzin (Granada’s old Moorish quarter) before diving into the superb tapas scene in the low-key Realejo district.
Make it happen
Palacio Gran Via is a restored 1905 building blending boutique flair with original tilework and one of Granada’s loveliest rooftop terraces.
Byway Travel has a flight-free Spain’s Ancient Cities tour combining Granada with Cordoba, Seville, Valencia and more.
• Best holiday villas in Spain
• Best affordable hotels in Spain for under £150
6. Picos de Europa, Cantabria, Asturias & Castilla y Leon
Picos de Europa
GETTY IMAGES
Northern Spain’s untrammelled mountain ranges reveal spectacular natural scenery at every turn, especially around the jagged Picos de Europa, where limestone outcrops tower high above stone-walled villages that produce pungent blue cheeses. Taking in parts of Cantabria, Asturias and Castile and Leon, the Picos make up one of Spain’s original national parks, established in the early 20th century. Walking here is a thrill, with epic routes including the spine-tingling Cares Gorge, one of Spain’s most popular hikes. This adventure playground also has excellent kayaking, rock climbing and snowshoeing, or zip into the mountainscapes aboard the Fuente De cable car.
Make it happen
Soak up Picos views at Cantabria’s charming family-owned La Posada de Cucayo.
The eight-day Walking the Picos de Europa tour with Exodus includes the Cares Gorge trail and other rewarding hikes.
7. Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha
The Alcantara Bridge (Puente de Alcantara), the Tagus River and Toledo
GETTY IMAGES
Glimpsed from a lookout across the Tagus River, ancient Toledo immediately commands attention. At one time Spain’s capital, today it is known as the City of Three Cultures for its rich heritage as a place where Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures once coexisted. Stepping into the maze-like old town reveals a Unesco world heritage site home to an architecture feast ranging from an elaborate cathedral with gothic roots to several synagogues done in Mudejar style and even an unearthed Roman bathhouse. Works by the great Spanish Renaissance artist El Greco, a Greek painter and sculptor who lived in Toledo, await discovery at local churches and galleries such as the Museo de El Greco.
Make it happen
Hotel Hacienda del Cardenal is a converted 18th-century palace with a hidden-away pool and romantic garden dining.
Toledo follows a stay in Madrid on G Adventure’s nine-day Spain Family Journey tour, which also takes in Barcelona and Figueres.
8. Albarracin, Aragon
Hiking in Albarracin
GETTY IMAGES
Spain has so many delightful villages that there’s even an official association of them, Los Pueblos Mas Bonitos de España. Founded in medieval times, Albarracin, in the southernmost pocket of underrated Aragon, captivates visitors with its distinctively pink-tinged buildings, fortified walls and narrow alleys perched on a swooping ridge surrounded by the Guadalaviar River. Back in the 11th century Albarracin was an independent Berber taifa and you can still roam around its Moorish castle and baroque cathedral.
Make it happen
Stay in the heart of Albarracin at Casa de Santiago, a seven-room, wood-beamed hideaway with a rustic feel.
Not in the Guidebooks runs culture-focused day trips to Albarracin, starting in Valencia.
9. Lanzarote, Canary Islands
The Green Lagoon in Lanzarote
GETTY IMAGES
There’s a special, eerie beauty to Lanzarote’s moon-like landscapes, where Atlantic-whipped beaches huddle between rivers of solidified lava and glinting volcanic cones. The entire island is a Unesco biosphere reserve, though it’s the northern half where this volcanic drama dazzles most. Catch the miles-long golden sweep of Famara beach — below craggy lava-shaped cliffs that soar 2,000ft high — around sunset and you’ll get the Lanzarote hype. It’s easy to see how the island inspired the 20th-century artist César Manrique (whose work can be seen at the Fundacion César Manrique) and Pedro Almodóvar (who filmed Broken Embraces here).
Make it happen
César Lanzarote embodies Lanzarote’s arty edge: a boutique-style haven on a reimagined finca with a lagoon pool.
BA Holidays has packages at the stylish Hotel Fariones by the Atlantic in Puerto del Carmen.
• Best all-inclusive hotels in Lanzarote
• Best things to do in Lanzarote
10. Serra de Tramuntana, Mallorca
The village of Deia in Serra de Tramuntana
GETTY IMAGES
Stretching 55 miles across northern Mallorca’s spine, the Unesco-protected Serra de Tramuntana is defined by its plunging coastal cliffs and limestone crags that rise above glinting pine-dusted coves. It’s a whole different world to Mallorca’s costas. There are endless terraces of citrus, almond and olive trees, framed by dry-stone walls dating from Moorish times, while narrow roads weave between heavenly villages carved from gold-toned stone — Deia, Valldemossa, Soller. The 87-mile Ruta de Pedra en Sec (Dry Stone Route) stretches across the range, providing refreshing day hikes between villages if you don’t fancy tackling the whole thing. Or drop in on a market day for a fresh-produce feast.
Make it happen
Find a luxe refuge at Hotel Valldemossa, where sun-washed terracotta-floor rooms open up to Tramuntana panoramas.
Exodus has a seven-night Walking in Mallorca tour weaving through Tramuntana landscapes.
11. Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido, Aragon
The Ordesa Valley in the Pyrenees
GETTY IMAGES
Well off Spain’s beaten path, northern Aragon’s soul-stirring national park amounts to some of Europe’s most jaw-dropping scenery. From Pyrenees peaks reaching almost 10,000ft to rushing waterfalls and aquamarine high-altitude lakes, this is Spanish nature in all its wild, untouched glory, and the hiking is up there with the nation’s finest (the season runs from spring to autumn). If you only do one thing, make it a walk along the waterfall-bathed Ordesa Valley. Elsewhere, there are slow-going communities with an alpine touch to explore, including Ainsa and Torla.
Make it happen
Stay on the Ordesa Canyon’s doorstep at the charmingly rural Hotel Villa de Torla.
Pura Aventura has a seven-night self-guided Walking Highlights of the High Pyrenees tour, including Ordesa y Monte Perdido; pura-aventura.com
12. San Sebastian, Basque Country
San Sebastian in summer
GETTY IMAGES
From bite-sized pintxos to Michelin-starred tasting menus, dining is a pure work of art in this lively Basque city, which also has arguably the most eye-catching urban coastal setting in Spain. Framed by two green-forested headlands, Playa de la Concha tempts bathers with its sheltered Atlantic waters and honey-coloured sand, while surfers catch waves on neighbouring Zurriola. Grand belle époque buildings — such as the Palacio de Miramar and the city hall (the former Gran Casino) — recall San Sebastian’s past as a royal summer escape. Walk out along a lush cliffside path towards the cluster of estuary-side hamlets of Pasaia to find twinkling hidden bays.
Make it happen
Nobu Hotel San Sebastian makes a sultry base overlooking La Concha.
Or stay at the design-forward, sustainability-driven Arima Hotel & Spa.
The eight-day North Spain Discovery tour by Intrepid combines San Sebastian with Barcelona, Madrid and La Rioja, the wine-making province.
• Best villas with pools in Spain
• Best unexplored Spanish cities