Want to get see the very best of Spain? Have you decided to come to Spain but you're not sure how to get the best out of your vacation? On this page you will find the very best Spain has to offer - the best places to go, the best things to do and the best food to eat.
What do you think is the best of Spain? Share Your Opinion or read what others have said.
The Best Places to Visit in Spain
There are lots of ways of choosing your itinerary in Spain, depending on how little or how much of the country you want to visit at once.
Here are my top suggestions.
Best Spain Cities
- Madrid Spain's best museums, some excellent day trips, great nightlife and so much more. It may not have the wow factor that Barcelona has, but you’ll never get bored in Madrid. See also: Madrid or Barcelona: Which is Better?
- Barcelona Because, Barcelona! Does Spain’s most famous city need an introduction? Gaudi architecture, the Gothic Quarter, a burgeoning craft beer scene and so much more.
- Seville The jewel of Andalusia. The sounds of flamenco float out from the balconies as you sit eating tapas in the famous Barrio Santa Cruz. See also: 50 Things to Do in Seville
- Granada Two things: the Alhambra and Spain’s best tapas culture, where you get a tapa with every drink, for free! See also: Things to Do in Granada
- San Sebastian Spain’s best beach town, San Sebastian turned pintxos (Basque tapas) into high art. More: San Sebastian Tapas Bars
See also:
Best Spanish Regions
- Andalusia
Seville, Granada and Cordoba are all in Andalusia. Add to that sherry from Jerez, the beautiful city of Cadiz, and the pueblos blancos (white villages) such as Ronda and you need never leave the region! See also: Andalusia Travel Guide
- Madrid
Stretching into the neighbouring regions of Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y Leon, you have Segovia, Toledo, Consuegra and Avila all a day trip from the capital. Take a few of the excellent Day Trips from Madrid and explore some of Spain’s best small cities and be back in time for tapas. - The Basque Country
San Sebastian and Bilbao are the major cities here. But add to that some great surfing, excellent wines (both in the Basque Country and a day trip away in La Rioja) and you have something quite fantastic. More: Basque Country Guide - Catalonia
Simply by being home to Barcelona, Catalonia warrants a place on this list. But add in Figueres, with its Dali Museum, the Montserrat mountain and the Pyrenees and you have a region well worth exploring. See also: Day Trips from Barcelona. - Galicia
Green, green Spain! Home to Santiago de Compostela (to which thousands of pilgrims every year walk 800 miles on the Camino de Santiago.
See also:
The Best Things to Do in Spain
How to fill your trip to Spain? If it’s your first trip to the country, you can’t say you’ve been to Spain until you’ve done these things:
- Eat Tapas
Tapas is not a type of food but a way of eating it: small portions, normally accompanied by a drink. After that - there are no rules! In some cities, the tapas are given away for free with every drink, in others the food looks more like molecular gastronomy than a bar snack. See more: What is tapas?
Where? Seville, Granada or San Sebastian.
- See a flamenco show
Flamenco is not 'a dance'. It's a complete art form that involves singing, guitar, handclaps and, sometimes, dancing. For me flamenco has the power and emotion of opera, the melancholy of blues and the rawness of punk. You don't know what flamenco is until you've seen it. Pictures from a Barcelona Flamenco Show.
Where? Preferably Seville or Granada, but Madrid or Barcelona has some good shows too.
- Visit the Sagrada Familia and other Modernist Architecture
Catalan modernism is a Spain's Art Nouveau, a fin de siecle art movement that is best observed in the fascinating architecture of Barcelona. Read more about Modernism in Barcelona.
Where? Barcelona
- Go to the Golden Triangle of Art Museums
The Museo del Prado, the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza are three of the best art museums in Spain, nay, in the world, and they're all within a few steps of each other. Read more about the Golden Triangle of Art Museums.
Where? Madrid
- Visit one of Spain’s crazy festivals
Tomatina, Pamplona Running of the Bulls, Las Fallas... Spain has a wealth of famous festivals, as well as hundreds of smaller fiestas (virtually every village has one a year).
Where? All over the country (see below for examples of the very best festivals in Spain).
See also:
- Ten Best Things to Do in Spain
- Best Things to Do in Madrid
- Best Things to Do in Barcelona
- Best Train Journeys in Spain
- Best Spain Guided Tours
- Weekend Breaks in Spain
The Best Festivals in Spain
The best time to visit a city is when there is a festival on: there’s nothing worse than arriving in town the day after they’re clearing up the mess after a fiesta. My top picks would be:
- Las Fallas in Valencia
Las Fallas has it all. In addition to the usual street food, music and daytime drinking, there's fireworks, a religious element, and events happening at all hours of the day (including an early morning firecracker wake-up call.
See also Ten Best Things to Do at the Fallas Festival in Valencia - Tomatina Tomato Fight
Food fight, anyone?
See also:Tomatina Tomato Fight Guide - Pamplona Running of the Bulls
Some people think its a good idea to run in front of a herd of angry bulls. Others think it's a good idea to watch people run in front of angry bulls.
See also: Pamplona Running of the Bulls Guide - Semana Santa
Easter in Spain is such a big deal, it lasts a whole week. The vibe at Semana Santa can differ hugely depending on which city you are in: from the hushed sobriety of Toledo to the passion of Seville.
See also:Which City Should I See Semana Santa in? - Feria de Sevilla
After Semana Santa is over, the sevillanos let their hair down with their big fiesta of the year. Also known as the Feria de Abril, even though it doesn't always take place in April.
See also: Feria de Abril
See also:
- Best Parties in Spain
- Ten Best Spain Festivals
- Best Cities to Experience Semana Santa
- Best Spain Carnival Cities
The Best Food and Drink in Spain
Paella, of course - but what else? And what exactly is 'tapas'?See also: What is Tapas?
The Best Beaches in Spain
Spain has a lot of coastline - and much of it is adorned with beautiful beaches. And if you find swimwear too restrictive - there are plenty of nudist beaches too!The Best Architecture in Spain
No one could fail to be blown away by some of the constructions in Spain. From cathedrals that are approaching a thousand years of age to super-modern avant-garde structures, there's bound to be something to impress you.- Top Ten Cathedrals in Spain
- Top Ten Paradors in Spain
- Seven Wonders of Spain
- Top Modernist Buildings in Barcelona
The Best of Spain on a Budget
- Ten Best Spain Budget Travel Tips
- Ten Best Free Things to Do in Barcelona
- Ten Best Free Things to Do in Madrid
- Ten Best Barcelona Travel Tips