Fodor's Essential Spain 2024
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
Spain—the name alone evokes images of feisty flamenco dancers, packed tapas bars, silver-green olive groves, and Mediterranean beaches. From Madrid to Sevilla to Barcelona to San Sebastian, the country appeals to travelers of all types: To architecture buffs, it’s the land of Calatrava, Churriguera, and Gaudí. To gastronomes, it’s the cradle of modernist cuisine (hola, Adrià brothers and Juan Mari Arzak) and ground zero for paella, saffron, Rioja wine, and acorn-fed ibérico ham. Even if you haven’t been to Spain, you’ve probably imagined it, whether through Goya’s paintings, Paco de Lucía’s guitar ballads, Almodóvar’s films, or Cervantes’s Don Quixote.
Yet while you can still find vestiges of la antigua España in Spain today, don’t be fooled by the age-old tropes: Spain is a moder...
Read MoreSpain—the name alone evokes images of feisty flamenco dancers, packed tapas bars, silver-green olive groves, and Mediterranean beaches. From Madrid to Sevilla to Barcelona to San Sebastian, the country appeals to travelers of all types: To architecture buffs, it’s the land of Calatrava, Churriguera, and Gaudí. To gastronomes, it’s the cradle of modernist cuisine (hola, Adrià brothers and Juan Mari Arzak) and ground zero for paella, saffron, Rioja wine, and acorn-fed ibérico ham. Even if you haven’t been to Spain, you’ve probably imagined it, whether through Goya’s paintings, Paco de Lucía’s guitar ballads, Almodóvar’s films, or Cervantes’s Don Quixote.
Yet while you can still find vestiges of la antigua España in Spain today, don’t be fooled by the age-old tropes: Spain is a modern, forward-thinking country with stunning hotels and agroturismos, cutting-edge galleries, bumping nightclubs, and a burgeoning restaurant scene that goes far beyond tapas and tabernas.
Madrid and Barcelona, rival cities with deep and sometimes conflicting histories, are non-negotiable stops on any tour of the Iberian Peninsula. The former boasts a bevy of world-class museums including the Prado—one of the best in the world with priceless Goyas, Velázquezes, and El Grecos amassed by royals through the ages—and the Reina Sofía, which houses Picasso’s Guernica and a stunning cocktail bar with UFO-shaped sofas and sheeny red ceilings. It’s also Spain’s cultural nerve center with a never-ending rotation of concerts, plays, sporting events, and art exhibitions, plus sundown-to-sunup nightlife to satisfy even the most debaucherous revelers.
Barcelona appeals to all the senses: There’s wine to be swirled and pristine seafood to be gobbled, passageways to be explored and paintings to be pondered. The ancient and avant-garde intermingle in the Catalan capital, where you can find Roman ruins, Moderniste apartments, and high-fashion boutiques in the span of a few blocks. Within arm’s reach are Girona, Figueres, and Cadaqués, charming beachside towns you can retreat to if Barcelona’s tourist hordes jangle your nerves.
Due southwest in Andalusia, Moorish citadels and gardens are a reminder of Spain’s rich Islamic past. Granada’s Alhambra fortress-palace complex, with its impossibly ornate arabesques, and Córdoba’s mosque-cathedral, with its millennium-old arches, are the region’s undisputed crown jewels, though it’s almost as famous for its sherry, flamenco, beaches, and palpable sense of alegría.
Every food lover should make at least one pilgrimage to the Basque Country, the autonomous region on the French border with more Michelin stars than it knows what to do with. But it’s not all tweezed-and-foamed fare here: The Basques are also famed for their pintxos, one-bite wonders similar to tapas but more elaborate, and down-home sagardotegiak (cider houses), which open their doors from January to May when the local cider is at its sour best.
West of the Basque Country lie Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia, the misty, Celtic-influenced regions that are arguably the newest frontier in Spanish travel. Go for the Camino de Santiago or for the ski slopes atop the Picos de Europa; stay for the exceptional albariño wines and soul-satisfying cuisine (we’re looking at you, cachopo, Cabrales, and Galician-style octopus).
But Spain doesn’t stop at the Portuguese and French borders, it continues out to sea with scattered exclaves and islands. The Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera) draw partiers and back-to-nature types alike with their vibrant beach scene and secret calas (inlets), while the Canary Islands, flung off the Saharan coast, are a real-life paradise with moonlike landscapes and year-round temperatures hovering in the low 80s.
The more you get to know Spain and its patchwork quilt of cultures, cuisines, and traditions, the more you realize you don’t know it at all—and that’s what makes it so thrilling to visit again and again.
Find a Hotel
Top Destinations
Top Destinations
Barcelona
Madrid
Andalusia
Canary Islands
Bilbao and the Basque Country
Ibiza and the Balearic Islands
Galicia and Asturias
Catalonia, Valencia, and the Costa Blanca
Castile–Leon and Castile–La Mancha
Costa del Sol and Costa de Almeria
The Pyrenees
Mallorca
Seville
Tenerife
Extremadura
Bilbao
Palma
Granada
Gran Canaria
Lanzarote
Menorca
Ibiza
San Sebastian
Cordoba
Valencia
Santiago de Compostela
Malaga
Toledo
Eivissa (Ibiza Town)
Las Palmas
The Costa Brava
Pamplona
Girona
Mahon (Mao)
Fuerteventura
Salamanca
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Maspalomas and the Southern Coast
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
The Murcia Coast
Caceres
Jerez de la Frontera
Marbella
Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas
Cadiz
Zaragoza
Costa Teguise
Ciutadella
Segovia
Puerto de la Cruz
A Coruña
Oviedo
Santander
Tarragona
Leon
Trujillo
Alicante
Úbeda
Cuenca
Gijon
Fuengirola
Soller
Puerto del Carmen
Jaca
Vigo
Arrecife
Burgos
Cartagena
Logroño
Baeza
Corralejo
Llanes
Getaria and Zumaia
Cambados
Almeria
Laguardia
Merida
Ronda
Torremolinos
Sitges
Huesca
Vielha
Ávila
Santa Eularia des Riu
Plasencia
Puigcerda
Ainsa
Jaen
Antequera
Denia
La Laguna
Pontevedra
Cadaques and Around
Playa Blanca
Estepona
Tossa de Mar
Siguenza
Besalu
Camprodon
Alquezar
Nerja
Murcia
Arcos de la Frontera
Mundaka
Carmona
Santillana del Mar
Cangas de Onis
Haro
Begur and Around
Lugo
Figueres
Costa Calma
Jerte and El Valle del Jerte (Jerte Valley)
Deia
Ribadesella
Benasque
La Seu d'Urgell
La Rioja Alta
Luarca
Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera
La Vera and Monasterio de Yuste
Formentera
Tarifa
Pollença
Mijas
Almuñecar
Astorga
Ribes de Freser and Vall de Nuria
Almagro
Benalmadena
Calpe (Calp)
Hondarribia
Mt. Teide
Yaiza
The Axarquia
Sepulveda
Guadalupe
Puerto de Santa Maria
Villafranca del Bierzo
Priego de Cordoba
Calella de Palafrugell and Around
Sant Feliu de Guixols
Estella
Doñana National Park
Potes
Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido
Llivia
The Cabo de Gata Nature Reserve
Roncal Valley
Taull
Puerto del Rosario
O Grove
Aracena
Zuheros
Valldemossa
Betanzos
Roncesvalles (Orreaga)
Salardu
Lorca
La Manga del Mar Menor
Betancuria
Alarcon
Montilla
Altea
Casares
Grazalema and the Sierra de Grazalema
Ourense and La Ribeira Sacra
Cazorla
Central Highlands
Huelva
Albufera Nature Park
The Highlands
Morro Jable
Fisterra
Olot
Baztan Valley
Espot
Sanlucar de Barrameda
Garachico
Beget
Hecho and Anso Valleys
The Sierra Nevada
Viveiro
Fornells
Baena
Ripoll
Puente la Reina
Parc Nacional d'Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici
Ribadeo
Muxia
Villaviciosa
Tui
La Rabida
Ojen
Santes Creus
San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Sort
Sant Joan de les Abadesses
Padron
Comillas
Mazagon
Alcala la Real
Santa Maria de Poblet
Alcudia
San Vicente de la Barquera
Baiona
Elantxobe
Axpe Atxondo
Pasajes de San Juan
S'Agaro
Agua Amarga
Noia
Tahiche
Vilalba
Covadonga
El Toro
Cova des Coloms
Fuente Vaqueros
Blanes
Lluc
Muros
Burguete (Auritz)
Montserrat
Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña
Italica
Bellver de Cerdanya
Bermeo
O Cebreiro
Mondoñedo
Pajara
Laredo
Riotinto
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
Aragues del Puerto
Martinet
Bielsa
Pastrana
Moguer
Lekeitio
Frigiliana
Matalascañas
Alta Ribagorça Oriental
Mollo
Calahorra
Écija
Castro-Urdiales
Guadix
Aranjuez
Ripoll
San Jose
Roncesvalles
Icod de los Vinos
Leboreiro
La Rioja Baja
Setcases
Lesaka
San Roque
Llessui
Salobreña
Santa Fe
Barcelona
Madrid
Seville
Bilbao
Palma
Granada
San Sebastian
Cordoba
Valencia
Santiago de Compostela
Toledo
Malaga
Eivissa (Ibiza Town)
Las Palmas
Pamplona
Girona
Mahon (Mao)
Salamanca
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Caceres
Jerez de la Frontera
Marbella
Cadiz
Costa Teguise
Zaragoza
Ciutadella
Segovia
Puerto de la Cruz
A Coruña
Oviedo
Santander
Tarragona
Leon
Alicante
Trujillo
Úbeda
Cuenca
Gijon
Soller
Puerto del Carmen
Fuengirola
Vigo
Jaca
Arrecife
Baeza
Llanes
Cambados
Corralejo
Cartagena
Getaria and Zumaia
Logroño
Burgos
Ronda
Laguardia
Almeria
Merida
Sitges
Torremolinos
Ávila
Vielha
Huesca
Puigcerda
Ainsa
Plasencia
Santa Eularia des Riu
Antequera
Denia
La Laguna
Jaen
Pontevedra
Playa Blanca
Estepona
Cadaques and Around
Tossa de Mar
Siguenza
Carmona
Arcos de la Frontera
Lugo
Begur and Around
Nerja
Besalu
Alquezar
Camprodon
Cangas de Onis
Murcia
Mundaka
Santillana del Mar
Haro
La Seu d'Urgell
Tarifa
Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera
Benasque
La Rioja Alta
Pollença
Deia
Costa Calma
Luarca
Mijas
Ribadesella
La Vera and Monasterio de Yuste
Formentera
Figueres
Hondarribia
Sepulveda
Astorga
Almagro
Benalmadena
Yaiza
Calpe (Calp)
Mt. Teide
Almuñecar
Puerto de Santa Maria
Guadalupe
Ribes de Freser and Vall de Nuria
Villafranca del Bierzo
Llivia
Estella
Priego de Cordoba
Calella de Palafrugell and Around
Potes
The Cabo de Gata Nature Reserve
Sant Feliu de Guixols
Taull
Puerto del Rosario
Roncal Valley
Alarcon
Betancuria
Altea
Aracena
Zuheros
Casares
Montilla
Roncesvalles (Orreaga)
Ourense and La Ribeira Sacra
Salardu
Valldemossa
Lorca
La Manga del Mar Menor
Cazorla
Betanzos
O Grove
Viveiro
Beget
Fisterra
Garachico
Espot
El Paso
Morro Jable
Parc Nacional d'Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici
Ripoll
Puente la Reina
Sanlucar de Barrameda
Olot
Huelva
Muxia
Ribadeo
Albufera Nature Park
Fornells
Baena
Baztan Valley
Santa Maria de Poblet
Santes Creus
Padron
Axpe Atxondo
S'Agaro
Baiona
Comillas
Tui
La Rabida
Ojen
Mazagon
San Vicente de la Barquera
Alcudia
Alcala la Real
San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Tazacorte
Sort
Fuencaliente
Elantxobe
Pasajes de San Juan
Villaviciosa
Sant Joan de les Abadesses
Pasaia
Lluc
Montserrat
Italica
Vilalba
Tahiche
Noia
El Toro
Muros
Cova des Coloms
Blanes
Bellver de Cerdanya
Bermeo
Burguete (Auritz)
Fuente Vaqueros
Covadonga
Agua Amarga
Bielsa
Mondoñedo
Llessui
Ripoll
Matalascañas
San Jose
Guadix
Aranjuez
Lekeitio
Leboreiro
Castro-Urdiales
Martinet
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Écija
Lesaka
Riotinto
Pajara
La Rioja Baja
Mollo
Calahorra
Santa Fe
O Cebreiro
Frigiliana
Moguer
Roncesvalles
Icod de los Vinos
Salobreña
Pastrana
Setcases
Alta Ribagorça Oriental
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
Aragues del Puerto
San Roque
Laredo
Andalusia
Canary Islands
Bilbao and the Basque Country
Ibiza and the Balearic Islands
Galicia and Asturias
Catalonia, Valencia, and the Costa Blanca
Castile–Leon and Castile–La Mancha
Costa del Sol and Costa de Almeria
The Pyrenees
Extremadura
The Costa Brava
Maspalomas and the Southern Coast
The Murcia Coast
Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas
Jerte and El Valle del Jerte (Jerte Valley)
The Axarquia
Around Ronda: Caves, Romans, and Pueblos Blancos
Grazalema and the Sierra de Grazalema
Central Highlands
The Sierra Nevada
Hecho and Anso Valleys
The Highlands
Barlovento and the Northeast
Puntagorda and the Northwest
The Alpujarras
The Guadalhorce Valley
Vall d'Aran and Environs
Vallferrera and Cardos Valleys
Around Ronda: Caves, Romans, and Pueblos Blancos
All Destinations
Expand All Collapse All
Andalusia
- Alcala la Real
- Aracena
- Arcos de la Frontera
- Around Ronda: Caves, Romans, and Pueblos Blancos
- Baena
- Baeza
- Cadiz
- Carmona
- Cazorla
- Cordoba
- Doñana National Park
- Écija
- Fuente Vaqueros
- Granada
- Grazalema and the Sierra de Grazalema
- Guadix
- Huelva
- Italica
- Jaen
- Jerez de la Frontera
- La Rabida
- Matalascañas
- Mazagon
- Moguer
- Montilla
- Priego de Cordoba
- Puerto de Santa Maria
- Riotinto
- Ronda
- Sanlucar de Barrameda
- Santa Fe
- Seville
- The Alpujarras
- The Sierra Nevada
- Úbeda
- Zuheros
The Pyrenees
- Ainsa
- Alquezar
- Alta Ribagorça Oriental
- Aragues del Puerto
- Baztan Valley
- Beget
- Bellver de Cerdanya
- Benasque
- Bielsa
- Burguete (Auritz)
- Camprodon
- Espot
- Hecho and Anso Valleys
- Huesca
- Jaca
- La Seu d'Urgell
- Lesaka
- Llessui
- Llivia
- Martinet
- Mollo
- Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña
- Parc Nacional d'Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici
- Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido
- Puigcerda
- Ribes de Freser and Vall de Nuria
- Ripoll
- Roncal Valley
- Roncesvalles
- Roncesvalles (Orreaga)
- Salardu
- Sant Joan de les Abadesses
- Setcases
- Sort
- Taull
- Vall d'Aran and Environs
- Vallferrera and Cardos Valleys
- Vielha
- Zaragoza
Galicia and Asturias
- A Coruña
- Baiona
- Betanzos
- Cambados
- Cangas de Onis
- Castro-Urdiales
- Comillas
- Covadonga
- Fisterra
- Gijon
- Laredo
- Leboreiro
- Llanes
- Luarca
- Lugo
- Mondoñedo
- Muros
- Muxia
- Noia
- O Cebreiro
- O Grove
- Ourense and La Ribeira Sacra
- Oviedo
- Padron
- Pontevedra
- Potes
- Ribadeo
- Ribadesella
- Santander
- Santiago de Compostela
- Santillana del Mar
- San Vicente de la Barquera
- Tui
- Vigo
- Vilalba
- Villaviciosa
- Viveiro
Top Experiences
Top Experiences
Recent Forum Posts
Recent Forum Posts
-
Live...from spain!!! Cordoba, costa de da luz (vejer de la frontera area, madrid
Ekscrunchy started Mar 3, 2024 |Last reply 9 hrs ago 247 replies 11864 views -
P
Italy , Greece and Spain
Patriots2020 started Mar 21, 2024 |Last reply 12 hrs ago 26 replies 1314 views -
Spain train question-book in advance?
Jpie started Mar 24, 2024 |Last reply 21 hrs ago 2 replies 307 views
Guidebooks
Guidebooks
Our worldwide travel correspondents bring you the best and most up-to-date coverage of over 7,500 global destinations.
Shop NowFodor's Essential Spain 2024
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
Fodor's Madrid: with Seville and Granada
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
Fodor's Barcelona: with Highlights of Catalonia
Whether you want to tour Parc Cüell, explore the Barri Gòtic, or marvel at the Sagrada...