Andalusia

Seville

Andalusia’s capital: the cathedral and Giralda, the Real Alcázar, orange-tree squares, flamenco and the biggest Holy Week and spring fair i…

€€€€ 2 to 3 days

Andalusia

Málaga

A real Spanish city on the beach, with the busiest airport in Andalusia, a booming tech scene, museums and the Costa del Sol on its doorste…

€€€€ 2 to 3 days

Andalusia

Granada

The Alhambra, the Albaicín and free tapas with every drink: a student city with ski slopes 45 minutes away and the coast an hour south.

€€€€ 2 days

Andalusia

Córdoba

The Mezquita-Catedral, flower-filled patios and a perfectly preserved old Jewish quarter, with fast trains to Madrid, Seville and Málaga.

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Andalusia

Cádiz

One of Europe’s oldest cities, almost surrounded by the Atlantic: city beaches, fried fish, a carnival famous for its satire and the Costa …

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Andalusia

Marbella

The Costa del Sol’s glamour town: a pretty old quarter, Puerto Banús yachts, golf, international schools and a large international populati…

€€€€ 2 days

Andalusia

Nerja

A small white town on cliffs east of Málaga: the Balcón de Europa, coves, the Nerja Caves and a well-established British and Scandinavian c…

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Andalusia

Ronda

A town split by a 100-metre gorge and joined by the Puente Nuevo: bullring, wineries and the white villages of the Serranía around it.

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Andalusia

Almería

Sunny, cheap and very Spanish: a Moorish fortress above the port, free tapas, and the wild beaches of Cabo de Gata an hour away.

€€€€ 2 days

Catalonia

Barcelona

Gaudí, beaches, food and Europe’s best-known city break, plus a big international job market and some of Spain’s highest rents.

€€€€ 3 to 4 days

Catalonia

Girona

A medieval city with colourful riverside houses, a famous cycling scene and the Costa Brava 40 minutes away, under 40 minutes from Barcelon…

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Catalonia

Sitges

A beach town 40 minutes from Barcelona by train, with 17 beaches, a famous carnival and film festival, and a large international and LGBTQ+…

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Catalonia

Tarragona

Roman Tarraco by the sea: an amphitheatre on the beach, human towers (castells), and good value compared with Barcelona.

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Valencian Community

Valencia

Spain’s third city: city beaches, a 9 km park in the old riverbed, the City of Arts and Sciences, paella’s home and a big remote-work commu…

€€€€ 2 to 3 days

Valencian Community

Alicante

A sunny port city with a castle above the beach, a palm-lined promenade, and the Costa Blanca and its big foreign community all around.

€€€€ 2 days

Valencian Community

Jávea (Xàbia)

A green, upmarket Costa Blanca town with coves, the Montgó massif and a large, settled international community.

€€€€ 2 days

Valencian Community

Altea

A white hilltop old town with a blue-domed church, art galleries and pebble beaches, next to Benidorm but nothing like it.

€€€€ 1 day

Community of Madrid

Madrid

Spain’s capital: the Prado, huge parks, late nights, the country’s biggest job market and a city that welcomes newcomers quickly.

€€€€ 3 to 4 days

Basque Country

San Sebastián (Donostia)

Europe’s pintxo capital: La Concha bay, surf at Zurriola, Michelin-starred restaurants and one of Spain’s most expensive and liveable citie…

€€€€ 2 to 3 days

Basque Country

Bilbao

An industrial city reinvented around the Guggenheim: riverside walks, pintxo bars in the Casco Viejo and beaches 25 minutes away by metro.

€€€€ 2 days

Galicia

Santiago de Compostela

Where the Camino ends: a granite old town, a vast cathedral, a big university, great food markets and Galicia’s green countryside.

€€€€ 2 days

Galicia

A Coruña

A seafront city with glassed balconies, a Roman lighthouse still in use, city beaches and some of the best seafood in Spain.

€€€€ 2 days

Asturias

Oviedo

A clean, elegant capital with pre-Romanesque churches, cider bars on Calle Gascona, and mountains and beaches both within an hour.

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Cantabria

Santander

A refined bay city with the Magdalena Palace, El Sardinero beaches and ferries to the UK.

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Castilla y León

Salamanca

Golden sandstone, one of Europe’s oldest universities, the Plaza Mayor and a huge student population that makes it Spain’s favourite place …

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Castilla y León

Segovia

A Roman aqueduct, a fairy-tale castle and roast suckling pig, half an hour from Madrid by high-speed train.

€€€€ 1 day

Castilla-La Mancha

Toledo

The city of three cultures on a hill above the Tagus: cathedral, synagogues, El Greco and a maze of medieval streets.

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Castilla-La Mancha

Cuenca

Hanging houses over a gorge, an abstract art museum and wild canyon country, an hour from Madrid by train.

€€€€ 1 day

Aragon

Zaragoza

Spain’s fifth city, halfway between Madrid and Barcelona: the Basílica del Pilar, Moorish Aljafería palace and affordable living.

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Navarre

Pamplona

Home of San Fermín, and for the other 51 weeks a calm, green, very liveable city with medieval walls and great pintxos.

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

La Rioja

Logroño

Wine capital of Rioja with Calle Laurel, a street where every bar has its own signature pincho.

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Extremadura

Cáceres

One of the best-preserved medieval old towns in Europe, almost free of modern buildings, in Spain’s least crowded region.

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Region of Murcia

Cartagena

A naval port with a Roman theatre, modernist buildings and cheap living, near the Mar Menor and the beaches of Calblanque.

€€€€ 1 to 2 days

Balearic Islands

Palma de Mallorca

A real city on an island: Gothic cathedral on the seafront, old-town courtyards, beaches nearby, international schools and a large German a…

€€€€ 2 to 3 days

Balearic Islands

Mahón (Maó)

Menorca’s capital on one of the world’s largest natural harbours: Georgian houses from British rule, gin, cheese and calm coves around the …

€€€€ 2 days

Canary Islands

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Europe’s favourite winter base for remote workers: a city beach (Las Canteras), coworking spaces, surf, and the same mild weather all year.

€€€€ 2 to 3 days

Canary Islands

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Tenerife’s capital: one of the world’s biggest carnivals, the Auditorio, the Anaga mountains and Mount Teide within reach.

€€€€ 2 days