Spain Itineraries

Spain is Europe's second-largest country by area and occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula, combining more than 4,900 kilometres of coastline along the Atlantic and Mediterranean with a vast interior of plateaus, sierras, and valleys. Its extraordinary regional diversity — the lush green coast of Galicia, the medieval stone villages of Castile, the flamenco-filled passion of Andalusia, the architectural brilliance of Catalonia, the Moorish legacy of Granada, the volcanic Canary Islands off Africa, and the Balearic islands in the Mediterranean — makes Spain feel like several countries packed into one, each with its own language, food, character, and landscape. Madrid, the capital, sits at the country's geographic centre, a high-altitude city of royal palaces, world-class museums, and one of the most sophisticated food and nightlife cultures in Europe. The Prado Museum holds one of the great collections of European painting — Velázquez, Goya, El Greco, Bosch — while the Reina Sofía nearby houses Picasso's Guernica and the essential works of 20th-century Spanish modernism. The Retiro Park, royal palace, and bustling Gran Vía anchor walks, while the neighbourhoods of Malasaña, Chueca, Lavapiés, and La Latina offer some of the liveliest café, bar, and tapas scenes anywhere. Madrileños dine late (10pm is normal), socialise on the streets, and the city's nightlife rivals anywhere in Europe. Barcelona, two and a half hours by high-speed train, is the obvious contrast — a Mediterranean city where Antoni Gaudí's extraordinary architecture (the still-unfinished Sagrada Família, Park Güell, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà) blends with the Roman-era Gothic Quarter, the cosmopolitan Eixample grid, and a vibrant culture and cuisine distinct from the rest of Spain. Seville, Granada, and Córdoba in Andalusia anchor the south — Seville's Alcázar palace and the world's largest gothic cathedral, Granada's Alhambra (arguably the most beautiful building in Europe), and Córdoba's Mezquita (a mosque-cathedral of astonishing beauty) preserve the legacy of nearly 800 years of Moorish Spain. Flamenco, born in the gypsy quarters of Andalusia, remains a living art form. San Sebastián, on the Basque north coast, is one of the world's great food cities with more Michelin stars per capita than almost anywhere, while Bilbao has been transformed by Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum. Santiago de Compostela in Galicia is the destination of the Camino pilgrimage routes that have drawn walkers for more than a thousand years. The Mediterranean coast offers beaches and resorts from Costa Brava to Costa del Sol, while the islands — Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, and Formentera in the Balearics, plus the Canary Islands off Africa — offer markedly different island experiences. Spanish food is exceptional everywhere — paella in Valencia, pintxos in Basque Country, seafood on the Atlantic coast, jamón ibérico, tortilla, croquetas, and a wine tradition among the world's oldest, with regions from Rioja and Ribera del Duero to the sherry bodegas of Jerez.