Tenerife

Located off the coast of West Africa, Tenerife is the largest and most crowded of the Canary Islands in Spain. The diverse landscapes and volcanic peaks of the island are very mesmerising. Mount Teide, inside the Teide National Park, is an active volcano whose summit is known to be the highest peak in Spain. The island has many sandy beaches and holiday resorts, including the most popular Playa de las Américas with bucket-and-spade package tourists. Tenerife is also known for its Carnaval de Santa Cruz, the second most popular festival in the world. The latest reckoning of the island is “Siam Park”, a Thai-themed park with water slides and adrenaline-pumping rides.

Alicante

Alicante, originally called “Lucentum” or the “City of Light”, is a port city and a well-known coastal destination in Spain. With its beautiful resorts, marvellous beaches, tremendous plazas and amazing parks, the city is worth visiting. Barrio de la Santa Cruz, the city’s most fascinating town, has such things to explore as narrow streets, colourful houses and numerous restaurants. It is located just at the bottom of the medieval castle called the Castillo de Santa Bárbara or Santa Bárbara Castle, which stands on Mount Benacantil offers a complete view of the Mediterranean coast.

Barcelona

Barcelona, a notable city in Spain, is very popular with tourists for its fantastic art and architecture, Mediterranean location and worldly atmosphere. The architectural works of the famous architect, Antoni Gaudí, are quite evident everywhere in the city. The grand church, the Sagrada Família is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was designed by him. He also designed some modernist landmarks of the city including Casa Milà and Casa Batlló, which are among his masterpieces. The Park Güell is another highlight of the region with Gaudi’s sculptural buildings. Mount Tibidabo, which provides the best views of the city, has its own amusement park, the Tibidabo Amusement Park.

Granada

Granada is one of the most cherished and toured cities by tourists in Spain. With its remarkable antique fortress, snow-capped peaks, twisting cobbled streets and tapas, the city looks like a fairytale that comes to life. Alhambra, a grand example of Moorish architecture, tops the list of the city’s highlights. This hilltop fortress houses some of the most notable Islamic art and architecture dating back to the Moorish invasion. From Granada, the gipsy quarter Sacromonte can be easily reached on foot, whose attractions include the cave houses and the exciting flamenco shows: music and dance.

San Sebastian

San Sebastian is a fine coastal city in Basque Country, Spain. Though it has pretty architectural buildings and beautiful sandy beaches, it is popular with the tourists for its mouth-watering food specialities, especially the pintxos. The best place to visit and try some of them is the Parte Vieja, an old town with vibrant pintxo bars. Among the city’s well-known beaches, there are the Playa de la Concha and Playa de Ondarreta. While the beautiful sandy, shell-shaped Concha Beach on the Bay of La Concha is popular with families, the Ondarreta Beach is highly recommended for surfing and sunbathing.

Seville

The city of Seville is situated in the South of Spain, in the region of Andalusia. It is known all over the world for its artistic monuments and vibrant traditions particularly, flamenco dancing. It is, in fact, considered the birthplace of Flamenco with so many little flamenco bars where this art form is performed and enjoyed. The city’s top landmarks include the Real Alcázar, the Royal Palace which is a widely-accepted example of Mudéjar architecture, and the Plaza de España, an example of the Regionalism Architecture. The Catedral de Sevilla or the Seville Cathedral is the biggest Gothic cathedral in the world with an iconic bell tower, the Giralda.

Cordoba

Cordoba is the capital city of the province of Córdoba in southern Spain, with great traditional and historical value. In the Middle Ages, during the Moorish rule of Spain, it was a significant Islamic centre. This is where the Great Mosque of Córdoba, the iconic Moorish architecture, is situated. It is now a Catholic church and therefore, is often called the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, though it still has much of its Islamic design. The old town of Cordoba is a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing the famous Roman Bridge, delightful cobbled streets and a few enchanting pieces of architecture.

Valencia

After Madrid and Barcelona, Valencia is the third-largest city lying on the southeastern coast of Spain. The city is the home of the country’s most famous dish called paella and it can be tried at any genuine paella restaurant including the Restaurante Levante, which is recognised by the locals for providing the best paella in the city. For having a rice meal for lunch or some regional cocktail Agua de Valencia, any beachside restaurant is an ideal option. While in Valencia, one should not miss exploring its City of Arts and Sciences, a scientific, cultural and architectural complex that contains an oceanarium, an eye-shaped IMAX cinema, a science museum and more.

Madrid

Madrid, the capital of Spain, is an ideal holiday destination. It is best known for its Golden Triangle of Art which consists of three significant art museums namely the Prado Museum, the Reina-Sofia Museum, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. These art galleries have rich collections of European art including Picasso’s “Guernica” and Velázquez’s “Las Meninas”. At the heart of the city is the Plaza Mayor, a historic landmark that was built during the Habsburg period. Close to it, is the Royal Palace, the largest functioning royal residence in Europe and the Armoury, which displays historic military weapons and armours.

Galicia

The region of Galicia on the northwestern side of Spain is an autonomous community with its own distinctive language and culture. Unlike the other Spanish regions, which have dry landscapes and sun-soaked beaches, the landscapes of Galicia are grassy and green just like that of Wales or Ireland. It is home to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the reputed burial place of Saint James the Great and the famous pilgrimage destination. The western Cape Finisterre cliffs of this region were often recognised by the Romans as the end of the world.

The Pyrenees

The Pyrenees is a chain of mountains forming the natural border between France and Spain. It is the perfect place for hiking or skiing with hiking tracks that traverse the entire length of the range. There are beautiful mountain villages with timbered houses in the area to explore. And also, there are some ski resorts on both sides of the Pyrenees which can be great alternatives to the expensive resorts in the Alps.

Almeria

Almeria is a vibrant city in southeast Spain. It is the exclusive desert region in Europe with dusty landscapes, sandy beaches and dry expanses. The landscape of Almeria inspired the famous director, Sergio Leone, to shoot some of his Western Classic Movies here including “A Fistful of Dollars”, “Once Upon a Time in the West” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. Overlooking the city stands the Alcazaba, a fortified Moorish fortress and the second-largest Muslim construction in Spain. The city has a Roman Catholic cathedral called the “Almería Cathedral” and a museum, the Museum of Almería, which contains archaeological finds from beyond the area.

Ronda

Ronda is a mountaintop Spanish village in the province of Málaga. It is renowned all over the world for its dramatic setting on the top of a deep gorge, El Tajo. This gorge causes the separation between the old town and the new town of Ronda, dating to the Moorish dominion. It is spanned by a stone bridge, Puente Nuevo, one of the most spectacular bridges in the country. Ronda has a deep cultural and literary tradition and is the address to the famous 18th-century bullring, the Plaza de Toros de Ronda.

Ibiza

Ibiza is one of the most popular of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. It is best known for its wild nightlife with some major European nightclubs. Apart from these nightclubs, the island has plenty of other exciting things to offer. It has several quiet fishing villages and sandy beaches including Platja d’en Bossa, Cala Comte, Cala Benirrás and Cala d’Hort. The place has also become popular lately for offering a great environment for yoga and relaxation retreats. Therefore, for partying all night or just relaxing, Ibiza is an incomparable holiday destination.

La Rioja

La Rioja, an autonomous community in northern Spain, is renowned or cherished for its wineries. These wineries range from small, regular to higher commercial. La Rioja is also recognised for its brilliant pieces of sacred architecture especially, the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Surrounding the old town of Haro, there are hundreds of vineyards. The town, a producer of fine red wine, hosts the Haro Wine Festival every year where the locals participate in a Batalla de Vino or Battle of Wine.

---