Spain Highlights
Madrid
The charm of the old quarters with their tangle of narrow cobbled streets, the blue skies and exquisite sierra light, the superb art collections and the vibrancy of the long, long night: these are a few of the attractions of Spain's capital. See also our online city guide to Madrid.
Toledo
La Mancha's and Spain's historical and cultural heart, former Spanish capital and still today the religious seat of the nation. The entire old city is a national monument and listed as part of the UN's World Heritage.
Seville
Andalusia's capital is dazzling. Amid the grand buildings, chic shops and rustic restaurants there are many traditional Andalusian homes: wrought-iron gates mark the entrance porch and iron gratings the windows; a square inner courtyard, cool and inviting with its abundant greenery, a dado of Moorish tiles and a central fountain is covered with a living awning of vines in the summer.
Cordoba
The walls of the mezquita (mosque) dominate the town, while the alleyways of Córdoba's old Jewish and Muslim quarters, with their overflowing pots of geraniums, are a delight to explore.
Granada
"There is no pain in life so cruel as to be blind in Granada" is inscribed on the ramparts of the Alhambra. These words address the unique beauty of Granada. Nature was generous to the city, endowing it with much greenery and placing it at the foot of three mountain spurs, from which it gracefully stretches up towards luminous blue skies against the blue-green backdrop of the Sierra Nevada.
Valencia
Just 3 km from the Mediterranean and straddling the Río Turia, the city of Valencia nestles in an enviable position: citrus trees line the roads and rice grows alongside sweetcorn. Valencia is home to dynamic art galleries, superb regional museums, and a market that is an ornate cathedral to food.
Barcelona
Speaking both Castilian Spanish and Catalan, this city seems as close to Paris and Rome as it is to Madrid. The architect Antoni Gaudí i Cornet left his mark here with revolutionary Modernista buildings. For the 1992 Olympic Games, the city was given an enormous facelift. Many fine medieval buildings were renovated, modern structures put up and the port and waterfront districts comprehensively overhauled and renovated.
San Sebastián
One of the most beautiful resorts in Europe, San Sebastián, close to the French border in northeastern Spain, is elegant and cosmopolitan, especially during the jazz and film festivals, but it still hums with street life in the old town.
Bilbao
Home of the stunning new Museo Guggenheim de Arte Contemporáneo designed by the Californian architect Frank O. Gehry, the northern city of Bilbao is a city for art lovers.