Find places in Spain

Must-Haves

• Museo del Prado (Paseo del Prado)
  Velázquez, Goya and El Greco in one of the world's great art museums.
• Museo Reina Sofía (Atocha)
  Home of Picasso's Guernica and the best of Spanish modern art.

Off the Beaten Path

• Museo Sorolla (Chamberí)
  The painter's light filled house and garden, a calm escape from the crowds.

Fun for Everyone

• Thyssen Bornemisza Museum (Paseo del Prado)
  A sweeping private collection running from old masters to pop art.

Must-Haves

• Royal Palace of Madrid (Ópera)
  The vast royal palace with lavish state rooms and the changing of the guard.

Fun for Everyone

• Santiago Bernabéu Stadium tour (Chamartín)
  Walk the tunnel and trophy rooms of Real Madrid's renovated stadium.

Off the Beaten Path

• Matadero Madrid (Arganzuela)
  A former slaughterhouse turned arts centre with exhibitions, cinema and markets.

Fun for Everyone

• Retiro Park (Retiro)
  Row a boat on the lake and find the glass Palacio de Cristal among the trees.

Off the Beaten Path

• Templo de Debod (Parque del Oeste)
  An ancient Egyptian temple rebuilt on a hill, best at sunset.

Must-Haves

• El Rastro (La Latina)
  Madrid's huge Sunday flea market spilling down the streets of La Latina.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mercado de San Fernando (Lavapiés)
  A neighbourhood market where locals shop and snack at small food stalls.

Must-Haves

• Sobrino de Botín (Centro)
  Roast suckling pig in a centuries old dining room near Plaza Mayor.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Casa Revuelta (Centro)
  Crisp battered salt cod at a no frills bar a few steps from Plaza Mayor.

Fun for Everyone

• Casa Lucio (La Latina)
  Famous for huevos rotos, fried eggs broken over potatoes.

Must-Haves

• Chocolatería San Ginés (Sol)
  Churros dipped in thick hot chocolate, a Madrid ritual at any hour.

Great for Date Night

• Corral de la Morería (La Latina)
  A historic tablao for an evening of intense flamenco with dinner.
• Azotea del Círculo de Bellas Artes (Gran Vía)
  Rooftop drinks with one of the best views across the city skyline.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Calle Cava Baja tapas bars (La Latina)
  A street of tapas bars that fills with locals from late evening.

Must-Haves

• Fiestas de San Isidro (Pradera de San Isidro)
  Madrid's May festival of chulapo costumes, street dances and open air concerts.

Must-Haves

• Sagrada Família (Eixample)
  Gaudí's soaring basilica with forest like columns and stained glass light.
• Casa Batlló (Passeig de Gràcia)
  Gaudí's dragon roofed house with a bone like façade.

Fun for Everyone

• Picasso Museum (El Born)
  Picasso's early years in a row of medieval palaces.
• MNAC, National Art Museum of Catalonia (Montjuïc)
  Romanesque church murals in a hilltop palace with a great city view.

Off the Beaten Path

• Palau de la Música Catalana (Sant Pere)
  A modernista concert hall with a dazzling stained glass skylight.

Must-Haves

• Park Güell (Gràcia)
  Mosaic terraces, gingerbread houses and views over the city.

Fun for Everyone

• Montjuïc and the cable car (Montjuïc)
  Gardens, museums, castle views and a cable car over the port.

Off the Beaten Path

• Bunkers del Carmel (El Carmel)
  Civil war gun emplacements with a sweeping 360 degree city view.

Must-Haves

• Gothic Quarter (Ciutat Vella)
  Medieval lanes, the cathedral and hidden squares to wander for hours.

Fun for Everyone

• Barceloneta Beach (Barceloneta)
  The city's busiest beach with a seafront promenade for bikes and skates.

Off the Beaten Path

• Hospital de Sant Pau (Guinardó)
  A modernista hospital complex of domes and tiles, far quieter than Gaudí's sites.

Must-Haves

• Mercat de la Boqueria (La Rambla)
  A colourful market of fruit, jamón and seafood counters off La Rambla.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mercat de Santa Caterina (El Born)
  A local market under a wavy mosaic roof with fewer crowds.

Low Cost and Authentic

• El Xampanyet (El Born)
  A tiled cava bar serving anchovies and house fizz since the 1920s.
• Bar Cañete (El Raval)
  A lively counter for creative Catalan tapas close to La Rambla.

Fun for Everyone

• Can Solé (Barceloneta)
  A classic seafood house for paella and rice dishes near the beach.

Must-Haves

• La Mercè festival (City wide)
  Barcelona's September festival of human towers, giants and fire runs.

Great for Date Night

• Hotel Casa Fuster (Gràcia)
  A modernista mansion turned hotel with a rooftop terrace.

Must-Haves

• Real Alcázar of Seville (Santa Cruz)
  A royal palace of Mudéjar courtyards, tiles and fountain filled gardens.
• Plaza de España (Parque de María Luisa)
  A grand curved plaza with tiled alcoves for every Spanish province.

Fun for Everyone

• Setas de Sevilla (La Encarnación)
  A giant wooden canopy with a rooftop walkway over the old town.

Off the Beaten Path

• Barrio de Triana (Triana)
  The potters' and flamenco quarter across the river, with ceramic workshops.
• Itálica Roman ruins (Santiponce)
  The ruins of a Roman city with a huge amphitheatre just outside Seville.

Must-Haves

• Seville Cathedral and the Giralda (Santa Cruz)
  The world's largest Gothic cathedral and its former minaret bell tower.

Off the Beaten Path

• Casa de Pilatos (San Bartolomé)
  A noble palace with tiles and gardens that rivals the Alcázar for calm.

Fun for Everyone

• Palacio de las Dueñas (Centro)
  The Alba family palace with a lemon tree courtyard and art collection.

Fun for Everyone

• Parque de María Luisa (El Prado)
  Shady paths, ponds and pavilions to escape the afternoon heat.

Great for Date Night

• Guadalquivir riverside at sunset (Torre del Oro)
  Walk the river to the Torre del Oro as the light turns gold.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mercado de Triana (Triana)
  A market by the bridge with tapas counters built over castle ruins.

Low Cost and Authentic

• El Rinconcillo (Centro)
  Spinach with chickpeas and salt cod at one of the city's oldest bars.

Fun for Everyone

• Bodeguita Romero (Arenal)
  Famous for its slow cooked pringá and pork in whisky sauce.

Great for Date Night

• Eslava (San Lorenzo)
  Creative tapas in a buzzing neighbourhood away from the main sights.

Must-Haves

• Casa de la Memoria (Centro)
  An intimate flamenco show in a courtyard house.

Off the Beaten Path

• La Carbonería (Santa Cruz)
  A rambling old coal yard where free flamenco is often played at night.

Must-Haves

• Semana Santa (City wide)
  Holy Week processions with candlelit floats carried through the streets.

Fun for Everyone

• Feria de Abril (Los Remedios)
  A week of flamenco dresses, horses, casetas and dancing sevillanas.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Confitería La Campana (Centro)
  A historic pastry shop for sweets and coffee since the nineteenth century.

Great for Date Night

• Hotel Alfonso XIII (Centro)
  A grand neo Mudéjar hotel built for the 1929 exhibition.

Must-Haves

• Alhambra (Alhambra hill)
  The Nasrid palaces and Generalife gardens, the jewel of Moorish Spain.
• Mirador de San Nicolás (Albaicín)
  The classic sunset view across to the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada.

Off the Beaten Path

• Sacromonte caves (Sacromonte)
  Whitewashed cave homes where Granada's flamenco tradition lives on.
• Las Alpujarras villages (Alpujarra)
  White villages with flat roofs clinging to the mountains south of Granada.

Low Cost and Authentic

• El Bañuelo (Carrera del Darro)
  Eleventh century Arab baths with star shaped skylights.

Off the Beaten Path

• Sacromonte Caves Museum (Sacromonte)
  Learn how families lived in the hillside caves above the valley.

Fun for Everyone

• Royal Chapel of Granada (Centro)
  The tombs of Isabella and Ferdinand, the Catholic Monarchs.
• Parque de las Ciencias (Zaidín)
  A big hands on science museum that children love.

Must-Haves

• Granada Cathedral (Centro)
  A vast white Renaissance cathedral in the heart of the old town.

Great for Date Night

• Carrera del Darro (Albaicín)
  A riverside lane beneath the Alhambra, magical in the evening.

Off the Beaten Path

• Sierra Nevada National Park (Sierra Nevada)
  Ski in winter and hike high peaks in summer, under an hour away.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Bodegas Castañeda (Centro)
  An old bar where each drink comes with a free tapa, Granada style.
• Bar Los Diamantes (Centro)
  Fried fish tapas at a lively counter loved by locals.

Fun for Everyone

• Calle Navas tapas bars (Centro)
  A street lined with bars handing out a tapa with every drink.

Great for Date Night

• Hammam Al Ándalus (Albaicín)
  Candlelit Arab style baths for a slow evening.

Must-Haves

• Peña La Platería (Albaicín)
  One of Spain's oldest flamenco clubs, with authentic shows.

Must-Haves

• Alcaicería (Centro)
  A maze of stalls on the site of the old silk market.

Off the Beaten Path

• Calle Calderería Nueva tea houses (Albaicín)
  Moroccan style teterías serving mint tea and pastries.

Great for Date Night

• Parador de Granada (Alhambra)
  A historic convent hotel inside the Alhambra grounds.

Must-Haves

• City of Arts and Sciences (Camins al Grau)
  Futuristic white buildings housing a science museum, opera house and aquarium.

Fun for Everyone

• Oceanogràfic (Camins al Grau)
  Europe's largest aquarium, with dolphins, sharks and beluga whales.
• Malvarrosa Beach (Malvarrosa)
  A wide city beach with a long promenade of rice restaurants.
• Torres de Serranos (Ciutat Vella)
  Climb the medieval city gate for views over the old town.

Off the Beaten Path

• El Carmen street art (El Carmen)
  Wander the old quarter for murals and medieval towers.

Must-Haves

• Turia Gardens (City wide)
  A former riverbed turned long green park for cycling and picnics.

Off the Beaten Path

• Albufera Natural Park (El Palmar)
  Lagoon boat rides at sunset and rice fields where paella was born.

Must-Haves

• Mercado Central (Ciutat Vella)
  A modernista market hall full of local produce and tapas stalls.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mercado de Colón (Eixample)
  A modernista market hall now full of cafés and bars.

Must-Haves

• Valencia Cathedral (Ciutat Vella)
  Home to a chalice said to be the Holy Grail and the Miguelete tower.

Off the Beaten Path

• La Lonja de la Seda (Ciutat Vella)
  A Gothic silk exchange with twisting stone columns.
• Museo Fallero (Montolivet)
  The sculptures saved from the Fallas flames each year.

Fun for Everyone

• Bioparc Valencia (Parque de Cabecera)
  A zoo designed as immersive African habitats.

Must-Haves

• Casa Carmela (Malvarrosa)
  Paella cooked over orange wood fires near the beach.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Casa Montaña (El Cabanyal)
  A historic bodega for tapas and wine in the old fishermen's quarter.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Horchatería Santa Catalina (Ciutat Vella)
  Tiger nut horchata with fartons in a tiled old café.

Great for Date Night

• Café de las Horas (Ciutat Vella)
  A baroque cocktail bar known for Agua de Valencia.

Fun for Everyone

• Ruzafa bars (Ruzafa)
  The trendiest district for bars, small restaurants and late nights.

Must-Haves

• Las Fallas (City wide)
  March festival of giant satirical sculptures, fireworks and bonfires.

Great for Date Night

• Caro Hotel (Ciutat Vella)
  A boutique hotel in a palace with Roman and Arab walls inside.

Must-Haves

• La Concha Beach (Centro)
  A perfect shell shaped city beach framed by green hills.

Fun for Everyone

• Monte Igueldo (Igueldo)
  A funicular to an old fashioned fairground with bay views.

Off the Beaten Path

• Monte Urgull (Parte Vieja)
  Forest paths to a hilltop castle above the harbour.
• Flysch coast of Zumaia (Zumaia)
  Dramatic layered cliffs along a coastal geopark.

Must-Haves

• Parte Vieja pintxos bars (Parte Vieja)
  Hop between bars stacked with pintxos on every counter.

Off the Beaten Path

• Gros district bars (Gros)
  Fewer tourists and creative pintxos across the river.

Low Cost and Authentic

• La Cuchara de San Telmo (Parte Vieja)
  Small hot pintxos cooked to order in a tiny old town bar.
• Gandarias (Parte Vieja)
  A reliable bar with a long counter of classic pintxos.
• Bar Antonio (Centro)
  A tiny bar loved for its tortilla and seafood pintxos.

Fun for Everyone

• Bar Nestor (Parte Vieja)
  Famous for its tomato salad, steak and a limited tortilla each sitting.

Must-Haves

• La Viña (Parte Vieja)
  Home of the burnt Basque cheesecake that went around the world.

Fun for Everyone

• Zurriola Beach (Gros)
  The surfers' beach, with lessons for beginners.
• Aquarium Donostia (Puerto)
  A seafront aquarium with a walk through ocean tunnel.

Off the Beaten Path

• Peine del Viento (Ondarreta)
  Steel sculptures anchored to rocks where the waves crash.
• Pasaia and Pasai Donibane (Pasaia)
  A short boat ride across a fishing port to a one street village.

Fun for Everyone

• San Telmo Museoa (Parte Vieja)
  A museum of Basque society in a former convent.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mercado de la Bretxa (Parte Vieja)
  A local market for Basque cheese, fish and peppers.

Must-Haves

• San Sebastián International Film Festival (Centro)
  Stars and premieres every September.

Fun for Everyone

• Jazzaldia (Centro)
  A July jazz festival with free beach concerts.

Great for Date Night

• Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra (La Concha)
  A belle époque hotel overlooking the bay.