Spain

Classic routes

• 💃Madrid, Seville & Lisbon9 days · Madrid → Seville → Lisbon

🏰 Madrid & Castile

The capital, with the Prado, the Royal Palace and its late-night tapas, and the old Castilian cities around it: Toledo of the three cultures, Segovia with its Roman aqueduct and Alcázar, and golden Salamanca with Spain's oldest university. Madrid-Barajas is Spain's main airport from India, and the high-speed lines fan out from Madrid to every corner of the country.

• MadridThe Prado, the Royal Palace and Tapas Late Into the Night3 days · best March – June, September – November
• ToledoThe City of Three Cultures on a Hill Above the Tagus1 day · best March – June, September – November
• SegoviaA Roman Aqueduct and a Fairy-Tale Alcázar1 day · best April – June, September – October
• SalamancaGolden Sandstone and Spain's Oldest University2 days · best April – June, September – October

🐚 Galicia

Spain's green Atlantic north-west and the end of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage: the cathedral city of Santiago de Compostela, a high-speed train from Madrid in about 3h20, with the coast of Finisterre beyond.

• Santiago de CompostelaThe End of the Camino and the Tomb of St James2 days · best May – September

⛰️ Asturias & the Picos de Europa

Green Spain on the Atlantic: the limestone peaks of the Picos de Europa, Spain's first national park, with the lakes and cave shrine of Covadonga, the Cares Gorge and Bulnes, Cabrales cheese and cider poured from a height, from Cangas de Onís. High-speed trains from Madrid to Oviedo in about 3 h 15, then a bus or a car.

• Picos de Europa (Cangas de Onís)Glacial Lakes, the Cares Gorge and the Shrine of Covadonga3 days · best May – October

🍢 The Basque Country

Green, rainy and famous for food: Bilbao's Guggenheim and pintxo bars, and San Sebastián's La Concha bay and Michelin stars, with Pamplona of San Fermín an hour away. Flights to Bilbao from Madrid and Barcelona, and trains and coaches from Madrid in about five hours.

• BilbaoThe Guggenheim and the Pintxo Bars of the Old Town2 days · best May – October
• San SebastiánLa Concha Bay and the World's Best Pintxo Bars3 days · best June – September

⛪ Barcelona & Catalonia

Gaudí's Barcelona with the Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter and the beach, the mountain monastery of Montserrat, and Girona's medieval old town with the coves of the Costa Brava. Barcelona's airport is the second way in from India, and the TGV to Paris and the ferries to Mallorca and Ibiza leave from the city.

• BarcelonaGaudí's Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter and a City Beach4 days · best April – June, September – October
• MontserratA Mountain Monastery and the Black Madonna1 day · best April – June, September – October
• Girona & the Costa BravaA Medieval River City and the Coves of the Costa Brava3 days · best May – June, September – October

🏝️ The Balearic Islands

The Mediterranean islands: Mallorca with Palma's cathedral, the Tramuntana mountains and turquoise coves, Ibiza with Dalt Vila, its sunsets and clubs, and Formentera's beaches a boat ride away, and quiet Menorca with its coves and prehistoric stones. Short flights from every Spanish city and overnight ferries from Barcelona and Valencia.

• MallorcaPalma's Cathedral, Mountain Villages and Turquoise Coves4 days · best May – June, September – October
• IbizaDalt Vila, Sunsets and the World's Clubbing Island3 days · best May – June, September
• MenorcaTurquoise Coves, Prehistoric Stones and Two Harbour Towns3 days · best May – June, September – October

🥘 Valencia & the Costa Blanca

Valencia, the home of paella, with the City of Arts and Sciences, the Turia gardens and the Fallas and La Tomatina festivals, and Alicante and the beaches of the Costa Blanca to the south. High-speed trains from Madrid and ferries to the Balearics.

• ValenciaPaella's Home, the City of Arts and Sciences and a Riverbed Park3 days · best March – June, September – October
• Alicante & the Costa BlancaA Palm-Lined Seafront Under a Hilltop Castle3 days · best April – June, September – October

💃 Andalusia

Moorish and flamenco Spain: Seville's Alcázar and cathedral, Córdoba's Mosque-Cathedral, Granada's Alhambra, the cliff town of Ronda, Atlantic Cádiz, and Málaga with the beaches of the Costa del Sol. High-speed trains from Madrid in 2-3.5 hours; Málaga and Seville airports for flights. Summer inland is fiercely hot.

• SevilleThe Real Alcázar, the Cathedral and the Heart of Flamenco3 days · best March – May, October – November
• CórdobaThe Mosque-Cathedral's Forest of Arches1 day · best March – May, October – November
• GranadaThe Alhambra Beneath the Snows of the Sierra Nevada2 days · best March – June, September – November
• Málaga & the Costa del SolPicasso's Birthplace and the Sunshine Coast3 days · best April – June, September – October
• RondaA Town Split by a Gorge and the Puente Nuevo1 day · best March – June, September – November
• CádizEurope's Oldest City, Ringed by the Atlantic2 days · best April – June, September – October

🌋 The Canary Islands

Volcanic islands off the coast of Africa, warm all year: Tenerife with Mount Teide, Spain's highest peak, Gran Canaria with the Maspalomas dunes and the old town of Las Palmas, and Lanzarote with the fire mountains of Timanfaya and César Manrique's lava-cave art. About three hours by air from Madrid, with no road link to the mainland; winter is the high season.

• TenerifeMount Teide, Black Beaches and Winter Sun4 days · best All year (warmest May – October, busiest November – March)
• Gran CanariaThe Maspalomas Dunes and the Old Town of Las Palmas4 days · best All year (warmest May – October, busiest November – March)
• LanzaroteFire Mountains, Black Vineyards and César Manrique's Island3 days · best All year (warmest May – October, busiest November – March)