National Geographic Best time to visit Spain
Spring: Go hiking, birding, and canyoning in Aragón. Soak up the sun in the Balearic and Canary Islands. Take a foodie road trip through Catalonia. Taste wine in Rioja, a region in Spain known for its reds. Celebrate a larger-than-life traditional festival, like the fiery Fallas of Valencia.
Summer: Take refuge from the heat in the lush, mystical forests of Galicia. Sip cider in rugged Asturias, and nibble pintxos in cosmopolitan San Sebastián. Toss tomatoes in Buñol’s epic tomato squish-fest, La Tomatina, or get spritzed in Haro’s Battle of Wine—it’s a wine fight you don’t want to miss!
Nearly 40,000 people throw more than 220,000 pounds of tomatoes at each other for La Tomatina in Bunol, Spain. The annual tomato festival started as a food fight between friends in the 1940s.
Photograph By Jon Santa Cruz/Alamy
Fall: Savor chocolate con churros in the plazas of Madrid. Stroll through sophisticated Salamanca, and beneath Segovia’s 1.6-mile Roman aqueduct. Follow Extremadura’s cheese route, or hunt for mushrooms in Soria. Enjoy food festivals like the Cacau d’Or Awards, which honor the most creative l’esmorzar, a Valencian midmorning snack.
Winter: Costa del Sol’s sparkling beaches are blissfully quiet in winter. Flamenco heats up throughout Andalusia, especially in Seville and Jerez de la Frontera. From late November through the Epiphany in January, nearly every Spanish plaza is decked out in holiday decorations.
Lay of the land
Cities: Start in Madrid’s central Sol neighborhood and explore the capital’s many shops, restaurants, and bars, plus attractions like the Royal Palace and sprawling Plaza Mayor. Seville has its own magnificent square and palace, Plaza de España and the Royal Alcázar, respectively. Sample frutas de Aragón in Zaragoza, the birthplace of European chocolate. Antoni Gaudí’s architecture, including 144-years-in-the-making Sagrada Familia Basilica, plus markets and food halls like Il Boquería are the biggest draw in Barcelona.
North: The craggy cliffs, blustery coastlines, and rippling valleys of “Green Spain” are made for nature experiences, including the Camino de Santiago. View Paleolithic art at Cantabria’s Cave of Altamira and the canyons of Sierra de Guara. “If I had to summarize Aragón in one spot, this would be it,” says Alba Cruells, founder of tour company Spain Insights, about Guara’s hiking paths, accessible from Medieval town Alquézar.
A network of standard pilgrim routes, the Camino de Santiago leads to the shrine of the apostle James found inside the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain.
Photograph By Toni Anzenberger/Anzenberger/Redux
Stop for fresh seafood in Gijon, or any Basque Country coastal fishing village. Trod the 241-step footbridge to the shrine at dramatic San Juan de Gaztelugaxte. Enjoy San Sebastián’s gastronomy, beaches, and iconic Wind Comb sculpture.
Beyond Barcelona, the Monserrat Nature Park and Monastery features mountaintop panoramic views and is home to the famed Black Madonna. In the Empordà, go cycling or swimming, or take a hot-air ballon ride.
Central: Cultured, diverse Madrid’s grand historic architecture, museums, 350-acre Retiro Park, and culinary options—from humble bars serving regional tapas like croquetas and patatas bravas, to Michelin-starred restaurants—deserve a few days’ exploration. Take the Metro to tranquil Capricho Park, which Spanish nobles once dubbed their “very own Versailles.”
In compact Toledo, tour the Jewish quarter and walk the narrow, winding UNESCO World Heritage streets. Ávila’s historic attractions are tucked behind 1.5 miles of beautifully preserved Medieval fortress walls. Marvel at the hanging houses of Cuenca, or relax with coffee and pastry in Alcalá de Henares, birthplace of national treasure Miguel de Cervantes.
South: Along the eastern Mediterranean coast, Alicante is known for its beaches, especially the nearly two-mile-long stretch of white sand at San Juan. In Valencia, visit the historic El Carmen neighborhood, and La Lonja, a Gothic silk-trading house with vaulted ceilings and twisted columns.
Near the border of Portugal, Mérida was once the capital of the Roman empire. The tug-of-war between the Christians and the Moors is evident all around the UNESCO-protected Old Town of Cáceres.
The 350-acre Retiro Park, also known as Buen Retiro Park, is not only home to the Crystal Palace, but it also features gardens, monuments, galleries, a lake, and venues for public events. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the public park was owned by the Spanish monarchy until 1868.
Photograph By Lena Ivanova/Shutterstock
Don’t miss Andalusia’s denomination of origin sherry, produced in the wine-growing triangle between Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Take in the ornate majesty of the Muslim-designed Alhambra, the Renaissance Granada Cathedral in Granada, and the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, a Christian church constructed within an elaborate mosque.
Islands: In the Balearic Islands, wander the whitewashed villages or snorkel the caves of Formentera. Besides its picturesque beaches, Minorca has excellent fish and produce markets, and some of the best ensaimadas—flaky, powdered sugar‒dusted rolls—in all of Spain. Hike or horseback ride along the Camí de Cavalls, a 115-mile trail that encircles the island.
Emy Rodriguez Flores, co-author of
