Journey’s end for tired pilgrims and the purported resting place of one of the 12 Apostles, Santiago de Compostela is a city with a staggering artistic and historical wealth. It’s one of the most important destinations in the Catholic world. You’ll need a lot of time to see the old centre and its rich ensemble …
Almería is Spain’s sunniest city and is right on the Mediterranean at the eastern edge of Andalusia. The rural landscapes around Almería are arid and dusty, and this is part of the fun of the place: Europe’s only real desert is here, and was chosen as a shooting location for several spaghetti westerns in the …
Granada is blessed with Moorish heritage dating back more than 700 years. The pinnacle of this is the Alhambra, a compound with palaces, courtyards and gardens where the Emirs of Granada would escape the summer heat. You can work your way along the streets of the old Moorish city, laid out exactly as it was …
You can’t talk about this city in northern Spain without mentioning San Fermín, the explosion of merry-making every July. During a week of mayhem there are daily bull runs, in which crazy tourists and locals try not to get trampled or gored by marauding fighting bulls and steers. There’s a lot more to the fiesta …
Toledo’s historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where a glorious past greets you at every turn. The old city is a cross-fertilisation of Jewish, Islamic and Christian cultures, and in many buildings you’ll see how all these influences are blended together. You’ll gaze at sumptuous renaissance paintings and find out about the Spanish …
A thousand years ago Córdoba (Spain) was the largest city in the world, with a population three times its current 320,000. It was the capital of the Caliphate of Córdoba, which for several hundred years controlled much of the Iberian peninsula. The Umayyad Caliphate is long gone, but its heritage is visible throughout the historic …
The World Heritage city of Ávila is adored for its formidable medieval walls, an intact fortified ring around the old city. Gazing down at the city from a vantage point to the west, Ávila will look like something out of a storybook or fantasy movie. The reason for its appearance is that the city was …
Salamanca is a town that is both young and old at the same time: Young, for the many students who go to the city’s university, a centre of higher learning for hundreds of years. And “old” because of the sea of historic buildings that meet the eye when you look out over the cityscape. These …
Andalusia’s capital is a city rich with Moorish heritage. This is visible in everything from the colourful painted tiles that adorn many buildings, to the lobed arches of the palaces and of course the iconic Giralda tower, which was once a minaret. Three of the things most associated with Spain are also typically Sevillian: Flamenco, …
The capital of the Costa de la Luz is a low-key, unpretentious city that shines for its wonderful seafood, Blue Flag beaches and historic centre that hides a cornucopia of fascinating little attractions. It’s all set up for a very indulgent holiday spent on a sun-lounger by day and with loved ones over a delicious, …