Spain guides
Our guides to Spain
Where to go, where to stay and what to do: city by city, and subject by subject.
By Ramin Jafari · Facts checked
Our guides to Spain go city by city through six destinations, Seville, Barcelona, Madrid, Mallorca, San Sebastián and Granada, from when to go and where to stay to what to eat and a few days planned day by day; and they take the country one subject at a time, from its castles, national parks and coast to its hotels, its food and wine and the Feria de Jerez. Every guide is written by Ramin Jafari and carries the date its facts were last checked.
Our guides
How our guides work
Two kinds of guide: one city at a time, and one subject across the whole country.
Each city has a main guide, which covers when to go, where to stay, the food, the great sights and a few days in the city, and for five of them four more guides go further: things to do, food and where to eat, a day-by-day itinerary, and the best time to visit, month by month. Granada has one guide, which covers all of it.
The guides across Spain take one subject at a time: the twelve places we would see first, castles and palaces, national parks, coastal towns, food and wine, the hotels we recommend and the Feria de Jerez. Each place in them links our page for it, where we have one, and everything they describe, the hotels, the tables, the guides and the visits, is what we arrange. For the country as a whole, start with our luxury travel guide to Spain.
City guides
Six destinations, each from its main guide to the month by month.
Catalonia
The Sagrada Família Barcelona
Gaudí’s city, its cooking and its hotels by the sea and in the Eixample.
- Barcelona travel guide: When to go, where to stay, the food, the great buildings and three days in the city.
- Things to do in Barcelona: Gaudí with a guide, the table, the evenings, the sea, and days out beyond the city.
- Barcelona food and cuisine: Barcelona’s table, where to eat, and the markets and the wines of Catalonia.
- Four days in Barcelona: Four days, day by day, where to stay, and how to extend the trip.
- Best time to visit Barcelona: Season by season and month by month, with the festivals and the beach months.
The Balearic Islands
Es Pontàs, a sea arch Mallorca
The island’s coast and mountains, its hotels and its table.
- Mallorca travel guide: When to go, where to stay, the food, Palma’s landmarks and three days on the island.
- Things to do in Mallorca: A day at sea, the island from the air, Palma’s Cathedral, the wine country and the mountain villages.
- Mallorca food and cuisine: The island’s table, where to eat, its two wine regions, and the markets and specialities.
- Four days in Mallorca: Four days, day by day, where to stay, and how to extend the trip.
- Best time to visit Mallorca: Season by season and month by month, with the festivals and the summer to plan around.
Andalusia
The Giralda and the Cathedral Seville
The city’s history, its Andalusian cooking and its palace hotels.
- Seville travel guide: When to go, where to stay, the food, the great sights and three days in the city.
- Things to do in Seville: The Alcázar, the Cathedral, tapas, flamenco, the river, and the horses of Jerez.
- Seville food and cuisine: Seville’s table, where to eat, and the market, the ham and the sherry.
- Four days in Seville: Four days, day by day, where to stay, and how to extend the trip.
- Best time to visit Seville: Season by season and month by month, with the festivals and the heat to plan around.
The Basque Country
La Concha Bay San Sebastián
The table, the bay and the hotels of the Basque coast.
- San Sebastián travel guide: When to go, where to stay, the food, the sights and three days in the city.
- Things to do in San Sebastián: Pintxos and three-star tables, the bay under sail, the Belle Époque city, Getaria and La Rioja.
- San Sebastián food and cuisine: The Basque table, where to eat, and the market, the txakoli and the cider.
- Four days in San Sebastián: Four days, day by day: the bay, the market and the old town, Getaria, and San Telmo.
- Best time to visit San Sebastián: Season by season and month by month, with the festivals, the crowds and the rain to plan around.
Spain's capital
The Puerta de Alcalá Madrid
The palaces and museums, the tables and the grand hotels of the capital.
- Madrid travel guide: When to go, where to stay, the food, the great museums and the palace, and three days in the city.
- Things to do in Madrid: The Royal Palace and the Prado with a guide, the city’s architecture and tables, and Toledo and Segovia.
- Madrid food and cuisine: Madrid’s own dishes, where to eat, the Mercado de San Miguel and the wines around the city.
- Three days in Madrid: Three days, day by day: where to stay, the Prado, the Royal Palace, the Retiro and the city’s tables.
- Best time to visit Madrid: Season by season and month by month, with the festivals, the heat and the best months for each kind of trip.
Andalusia
The pomegranate, Granada's emblem Granada
The Alhambra’s city, in one guide.
- Granada travel guide: When to go, where to stay, the food, the Alhambra and the old quarters, and three days in the city.
Across Spain
Guides across Spain
Planning, hotels, food and wine, culture, the occasions we plan for, and a festival.
Planning a trip
- Luxury travel guide to Spain: When to go, our itineraries, and Spain’s leading destinations and hotels.
- The best time to visit Spain: When to go, for the weather and the festivals.
- Planning a trip to Spain: How we design a trip, the hotels and experiences, and when to go.
- Spain’s luxury destinations: The cities, coasts and islands we plan, region by region.
Where to stay
- Luxury hotels in Spain: The hotels we recommend, region by region, from Seville to Tenerife.
- The best luxury hotels in Barcelona: By kind and by neighbourhood, boutique to grand.
Food and wine
- Food and wine tours: Where to taste Spain, its wine regions, and sample culinary itineraries.
- Wine travel in Spain: Rioja and the Ribera del Duero: the tastings, the hotels and the season to go.
- Wine tasting in Rioja: Design wineries, vineyard lunches, the harvest, where to stay and a three-day plan.
Art, history and flamenco
- Architecture and cultural tours: Spain’s great sites for art, architecture and history, with a private guide.
- Private flamenco in Seville: A flamenco performance arranged for you alone, in the city it comes from.
Honeymoons and families
- Honeymoon trips to Spain: Six places for two, what we arrange, two itineraries to start from, and the hotels.
- Honeymoons in Mallorca: Hotels for two, private experiences and a five-day plan.
- Family travel in Spain: Family destinations, activities and hotels, and a sample itinerary.
A festival
- The Feria de Jerez: The horse fair: its traditions, its food, and planning a visit.
Spain, one subject at a time
- 12 treasures of Spain
Twelve places to see once in a lifetime, from the Alhambra to Teide.
- Spain's castles and palaces
The palaces, castles and fortresses worth the journey, region by region.
- Spain's national parks
The national parks, from the Picos de Europa to the volcanoes of the Canaries.
- The most beautiful coastal towns in Spain
Coastal towns from the Costa Brava to Asturias, and the best beach at each.
- A guide to Spanish gastronomy
Spain's food and drink, region by region, from tapas to sherry.
- The best wine regions of Spain
The wine regions worth a journey, from Rioja to the Priorat.
More to read: our travel guides, the last five of these in one place, and The Explorer, Ramin’s articles on the 12 treasures, Spain’s hotels, its luxury trains and planning a honeymoon.
Plan your Spain trip
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. Everything else we can work out together.
Plan your Spain trip Our Spain page
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