Spain is a gorgeous destination, and there is no debate about that. The country has a long and eventful history, vibrant cultures, and breathtaking natural attractions that make it a favorite for many. Although each site in Spain deserves attention, some places just steal the show. If you are wondering which ones those are, find the list below, which identifies the ten best places to visit in Spain.
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1. Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
Photo credit: Basílica de la Sagrada Família
Sagrada Familia might be the most unconventional religious building worldwide, with a history as fascinating as it can be. However, it is not the history or origins of the cathedral that primarily attract people. Rather, it is the eccentric architecture that is unmissable to the extent that even those who are not interested in the field also feel compelled to stop and pay it attention. A testament (and epitome) of architectural ingenuity, Sagrada Familia features three-dimensional forms of hyperboloids, helicoids, conoids, among several other ruled surfaces. This eccentric idea aimed to enhance the light and sound resonance of the temple, which was surely achieved. While you marvel at Sagrada Familia’s structure, you can also not deny that it has a uniquely divine vibe associated with it. A must-visit site in Spain!
Related: Find the best flights for your trip to Barcelona, the best hotels to stay in, and find top tours/activities you can do in addition to visiting Sagrada Familia.
2. Alhambra and Generalife Gardens, Granada
Photo credit: The March Of History
The Alhambra is a spectacular palace complex that represents the peak of Moorish influence in Spain. The grandeur and splendor of the place have remained unmatched and unchallenged throughout centuries, and for an excellent reason. There are no words apt enough to describe the breathtaking and ingenious art and architectural displays throughout the complex. Arabesques that adorn every centimeter of the complex are symmetric beyond imaginings and carry with them ancient stories, poems, and symbology. Generalife Gardens exhibits extraordinary nature, inundated by stunning flowers, plants, trees, and perfumes. This is a site whose attributes are inexplicable – one must witness and marvel at it on one’s own.
Related: Find the best flights for your trip to Granada, the best hotels to stay in, and find top tours/activities you can do in addition to visiting Alhambra and Generalife Gardens in Granada.
3. El Paseo del Arte, Madrid
Photo credit: Thibaud Lang
At El Paseo del Arte, you see the world’s highest concentration of high-quality art exhibits. Featuring some of the top-ranked museums, i.e., Prado, Reina Sofia National Art Museum, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, and the CaixaForum, El Paseo contains a stunning collection of Spanish art. You can marvel at the remarkable continuum of the evolution of the said discipline while you walk through aisles that take you from 12th-century medieval works to the more recent 20th-century additions. Not only this but foreign art and artists also find a home in this impressive complex, with paintings and murals crafted by Dutch, Italian, and Flemish artists being on display here. Some of the notable works featured here are by Raphael, Picasso, and Rubens.
Related: Find the best flights for your trip to Madrid, the best hotels to stay in Madrid, and find top tours/activities you can do while in town in addition to visiting the El Paseo del Arte.
4. Santiago de Compostela Cathedral
Photo credit: Naturetrek Wildlife Holidays
The Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, on the surface, seems to be yet another one of the abundant magnificent cathedrals in Spain. However, something marks it distinct and elevates its status – the cathedral is built on the tomb of Jesus’s apostle, St James the Great. There are only three such known churches in the world; therefore, the reverence associated with this holy site is immense. Other than the religious value, the cathedral has excellent architectural significance and represents the Romanesque ideals, with Gothic and Baroque elements infused. Visitors to the cathedral marvel at its aesthetics of architecture, interior stone carvings like that on the archivolt, and apostles and angels’ figure structures.
Related: Find the best flights for your trip to Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, the best hotels to stay in, and find top tours/activities you can do while in town in addition to visiting the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral
5. Seville Cathedral
Photo credit: Travel
Seville Cathedral is known to be the largest cathedral in the world and has an interesting history. The cathedral was built with the intention to create something so big and so grandeur that onlookers would single-mindedly accept Spanish superiority. Therefore, it comes as no surprise how magnificent the cathedral is. And indeed, visitors to the site are left awestruck and mesmerized by the sheer scale of the structure, its glorious stained tall glass windows, and ingenious interior decorations. Plus, there is a little treat inside too! Seville Cathedral is arguably the site of Christopher Columbus’s remains, kept in a raised coffin inside the building!
Related: Find the best flights for your trip to Seville Cathedral, the best hotels to stay in, and find top tours/activities you can do while in town in addition to visiting the Seville Cathedral
6. Plaza Mayor, Madrid
Photo credit: MADRID
Plaza Mayor is a very famous city center in Spain. Known for its long history, architectural exhibits, and present-day dining and shopping opportunities, it is needless to say that it attracts many visitors every year. Who could have thought that this once famous site for bull-fights and public executions would become an incredibly peacefully vibrant destination! The site buzzes with friendly human activity today, with lots of eateries, shops, and concerts in and around the area. While you are here, make sure that you check Cervecería Restaurante and Casa Maria out, for they provide hearty and delicious meals for you to devour. They might be somewhat overpriced, but the experience of eating in the square is unmissable!
Related: Find the best flights for your trip to Madrid, the best hotels to stay in, and find top tours/activities you can do while in town in addition to visiting the Plaza Mayor
7. Toledo
Photo credit: Travel the Road
A list of the best places to visit in Spain is incomplete without a mention of Toledo. The city is regarded as the best representation of Spanish culture. It features a parallel existence of Moorish and Christian remains from their respective periods of power. So, you should not be surprised if you end up getting lost in the city’s narrow, winding streets (characteristic of the Moorish approach) that end up leading to churches and convents depicting gothic ideals. You can see and do many wonderful things while you are in town, including visiting the E Greco Museum, exploring the ancient Convento de Santo Domingo el Antigua, and witnessing Catedral’s grandeur Primada. Also, do not forget El Alcazar while you are roaming the city as the point provides breathtaking panoramic views of the city.
Related: Find the best flights for your trip to Toledo, the best hotels to stay in, and find top tours/activities you can do while in town in addition to visiting Toledo
8. Merida
Photo credit: Roma Aeterna (Archéologie et Histoire)
Whether or not you are into ancient history and structures, Merida will appeal to you. After all, the city is one of the oldest sites of human habitation in the world, with a history dating to 2000 years. Built by the Romans in 25 AD and preserved by future generations, it comes as no surprise that you can find ancient ruins anywhere, and everywhere you look. Not only does the city have Roman archaeological ruins, like the Roman Theatre, but also Moorish and Mayan remains like the Moorish fortress and Dzibilchaltun. You will find yourself amidst sites of excellent historical value and will be forced to ponder over how societies and cultures evolve!
Related: Find the best flights for your trip to Merida, the best hotels to stay in, and find top tours/activities you can do while in town in addition to visiting Merida
9. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
Photo credit: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum is as eccentric, innovative, ingenious, and modern as a structure can get. Guggenheim Museum is such an iconic structure that it literally is the landmark of Bilbao. It is believed that no picture ever has been able to do justice to a remarkable building, and it is only with one’s eyes can one fathom the impressive feat its architect has accomplished. A symphony of shapes and interconnected buildings created using blocks of limestone and titanium sheets, the Guggenheim Museum complex was designed to give the “best possible atmosphere to show fine paintings or listen to music.” The museum hosts abstract sculptures falling under maritime theme categories and other modern art.
Related: Find the best flights for your trip to Guggenheim Museum, the best hotels to stay in, and find top tours/activities you can do while in the area in addition to visiting the Guggenheim Museum
10.Tossa de Mar, Costa Brava
Photo credit: eTravel – A better vacation for every budget
One of the best places to visit in Spain, Tossa de Mar’s beach is a destination you cannot afford to miss while on your trip to the country. The beach offers its visitors clear, blue skies, coarse golden sand, and an ocean that is as blue as the sky itself! The beach is lined by rugged cliffs and some flora, which multiply the ambiance of the destination. Visitors love to laze on the beach, lying on beach rugs, and sipping on cool refreshments. And if they get in the mood to move about a bit, they have the fantastic opportunity to explore the historical town of Tossa de Mar, which itself is an iconic site to visit
Related: Find the best flights for your trip to Tossa de Mar, Costa Brava, the best hotels to stay in, and find top tours/activities you can do while in the area in addition to visiting the Tossa de Mar in Costa Brava
Video Guide: 10 Most Beautiful & Best Places to Visit in Spain
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Travel Resources for Planning a Trip to Spain
To make planning your trip to Spain easier, we included some of our recommended travel resources below. You can search and find the best flights, transportation options, hotels to stay in, tours/activities, and things you can do in each destination during your trip.
Flights:
CheapOAir: You can find airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, and vacation packages all on one site!
Kiwi.com: What we like about Kiwi is the fact that they are able to create combinations of flight, train, and bus tickets and offer them in a single itinerary. Also, Kiwi has what they called “Nomad” which helps you find the best way of visiting multiple destinations, saving you time and money.
JetRadar: You can search and compare airfares from 726 airlines and dozens of travel agencies and systems.
Hotels:
Agoda: Agoda is one of the world’s largest online travel accommodation platforms with a network of over 2,000,000 vacation rentals and hotels worldwide.
Hotellook: They have more than 250,000 hotels in 205 countries, working with data from more than 10 online booking systems, such as Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and others.
Transportations:
Airport Transfers: KiwiTaxi, Viator
Train: Trainline or RailEurope
Bus: Flixbus: Very affordable (as low as $6) and convenient way to transfer between cities in Europe.
Car Rentals: AutoEurope, EconomyBookings, or GetTransfer (transfers & car rentals with a personal driver)
Bike Rental: BikesBooking (Bikes & scooter rentals)
Transportation Comparison: Omio (search, compare, and book tickets for buses, trains, and flights all in one site)
Tours & Activities:
TakeWalks (WalkofItaly): This is our favorite site for walking tours & day trips.
Tiqets: Great site for entrance tickets. It offers directly bookable, instantly available, and completely mobile tickets for museums, shows, and attractions all over the world.
Musement: They have good activities and tours in Italy and Spain, also many great day trips you can choose from.
GetYourGuide: A large number of tours, excursions, and other travel activities
Viator: The largest one. It has everything from tours, attractions, shore excursions, and private guides in over 2,700 destinations worldwide. It also has many transportations and transfers options and some unique experiences we didn’t find anywhere else.
Need help planning a trip to Spain?
Want to plan a trip to Europe to see these beautiful places in Spain but don’t know where to begin? If you find this type of trip planning to be too complicated to plan on your own, we’re here to help!
At MultiCityTrips, multi-destination travel and complicated itineraries such as a trip visiting multiple destinations in Europe are our specialties. Contact us today to learn more about how one of our experienced travel experts/destination specialists can personalize your multi-city vacations at the best price.
Don’t want to start from scratch and need some trip inspiration? Check out our marketplace for customizable pre-designed packages available right now for many amazing destinations.
To learn more about how our process of trip planning works in detail, please see our “How It Works” page or check out our video on “How to Plan a Multi-City Trip to Europe in 5 Easy Steps” here.
Have questions for us? Schedule a FREE Call with us here or contact one of the travel experts/destination specialists at [email protected], call/text us at (888)223-2316 today.
