Spain Overview
The Spanish must be laughing. For half a century, tourists have colonised the beaches, bars, islands and city centers, thinking this is ‘Spain’ – all this time leaving the best bits for the Spaniards themselves. Towering mountains rival the Alps in terms of scenery, wildlife, hiking and cycling – without the towering Alpine prices. Cosy coves are overlooked by fishing villages – not 18-storey hotels. There are rural hamlets where the traveling market only passes once a week and hillsides that ring to the sound of cowbells – just a half-hour drive from a resort-lined coastline. Think you know Spain? Read our Spain travel guide.
Our top Spain vacations
Altiplano de Granada activity vacation, Spain
From
€380 to €490
8 days
ex flights
Family Multi-activity cultural vacation in rural Andalucia
Tailor made
Spanish course & hiking vacation, Picos de Europa, Spain
From
€659
7 days
ex flights
Spanish classes + stunning hikes in Picos de Europa
Small group2021: 1 Mar, 8 Mar, 15 Mar, 22 Mar, 29 Mar, 5 Apr, 12 Apr, 19 Apr, 26 Apr, 3 May, 10 May, 17 May, 24 May, 31 May, 7 Jun, 14 Jun, 21 Jun, 28 Jun, 5 Jul, 12 Jul, 19 Jul, 26 Jul, 2 Aug, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 23 Aug, 30 Aug, 6 Sep, 13 Sep, 20 Sep, 27 Sep, 4 Oct, 11 Oct, 18 Oct, 25 Oct
Best time to go to Spain
Year-round, there will be an ideal region for your Spanish vacation. Spring and autumn are generally the best time to visit Spain, with sunshine but not hellish heat, and you’ll miss the summer crowds. Parts of Andalucía are blissful in winter – you can ski mountain slopes and sunbathe on a beach in the same day. For midsummer activity vacations, avoid the oven-like south and humid east and head north, to Asturias, Galicia or the Pyrenees. Fiestas happen all year and every village has its own celebration. Whether you want flamenco or tomato tossing, find the best time to visit Spain.
Map & highlights
Some of the best parts of Spain run along its Mediterranean coast. The Alicante region of Valencia combines an amazing coastal climate with some lovely inland scenery whilst, further along the coast, the Catalonia region boasts a very different culture – experienced in the Catalan-speaking cities of Barcelona, Tarragona and Girona. It’s not all about going coastal. The Picos Mountains and Pyrenees take you as far from sea level as you can get, luring you up with impressive craggy summits. You’ll find there’s a Moorish flavour to Western Andalucía’s historic cities, whilst the Camino de Santiago grows increasingly popular among walkers.1.
Alicante
2. Camino de Santiago
3. Catalonia
4. Picos de Europa (Asturias)
5. Pyrenees
6. Western Andalucia
2. Camino de Santiago
3. Catalonia
4. Picos de Europa (Asturias)
5. Pyrenees
6. Western Andalucia
Alicante
1. Alicante
The Costa Blanca may be the home of hedonism but Alicante is now making a name for itself as a place to be good to yourself, with a variety of yoga and wellbeing vacations. There are also some excellent walking and cycling trails, taking in coastal plains, steep escarpments, Moorish pueblos, caves and Bronze Age settlements. Get into the local flora – cherry and orange blossoms, orchids and carpets of spring blooms.
Camino de Santiago
2. Camino de Santiago
This humble trail across northern Spain draws pilgrims from across the globe to share in the classic landscapes, the hearty northern dishes and the very Spanish sense of “solidarity”. Roughing it in hostels is still possible – but plusher accommodation is now springing up along the Camino, meaning you can enjoy the trail’s highlights but with a quiet, comfy bed to collapse into at the end of each day.
Catalonia
3. Catalonia
Frequently described as “not Spain!” Catalonia is a country within a country, where Catalan is the dominant language and landscapes sweep from snowy Pyrenean peaks to sun-soaked Mediterranean coves. There is a Volcanic Park, car-free hiking and walking trails, cuisine influences by the oceans and forests – and the magnificent cities of Barcelona, Tarragona and Girona.
Picos de Europa (Asturias)
4. Picos de Europa (Asturias)
Extraordinarily, this 2,650m high mountain range has not popped up on most hikers’ compasses. The limestone massif is frequently snow-draped, and shelters chamois goats, bearded vultures, Iberian wolves and even brown bears. The villages here are isolated yet welcoming, the food is possibly Spain’s finest – and you’re still just 10km from the craggy Costa Verde.
Pyrenees
5. Pyrenees
Stretching across the French border, the Spanish Pyrenees are a final frontier of world-class mountain biking, hiking and climbing, kayaking and rafting, and even strange volcanic scenery. The Pyrenees are as diverse as anywhere else in Spain – from the lush Basque foothills of the west, to hidden ski slopes, 3,400m peaks, steep railways, medieval villages, glacial lakes and monasteries clinging to cliffs.
Western Andalucia
6. Western Andalucia
The Moorish heartland of Seville, Cordoba, Cadiz and Huelva is peppered with 11th century fortresses, cathedrals converted into mosques and back into cathedrals, ancient Jewish Quarters, miles of orderly olive groves and windswept Atlantic coastline, heated by Saharan breezes. A frying pan in summer, springlike in winter, and the birthplace of sherry and flamenco. Catch a festival here if you can.
Walking
There are two immediate reasons why you’d want to go walking in Spain: great weather and great scenery. Seek shade in Mediterranean forests in Catalonia, hike between striking white villages in Andalucía, and wander the vivid green valleys of the Basque country. Take time in these special areas of Spain and many more reasons come to the surface once you zoom in on the region you’d like to explore. Only then will you realise that every part of Spain has its own local identity, every town has a specialty, and every region runs on its own calendar of festivals.
Cycling
When each village has a different specialty, what better way to see Spain than to cycle? Pedal between settlements, stopping for a well-earned lunch every day. There are quiet roads and well-established cycle paths, and – whether you’re freewheeling through orange groves or tackling a summit – it’s a great landscape to take in from two wheels. Cycling vacations might go through wetlands in Alicante, coastal forest in Catalonia, or overtake walkers on the Camino de Santiago. In central Spain, you only have to go a little way out of Madrid to find yourself cycling in some really wild Castilian countryside.
Family vacations
When the water is this warm and the weather this sunny, there’s no question that family vacations will be an instant hit with your little ones if you take them to Spain. If your kids love splashing around, activity vacations in Andalucía, a villa in Lanzarote, or a trip to Catalonia’s Costa Brava will suit them, whilst older teens will enjoy the great outdoors in the Spanish Pyrenees or the Picos Mountains, or tackling some more rugged Catalan terrain on a mountain bike. Spanish food is delicious and kid-friendly, and paella and tapas are a great way to end the day.
More vacation ideas
Luxury fitness vacations in Spain
From
£1145 to £1245
7 days
ex flights
Luxury weight loss, detox, fitness & wellness retreat Spain
Small group2020: 23 Sep, 14 Oct, 21 Oct, 4 Nov, 18 Nov, 2021: 17 Feb, 3 Mar, 7 Apr, 21 Apr, 5 May, 19 May, 2 Jun, 16 Jun, 8 Sep, 22 Sep, 20 Oct, 3 Nov, 17 Nov
Wildlife and walking vacation in the Spanish Pyrenees
From
€1395
8 days
ex flights
A naturalists paradise in the heart of the Spanish Pyrenees
Small group2021: 25 May
Catalonia self guided walking vacations, Spain
From
€715 to €799
8 days
ex flights
Self-guided walking vacations in Catalonia
Tailor made
Yoga and walking retreats in Spain
From
€149 to €1195
6 days
ex flights
Yoga & Hill Walking Retreats in the mountains near Valencia
Small group2020: 30 Aug, 13 Sep, 20 Sep, 11 Oct, 18 Oct, 1 Nov, 8 Nov, 15 Nov, 6 Dec, 13 Dec, 21 Dec, 28 Dec, 2021: 14 Feb, 21 Feb, 7 Mar, 14 Mar, 21 Mar, 11 Apr, 18 Apr, 25 Apr, 9 May, 16 May, 23 May, 13 Jun, 20 Jun, 27 Jun, 4 Jul, 11 Jul, 29 Aug, 5 Sep, 19 Sep, 26 Sep, 10 Oct, 24 Oct, 31 Oct
Las Alpujarras hiking vacation, Spain
From
€1295
8 days
ex flights
Guided walking vacation, Andalucia, with writer Chris Stewart
Small group2020: 19 Sep, 10 Oct, 2021: 24 Apr, 15 May, 22 May, 26 Sep, 16 Oct
Pyrenees activity vacation
From
US $812 to US $955
8 days
ex flights
Enjoy an action packed week in the Pyrenees
Small group2021: 30 May, 13 Jun, 20 Jun, 4 Jul, 11 Jul, 22 Aug, 29 Aug, 5 Sep, 19 Sep, 2022: 29 May, 12 Jun, 19 Jun, 3 Jul, 10 Jul, 21 Aug, 28 Aug, 4 Sep, 18 Sep
More about Spain
Flight free
Spain is well connected by rail, not just between cities, but with neighbouring France and Portugal too, meaning that a flight free vacation is perfectly possible. If you’re traveling from London, you could be in Spain 15 hours later, traveling via Paris or Lyon and changing train just before the French-Spanish border. We have a great team of travel experts and partners who can help if you are looking for your next flight free adventure, and they can help you with everything from itineraries to timings and bookings. Spain by train isn’t just doable, it’s highly enjoyable.
Types of vacations
Seeing Spain in a small group gives you a ready-made social circle, and is especially great if you’re interested in learning and practising your Spanish. There are plenty of active ways to see the country. Walking vacations take advantage of the great weather and scenery, cycling vacations take you through quiet towns off the tourist trail and multi activity vacations give you a little bit of both, plus kayaking and paddle boarding. Adventure vacations in Spain aren’t just for the brave – they’re for the curious. You can learn Spanish, go horse riding, or even try a little winter walking.
Where to go in Spain
Spain’s best places highlight its diversity. Catalonia shows that Spain’s identity isn’t as simple as it seems – the Catalan language, cuisine and traditions distinguish this autonomous region, as does its famously pretty coastline. Andalucía’s Moorish architecture in the beautiful cities of Seville, Cordoba and Granada still points to its previous tenants – the Moors occupied large parts of Spain for centuries. Further north, Spain becomes greener, making the famous Camino de Santiago, which runs for 800km all the way from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, if not a walk in the park, then a walk in the pastoral.
[Walking: dominique Bernardini]
[Cycling: Go Cycle Tours]
[Family vacations : JOSE LUIS HEREDIA]
[Flight free :
Arturo Rey]
[Types of vacations : Juanedc]
[Where to go in Spain : Florian Thiery]
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