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Fourth edition · October 2026

The Founder's Guide

I am Dr. Abdulmajeed Al-Mudarra. I chose Spain for you myself, in 2,609 places across 64 cities, and wrote my note on each.

  • 12 regions
  • 395 of my favourite picks
  • 1,623 restaurants
Introduction Before you travel: the airport, ferries and safety

Start with what you love

The tower of the Zahara de la Sierra castle on its rock above the white villagePhoto JakobHosp · CC BY-SA 3.0Sierra de GrazalemaGreen mountains in the heart of Andalusia between Ronda and Cádiz, the wettest part of Spain, dotted with “white villages” of Andalusian origin such as Grazalema and Zahara (Zahara de la Sierra), with its castle overlooking the lake.SeasonMarch to June, and September to NovemberHow long2–3 days (with Ronda)
A waterfall among pine forests in the Sierra de CazorlaPhoto Benjamin Smith · CC BY-SA 4.0Sierra de Cazorla, Segura y Las VillasSpain's largest nature reserve, the source of the Guadalquivir river, with pine forests, deer, ibex and castles on the peaks, near the Andalusian towns of Úbeda and Baeza.SeasonApril to June, and September to NovemberHow long3–4 days
The architecture of the Alpujarra villages: white houses with flat roofs and distinctive chimneys (Capileira)Photo Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie · CC BY-SA 2.0Las AlpujarrasThe southern slopes of Jebel Shulayr (Sierra Nevada), the last Muslim strongholds after the fall of Granada; white terraced villages with flat roofs in the Moroccan style, such as Pampaneira, Capileira and Trevélez, and Andalusian irrigation channels still watering the orchards.SeasonApril to June, and September to NovemberHow long2–3 days (with Granada)
The Strait of Gibraltar with the African shore's mountains behind, seen from a viewpoint between Tarifa and AlgecirasPhoto Juan Vladimir Paraschuk · CC BY-SA 4.0Costa de la Luz (Zahara, Vejer, Tarifa)Unspoilt sandy Atlantic beaches with no equal in Europe: Zahara de los Atunes, Bolonia with its dunes and Roman remains, and Tarifa, where Tarif ibn Malik, the first of the Muslims to land, came ashore and from which you can see the mountains of Morocco; and Vejer de la Frontera, white on its hill.SeasonMay to September (winds can be strong at times)How long3–5 days
The Alhambra with the snow-capped Sierra Nevada behind, at sunsetPhoto Dimitry B · Unsplash LicenseCórdoba, Granada y SevillaThe heart of Andalusian civilisation in a single trip: the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba and Madinat al-Zahra, the capital of the Caliphate; the Alhambra palace, the Generalife and the Albaicín in Granada; and the Alcázar and the Giralda, the minaret of the Almohad mosque, in Sevilla. The cities are connected by high-speed train.SeasonMarch to May, and October and November (summer is very hot)How long6–8 days (two days per city)
Toledo at dusk, with the cathedral tower and the Alcázar lit above the old townPhoto Dan Vaquerizo Molina · CC BY-SA 3.0 esToledoThe capital of the Visigoths and then a great Islamic city, the city of scholars and translators. It has the Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz (Church of Light), Andalusian gates, and two churches that were once synagogues in the Mudéjar style, on a hill encircled by the Tajo river. 33 minutes by train from Madrid.SeasonAll year round except the July and August peakHow long1 to 2 days
The Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in Valencia, seen from its gardensPhoto Bybbisch94, Christian Gebhardt · CC BY-SA 4.0ValenciaThe Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, a futuristic complex with the largest aquarium in Europe (Oceanogràfic), the Turia Gardens along an old riverbed, the Malvarrosa beaches, the home of the original paella, and a long Islamic history in irrigation channels and the Water Tribunal.SeasonMarch to June, and September and OctoberHow long3–4 days
The snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada and the ski-lift linesPhoto kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0Sierra NevadaThe ski resort closest to the sun in southern Europe, 45 minutes from Granada: ski in the morning and visit the Alhambra in the evening, and on a clear day you can see the Mediterranean and as far as the Rif mountains of Morocco.SeasonDecember to AprilHow long2–4 days (with Granada)

Contents

Chapter One

Andalucía

552 places

Chapter Two

Madrid y Castilla-La Mancha

584 places

Chapter Three

Castilla y León

171 places

Chapter Four

Catalunya

301 places

Chapter Five

País Vasco, Navarra y La Rioja

197 places

Chapter Six

Galicia, Asturias y Cantabria

249 places

Chapter Seven

Valencia y Murcia

192 places

Chapter Eight

Aragón

86 places

Chapter Nine

Extremadura

67 places

Chapter Ten

Illes Balears

102 places

Chapter Eleven

Canarias

98 places

Chapter Twelve

Ceuta y Melilla

10 places
Map of Spain with the guide's 64 citiesAndalucíaMadrid y Castilla-La ManchaCastilla y LeónCatalunyaPaís Vasco, Navarra y La RiojaGalicia, Asturias y CantabriaValencia y MurciaAragónExtremaduraIlles BalearsCanariasCeuta y Melilla

Each circle is a city, sized by how many places I chose there

Boundaries© IGN España, CC BY 4.0