Spain

Spain runs from green Atlantic Galicia and the Basque coast to Moorish Andalusia and the volcanic Canaries, with a high central meseta in between. Eight centuries of Muslim rule, then empire, left the Alhambra, Gothic cathedrals and Gaudí's Barcelona. It is Europe's second most mountainous country, and its regions guard distinct languages and kitchens.

Capital

Madrid

Population

48M

Area

505,990 km²

Currency

Euro (EUR)

Language

Spanish

Time zone

CET (UTC+1) / CEST (UTC+2); Canary Islands WET (UTC+0)

• 
  01

  Madrid

  Capital region

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• 
  02

  Catalonia

  Barcelona & Pyrenees

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• 
  03

  Andalusia

  Seville, Granada & flamenco

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• 
  04

  Basque Country

  Bilbao, San Sebastián, pintxos

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  05

  Galicia

  Atlantic Celtic corner

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  06

  Valencia

  Paella coast

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  07

  Castile and León

  Salamanca & Segovia

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  08

  Castilla–La Mancha

  Don Quixote plains & Toledo

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  09

  Aragon

  Pyrenees & Zaragoza

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  10

  Asturias

  Picos de Europa

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  11

  Cantabria

  Green northern coast

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  12

  Navarre

  Pamplona & Camino

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  13

  La Rioja

  Wine heartland

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  14

  Murcia

  Mar Menor lagoon

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  15

  Extremadura

  Conquistador wild west

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  16

  Balearic Islands

  Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza

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  17

  Canary Islands

  Volcanic Atlantic isles

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  18

  Ceuta

  North African enclave, walled sea-moat

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  19

  Melilla

  Modernist enclave city on the Rif coast

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• 

  Church

  Al-Morabito Mosque

  Al-Morabito Mosque is a mosque in Córdoba, Spain. It was built during the Spanish Civil War as a gift for general Francisco Franco's Muslim soldiers and is considered Spain's first modern mosque.

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  Square

  Alameda de Hércules

  The Alameda de Hércules (Hercules mall), or simply La Alameda, is a garden square or mall in Seville, southern Spain. Built in 1574, it was originally a promenaded public garden, named after the eight rows of white poplar trees (álamos in Spanish) that fill its central part.

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  Bridge

  Alamillo Bridge

  The Alamillo Bridge is a structure in Seville, Andalucia (Spain), which spans the Canal de Alfonso XIII, allowing access to La Cartuja, a peninsula located between the canal and the Guadalquivir River. The bridge was constructed as part of infrastructure improvements for Expo 92, which was held on large banana farms on

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  Bridge

  Albolafia

  The Albolafia, also known as the Molino de la Albolafia in Spanish ('the Albolafia's mill'), is a medieval noria (or waterwheel) on the Guadalquivir River in the historic center of Córdoba, Spain. It is one of several historic watermills of Cordoba and is located close to the Roman Bridge and to the Christian Alcazar.

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  Castle

  Alcazaba of Antequera

  The Alcazaba of Antequera is a Moorish fortress in Antequera, Spain. It was erected over Roman ruins in the 14th century to counter the Christian advance from the north.

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  Castle

  Alcazaba of Málaga

  The Alcazaba is a palatial fortification in Málaga, Spain, built during the period of Muslim-ruled Al-Andalus. The current complex was begun in the 11th century and was modified or rebuilt multiple times up to the 14th century.

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  Archaeological

  Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

  The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Spanish for "Castle of the Christian Monarchs"), also known as the Alcázar of Córdoba, is a medieval alcázar located in the historic centre of Córdoba (in Andalusia, Spain), next to the Guadalquivir River and near the Mosque-Cathedral. The fortress served as one of the primary resid

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  Fortress

  Alcázar Genil

  The Alcázar Genil is a Muslim-era palace in the city of Granada, Spain. It was originally called al-Qasr al-Sayyid ("the palace of the lord") and is located beside the River Genil outside the city walls.

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  Fortress

  Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera

  The Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera is a former Moorish alcázar, now housing a park, in Jerez de la Frontera, in the South of Spain. It was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in 1931.

• Barcelona

  Gaudí modernisme, Gothic quarter and a city beach.

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• Madrid

  The Prado, Retiro park and Europe's late-night capital.

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• Seville

  Alcázar, Giralda and flamenco in the Andalusian heat.

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• Granada

  The Alhambra above the Albaicín's white lanes.

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• Valencia

  Futuristic Ciutat de les Arts, old silk exchange and paella's home.

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• San Sebastián

  La Concha bay and the world's densest cluster of pintxos bars.

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• Teide

  Spain's highest peak inside a Tenerife caldera.

• Picos de Europa

  Limestone peaks and gorges above the Cantabrian coast.

• Ordesa y Monte Perdido

  Pyrenean canyons and cirques on the French border.

• Doñana

  Marshes and dunes sheltering the Iberian lynx.

• Sierra Nevada

  Mainland Spain's highest range, snow above subtropical coast.

• Timanfaya

  Lanzarote's fire mountains of raw volcanic rock.

• Playa de Ses Illetes, Formentera

  White sandbar in Caribbean-clear water.

• La Concha, San Sebastián

  Perfect urban shell-shaped bay.

• Playa de Bolonia, Cádiz

  Wild dune beach beside Roman Baelo Claudia.

• Cala Macarella, Menorca

  Pine-fringed turquoise cove.

• Playa de las Catedrales, Galicia

  Sea arches walkable only at low tide.

• Papagayo, Lanzarote

  Sheltered volcanic-coast coves.

• Teide

  3,715 m volcano, the highest point in Spain.

• Pyrenees

  Aneto and the high border range with France.

• Sierra Nevada

  Mulhacén, 3,479 m, the mainland's summit.

• Picos de Europa

  Naranjo de Bulnes and deep Cares gorge.

• Montserrat

  Serrated conglomerate massif with its monastery near Barcelona.

• Paella valenciana

  Rabbit, chicken and beans over saffron rice — seafood is a variant.

• Jamón ibérico

  Acorn-fed cured ham, sliced paper-thin.

• Tortilla española

  Thick potato and onion omelette, served warm or cold.

• Pintxos

  Basque bar snacks skewered on bread, ordered one at a time.

• Gazpacho

  Chilled Andalusian tomato soup for the summer heat.

• Churros con chocolate

  Fried dough with thick drinking chocolate, often at dawn.

• 01

  Dinner rarely starts before 21:00; lunch is the big meal.

• 02

  Many shops close for siesta between roughly 14:00 and 17:00.

• 03

  Alhambra tickets sell out weeks ahead — book with passport details.

• 04

  AVE high-speed trains beat flying between Madrid, Seville and Barcelona.

• 05

  Catalan, Basque and Galician are co-official — signage varies by region.