Country guide
Spain covers 506,030 square kilometres and counts close to 50 million people, and it reads less as one country than as a set of regions that do not resemble eac...
Photograph · Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Spain covers 506,030 square kilometres and counts close to 50 million people, and it reads less as one country than as a set of regions that do not resemble each other. Madrid sits high and dry in the middle of the peninsula with the national collections in it; Barcelona is Mediterranean and Catalan-speaking. Andalusia in the south carries the Moorish architecture of Granada, Córdoba and Seville along with the heat that comes with it, while the green north coast from Bilbao to Galicia is wet Atlantic country most visitors never reach. The Canary Islands lie off Africa, and Ceuta and Melilla are on the African mainland itself.
Checked 2026-08-25
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Dmitry Dzhus from London · CC BY 2.0
Photograph · dronepicr · CC BY 2.0
Seasonal closures come from recorded opening hours.
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
176 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Palauet Albéniz
Palace of Albéniz, or Palauet Albéniz, is a palace near Montjuïc associated with Barcelona's official and ceremonial life. Its name honours the composer Isaac Albéniz and places the building within Catalonia's wider cultural landscape.
Palau Robert is a cultural centre and exhibition hall located on Barcelona's Passeig de Gràcia in the Eixample district.
Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid
The Real Jardín Botánico is a working research institute of the CSIC, Spain's national research council, that happens to be open to the public.
El Fossar de la Pedrera
Fossar de la Pedrera is a memorial and cemetery landscape on Montjuïc, Barcelona. The former quarry is connected with victims of the Spanish Civil War and Franco-era repression, making it one of the city’s most serious places of remembrance.
L’Auditori is Barcelona’s major contemporary concert complex near Glòries. Designed by Rafael Moneo, it opened in 1999 and houses the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra.
Parròquia Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi
The Parròquia Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi is a parish basilica in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter. Its Catalan name references a pine tree that once stood nearby.
Mercat de Sant Josep - La Boqueria
The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria is a working public food market in the Ciutat Vella district, entered from La Rambla a few doors from the Liceu opera house.
Teatre Nacional de Catalunya is one of Barcelona’s principal theatrical institutions and a major performing arts venue. It stands at Plaça de les Arts, where its contemporary Catalan architecture forms part of the city’s cultural landscape.
Museo Arqueológico Nacional
The Museo Arqueológico Nacional is Spain's principal institution dedicated to archaeological collections. Located in Madrid, it houses extensive holdings spanning prehistoric times through the medieval period.
La Cara de Barcelona
The Face of Barcelona, also known as La Cara de Barcelona, is a public landmark in Barcelona’s urban landscape. Its identity is tied to the city’s street-level art and architecture rather than to an indoor collection or scheduled attraction.
Casa Padellàs
Padellàs’s House, also known as Casa Padellàs, is a historic residence in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter. Its architecture belongs to the city’s layered Catalan heritage and reflects the domestic world of prosperous merchant families.
Puerta de Alcalá
Puerta de Alcalá is a neoclassical monument standing at Plaza de la Independencia in Madrid. This five-arched gate was one of several historic entrances to the city.
Cosmocaixa
CosmoCaixa Barcelona is a science museum located in the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district of Barcelona. The institution occupies a distinctive modernist building originally constructed as an asylum for the blind, designed by architect Josep Domènech i Estapà.
Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes
The Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes is a Gothic monastery founded in 1326 by Queen Elisenda de Montcada.
Palau de la Metal·lúrgia is a historic exhibition building in Barcelona’s Montjuïc area, within the Fira de Barcelona complex. Built for the 1929 International Exposition, it presented the metallurgy industry and remains linked to Barcelona’s long tradition of international fairs.
Museo Nacional de Antropología
The Museo Nacional de Antropología in Madrid is Spain's national museum dedicated to anthropology. It houses collections related to human cultures, societies, and physical anthropology.
Vil·la Joana is a historic villa in Barcelona’s wider cultural landscape. Its value for travellers lies in the character of a preserved residential building and the chance to encounter architecture away from the city’s busiest landmark routes.
Museu d'Història de Catalunya
The Museum of the History of Catalonia, locally known as Museu d'Història de Catalunya, is a cultural institution in Barcelona dedicated to preserving and presenting the historical narrative of Catalonia.
Museo Sorolla
The Sorolla Museum is a museum in Madrid dedicated to the work of Joaquín Sorolla, a prominent Spanish painter known for his luminous beach scenes and portraits.
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
The Thyssen-Bornemisza is the private-collection third of Madrid's Paseo del Arte, standing on Paseo del Prado at number 8 in the Villahermosa palace, a few minutes' walk from the Prado and the Reina Sofia.
Parc de la Creueta del Coll
Parc de la Creueta del Coll is a public park in Barcelona’s Gràcia district, set on the slopes of Collserola.
Casa Mulleras is a named Barcelona building identified by the mapped footprint at way/679019119.
Basílica de la Mercè
The Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy is a Baroque church in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, close to the port and the historic centre. Dedicated to the Virgin of Mercy, patroness of Barcelona, it remains an active place of worship.
Museo Cerralbo
The Cerralbo Museum, or Museo Cerralbo, is a historic house museum in Madrid. It preserves the former residence of the 17th Marquis of Cerralbo, Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa, a prominent aristocrat and collector.
Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales
The Convent of Las Descalzas Reales is a royal monastery in central Madrid, founded in 1559 by Joanna of Austria, sister of Philip II.
Ten to fourteen days allows three or four days in Madrid and four in Barcelona, plus selected rail day trips. Andalusia or either island group deserves a separate route instead of being compressed into the same mainland circuit.
Spain follows Schengen rules, but the traveller's nationality and route determine the required documents or visa. Confirm the current requirement through Spain's official consular information before departure.
High-speed rail makes Madrid-Barcelona and several mainland city pairs practical, while regional buses cover gaps. Island travel needs flights or ferries, and urban ticketing remains local to each city.
April to June and September to October are broad choices for Madrid and Barcelona. Andalusia, the Atlantic north, Balearics, and Canaries follow different heat and weather patterns, so a regional extension should control the final dates.
Spain uses the euro (EUR). Cards are common in cities, but a small euro reserve is useful for individual businesses; always check the billed currency and amount before approving a terminal transaction.
Spain's emergency contact is 112. Electrical outlets accept Type C and F plugs on a 230 V supply. Because this record contains no tap-water finding, use advice from the municipality serving each overnight stop.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}