The Guggenheim Museum is Bilbao’s star architectural attraction. The building designed by Frank O. Gehry (winner of the Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 1989), is considered a masterpiece with its amazing half-sculpted curves and walls of yellow li..

The mosque-cathedral, with its extraordinary mihrab , is without doubt a masterpiece of Muslim art. Construction was started in 780, on the site of the Visigothic church of St-Vincent. A series of new naves was subsequently added until 987, when it ..

Lovers of unspoilt landscapes must not miss the chance to see Alarcón! You will immediately be won over by the melancholic beauty of this site with its brown earth hill encircled by the meandering Júcar and dominated by a medieval fortress.

At the foot of the Corona Volcano, the subsoil of Lanzarote is riddled with underground galleries formed by lava streams. Upon contact with the air, the surface of the lava streams cools and hardens into a dense layer of basalt, underneath which mo..

The Costa Brava or Wild Coast is hugely popular with holidaymakers from northern Europe. In spite of the pressure, it still deserves its name thanks to its lovely scenery. Beautiful beaches, guaranteed liveliness in summer, charming villages (Cadaqué..

The Catalan cordillera is cut by deep, often isolated valleys (Arán, Ripagorce, Pallars, Alt Urgel, Ripollès, Garrotxa and Ampurdan). The region's seclusion encouraged the development of local art, visible in the churches of the Boí valley, the monas..

The Nasrid palaces, which comprise three sections, are the Alhambra’s hidden jewel. The south wall of the Golden Room Patio provides a concise summary of Nasrid art. In the Myrtle Courtyard , admire the imposing crenellated Comares Tower , the ..

The view from the terrace of the church of San Nicolás is superb: the red and ochre Alhambra stands out on the lush hill opposite, with the snowy slopes of the Sierra Nevada as a backdrop. To one side, note the city’s new mosque and the Centre ..

With its fascinating architecture, sumptuous gardens and delightful water features, the Alhambra is the embodiment of refinement, where words fail to do justice to this paradise created by the Nasrid princes as the ultimate expression of a civilisati..

This sometimes snow-capped summit (1 949m) looks out over the entire island. To the south San Bartolomé de Tirajana lies in the foreground, while the spectacular view stretches as far as the Playa de Maspalomas. To the west the unusual shapes of Ro..

Spain's largest nature reserve extends over an area of 214 300 hectares. Its landscape is breathtakingly beautiful. Its villages, its unusual vegetation (one of the most amazing plants is the Cazorla violet), and its fauna (wild boar, deer) all contr..

The cathedral dedicated to St Marie is on a wonderful site , La Roca Mitjana. The church is a masterpiece of the Romanesque school of Lérida with its historiated capitals . In the 13-14C cloister , we find Islamic influences in the decoration wi..

This 16C building houses the magnificent Renaissance tomb of Ramón Folc de Cardona, viceroy of Sicily and Naples. It is one of the finest masterpieces of 16C Catalan sculpture. To visit the church, ask for the keys at the Convent of Sant Bartomeu.

The heart of Salamanca life, the Plaza Mayor is surrounded by myriad cafés, restaurants and shops, and provides the perfect setting for a drink or a stroll. Built by Philip V between 1729 and 1755 to thank the city for its loyalty during the War of..

This small square leading off the old Calle Libreros is surrounded by typical monuments in the Salamancan Plateresque style. It is home to the university, founded in 1218 and which boasted 7 683 students in 1568 (30 000 in 2007), a record for the tim..

Segovia has its water delivered by a famous aqueduct which was built at the time of the Emperor Trajan. The Romans built it to bring water from the river Acebeda in the Fuenfria Sierra to the highest part of the town. It is 728m long and 28m high and..

This is the only cathedral in Spain to have adopted the French taste for high, slender and light naves. The outstanding stained-glass windows illuminating the nave, and covering an area of 1 700m 2 , have compromised the strength of the building. T..

Twenty-five kings and queens of León and many children are buried in this pantheon, which is one of the earliest examples of Romanesque art. This is illustrated by the sturdy columns crowned by capitals decorated with plant motifs reminiscent of As..

Baron Thyssen, the heir to a fabulous collection of paintings, donated it to the Spanish State which then housed it in a neo-Classical palace renovated by Rafael Moneo. The collection is an opportunity to explore Western art from the late 12C to the ..

This contemporary art museum occupies the former San Carlos hospital. As well as leading names in international art, it also boasts a collection of 20C Spanish painting and sculpture. The building’s spectacular extension, opened in 2004 along Ronda d..