To celebrate his victory over the French in Saint Quentin on 10 August 1557, Philip II decided to erect this monumental building dedicated to St Lawrence, which would serve as a monastery, palace and pantheon. This mammoth project took just 21 years,..

Deep gorges cut by gushing mountain rivers filled with fish, impressive defiles and high jagged snow-capped peaks, form the majestic backdrop to the Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa. Created in 1995, it incorporates the former Parque de la Mont..

Carved by the River Sella out of an exceptionally thick layer of limestone, the river rushing down this 10km-long defile is too fast-flowing for anything except the occasional tree to have put down roots on its sides. It is however wide enough for th..

The Green Coast owes its name to the colour of the sea, the pine and eucalyptus trees along the shoreline, and the wooded pastures inland. Many of the towns and villages, such as Luarca and Cudillero are devoted to fishing and most are tucked a..

The Pico de Tres Mares (Three Seas) got its name because it is the source of three main rivers which flow from it into three different seas - the Híjar, tributary of the Ebro which flows into the Mediterranean, the Pisuerga, tributary of the Douro ..

Mainly sculpted by the seawater from the cape which encloses Canyamel bay, these magnificently situated caves, whose giant mouth overlooks the sea from a height of 35m, are accessed by a winding road. Inside, admire the 22m-high Queen of Columns , a..

Emblem of Seville; a masterpiece of Almohad art, the minaret (96 m) of the old mosque was built in the12C. In the 16C the Cordovan architect Hernán Ruiz gave it its current appearance of a belfry by adding the bell chamber and four upper rooms and by..

Modified and added to over the centuries, these stunning palatial buildings, first built in the 10C, are notable for their architectural diversity. Highlights here include Charles V’s room , originally built in the 13C by Alfonso X the Wise; superb ..

It is impossible to resist the charm of this district extending as far as the church of Santa María la Blanca with its maze of alleyways, whitewashed houses, hidden flower-decked patios and tiny squares. As the Jewish district during the Middle Ages,..

Set up in the old Merced convent, it is a panorama of Spanish painting from the Golden Age. In room V , a unique setting houses the masterpiece by Zurbarán, The Triumph of St Thomas Aquinas , and an extraordinary collection of works by Murillo , i..

Peter the Cruel's palace was built in 1362 by masons from Granada. As a result the decoration is highly influenced by the Alhambra. Notice the sophisticated ornamentation of the Patio de las Donacellas , the Sala del Techo de Carlos V , the Bedroo..

The summit is occupied by an amusement park and hotel-restaurant. Here you will discover a splendid panorama over the sea, the Isle of Santa Clara, San Sebastián in its circlle of mountains. In the evening, the illuminated town is a fine spectacle.

Nestled in a deep, lush valley, the magnificent Cistercian complex of Santes Creus (Holy Cross) extends along the left bank of the Gaià river. Since its foundation around 1150, the monastery has been an important political and cultural centre, as wit..

This monastery, which stands in an attractive setting planted with poplars, is one of the most important and well-preserved religious buildings in the Cistercian world and a museum of architecture in its own right. Built between the 12C and 18C, it h..

Port Aventura is a great place to relax and unwind away from the frantic pace of city life. This huge 117ha amusement park enjoys a wonderful natural location in the heart of the Costa Dorada. It is divided into five themed geographical zones (the ..

In 1227, Saint Ferdinand III decided to undertake the building of a Cathedral. Building continued until the end of the 15C and so all the stages of Spanish Gothic appear in it. The richness of the carved decoration and the collection of works of art ..

The delightful Mudéjar decoration of the 14C Sinagoga del Tránsito , the intricately carved capitals of Santa María la Blanca (a former 12C synagogue), the rich carving of the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes and the Plateresque façade of the..

The national museum of sculpture, housed in the Colegio de San Gregorio , contains a huge inventory of Spanish statuary as well as numerous paintings from various periods. It displays one of the most beautiful collections of polychrome wood statues ..

Saint Paul's Church is especially remarkable for its façade from the beginning of the Renaissance. It illustrates the transition from the Isabelline style to the plateresque style. The lower part of the main church, designed by Simon of Cologne, be..

La Curota rises to an altitude of 498m (1hr walk) and commands a magnificent panorama of the four inlets of the Rías Bajas: Ría de Muros y Noia to the north and that of Arousa, Pontevedra and Vigo to the south. On a clear day, the view stretche..