From the vibrant, sun-kissed south – home to flamenco, tapas and mesmerisingly beautiful architecture – to the fresh air and spellbinding mountain views of the Pyrenees or Picos de Europa in the north, Spain is a land of immense variety. Discover its enchanting landscapes on a self-guided walking or cycling holiday, or a leisurely journey by rail.
Home to the justly famed cities of Barcelona, Madrid and Seville, Spain also has plenty of hidden corners where time seems to have stood still, from the medieval stone villages of the Garrotxa in Catalonia to unspoiled Galicia in the far north-west whose verdant landscapes are crisscrossed with pilgrims' paths which converge on Santiago de Compostela. It can boast some of Europe’s wildest mountain areas, and not just the magnificent peaks of the Pyrenees. In Asturias, a region bordering the Atlantic, the Picos de Europa are green and rugged, while in the south, Andalucia and Valencia surprise with craggy limestone peaks.
Equally striking are north-west Mallorca, where the Tramuntana Sierra plunges into the Mediterranean, and the Canary Islands, whose topography is as dramatic as the volcanic activity that shaped it so many millennia ago. The coastal regions are just as inviting, be it Almería in Andalucia, where secret coves are framed by landscapes reminiscent of North Africa; the coast of Catalonia, with its charming fishing villages; the quiet headlands and hidden bays of north-east Ibiza, a corner of the island that the party set rarely ventures into; or Menorca’s ever-changing coastline.
We have sought out the best regions for you to explore – both on and off the mainland. Our holidays on the Canary and Balearic Islands reveal unspoiled and unexpectedly beautiful landscapes, while on the peninsula there are splendid cities, medieval villages and dramatic mountains to discover.