Europe – 2017 to 2022
Madrid
Information about sightseeing, food, and shopping is abundantly available on the web. My personal recommendation: the street festivals happening in August.
Barcelona
Hidden gems: Sagunt for a day trip to the beach. The restaurant Salterio in Barrio Gotico. Madame Jasmin Bar for a queer night out.
Girona
Medieval town – parts of the old town were used as film locations for Game of Thrones. Places worth visiting include Torre del General Peralta, Torre de Sant Domenèc, Cathedral de Girona, Plaza de la Independencia.
Valencia
One of Spain’s lesser-visited cities along the Mediterranean Coast. There is still a lot to do: https://www.visitvalencia.com/en. One of my personal highlights when I visited in July: the gay pride parade, drinking Sangria and the proximity to the beach.
Costa Blanca
Javea: Small beach town. Reachable by bus from Valencia. Hike to Cap de Sant Antoni.
Any place with “Cala” in the name for a (rocky) beach day.
Calpe: Penyal d’Ifac.
Alicante: can visit, don’t have to. San Juan in June is fun. Walk up to the castle ruins at sunset.
Granada
Must see: Alhambra, Albaicin, Sacramonte, Relejo.
Must eat: cheap tapas which are served (sometimes even for free) in many places when you order drinks — e.g. Calle Almireceros in Centro.
Málaga & Sevilla
can, but no must. eat Tapas at Los Marangos and enjoy the shade at Las Setas or the park of the Alcázar.
A Coruña
Highly underrated! Visit the Fish market, Tower of Hercules and Old Town.
Rua de Galera for restaurants: Taberna da Galera is a personal favourite.
Gijon & Aviles & Llanes
Small seaside towns. A bit off the beaten track, but along the Camino de Santiago. Connected to Bilbao & A Coruna by bus.
Bilbao
Very diverse city. Cool places to see: Azkuna Zentroa (a modern library with a view), Ribera Market for Pintxos (Basque Tapas), Getxo for beach, Portugalete, Bizkaiko Zubia bridge.
San Sebastián
A must when visiting the Pays Vasco! Hill with Cristo for sunset. Casco Viejo for Pintxos (Basque Tapas). There are some cool AirBnb’s.
Pamplona & Zaragoza
Pamplona is famous for the annual bull racing. The beautiful old town makes it worth a stop during any season.
Zaragoza is another picturesque city with a lot of different types of architecture. However, it’s a bit hard to reach.
Places I’d like to go:
- Camiñito del Rey
- Ronda
- Nerja
- Toledo
- Cordoba
How to get around:
- fly to Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, or Malaga
- fast trains only connect a few cities. Buses are easier, more frequent & cheaper.
- BlablaCar safe version of hitchhiking when buses don’t run.
- cheap stays: hostels in cities or generally AirBnb.
thattravelstory 
2 thoughts on “Top places and experiences in Spain”