Spain is Europe’s second most visited country, with over 85 million international tourism arrivals in 2023. We’d be willing to bet that most of these flocked to the busiest places on the tourist trail, but Spain is so much more than the Sagrada Família, the Costa del Sol and the superclubs of Ibiza. Here, we’ve ranked (in the expert opinion of our well-travelled team) the nation’s most precious hidden gems – from underrated destinations and unexpected natural wonders to lesser-known historic sites, quirky attractions, up-and-coming urban neighbourhoods, secluded hotels and secret beaches.
Scroll on to discover Spain as you’ve never seen it before...
The historic Spanish cities of Mérida and Tarragona are almost universally renowned for their well-preserved Roman amphitheatres. But this antique arena, nestled into the hillside above the village of Medellín, deserves equal fanfare. Its views over the surrounding countryside are just as impressive as the open-air auditorium itself, where steep rows of seats fan out from the stage like a peacock’s tail.
In Roman times, Medellín was known as Metellinum, and a museum at the site of the amphitheatre displays artefacts recovered from this period during excavation. If you’re road-tripping between Madrid and Seville, this is definitely worth a stop.
Located in what is often described as mainland Europe’s only ‘true desert’, this surreal theme park looks plucked straight out of America’s Old West. Oasys MiniHollywood sits in southern Spain’s Desierto de Tabernas and dates back to the 1960s and 1970s, when it was used as a film set for several spaghetti Westerns – most famously The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. It’s one of three relics of the faded cinematic genre in Tabernas that have since rebranded as Americana-themed attractions.
Visitors can take dusty wagon rides through the replica Gold Rush-era town, as well as dine on barbecue cuisine, wander around the zoo and get soaked at the splash park.
If a whole museum dedicated to cheese is your idea of heaven, then get yourself to the idyllic town of Casar de Cáceres, in the region of Extremadura near the Spanish border with Portugal. Here you’ll find the rust-red façade of the Museo del Queso, dedicated to a local delicacy called Torta del Casar (pictured).
It was first made centuries ago by shepherds, who used wild thistle-like plants to coagulate their sheep’s milk into cheese, which also imparted a slight bitterness. Its distinctive flavour, humble origins and artisanal production have made Torta del Casar one of the region’s most beloved and protected foods.
Though trains still jangle through Chamberí metro station, none have stopped here since 1966. It was one of eight original stations on Line 1 of Madrid’s underground rail system, the city’s first line to be opened to the public back in 1919. But when the neighbouring stations of Bilbao and Iglesia had their platforms extended in the 1960s to relieve passenger congestion, they became too close to Chamberí and it was decommissioned.
Now, the so-called ‘ghost station’ lives again as a museum, where tourists can watch trains rattle past from behind a glass screen and take free guided tours.
One of Spain’s most underrated wine regions, Ribeira Sacra accounts for just 5% of Galicia’s total wine-producing land. Grapes have been cultivated here since the ancient Romans arrived and the viticulture was later inherited by Christian monks, so you’re literally drinking the fruits of hundreds of years’ worth of wisdom.
The Ribeira Sacra is made up of five wine-growing sub-areas: Chantada, Ribeira do Miño, Amandi, Ribeira do Sil (pictured here in the autumn) and Quiroga Bibei. Oenophiles should trace the Ribeira Sacra Wine Route to gain the most comprehensive understanding of how the local wines are crafted, from vine to palette.
This is a public service announcement for all architecture lovers out there – Barcelona and Bilbao aren’t the only Spanish cities with beautiful buildings. In Valladolid’s terracotta-tiled centre, there’s a diverting collection of Renaissance houses, palaces, cathedrals, churches and old colleges eager to please the eye.
First on the agenda should be the Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, which stands in an unfinished state even today, but is no less beguiling for it. Next, head for the National Sculpture Museum, housed behind the intricately detailed exterior of the College of San Gregorio. Easter is an especially magical time to visit Valladolid, as it’s celebrated with a week-long festival.
Swaddled by the verdant volcanic slopes that have come to define the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Africa, the Pirámides de Güímar were only unearthed as recently as 1998 by a Norwegian explorer. The origins of these six mysterious stepped structures, intentionally oriented with the Sun on the solstices, remain unknown today, leading to some scepticism as to who built them and how long ago.
To protect them from urban development, an ethnographic park was subsequently established around the pyramids and, since 2007, the park's native Canarian flora has been incorporated into a botanical garden
Most visitors to Barcelona rarely leave the city itself, and you might argue why you’d want to – given its lively sprawl of tapas bars, beach clubs, markets and museums. But there's a plethora of hidden gems awaiting travellers willing to ditch the inner city for a day trip deeper into the province.
Take the Cultural Park of the Salt Mountain of Cardona, for instance, described as one of the most important potassium salt mines in the world. It has been exploited since the Neolithic age and tourists are invited into its encrusted underbelly, where the walls and ceiling drip with natural chandeliers of salt. It looks like it's made of ice.
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Capital of the Spanish Basque Country, Vitoria-Gasteiz prides itself on its historic and green credentials. In the modern part, everything is designed to be within walking or cycling distance. The Green Ring, a network of six large parks looped around the city, can be explored on foot or by bicycle, and contributes towards a ratio of 452 square feet (42sqm) of green space for every resident.
In Old Gasteiz, the so-called ‘Medieval Almond’ due to its shape, there are gorgeous Gothic monuments and Renaissance palaces. The street names relate to the craftspeople who once lived and worked here.
A quaint town in the heart of the Aragonese Pyrenees, Bielsa serves as a gateway to the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. It lies in the shadow of Monte Perdido, the third highest peak in the Pyrenees, and boasts a small community of fairytale-like houses and Romanesque buildings, such as the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Pineta.
Bielsa is something of a haven for nature lovers, who can not only lose themselves in the breathtaking scenery, but also keep watch for regal golden eagles and bearded vultures. Visit in February for Bielsa Carnival, a folklore festival dating back to pre-Christian times which marks the end of winter.
Also known as El Museo Art Nouveau y Art Déco, Casa Lis is a love letter to the decorative arts, transporting visitors from the late 19th century to the dawn of World War II. And while its contents are a remarkable look at this particularly fertile creative era, the building itself can only be described as a work of art too. Its vibrant stained-glass features are worth visiting for alone.
Be sure to explore Salamanca's other wonderful attractions while you’re here – it’s home to one of Europe’s oldest universities and Plaza Mayor, a grand square with golden-hued buildings. The latter looks exquisite when floodlit at night.
We’d be surprised if you’ve even heard of Oviedo – never mind considered it for a city break. Located in the northern province of Asturias, it’s an incredibly photogenic city with a rustic quality that only makes it more appealing. Its historic centre is dominated by several UNESCO World Heritage Sites harkening back to the 8th century, when Spain was ruled by King Alfonso II.
Unlike many of the country’s medieval metropolises, Oviedo never fell to the Moors during the Middle Ages, so many of its most important landmarks are of untouched pre-Romanesque origin. Pop into the Archaeological Museum to learn more about how this style has shaped the city.
Long before the emblematic whitewashed fishing villages and luxurious villas sprang up on Menorca, it was the domain of Bronze and Iron Age peoples. In September 2023, some of the Balearic island’s earliest settlements were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed under the name Talayotic Menorca.
Menorca’s first inhabitants left behind the greatest density of prehistoric monuments of any island in the world, including funeral navetas (megalithic chamber tombs), taula enclosures or sanctuaries and tayalots (large cone-shaped structures), with construction spanning from 1600 BC to 123 BC. Trepucó (pictured) is one of the largest settlements you can visit today.
Meander through the cobbled streets of Guadalupe and you’ll feel like you’ve travelled back in time, or fallen into the pages of a fantasy novel. Over the centuries, the enchanting village has grown with the towers and turrets of its elaborate monastery.
Built initially as a church, it was founded to enshrine a statue of the Virgin Mary found on a local farmer’s land in the 14th century, believed to have been carved by the holy hands of St Luke. The Jewish Quarter (pictured) is one of Guadalupe’s most attractive areas, lined with charming terraced houses whose owners meticulously manicure their window boxes.
This up-and-coming neighbourhood in the most famous city in the Balearic Islands was once a lowly fishermen’s quarter. Today, the old fishermen’s cottages and windmills of Santa Catalina have been reimagined as independent shops, cafés, cocktail bars, yoga studios and imaginative restaurants, giving it a chilled yet trendy ambience.
Start with a leisurely coffee at Santina before sampling local produce and global street food at the covered market. Then, browse Santa Catalina’s vintage boutiques and set an afternoon aside for exploring the contemporary Es Baluard gallery. Come back after dark to see it transformed into a party district.
You’ve likely heard of the Camino de Santiago, but the Camino de Levante is a fascinating and picturesque alternative pilgrimage route through Spain. Starting in Orihuela in the province of Alicante, it follows the River Segura and traverses the fields, orchards, vineyards and old railway lines of Murcia.
Walkers can pause along the 73-mile (118km) trail to admire local churches, such as the Nuestra Señora de la Consolación, and Roman ruins like Los Villaricos, a large villa rustica. The path ends at Caravaca de la Cruz and the Basílica-Santuario de la Vera Cruz (pictured) where, according to Christians, a relic containing a fragment of the Holy Cross is kept.
Secreted away in one of Aragon’s most remote corners, the Monasterio de Piedra was donated by King Alonso II to an order of Cistercian monks in 1194, so that they could convert the former Arabic castle into a monastery.
In the 19th century, the complex was auctioned off and fell into the hands of the Muntadas family, who over the generations transformed the site into a hotel, spa and tourist attraction, saving it from almost certain abandonment in the days of the Spanish confiscation. Within the magnificent grounds of the old monastery are waterfalls, grottoes and historic gardens, as well as the country’s first fish farm.
Lying just far enough off the beaten path to lose out on a place on most travellers’ Andalucía itineraries, Guadix is unlike anywhere else in Spain. Thought to be one of the oldest settlements in the country, nearly half of the city's residents live in ancient dwellings built into the hillside in the ‘Barrio Troglodyte’ (troglodyte district, pictured).
Intended to shelter their inhabitants from the brutal summer temperatures, today most of the whitewashed cave houses have all the mod-cons you'd expect in a regular home. Elsewhere in Guadix, scale the towers of its 11th-century Arabic citadel for views of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
See the most underrated small town in every European country
Yes, there are wolves in Spain. In fact, the Picos de Europa is the country's only national park where these majestic canines live wild within the boundaries.
The Iberian wolf has typically had a complicated relationship with humans – shepherds in particular – and its numbers were hunted to as few as 200 individuals by the 1970s. Now Spain has the highest concentration of wolves on the continent, and there are wildlife holidays and tours you can join today to increase your chances of spotting them for yourself. Brown bears roam the park too – August and September are the best months to observe both.
While erudite epicures could argue that Noor isn’t exactly a hidden gem, everyday travellers to Córdoba might be less aware of the restaurant’s legacy. Awarded its third Michelin star in 2023, Noor is the brainchild of Spanish chef Paco Morales, whose culinary concept honours the city’s multicultural heritage.
From around AD 700 to 1200, Córdoba was rare for Europe at the time in that Muslims, Christians and Jewish people all lived together here in relative harmony. But over time, the Arabic influences on the city’s gastronomy were forgotten – so Morales founded Noor to reintroduce diners to the flavours of Andalucía’s past. Ingredients like carob, pistachio, turmeric and coriander often appear on the menu.
Save for a colony of seagulls that roost in the cliffs enclosing this semi-wild beach, you’re unlikely to find much company at Playa del Silencio. It’s not the kind of sunbaked, honey-sand beach you’d typically associate with the Spanish coast, but there’s a beauty in its unkemptness that makes you want to pull out a journal and meditate here for hours.
Its deserted shores, caressed by the gentled waves of the Atlantic Ocean, wouldn’t look out of place in Jurassic Park either. To get here, you’ll need to drive down a dirt track to the closest parking spot and then walk 10 minutes downhill.
Leave Catalunya’s Costa Brava behind and take the winding road up into the stunning Sierra de Montsant Natural Park for this sequestered stay. Situated amid centuries-old vineyards and olive groves in the winelands of El Priorat, Terra Dominicata is the adults-only boutique hotel of dreams.
From the petite pool, open-air spa and divine onsite restaurant, to the 26 impeccably stylish and comfortable rooms, it is a truly lavish sanctuary for the soul. Guests can fully embrace the property’s isolation or hike into the nearby village of Escaladei, where the bars are frequented only by locals and atmospheric ruins provide welcome shelter from the sun.
Planted in the handsome – yet largely unknown – region of Matarraña, Valderrobres is unquestionably one of the most delightful small towns in Spain. Cleaved in two by the Matarranya River, it’s joined by a medieval stone bridge that unites the town’s 14th-century castle and City Hall on one side with the 16th-century Santa María la Mayor on the other.
Together, they represent one of the finest clusters of Gothic buildings in the province. The majority of Valderrobres lies behind the San Roque gate, where you can lose yourself in a tangle of labyrinthine streets.
This hidden cove in Andalucía is part of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, the largest protected area on the Mediterranean coast. Only accessible by kayak or via uneven footpaths that require sturdy shoes, Cala de Enmedio is a secluded sweep of fine sand book-ended by gnarled, fossilised dunes.
The waters, dotted with small pools sculpted into the rocks by erosion, are perfect for bathing and the beach is almost always blissfully quiet. Visitors are asked to take any trash they accumulate away with them as Cala de Enmedio is not serviced by cleaning staff, given its tucked-away location.
La Gomera has so far been spared the throngs of tourists that descend on the larger Canary Islands each year for all-season sunshine and fly-and-flop holidays. Perhaps the lack of a direct connection (you have to fly into Tenerife and then take a ferry) is enough to put most people off. But those that do make the journey here are rewarded with phenomenal landscapes, unique cultural experiences and abundant wildlife.
Venture into the Garajonay National Park, where ‘Silbadors’ communicate in a language of whistles and ancient rainforests seemingly smoke with mist. Pictured here is the island capital of San Sebastián, Christopher Columbus’ last port of call before his transatlantic explorations.
Costa da Morte (translating as ‘coast of death’) is a strip of rugged coastline stringing together 17 Galician municipalities, from A Laracha in the north to Carnota in the south. Steeped in legend, it was long thought to be the end of the known world, until Christopher Columbus sailed west to the Americas.
Though it’s best recognised traditionally as the final destination for followers of the Camino de Santiago, the Costa da Morte is not merely somewhere for weary pilgrims to rest at the end of their journey. Its dramatic cliffs, mysterious history, charming fishing ports and Lilliputian seaside villages call you to stay and explore.
While the most famous remnants of the Roman Empire in Europe tend to be excavated amphitheatres and crumbling villas, Las Médulas is something else entirely. A by-product of an ancient gold-mining method known as 'ruina montium' ('wrecking mountains'), these unusual orange rock formations in northern Spain were created from the Romans undermining mountains using copious amounts of water, fed by aqueducts.
Once the largest open-pit gold mine in the empire, men could spend months at a time in the dangerous tunnels of Las Médulas, and many lost their lives. The area is now preserved as a cultural park.
Europe’s first and only underwater museum, Museo Atlántico Lanzarote is a man-made reef of sculptures and statues created by artist Jason deCaires Taylor, who uses his work as a form of activism and awareness. This piece is called Crossing the Rubicon and features 35 people walking towards oblivion.
Visitors have to don their diving gear to experience the subaquatic attraction, which sits on the seabed of Lanzarote’s UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. As time progresses, the artworks will come alive with corals and visiting fish, forming whole new ecosystems beneath the waves. Angel sharks, barracudas, sardines and octopuses are regulars here.
You’ve seen the Mars-like landscapes of Jordan’s Wadi Rum and Chile’s Atacama Desert, but did you know about the Bardenas Reales in Spain? These otherworldly badlands are mind-bending in that you really wouldn’t expect to find a semi-desert just 43 miles (70km) from the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees.
Forged by the elements, the lunar-esque lands of Bardena Blanca are home to unearthly geological formations like the Castildetierra, which twists upwards from its wide base to form the shape of a baby’s arm reaching for the sky. There are a number of paths weaving throughout the natural park for walkers and cyclists to enjoy.
Topping our ranking of Spain's best hidden gems is the smallest, sleepiest and least well-known island in the Balearic archipelago. Formentera is an unspoilt paradise just 30 minutes from Ibiza by fast ferry. Discerning travellers don’t come to Formentera instead of its more famous sisters – they come here on its own unique merits.
The vibe is cool and calm, where slow living is not only encouraged, but unavoidable. Fig trees, pine forests and salt flats scatter the laid-back island, giving way to incredibly serene beaches like Ses Illetes (pictured). Buzzy Es Pujols is the go-to spot for restaurants and nightlife, while the Dunas de Formentera hotel is the epitome of barefoot luxury.