Tired of package holidays where the highlight is a watered-down sangria by a crowded pool?
Swap sunbeds for street food and beaches for bold architecture. Spain's cities are calling.
This is the Spain that offers midnight feasts, architectural wonders and streets pulsing with life well beyond your usual bedtime.
The Best City Breaks in Spain
With UK weather being what it is, i.e., perpetually disappointing, a quick flight to a Spanish city makes perfect sense.
In just a few hours, you'll be transported from drizzle to dazzle.
So grab your comfiest trainers, pack light and prepare for an urban adventure. These ten Spanish cities are ready to show you their finest features.
With no reserving sunbeds required.
Granada - Where Tapas Are Actually Free
Flight time from UK: Approximately 3 hours.
Adobe Free Stock / Kavalenkava
If someone told you there's a Spanish city where buying a drink means getting free food, you might think they've been enjoying too much local wine.
But in Granada, this dream scenario is a reality.
Order a caña, a small beer, in virtually any bar and out comes a small plate of food, or tapa.
Not just a few sad olives. But fresh, delicious bite-sized Spanish food you can only dream of in the UK.
Adn the more drinks you order, the better the tapas get.
Food aside, there are also plenty of things to do in Granada.
One of the city's top sights is the Alhambra palace and fortress complex. Once a royal palace, military stronghold and administrative center, it's now renowned for its stunning Islamic architecture.
Spend an afternoon among its intricate tilework and enjoy the bonus of breathtaking views of the Sierra Nevada mountains. But book early, as tickets sell out weeks in advance.
Adobe Free Stock / marinzolich
Elsewhere in Grenada, wander through the Albaicín district. This UNESCO World Heritage site is the perfect place to explore narrow streets, rest up and find peaceful vantage points over the city.
San Sebastian - Where Food Dreams Come True
Flight time from UK: Approximately 2 hours.
Adobe Free Stock / barmalini
If food is your love language, San Sebastian speaks it fluently.
This northern coastal city boasts more Michelin stars per square metre than almost anywhere else on earth.
The old town's narrow streets are packed with bars serving pintxos, the Basque version of tapas. The system is brilliantly simple - grab what looks good, keep your toothpicks, pay based on how many you've accumulated.
When you're not eating, La Concha beach offers a perfect crescent of sand right in the city.
The relaxed vibe here is contagious. No one rushes. Dinners start at 10pm and bedtimes are optional.
Bilbao - The City That Art Transformed
Flight time from UK: Approximately 2 hours.
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Thirty years ago, Bilbao was an industrial port city few tourists even knew about. Then came a shiny titanium building shaped like a spaceship and everything changed.
The Guggenheim Museum brought modest Bilbao into the tourism spotlight and cemented its reputation as a cool cultural hotspot.
Bilbao's renaissance extends beyond the gallery. The city has invested in its infrastructure, outdoor sculptures, sleek transport systems and riverfront regeneration.
Music lovers should note Bilbao's impressive concert calendar. Not only is it a regular stop for bands touring Europe, it's home to the popular BBK Live festival.
Bilbao is also a major stop on the Camino del Norte pilgrim path. So, those considering making this spiritual journey should add Bilbao to their itinerary.
Figueres - Where Dreams Become Architecture
Flight time from UK: Approximately 2 hours to Girona, then a 30-minute train ride.
Adobe Free Stock / Ivan
Figueres might not top most Spanish city lists. But this Catalan gem deserves your attention for one surreal reason - Salvador Dalí.
Birthplace of the surrealist artist, Figueres is now home to his Theatre-Museum. Which is much less traditional gallery and more a glimpse into Dalí's bizarre imagination.
The building itself - topped with giant eggs and studded with bread rolls - gives fair warning of the strangeness within.
Inside, you'll find melting clocks, a room designed to look like Mae West's face and a Cadillac that rains inside when you insert a coin.
It's the closest you'll get to walking through someone else's dreams while wide awake.
For a complete change of pace, visit Sant Ferran Fortress.
At the largest 18th-century fortress in Europe, you can explore the underground cisterns by boat, wander along the 3km perimeter of walls and enjoy panoramic views that stretch all the way to the Mediterranean.
Get a slice of military history to yourself while everyone else queues for Dalí.
Madrid - The Beating Heart of Spain
Flight time from UK: Approximately 2.5 hours.
Adobe Free Stock / philippe paternolli
Madrid is many things at once. Lively, artistic, bustling, popular and above all, unapologetically Spanish.
The capital operates on its own timetable. Lunch at 3pm. Dinner at 10pm. Nightlife that starts at midnight and ends when the metro reopens at 6am.
It's a good idea to adjust your body clock accordingly to make sure you're in on the fun.
If you love art, you're going to love Madrid. Home to the 'Golden Triangle' of museums, you'll find three world-class heavy hitters within walking distance.
The Prado, a house of Spanish classics, Reina Sofia, housing modern works, including Picasso's Guernica and Thyssen-Bornemisza, which has a little of everything.
Although the centre has it all and more, the real Madrid experience happens in its neighbourhoods.
Malasaña offers hipster bars and vintage shops. Chueca pulses with LGBTQ+ nightlife. La Latina's Sunday El Rastro flea market sprawls through streets, which are later filled with tapas-hunting crowds.
Cádiz - Europe's Oldest City Knows How to Party
Flight time from UK: Approximately 3 hours to Seville, then 1.5 hours by train.
Adobe Free Stock / F.C.G.
Three thousand years of history have taught Cádiz one important lesson - life's too short not to enjoy.
This ancient port city, almost entirely surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, combines beach life with urban buzz.
Narrow streets open suddenly onto grand plazas. Fresh seafood dominates menus. Try tortillitas de camarones, shrimp fritters, and pescaíto frito, mixed fried fish.
Local beaches like La Caleta, featured in that James Bond film where Halle Berry emerges from the sea, offer urban sunbathing opportunities.
Almería - The Spanish City Hollywood Loves
Flight time from UK: Approximately 3 hours.
Adobe Free Stock / M.studio
When Ridley Scott needed a convincing alien landscape for Prometheus, he chose Almería.
When Sergio Leone wanted to recreate the American Wild West, he built sets in Almería's desert.
This southeastern Spanish city has starred in hundreds of films while somehow flying under the tourist radar.
The imposing Alcazaba fortress offers spectacular views and a glimpse into the region's Moorish past.
Just outside the city, Cabo de Gata Natural Park combines volcanic landscapes with pristine beaches.
Tabernas Desert, Europe's only true desert, houses Western movie sets where you can channel your inner cowboy.
Seville - Passion in Every Corner
Flight time from UK: Approximately 3 hours.
Adobe Free Stock / xamnex
If Spain's cities had a volume knob, Seville would be set to maximum.
Everything here happens with intensity - the heat, the oranges, the flamenco, the fiestas.
Seville's Cathedral, the world's largest Gothic example, houses Christopher Columbus's tomb.
The Real Alcázar palace complex showcases some of the finest Mudéjar architecture anywhere.
It also put in an appearance on a little TV show called Game of Thrones.
April's Feria de Abril sees locals dress in traditional attire for a week.
During this time, the city comes alive with dancing, drinking and socialising in temporary casetas, or pavilions.
Semana Santa, Holy Week, kicks off in April and sees processions draw large crowds. Elaborate floats depict biblical scenes as they make their slow, eventuful journeys through the streets.
Valencia - Tradition Meets Innovation
Flight time from UK: Approximately 2.5 hours.
Adobe Free Stock / rh2010
Valencia pulls off a challenging balancing act - honouring its past while embracing the future. The result is a city that feels both classical and cutting-edge.
The futuristic City of Arts and Sciences complex resembles spaceships that have landed among the orange groves.
By contrast, the old town's maze of streets leads to the Gothic Catedral de Valencia, which claims to house the Holy Grail.
March brings Las Fallas. Neighbourhood associations spend a year creating enormous satirical sculptures for the event.
They then display them for a few days before burning them all in a single night of controlled mayhem. It's as bonkers as it sounds.
Barcelona - The City That Has It All
Flight time from UK: Approximately 2 hours.
Adobe Free Stock / eskystudio
Yes, it's high up on Brits' list of the best city breaks in Spain. But Barcelona's popularity is entirely justified.
Gaudí's architectural masterpieces alone make the city a must-visit. Park Güell resembles a fairy tale in stone and tile.
Casa Batlló and Casa Milà showcase his unique apartment building designs.
And La Sagrada Família, still under construction after 140+ years, defies description.
Photos don't capture the impact of standing inside as coloured light pours through stained glass.
Beyond Gaudí, the Gothic Quarter's narrow streets reveal Roman ruins, medieval buildings and hidden plazas.
Yes, parts of the city suffer from overtourism, particularly in summer.
But venture beyond Las Ramblas into neighbourhoods like Gràcia, Poblenou or Sant Antoni and you'll find the real Barcelona that the locals know and love.
Stay Connected On Your Spanish Adventures
While Spanish cities offer plenty of free WiFi spots, nothing beats the convenience of having your own mobile data.
An eSIM for Spain offers the perfect solution. Instant connectivity without hunting for WiFi passwords or swapping physical SIM cards.
Check last-minute openings at that tapas bar everyone's talking about, or share your best pics on your social feeds.
Visit the Airalo store, choose the best eSIMs for Spain and get your adventures started.
