Top cities to visit in Spain?

Hey Lily!

I'm a big fan of Salamanca. It's a nice size city but far less touristy than most. Great people, lots of great food, and a charming walk in every direction. Pretty quick trip from Madrid.

Cheers,

Mike

Definitely visit Barcelona  and Madrid. Barcelona is touristy but there is some fantastic architecture, restaurants and art to discover. It's very surreal and a fabulous place. Madrid has great art galleries, architecture, theatre and cuisine too.

There are so many cities in Spain to capture your attention. Valencia is my favourite as it has a new and old section as well as being by the beach. Valencia has the city of arts and sciences, futuristic looking buildings with a marine life park, science museum and opera. From here you can walk through the old river bed to the historic old town with a great cathedral, indoor market, etc to visit.

Further south Malagais the birthplace of Picasso, Granada has the impressive Alhambra, a world heritage site and absolutely stunning, Cordoba (Spain) has a cathedral and mosque, palace and many other historic buildings while Seville is home to flamenco.

It depends whether you want to visit Spain for its art, culture, food, architecture or sports really. You may need more than two weeks though!

Madrid is fantastic! I studied abroad there and fell in love, don't skip it! Also Toledo and Segovia as someone else mentioned, are always fond memories of mine. Neither are too touristy but both have so much to explore. The north is worth considering as well. San Sebastian is a gorgeous beach town (and tiny) and Bilbao has a culture all its own with the amazing Museo Guggenheim Bilbao if you're into museums and modern art. Bilbao also has great nightlife. 

I LOVE Seville. For me that would be the biggest must-see in Spain. Madrid is also beautiful with lots to see, some wonderful Art, parks, elegant squares, football and nightlife that starts at 1am after late late dinner. Barcelona is also a must-see. Often overlooked cities like Toledo, Granada, Ronda and Girona are stunning and well worth seeing. If you are thinking of visiting in July or August it can be blisteringly hot in the inland cities.

I have two suggestions. Firstly the cities surrounding Madrid, Segovia, Toledo, Ávila and Salamanca. The latter could be included in a visit to Extremadura and the cities of Caceres, Trujillo (Spain) and Merida (Spain). However the cities of the South are hard to beat and a good trip to Andalucia could include the traditional Seville, Cordoba (Spain), Granada triangle but include the lovely cities of Cadiz and Jerez de la Frontera (the sherry triangle including Sanlucar de Barrameda and el Puerto de Santa Maria).

Toledo is amazing and very historic...easy to get to by train from Madrid too.

From my experience Spain is far less touristy than places like Italy and France so you are already winning! Granada and Seville were very enjoyable, very different from each other and far less tourists than Barcelona. The Alhambra in Granada can get quite busy though, but worth it! I also found Alicante pretty tame, it's much smaller in population (around 300k) and it's lovely also. Valencia is busier but again, very enjoyable. 

With 14 days, I would start in Barcelona and spend 4 days there. Save money by taking the aerobus from the airport. I would do the Aborigins local food insiders walking tour (best in the city). See Gaudi (Sagrada Família, Catalonia La Pedrera), walk La Rambla to the sea (with a stop for some tasty stuff at Carrer de la Boqueria). Visit Barrio Gótico de Barcelona and the cathedral and possibly the Museu Picasso. Hang out in El Born for an afternoon great pastry shop there called bubó . 

 Next I would fly to Seville for 3 days. Visit Triana across the bridge to see how locals live. Visit Plaza de España, and the Alcazar and Cathedral. Great food in this city. 

Take a quick train ride and spend one night in Cordoba (Spain). Meander the back streets and see the bridge down by the river. Most importantly visit Cathedral-Mosque of Córdoba. 

Hop back on the train to Granada. Spend two nights at least in Granada. Spend one day seeing the Alhambra and a second day walking the lovely streets while you wander from tapas bar to tapas bar. Taking a flamenco show as gypsy flamenco is more beautiful and different than any I've ever seen.  

pop back on the train and finish out your last 4 days in Madrid. visit the Museo del Prado and other wonderful museums, Parque del Retiro, the for great food, and if you are not exhausted take a day trip by train to either Toledo or Segovia. 

Although you won't see everything, this is an overview of big city and small. You can always take another trip or substitute something out for beach cities. On a second trip you would also want to spend a night or two in the white villages. I would go back to Barcelona and visit Cadaqués and the Dalí Theatre-Museum and the lovely town of Sitges. just remember it should be warm but not impossible at the time of year that you are traveling. Pack light and just bring some layers in case it's cool or a little rainy on a couple of days. ......enjoy

Every region and city of Spain is different,
here my personal ranking: 

Madrid (Art, history and spectacles).
*Barcelona (Art, gastronomy, amusement, beaches).
*Seville (Folklore, art, tipismo Spanish).
*Cordoba (Spain) (Mosque).
*Granada (Palace of The Alhambra).
*Toledo (Art, history, el Greco).
*San Sebastian Gastronomy,
*Saragoça Catholic religion Basilica of Pilar and painting of Goya.
*Good beaches in: Cadiz, Marbella, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca and Costa Brava - la Maso. 

If you don't want touristy or crowded, skip Barcelona and Madrid.

For a big cities that are beautiful and full of culture, food, shopping, and nightlife, go to Valencia or Seville.

Inland, Toledo is absolutely beautiful and small enough to walk the entire old city and soak up the ambience. If you rent a car, go see the windmills of Quijote in Consuegra and Campo de Criptana.

If you go to Seville or want to spend more time in the southern region, go to  Granada and see the Alhambra - it's popular, but a must see.  Also, stop in old Cordoba (Spain) - it's a smaller city and very walkable, has delicious food, friendly people, and a rich history as special as Granada and Seville. Near Seville to the south is Jerez de la Frontera where  you can do sherry tasting from the original sherry makers like Tio Pepe.

If you head to Valencia, visit the small towns around it. See the Carthaginian ruin in Sagunto, take a boat ride in El Palmar, enjoy snorkling in Calpe, and see waterfalls in Camping Fonts de l'Algarnear Callosa d'en Sarriá.

Do you plan on renting a car?  There are so many places to explore that you just can't get to well by train, so if you really want to immerse yourself in a region and see a lot of things, I'd pick one or two regions (like Andalucía and Valencian Community) and then rent a car and explore all the amazing tiny towns around them.

If you can get down south Mojacar is as charming as it gets.

Small pueblo on a hilltop overlooking the Med.

Avoid Marbella.

First, in what month will you be visiting? And do you have a full 14 days?