With so many flights every single day from the UK to Spain all year round, I really think traveling to Spain should be done all year round, not just in the summer holidays when people rush from the airport to the beach.
Since I’ve been lucky enough this year to have the time and funds to do a little travelling around my favourite country, I thought I’d let you know which my favourite cities are – Madrid and Barcelona, which are without a doubt great cities, have been excluded from my list because you’ll most likely have heard a lot about how great they are already.
Bilbao
Obviously I’m a little biased here because I’ve been lucky enough to live in Bilbao this year and everyone always thinks that their city is the best, but trust me, Bilbao really is the best. IF you can ignore the rain or if you get lucky and manage to come when the sun is actually out then you’ll understand why I love Bilbao. Bilbao has a little bit of everything – modern architecture, a unique culture and great food.
Top things to do in Bilbao:
Explore the old town – Casco Viejo in Spanish or Zazpikaleak in Basque (yeah I stick to the Spanish name too). Bilbao’s old town is full of beautiful buildings, winding streets and adorable cafes – perfect for an afternoon wander.
Explore the new part of town – This is where Bilbao’s most famous landmark lives, the Guggenheim museum, whilst I don’t recommend going in (not a huge modern art fan) it’s definitely worth exploring the new town for the contrast of new and old in Bilbao.
Eat pintxos and drink Txakoli – Pintxos are Basque small bits of food on bread, but they’re better than they sound and can be found in the majority of bars in Bilbao. I always like to wash my pintxos down with a glass of Txakoli (Basque white wine).
Malaga
You’ve probably all heard of Malaga as it’s where most people fly to to get to the Costa del Sol for their summer holidays, however as I’ve learnt this year, the city of Malaga deserves much much more than tourists quickly passing through on their way to the beach. Malaga is a seriously cool city with amazing historical sites, a great beach and a bustling port.
Top things to do in Malaga:
Walk along the port to the beach – grab a drink, watch the cruise ships come in and out definitely watch the sunset here – it’s stunning.
Go to the Alcazaba and Castillo de Gibralfaro – The Alcazaba is a beautiful moorish palace on a mountain in Malaga and the Castillo is another castle further up the mountain with stunning views of the sea and across the city. Looking out over the sea from the Castillo was by far my favourite part of the weekend, if I hadn’t had a flight to catch that evening I would have stayed all day long.
Have a drink on AC Malaga’s rooftop bar – This hotel is super fancy, but don’t worry anyone can use the rooftop bar which has amazing views across the port.
Seville
I have been waiting to visit Seville for years and it’s originally where I wanted to spend my year abroad. I only visited Seville very recently and it was everything I wanted it to be. Everything you see in Seville is beautiful and I mean everything, all the buildings are intricately decorated and every little winding street is picture worthy.
Top things to do in Seville:
Walk around the Alcazár – The Alcazár is a moorish royal palace with gardens big enough to get lost in – you might even see a peacock on your walk.
Visit La Plaza de España – every Spanish city has a Plaza de España but Seville’s is by far the best of the lot. I could have spent a whole day in here just admiring the tiles, everything in this square is gorgeous. If you fancy learning a little bit about Spain then you can walk around plaza and see the 17 regions of Spain, I of course have a picture with Vizcaya, Bilbao’s region.
Watch flamenco at La Carbonería – Seville is the home of flamenco, so of course when a friend recommended a free flamenco show, I knew I had to go. The shows at La Carboneríá are free, traditional and loads of fun.
Zaragoza
This is probably the city on my list people are least likely to visit and I do understand why, it has a tiny airport with few flights to the UK, but it’s only a short bus or train ride away from Bilbao, Barcelona and Madrid. In my opinion, the journey is totally worth it, Zaragoza is a very cool but typically Spanish city.
Top things to do in Zaragoza:
Climb the tower of the Cathedral – Zaragoza’s Cathedral is a beautiful cathedral inside and out but the best view of the Cathedral and the city is from one of the Cathedral towers. Don’t worry, you don’t actually have to climb, there’s a lift that takes you to the top where you cans see amazing views of the city and the Cathedral from above.
Wander around the Casco Antiguo and La Magdalena – These two neighbourhoods are what make Zaragoza so cool, the Casco Antiguo (old town) has adorable winding streets and traditional Spanish bars where as La Magdalena has tonnes of cool street art, vintage stores and vegan restaurants.
Sunbathe in Parque Grande José Antonio – This park is actually called ‘big park’ because it is enormous, which gives the city some much needed sunbathing and chill out space as Zaragoza is so far from the beach. My friend also likes running there but as I’m sure you’ll know, that’s really not my thing.
I hope you liked my recommendations and that you find yourself in one of these great Spanish cities really soon!
My top Spanish cities With so many flights every single day from the UK to Spain all year round, I really think traveling to Spain should be done all year round, not just in the summer holidays when people rush from the airport to the beach.
