Travel beyond the popular hotspots to these least-visited regions.
Been to Barcelona? Ticked off culture in Madrid? Eaten your way around San Sebasti谩n? It鈥檚 time to explore another side of Spain in the following five regions. Whether it鈥檚 hiking high in the 础谤补驳贸苍 mountains, taking a culinary tour of Extremadura, or soaking up the sun in Navarra, prepare to discover places the locals like to keep a secret.
Savour paella and culture in elegant Val猫ncia
A vibrant regional capital with Mediterranean beaches, Modernista architecture, cool boutique hotels, and flavoursome local dishes 鈥 we鈥檙e not talking about Barcelona, but its southern neighbour, Val猫ncia. The east-coast entrep么t sees Barcelona鈥檚 Gaud铆-designed Park G眉ell and raises it Santiago Calatrava鈥檚 futuristic City of Arts and Sciences complex, which fills the drained Turia riverbed with gleaming museums, cultural centres, and Europe鈥檚 largest aquarium.
On the culinary front, Val猫ncia is the birthplace of paella, traditionally simmered over an aromatic fire of orange tree branches and pinecones. Val猫ncians prefer the slow-cooked rice dish with chicken and rabbit to seafood and chorizo. Try it at Restaurante Levante, overlooking the Turia Garden in the dry riverbed, or at La Barraca de Toni Montoliu in the Huerta greenbelt. You can immerse yourself in Spanish Art Nouveau, too, by eating at Col贸n Market or checking into Palacio Santa Clara, Autograph Collection, which occupies an elegant mansion near shopping thoroughfare Carrer de Col贸n.
Explore Navarra鈥檚 forests and plains
The diverse region between the Basque Country and 础谤补驳贸苍 offers Spain in miniature, with landscapes to satisfy romantic daydreams of both Don Quixote badlands and the verdant northwest. North of Pamplona, Navarra鈥檚 well-watered and luxuriantly green hills and mountains are covered in dense beech forests that, come October, turn a fiery red and orange. On the other side of the province are semidesert canyons, pilgrim trails, and dry hills lined with vineyards.
In the Irati region鈥檚 rolling beech forest, one of the largest in Europe, you can enjoy gentle walking trails before spending a romantic night in an Irati Barnean boutique wooden 鈥榠gloo鈥 or nestling among the branches in a treehouse at Agroturismo Mari Cruz. Head to southern Navarra and you鈥檒l come to the edge of the surreal Bardenas Reales badlands, where you can taste local garnacha (grenache) wines and olive oil at Bodegas Caudal铆a in Baja Monta帽a
Climb high amid the peaks of 础谤补驳贸苍
A northern alternative to Andaluc铆a鈥檚 Sierra Nevada massif, the mountainous region between Catalonia鈥檚 Costa Brava and Madrid shows off the Spanish side of the Pyrenees. This staggering chain of soaring mountains, dotted with alpine meadows and prim valleys that support an ancient shepherding lifestyle, have their finest moments in 础谤补驳贸苍, running like a glacial wall along the border with France鈥檚 Parc National des Pyr茅n茅es.
The Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, protects a series of canyons that lead off the southern flanks of Monte Perdido (3,355m). In and around the park are world-class hiking, via ferrata, rock climbing, mountain biking, and kayaking opportunities that鈥檒l take you to new heights. And from the airstrip in nearby Santa Cilia, you can climb even higher, taking in vulture-eye views of the mountains on a Fly-Pyr accompanied glider flight. Back on terra firma, return to the high peaks for a cosy night snuggled up in a TENAPARK 鈥榠gloo鈥 in the Tena Valley.
Feast on tapas and history in Castilla y Le贸n
The Camino de Santiago is a Spanish icon, but it鈥檚 not the country鈥檚 only pilgrims鈥 path 鈥 the Camino Teresiano leads from 脕vila, the birthplace of 16th-century Carmelite mystic Saint Teresa of Jesus, to her tomb in Alba de Tormes. The route is one of Castilla y Le贸n鈥檚 unsung attractions, alongside the medieval towns, lively university cities, world-famous wineries, and Michelin-starred gastronomy of this Spanish heartland.
Segovia is a popular train trip from Madrid for its 167-arch Roman aqueduct, Disneyesque Alc谩zar castle, and the last Gothic cathedral built in Spain. The honey-coloured university city Salamanca鈥檚 plateresque architecture measures up to the Alhambra and Seville鈥檚 Barrio de Santa Cruz. As golden hour descends on the main square, order a round of tapas 鈥 also recommended in the Barrio H煤medo old quarter of Le贸n, an enchanting Camino de Santiago staging post, and Valladolid, another historical charmer. Ribera del Duero is the most-known Spanish wine region after Rioja for its tempranillo reds, and Vega Sicilia is one of the world鈥檚 most exclusive wineries.