Top 8 Must-Visit Places in Spain: Ronda, Granada, Toledo & Hidden Gems
Welcome to my list of 8 most interesting places in Spain that are worth visiting. If you are planning to visit this beautiful country and you don't have too much time for that, see my best travel attractions: Ronda, Morella, Granada, Cordoba, Frías, Toledo, Santiago de Compostela and Camino de Santiago.
Spain is a huge country with a lot of interesting places you could visit. You won't have all of that places on this list, but one of my favorites. I tried to avoid huge cities like Barcelona or Madrid, as these are known to everybody and I focused on the places that I enjoyed the most.
Ronda
Ronda is a beautiful city set on an Andalusian mountain plateau. It's not a huge town and you can walk it through for about 30 minutes, but it is also one of the oldest cities in Spain. The city has a classic Spain architecture, with a lot of white buildings surrounded by mountains, olive groves, and orange trees.
When I came to this city there was something magical in it. Wandering through the narrow streets made me feel like in an old Romans and Moors city, where you can feel the history everywhere. The city was built on the top of a cliff, so there are beautiful views of Andalusia everywhere. During the day, Ronda can be crowded as it's the tourist famous one-day trip, but when the sun came down and tourists go back to their cities, Ronda is starting to become a magical place, so I recommend to stay here for one night.
Morella
The first thing you will see after approaching Morella city will be probably very impressive and spectacular ancient stone with an old huge castle that climbs up above the Spain-styled white houses. The city is just filled with culture and history. It's also very traditional. You will probably need an almost whole day to visit Morella, and if you will able to choose that day, better pick Sunday, as it's the market day.
While wandering through Morella and it's stone streets you will see that there are a lot of traders everywhere and awesome shops and stalls. While being here, it's worth to see a very old Roman aqueduct.
Granada
Granada is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain and my favorite big city. It is a wonderful town that can be found in the south of Spain, above which dominates the Alhambra, the most famous fortress of Islamic culture in Europe. There are so many things to see here: the Alcazaba fortress, Nasrid palaces, Palace of Charles V, Generalife palace and surrounding gardens... And it's only the Alhambra.
Except for Alhambra, there are a lot of great places in Granada. You should visit city center and the old town with the great cathedral. There is also a great district of the city called Albaicin, the white city. These are also a few city attractions, and if you want to know more of them, you should visit my article about my trip to Granada in Spain.
Cordoba
Cordoba is an awesome city filled with a mixed West and East culture, offering both Islamic and European culture. It's filled with typical Spanish white houses and alleys with a lot of colorful flowers, with a lot of Islamic and Moorish gems between them. While wandering the city take a deep look at the houses and many of them have beautiful patios and there are many monuments everywhere.
The city of Cordoba was built by the Romans, but it's most glorious days was during the time when it was a capital of El Andalus. That's when the Great Mosque, called also Mezquita, was built (a must-see). It was once a Catholic church but was turned into a mosque in 784. It's a mix of Roman, Islamic and Gothic architecture.
The hidden gem of the city is the house called Casa Andalusi. It was built in the 12th century and you can really feel here like a time traveler. The house is decorated in Moorish and medieval Andalusian style and you can explore every room hearing the Harem music in the background. A must see travel attraction.
It's still not the end of the most interesting places in Spain that are worth visiting. Well, even that whole list will not be the end. Spain is a beautiful place with a lot of great tourist attractions and awesome spots. So keep reading, next stop: Frías.
Frías
The city of Frías is placed between the coast and the Bay of Biscay Plateau and was created in the 9th century during the time when king Alfonso VIII repopulated the valley to reinforce the border between Navarre and Castile. The whole town still represents the medieval atmosphere and it's very beautiful.
You can find here the castle of the Duke of Frias with well-kept medieval windows and Romanesque capitals, placed on the end of the main hill. It's also worth to visit the magnificent church of San Vicente. If you are a photographer or a beauty-lover, you should also go and see the great medieval bridge with a defense tower, dating to the 14th century, crossing the Ebro river.
Toledo
Until you’ve seen Toledo, you have not seen Spain - a famous Spanish saying.
The city of Toledo is a small town placed in the center of Spain, 70 kilometers south from the Madrid. Toledo is located on the coast of the Tagus river, which runs all the way through the city, what makes the town's landscapes very awesome and great for photography.
There are many great interesting places in Spain, but here in Toledo one of my favorites is definitely the Primada cathedral and the great castle on the hill that cannot be missed as it's visible from far away. This town has a great atmosphere of a medieval city and I suggest you stay here at least two days to visit all the best tourist attractions here.
Camino de Santiago
Did you watch The Way movie? If yes, you probably know what Camino de Santiago (English: The Way of Saint James) already is. If not, I recommend you to watch it (more here: travel inspiring movies), but let me first give you some information.
Camino de Santiago is a five hundred miles pilgrimage across Spain and it leads to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain. A lot of people walks this route as a form of a spiritual path, but it's also popular cycling and hiking trail. It's not an easy way and it takes about 30 - 35 days to go through the whole Camino de Santiago.
Santiago de Compostela
The Santiago de Compostela is the last stop in Camino de Santiago trail and here you can find the famous cathedral and the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great. It's also a wonderful city with a lot of interesting places and tourist attractions.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this 8 most interesting places in Spain that are worth visiting. The country is huge and there are a lot of great spots and tourist attractions, so, unfortunately, it's impossible to write about all of it. I chose here the best ones that I like the most. Do you have your own types? If yes, feel free to write me about it in the comments section below.
