Beyond Madrid: Spanish Cities Worth Exploring

Valencia: the city that quietly outgrew expectations

Valencia has done something rare. It has become genuinely popular without becoming overwhelmed. The old Turia riverbed is now a 9-kilometre park that loops through the city. The City of Arts and Sciences gives the southern end a Calatrava-built futurism. The Mercado Central is a working market, not a tourist set piece. And the Ruzafa neighbourhood does the best modern Spanish food at prices Barcelona forgot about a decade ago.

Eat paella at lunchtime, never at dinner, and try to do it once at a restaurant overlooking the Albufera lagoon where the dish was born.

Granada: the trick is going slow

Granada is on every Spain itinerary because of the Alhambra, and most travellers see only the Alhambra. The mistake is leaving the same day. Granada's old quarters, the Albaicín and Sacromonte, are where the city's actual character lives. The free tapas culture is intact: order a drink, get a small plate, repeat for a complete dinner.

Book the Alhambra at least two months in advance. Go for sunset from the Mirador San Nicolás the night before, not the same day. You'll see the palace from outside in better light than from inside.

San Sebastián: small city, world-class food

San Sebastián is small enough to walk across in 30 minutes and serious enough to hold more Michelin stars per capita than almost any city in Europe. But the everyday version is what matters: a pintxos crawl through the Parte Vieja, a long swim at La Concha, a hike up Monte Urgull at dusk.

The trick with pintxos is to move. Two bites and a small glass per bar, then walk to the next one. Locals don't sit.

Seville: hot, beautiful, worth the timing

Seville is everything you want from southern Spain, with the caveat that July and August are punishing. Visit in April for the Feria, in November for the orange harvest, or in February when the city is empty and the cafes have heaters out.

Stay in Santa Cruz for the postcard, in Triana for the neighbourhood. The Alcázar is more interesting than the cathedral, in our view.

Smaller cities to add

Cádiz is the oldest city in western Europe, walkable end to end in an afternoon, and has the best urban beach in Spain. Ronda is dramatic but small enough for a day trip from Málaga. Mérida has Roman ruins that rival anything in Italy and almost no queue. Salamanca is sandstone-gold at sunset and full of students year-round.