Spain attractions

Note: The gardens are currently closed for renovations. Located on the slopes of Montjuïc Mountain, the Botanical Garden of Barcelona spans 35 acres (14 hectares) and is home to over 1,300 plant species from around the world. The garden comprises zones featuring plants native to specific countries or areas: Australia, California, South Africa, Chile, and the Mediterranean Basin. It’s the perfect destination to escape the bustle of central Barcelona, and to enjoy panoramic views of the city and sea.

With its spaceship-like ovoid shape, the Hemisfèric cinema is a standout building in Valencia’s futuristic City of Arts and Sciences. Visitors come here to admire the architecture of Santiago Calatrava and to watch immersive IMAX movies.

Part of the Penedès region, the town of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia is the capital of cava, a sparkling wine that’s Spain’s equivalent to French Champagne. The area is home to 80 official wineries specializing in the production and export of cava; the rolling vineyards that surround the cellars offer respite from the bustle of Barcelona. You can visit vineyards, tour production facilities, and taste some of Spain’s best cavas at their source.

Matadero Madrid reflects a changing city: this former slaughterhouse is now one of the Spanish capital's most important cultural spaces, serving as a laboratory for diverse artistic works. Visit to experience a thriving music, fashion, dance and cinema scene. If artists are creating it, you can find it at Matadero Madrid.

With a 19th-century recipe and countless fans, Estrella is among the top beers in Spain, and it’s made in this modern factory in the Barcelona suburb of El Prat de Llobregat—the original Estrella Damm Old Brewery is in the center of Barcelona. For travelers, visiting the Estrella Damm Factory is a chance to see the brewing process up close, on tours followed by a beer tasting.

Valencia’s Fallas festival is an annual pyrotechnic spectacle on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. If you can’t make it to the festival, there’s always the Museum of Las Fallas (Museo Fallero), where you can experience the festivities’ color, culture, and energy year-round.

The Barcelona Music Museum (Museu de la Música) boasts one of the world’s great collections of musical instruments, comprising more than 2,400 pieces that range from traditional to futuristic. In addition to browsing the museum’s holdings, visitors can attend workshops, concerts, and other events highlighting musical topics. Within an interactive gallery, guests of all ages can try their hand at playing a wide range of instruments.

The Gaudí Experience (Gaudí Experiència) explores the life and works of Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona’s favorite son, through interactive exhibits and an augmented reality experience. Highlights include touchscreens, unpublished models, and a 4D virtual reality film that takes you on an immersive journey through the Catalan architect’s most enduring masterpieces. You can also pose for a photo with a to-scale sculpture of the modernist master.

Visually arresting inside and out, the Barcelona Wax Museum brings historical, cultural, and even fictitious figures to life in a 19th-century neoclassical-style mansion just off La Rambla. Here, visitors take an up-close look at over 150 wax figures of important Catalan personalities and internationally recognizable stars, set across 28 themed rooms. Bosc de les Fades—a fairy-tale, forest–themed café attached to the museum—provides a novel venue to grab a drink afterwards.

One of the two royal monasteries in the heart of Madrid, the Royal Monastery of the Incarnation (Real Monasterio de la Encarnación has been a working convent for more than 400 years. Beyond its sacred objects and frescoes, the monastery holds a precious relic: a vessel of St. Pantaleon's blood, which is said to liquify on his feast day.

From ancient erotic art to Playboy pinups, fetishism to sex dolls, and Cleopatra to Marilyn Monroe—the Erotic Museum of Barcelona celebrates eroticism in all its diverse forms. The spicy exhibitions chronicle sex and sexuality throughout history up to the modern day, including plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor, fun facts and world records, and household-name artists.

At the entrance to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, a colorful floral puppy sits in perennial bloom. Designed by American artist Jeff Koons, this 43-foot-high (13-meter-high) sculpture—known simply asPuppy—features more than 70,000 live flowers. View it for free before heading inside to explore the permanent collection.

Art fans in the know flock to the exhibition hall at the Madrid headquarters of the Mapfre Foundation (Fundación Mapfre), housed in a 19th-century building designed by Agustín Ortiz de Villajos. Here you can see works by celebrated photographers, sculptors, and painters, primarily from the 19th century onwards.

The award-winning El Palacio Andaluz is Seville’s largest dedicated flamenco venue and an essential destination for dance and music lovers. This theater, built in a renovated warehouse, offers two nightly shows featuring a varied repertoire performed by a group of over a dozen singers, dancers, and musicians.

Descend 36 meters underground for a guided subterranean exploration at the Genova Caves (Cuevas de Genova). The caves, which are hidden under a restaurant, offer beautiful rock formations as well as pools of water, corridors, and columns and are enhanced with a variety of colorful lights in an audiovisual show.

Find a family-friendly place to play at this Costa Dorada water park. With its 16 pools and attractions, the PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park features lush, Caribbean-inspired pools and greenery. Visitors of all ages can explore the indoor-outdoor campus, with options that range from a laid-back lazy river to adventurous slides and waves.

Cadiz Cruise Port (Puerto de Cádiz) is a major gateway to historic Cádiz, a small, beautiful city on Spain’s southwestern coast, not far from the Strait of Gibraltar. The port is conveniently close to the city’s Old Town, and cruise passengers docking here can join a variety of tours around the city or excursions to more distant locales.

Set inside Madrid's Retiro Park (Parque del Retiro, Velázquez Palace is a lovely exhibition space that's part of the famous Reina Sofía Museum. It's known for its modern art exhibitions, spacious interior, and natural light. Visitors enjoy free museum entry, and can explore its well-lighted galleries to take a break from strolling the park.

Housed in the brick cisterns of an old city reservoir, the Valencia History Museum (Museu d'Història de València) preserves and showcases Valencian history, from Roman to modern times. Its collection includes archeological artifacts, artworks, documents, photos, and multimedia and interactive exhibits.

Consecrated in 1890, the Church of the Sacred Heart (Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón) is one of Bilbao’s most striking churches, and one of its newest, as well. Designed by architect José María de Basterra, this place of worship is instantly recognizable for its red-brick, neo-Gothic exterior and its rose window.

Tucked away down a tiny side street in the cramped alleyways of Málaga’s historic center, the Sacred Heart Church Málaga (Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón Málaga) welcomes visitors and locals alike. The neo-Gothic-style basilica has a captivating façade in biscuit-colored stone, topped with two spires and covered in tracery. It was built in 1920 by an order of Jesuit monks.

Las Palmas’ historic marketplace is an architectural landmark and one of the city’s main food markets. Built in 1891, it’s recognizable for its striking wrought iron arches and is packed with shops and stalls selling fresh produce, deli counters, restaurants, street food, and bakeries.

Music, dance, acrobatics, and lavish costumes combine in spectacular style at the Son Amar Dinner Show in Mallorca. Staged at the House of Son Amar, a beautiful 16th-century manor house near Palma, these ever-changing theatrical shows promise an unforgettable evening out. In summer, the 700-seat theater offers early-evening performances ideal for families and late-evening spectaculars for older audiences.

Part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range, the Prades Mountains (known locally as the Muntanyes de Prades) are a recognizable massif located just north of Tarragona in Catalonia. Known for its distinctive silhouette, the massif comprises several lofty peaks, attracting outdoor and fitness enthusiasts and ecotourists.

Built in 1498, the Tenerife Church of the Immaculate Conception is Tenerife’s oldest church and one of Santa Cruz’ most prominent landmarks. Legend dictates that the original church was erected under order of Alonso Fernandez de Lugo, commander of the Spanish conquerors, making it a key site in the founding of the city.

Atop a hill in Villena, dominating the Alicante horizon, the massive Atalaya Castle possesses a long history of resistance before becoming a royal possession. Built in the early 12th century during Spain’s Islamic period, the fortress commandeers the former frontier between Castile and Kingdom of Aragon, and is widely considered to be one of the region’s most important attractions.

Set amid the lush forests and rolling vineyards of the Catalonian countryside and located within easy commuting distance of Barcelona, the monastery of Sant Benet de Bages (Món Sant Benet) was once a major Benedictine monastery. Today, it’s one of the region’s most impressively preserved medieval landmarks. However, the painstakingly restored complex is much more than a historic site—it’s also a thriving cultural heritage center combining gastronomy, art, and leisure.

Look in almost any direction from Alcoy, a small city north of Alicante, and you’ll see the rugged hills of one of the region’s many surrounding nature parks. Landscape views aren’t the only things on offer in Alcoy, as the city has a fondness for grand bridges and modernist architecture, even within its 19th-century Old Quarter.

Situated in the converted stables of a 16th century palace, Casa de la Memoria offers visitors to Seville an intimate setting for acoustic flamenco performances. Watch as four or more different performers take to the stage each night—singers, dancers, and guitar players—to perform traditional Spanish music and dances.

Located in Madrid’s upscale Salamanca district, the Museum of Public Art (Museo Arte Público Madrid) is the city’s most unusual ode to art. This open-air collection of Spanish 20th-century abstract sculptures sits beneath a traffic flyover, providing a fitting urban setting for striking pieces by artists like Joan Miró and Eusebio Sempere.