If there is one virtue that characterizes Spain, it is the variety and contrast of its settings. We can ski in the Pyrenees and sunbathe on an island with a subtropical climate and then lose ourselves in the cosmopolitan streets of Madrid or look out over the colorful patios of Andalusia. A singularity confirmed by the most beautiful cities in Spain that we bring you next.
Cordova
This author's favorite city still preserves part of a Romanesque, Jewish, Muslim and Christian legacy that has permeated the streets, buildings and bridges of this Andalusian wonder. The Historic Center of Córdoba, designated a World Heritage Site, revolves around its imposing mosque, an example of Mudejar architecture despite constant attempts by the Church to bring it closer to Catholic terrain. The best starting point before a typical photograph in the Roman bridge, a good typical salmorejo in one of its bars or a visit to the famous Cordovan patios that make up a festival that each May displays a cloak of aroma and color throughout the city. If you also have some time to spare, you can always come to the palatine city of Medina Azahara, the last Unesco heritage in Spanish territory.
Sevilla
When you walk through the streets of Seville you realize the greatness to which one of the most glorious cities in Spain. Its old town, the largest in Europe next to Venice and Genoa, is a sample of its centennial splendor made up of numerous buildings: La Giralda, the iconic Torre del Oro overlooking the Guadalquivir or an exuberant Alcázar used as a setting in Game of Thrones, they contrast with that more experimental Seville in the form of a futuristic viewpoint (Las Setas) or the art that is breathed in folkloric neighborhood of Triana. Without a doubt, the best city to inspire that Andalusian elf who jumps from horse to horse through the streets of Seville.
Barcelona
Few cities exude the charm of Barcelona. The most international city in Spain not only part of an urban fabric perfectly drawn and influenced by Haussman's Paris, but it also gives the eyes a work by Antonio Gaudí that is distributed by the most unsuspected corners of Barcelona, from a Sagrada Familia that never breathes or a Park Güell that promises a labyrinth of symbolism and unique color. Caressed by the sea, Barcelona is nourished by a unique nightlife and cultural scene through neighborhoods such as the bohemian Gràcia or the cosmopolitan Born district to end between party and breeze on beaches such as Barceloneta or, my favorite, the Mar Bella, at the end of the no less recommended neighborhood of Poble Nou.
Toledo
Known as "The city of the three cultures" For having brought together the Christian, Jewish and Muslim populations for several years, ancient Toledo spreads out on a hill overlooking the Tagus River where its network of narrow streets and references to the history of Castile make the city of La Mancha a delight for the senses. . Zocodover square marks the beginning of a route between pieces of history, an imposing cathedral of Toledo, synagogues, balconies of another time or knife shops that contrast with the recent gastronomic fever that has been unleashed in the city among dishes such as carcamusas, migas or cochifritos.
Salamanca
Cradle of culture and history, Salamanca boasts the oldest university in the West as proof of a single character that is displayed in the form of two cathedrals - the Old and the New -, the Convent of San Esteban or the Church of Santiago. Icons that make up a Historic Center designated a World Heritage Site which is followed by its status as a European City of Culture or a Holy Week considered as National Tourist Interest. Because it is here, in Salamanca, where the history of the lovers of La Celestina is breathed in its orchards and names such as Cristóbal Colón or Antonio de Nebrija resurface among this unique city.
San Sebastián
Also known as «Donostia», which is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain continues to attract tourists and onlookers who come to this old spa paradise that in the mid-nineteenth century succumbed to a French and bourgeois appearance through its architecture. The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd or the Town Hall are two good examples of a neo-gothic style that extends through its Old Town to caress the greatest attraction of San Sebastián: La Concha beach, a coastal Eden bordered by mountains such as El Urgull or El Igueldo.
Madrid
All of Spain is in Madrid, that capital full of contrasts where we can all feel like adopted children and their influences intermingle with a unique cosmopolitan microcosm. From iconic places like that Gran Vía that marks the route through iconic museums such as the Reina Sofía or El Prado, going through the ethnicity of Lavapiés, the atmosphere of La Latina, the splendor of its markets or the underworld enclosed in El Retiro, Madrid does not breathe a sigh when it comes to discovering all its corners. If you also have time to spare, you can always visit Aranjuez and its sumptuous palace and gardens or getting lost in the forests of a Sierra de Madrid that is confirmed as a diamond in the rough of landscaping.
Santiago de Compostela
Along with Jerusalem and Rome, Santiago de Compostela forms one of the largest pilgrimage centers in the world, radiating a charm and solemnity like few other places. Considered as one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, in Galicia, encloses in its old town designated a World Heritage Site a Cathedral of Santiago where the tomb of the famous apostle attracts thousands of people who, from different places, start year after year the famous the Camino de Santiago.
From the folklore of Seville to the elegance of San Sebastián, Spain confirms its potential as a mecca of contrasts, history and unique culture.
What are, in your opinion, the most beautiful cities in Spain?