Been to Barcelona? Now try Spain’s lesser-known cities

With Spain receiving record-breaking numbers of international visitors in the past two years — up to 94 million last year — it pays to hunt out its quiet corners. And there are plenty of areas where travellers have yet to claim a stake. While major Spanish cities like Barcelona, Madrid and Seville justifiably receive millions of visitors a year, the country is packed with dozens of disarmingly beautiful and fascinating smaller centres that can get overlooked. Many of these have equally exciting gastronomy scenes, thriving arts cultures and curious historical treasures worth exploring — and you’ll get to experience them with far fewer crowds.  

Swap Madrid for Salamanca

Best for: the food scene
If Madrid’s fabled cocktail of architecture, gastronomy and nightlife appeals, Salamanca in the neighbouring Castilla y León region makes a tempting alternative. Easily reached by train from Madrid in just 1.5 hours, this long-established university city reportedly has one of the highest ratios of tapas bars to people in Spain. It’s also home to one of the country’s most spectacular squares, the baroque Plaza Mayor, which is lined with bar-terrace tables and buzzing in the evening. Explore Salamanca’s 800-year-old university, with its elaborately carved facade, and the city’s two adjoined cathedrals. The oldest, Catedral Vieja, is mostly Romanesque, while the other is a later mix of gothic and renaissance style. Then dive into the world of Castilian dishes and wines, perhaps at Tapas 3.0 or Cuzco Bodega. grupotapas.com cuzcobodega.es

Swap Toledo for Cáceres

Best for: a UNESCO-listed old town
The capital of Spain until 1561, Toledo is a popular day-trip destination from Madrid. Cáceres, on the other hand, requires a little more effort to reach and receives far fewer visitors — but the reward is its Ciudad Monumental, a hauntingly beautiful walled old town that’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. A three-hour train journey from Madrid into the Extremadura region immerses you in this stone-built maze whose roots date back to the Romans. Today it’s best known for its noble gothic-renaissance buildings, but also retains lofty watchtowers and other relics from its time under medieval Islamic rule. This is a city with serious art credentials too: the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Helga de Alvear houses pieces by Francisco de Goya, Antoni Tàpies and Ai Weiwei. museohelgadealvear.com

Swap San Sebastián for Vitoria-Gasteiz

Best for: Basque bar crawls
Quieter yet equally as interesting as its extrovert sibling San Sebastián, just over an hour’s drive to the north, Vitoria-Gasteiz is the Basque Country’s often-overlooked capital. Though it’s off the coastal path, the city is home to superb food and architecture and receives far fewer tourists. The steep, narrow streets of Vitoria-Gasteiz’s medieval Old Town are lined with prize-winning pintxos bars that compete to create the most tantalising, innovative culinary creations. Elsewhere you’ll find gothic cathedrals and belle époque villas as well as grand, leafy boulevards and a clutch of museums. Vitoria-Gasteiz is also one of Spain’s most sustainable cities, with pedestrianised streets, eco-friendly hotels and restaurants and a ‘green ring’ of leafy spaces circling the city.

Swap Seville for Granada

Best for: Andalucian atmosphere
While Seville has risen to become one of Spain’s most popular city breaks, its little brother Granada remains mostly known for its UNESCO-designated Alhambra palace and fortress. But there’s far more to this intimate city, which echoes Seville’s Moorish monuments, fiery flamenco and terrific tapas scene, yet has its own lively twist. Stay a few days to roam the sloping Albaicín district, where locals and visitors gather on broad terraces to catch views across terracotta rooftops to the Alhambra, backed by the spectacular Sierra Nevada mountains. Just behind the Catedral de Granada, the Mercado de San Agustín has counters overflowing with fresh produce, such as jamón from Trevélez in the Alpujarras hills. In neighbouring Realejo, the historical Jewish quarter, people spill out of busy bars and restaurants like Candela, Taberna La Tana or Cisco y Tierra. tabernalatana.com

Swap Barcelona for Málaga

Best for: galleries & beach culture
Sunny Málaga has firmly put itself on Spain’s flourishing art map in the last decade or so — and not just as the birthplace of Picasso. The pedestrianised historic centre rewards gallery-hopping itineraries taking in highlights such as the Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga, crammed with Spanish art from the 19th and 20th centuries. Stroll over to the revamped Soho district to catch street art by both Malagueño and international artists, or wander through the lush Parque de Málaga to the local offshoot of the Paris-born Centre Pompidou. Nearby, Malagueta beach has great swimming off its silver-tinged sandy strand and a string of chiringuitos (beach restaurants) cooking espetos (fish skewers, traditionally made with sardines) on open-air grills. Throw in a flourishing tapas culture, a wave of stylish rooftop bars and Mercado de Atarazanas — one of southern Spain’s finest markets — for a genuine rival to crowded Barcelona. carmenthyssenmalaga.org centrepompidou-malaga.eu

Swap Córdoba for Almería

Best for: Moorish architecture
The entrancing Mezquita of Córdoba deservedly bags a top spot on any Andalucia itinerary, but there are other Moorish legacies worthy of travellers’ attentions. Now with a growing number of direct flights from the UK, coastal Almería has its own story to tell about this key chapter of Spain’s past. Often overlooked by international visitors, the city was a major Islamic-era port, as still shown by the grand, sand-hued Alcazaba (fortress) looming above its whitewashed homes. The building dates to the 11th century and has palm-filled gardens with trickling fountains and pools reminiscent of Granada’s Alhambra. Spend the rest of your time wandering through the medieval old town and squeezing into tapas bars for local specialities such asmigas (flour or breadcrumbs fried with garlic and perhaps anchovies or chorizo) or Alpujarras cheese. Also on Almería’s doorstep are the peaceful, sun-toasted beaches of the Parque Natural Cabo de Gata-Níjar.