Spain

Über Spain

The mainland and the islands each play their own part. Barcelona and Madrid are the city breaks of Gaudí, the Prado and a nightlife that only starts after ten; Andalusia (Seville, Granada, Córdoba) keeps the Moorish Spain of the Alhambra and flamenco; and the coastal strips — Costa Brava, Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol — deliver the classic beach holiday of promenades, beach clubs and paella by the sea. The Balearics (Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca) are a short flight away and range from family-quiet to world-famous nightlife.

What makes Spain special is that the season never really ends. In winter you fly to the Canary Islands — Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura — where twenty degrees is simply beach weather, while the green, cool, food-obsessed north (the Basque Country, San Sebastián) is a different country altogether. Mallorca and the costas are at their best in spring and autumn, when the terraces are full but the beaches still have room to breathe.

☀ coast & Balearics May–October; Canary Islands all year round