I’ve lived in Spain for a total of about 2 years now, and I’ve gotten to see a ton of the country, from the gorgeous capital of Madrid to the amazing university town of Salamanca to the party-happy paradise of Ibiza. I’ve lived in Sevilla, with its old-world charm, and Barcelona, which is a cosmopolitan wonder. But the more I travel around Spain, the more I want to get to know every corner of it! 

Ronda-Andalucia-Spain-countryside

The beautiful Andalucian countryside. Ronda, Málaga

So in no particular order, here are the five places in Spain that are currently on my travel list:

5) Valencia

It’s just a couple of hours away from Barcelona, but I still haven’t managed to make it down the coast yet! Valencia is known as the City of Arts & Sciences, and I’d love to check out the cultural offerings it has. It’s also another region of Spain where they speak Catalan, so it’d be fascinating to find out more about their view of what Catalonia is.

Oh, and Valencia is also the birthplace of paella. Mm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it…

paella-delicious-Spanish-food

Photo credit: Benjie Ordoñez on Flickr

If my trip to Valencia can happen during their huge festival Las Fallas, then I’d be a very happy traveler!

4) Asturias

For some reason, I’ve really wanted to go to Asturias for a long time. Ok, that’s a lie –  I saw it on House Hunters International! It looks seriously beautiful, and I’ve never been to this part of Spain. Everyone has told me it’s amazing, so hopefully I’ll be able to go to Asturias soon. (If I’m lucky, this will be happening much sooner that I thought – fingers crossed!)

spain-asturias-covadonga

Photo credit: Maninas on Flickr – the Basílica in Covadonga

3) Galicia

Asturias’s next-door neighbor. It’s famous for the beautiful Santiago de Compostela – the last stop on El Camino de Santiago (the pilgrimage route across the north of Spain). Even though I’ not religious, I like visiting very important religious sites and getting the feeling of what it was that drew people to it. Anything that convinced people to walk hundreds of miles must be special!

santiago_de_compostela

Photo via elvelocipedo.com

2) Toledo

I’ve seen THE shot of Toledo and sighed in travel-lust – you know, the sunset setting over the castle and the cathedral, set against a backdrop of rolling hills. Sigh. Everyone has told me Toledo is a must-see in Spain…and my family had the nerve to go without me (thanks Mum! 🙂 ) Of course, now that they’ve all been without me, my inner child wants a trip too! My inner adult wants to go because it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Win-win!

Toledo_Skyline_Panorama,_Spain_-_Dec_2006

Photo credit: David Iliff. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0

1) País Vasco

Especially San Sebastián or Bilbao. Amazing food, modern architecture, beautiful countryside, and another ‘not really Spanish’ region of Spain = what’s not to love?

San Sebastian – ahh! Photo via LivingSpain

Some other close contenders were the Canary Islands (any of them!), Menorca, La Mancha, Tarragona, Pamplona, and Zaragoza. But right now, I’m pretty taken with the idea of the north of Spain.

Spain is such a fascinating place. Each region I’ve been to so far has truly been something completely different.  My dream is that someday somebody will pay me to travel around the whole country….but until then, I’m loving getting to know it slowly.

Does anyone have any suggestions for amazing places in Spain that I haven’t been to yet?

Besos!

-Jess