20 Jun – 5 Sep
Nights in the Alcázar Gardens
Small evening concerts — early music, flamenco, jazz — held in the floodlit gardens of the Real Alcázar. The loveliest way to spend a warm Seville night.
Seville · Jardines del Real Alcázar
Spain runs three hours later than the rest of Europe and refuses to apologise. Lunch at three, dinner at ten, squares full of families at midnight — the schedule is the culture, and fighting it is the classic tourist mistake. Beyond the clock, Spain is really five or six countries wearing one flag: Catalonia and the Basque country barely resemble Andalusia, and each eats, speaks and parties differently. Barcelona is the front door for most people — sea, Gaudí and appetite in one walkable city.
What things cost: Spain is mid-range for western Europe and great value once you eat and drink like a local — the menú del día lunch and the vermut hour are the two best deals on the continent. Barcelona and San Sebastián price higher than the rest. When a zone below says 'low', that means low for Spain.
The cities
Barcelona
Seaside city — Gaudí, beaches, appetite15 must-dos · 5 areas to stay
Madrid
Capital — art, tapas, very late nights15 must-dos · 5 areas to stay
Málaga
Andalusia's sunny coastal capital — Picasso, tapas and a city beach15 must-dos · 5 areas to stay
Seville
Andalucía — Moorish palaces, flamenco, orange trees15 must-dos · 5 areas to stay
Valencia
Spain's sunny third city — paella, futuristic architecture and a city beach15 must-dos · 5 areas to stay
What’s on in Spain
Sometimes the event picks the city for you.
1 Jul – 31 Aug
Veranos de la Villa
The city's summer programme — open-air concerts, film and theatre in courtyards and parks, timed for the evenings when Madrid finally cools down.
Madrid · Venues across the city
Aug15–21
Festa Major de Gràcia
Gràcia's streets compete to out-decorate each other — entire lanes transformed into coral reefs and space stations — with concerts and long tables under the handmade sky.
Barcelona · Gràcia
Sep23–27
La Mercè
The city's enormous free festival — human towers in Plaça Sant Jaume, fire-running devils, giants parading, concerts on every square. Barcelona at maximum Catalan.
Barcelona · Citywide
Jan5
Cabalgata de Reyes
The Three Kings parade on the eve of Epiphany — floats, sweets thrown into the crowd, and the night Spanish children actually get their presents. Bigger here than Christmas Day.
Madrid · Paseo de la Castellana to Plaza de Cibeles
Mar12–21
Málaga Film Festival
The most important showcase of Spanish cinema — ten days of premieres, red carpets and stars along Calle Larios, with public screenings across the city. A stylish, buzzy time to visit, when the old town turns into a film set and the biopics of Spanish film descend on the city.
Málaga · Cervantes Theatre & citywide