20 Unique Places To Visit in Spain

Spain is a traveler’s paradise. It is a country with an ancient history, with many well-preserved medieval quarters and squares. The magnificent architecture of Antoni Gaudi and kilometers of luxurious beaches of the Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean. Spain is rich in natural attractions. The Sierra de Tramontana and Garajonay Park are protected by UNESCO. There are a total of 48 sites (2022) on the country’s World Heritage List.

In fact, there are so many magical places in Spain that it’s hard to choose them. We have tried to choose for you 20 Unique Places To Visit in Spain and tell you about them to make it easier for you to plan your new trip to our fabulous Kingdom.

 

The Temple of the Holy Family

This is the most famous construction of the great Antonio Gaudi. It is also known as the Sagrada Familia. It is notable for the fact that the construction of the temple, which began in 1882, has not yet been completed. The grandiose building is the symbol of all of Barcelona and Catalonia. The majestic and imposing building began to be built in the Gothic style, but Gaudi added an original Art Nouveau style to its appearance, adding lightness and tracery to the temple.

 

Casa Batlló and Casa Milà

Casa Mila is an architectural monument and residential building that is a UNESCO heritage site. The house has an extravagantly shaped facade designed by Antoni Gaudi. Part of the facade are wrought iron lattices of the balconies of unusual shape. Nowadays the building houses a museum of Gaudi’s works. An unusual facade is interesting for another Gaudi’s creation – Casa Batlló. The facade is called “dancing” because of the curved lines in its design

 

Gothic quarter (Barcelona)

In the maze of narrow streets of the quarter there are many old buildings from the Middle Ages and the Roman Empire. It’s easy to get lost or stumped in the chaotic layout of the neighborhood, but that doesn’t deter visitors from all over the world who come to appreciate the beauty of its historic architecture. In this incredibly beautiful place Gothic harmoniously combines with Renaissance and neoclassic.

 

Plaza de España (Seville)

The semicircular square is located in Seville by the Parque Maria Luisa and is one of the brightest in Europe. It is separated by a channel, over which graceful bridges are thrown. The square is surrounded by an architectural ensemble of buildings in the Neo-Moorish style. Decorating the center of the square is a large fountain. The pavilion on the edge of the square is often used for interesting exhibitions, and you can still feel the Art Deco feeling in the design.

 

Park Guell (Barcelona)

This park is located in the outskirts of Barcelona. The creation of the park began in 1901. The project of the park was engaged and Antoni Gaudi. The most famous attraction of the park is a huge winding bench made out of shards of ceramics, broken glass, and other motley construction debris. Other intricate compositions adorn the park, such as the fairy tale houses at the park entrance, the mosaic Salamander and the “Hall of 100 Columns.”

 

Rambla (Barcelona)

A little more than a kilometer long pedestrian street. Has a very special and soulful atmosphere of the real Spain. Colorful Pla del Hoz square with Joan Miró mosaic on the sidewalk, Boquería market, Canaletes fountain with drinking water, churches, palaces and monuments – street is full of many sights. For the Olympic Games in 1992 a modern Boulevard de la Marine was added to the street.

 

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National Museum of the Prado (Madrid)

Opened in 1819 in Madrid. It is located in a building of magnificent architecture in the style of classicism. The museum has one of the best collections of paintings in Europe. There are about 7,000 paintings in the funds. There are paintings by artists from different countries – Flemish, English, German, and Spanish. Several exhibitions are devoted to other types of art – about 1000 sculptures and almost 5000 engravings. There are halls with arts and crafts and jewelry.

 

Royal Palace (Madrid)

Despite the fact that the palace is officially the residence of the kings of Spain, it is open to tourists. You can see 50 rooms out of 2,000. Visitors will not leave indifferent the interior of the halls and rooms. In their finishing used marble, mahogany, moldings. Some frescoes are painted by Caravaggio and Rubens. Unique collections range from weapons and armor to Stradivarius instruments.

 

City of Arts and Sciences (Valencia).

An architectural complex of five buildings of different purposes in Valencia. Modern buildings include a movie theater, planetarium, theater, conservatory, science museum, concert hall and an open-air oceanographic park. Completes the composition of the grand suspension bridge. Its length is 180 meters, and the height of the mast – 125 meters. On the territory around the complex laid out a beautiful park with streams and swimming pools.

 

Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

Museum of modern art in Bilbao. It hosts exhibitions of both local and foreign artists. The main theme of the works is avant-garde. There are more installations and electronic works in the museum than traditional paintings and sculptures. There are works by Gerhard Richter and Andy Warhol. The futuristic building of the museum on the bank of the river Nervion evokes many associations of visitors with its abstract shape – a spaceship, an airplane or a rosebud.

 

Queen Sofia Art Center (Madrid)

A museum that houses contemporary art paintings and about 40,000 books. Most of the collections of paintings are works by Spanish surrealists and avant-gardists from the twentieth century to the present. The pearl of the art center is the painting “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso. One of the center’s activities is research. There are lectures on art history for students.

 

Palau de la Música Catalana (Barcelona)

An Art Nouveau concert hall. A peculiarity of its architecture is natural light in the hall. The glass ceiling made of multicolored mosaic looks like a dome. A combination of blue and gold colors prevails, which resembles the real sky with the sun. The facade is decorated with frescoes. Inside the hall there are many sculptures – the Valkyries from Wagner’s opera and the Greek Muses. World-class performances take place in the palace.

 

Alcázar of Seville

Built on the ruins of the Arab fortress. Construction of the palace began in the 14th century. This is one of the few well-preserved palaces in the Mudejar style. For a long time the palace was a residence of the Spanish kings. The elegance and luxury of the interior design can be best appreciated in the Embassy Hall of the palace and in the room of Charles V. Stucco and decorative compositions are presented in the Maiden’s Patio.

 

Alcázar in Segovia

One of the most popular places in Spain. Located on a high rock at the confluence of small rivers. It was built in the 9th century as a fortress, later rebuilt into a palace. Now there is a museum in the palace. It reconstructs the old interiors and exhibits collections of weapons, furniture and portraits of kings. Especially popular among tourists are the throne room, hall of stone and hall with Venetian stained glass.

 

Alhambra (Granada).

Grandiose architectural ensemble in Granada, the main buildings were erected in XII-XV during the reign of the Muslim dynasty. Behind fortress walls there are mosques, baths, dwellings. The beautiful gardens are in harmony with the buildings of Islamic architecture. Among the cypress and orange trees there are several small ponds and fountains. The trickling water creates a special mood.

 

Toledo’s Alcázar

The first defensive structures on this site were built by the ancient Romans. The fortress changed hands several times until Pedro I in 1486 when he decided to rebuild the castle and Charles V succeeded in converting it into a palace. The historic monument is loved by tourists. Walks along the thick walls of the fortress are allowed. The walls of the alcazar house the Military Museum and a large library.

 

Burgos Cathedral

Cathedral of Catalonia. Built in the Gothic style. The ornate rosette above the main entrance, towers pointing skyward, and columns give it a Catalan graceful motif. It was founded in 1221, but for 200 years the construction of the cathedral was not finished. It was finished only in 1567. It is a monument of architecture and is included in the list of UNESCO heritage. In the inner courtyard of the cathedral there is a lush garden.

 

Seville Cathedral

One of the largest cathedrals in Europe in Gothic style. It is 116 meters long and 76 meters wide. Its construction was completed in the 16th century. It is believed that Christopher Columbus is buried in it, and the cathedral’s cross is cast from the gold that the navigator brought from America. Among the many treasures of the cathedral are paintings by great painters – Goya, Velazquez, Murillo. The cathedral is also famous for its organ concerts.

 

Mesquita (Cordoba).

In the past it was a mosque – the most magnificent in the city. Thousands of tourists travel to Cordoba to see the architectural masterpiece with their own eyes. Giant double arches inside the building, connected by hundreds of columns. Marble, onyx, granite, and jasper were used to make the columns. The blue dome is decorated with golden star-shaped tiles. The prayer hall consists of five zones, each with its own architectural features.

 

Escorial Monastery

Built in the 16th century by King Philip II. The construction lasted more than 20 years. The result is an architectural complex in Renaissance style consisting of churches, a palace and cozy inner courtyards. There are museums in the monastery that tell the history of the Escorial and keep a collection of works of artists of the XV-XVII centuries. Members of the Spanish royal family are buried in the pantheon of the church.