The Best Spanish City Breaks For 2018

It’s no wonder Spain is such a wildly popular holiday destination. The country might be most famous for its blue skies and beaches, but flamenco, food and famous festivals are a huge draw, too. Spanish cities are famously full of culture and excitement. If you’re planning your next holiday in the Spanish sun for 2018, follow our tips on the hottest city break destinations in the country.

Malaga

There’s plenty to see and do here in between topping up your tan on the beach. Not just another town on the Costa Del Sol, Malaga is home to a vibrant arts scene and fantastic museums and galleries. Explore the tangle of cobblestone streets in the Old Town with its many boutique shops, tapas bars and restaurants among the stunning churches and other landmarks. Malaga is easy to reach, with plenty of direct flights from around Europe all year round.

Valencia

Seville

Sun-scorched Seville in southern Spain is the capital of Andalusia and home of flamenco. The whitewashed houses and blue skies create the perfect postcard image of Spain. The city boasts stunning Moorish architecture, rich culture, and plenty to do and see over a weekend. It’s best seen outside of the summer months when Seville, appropriately known as ‘the frying pan of Europe’, sizzles in temperatures of up to 50c. However, sun-worshippers will find this is one of very few parts of Spain that is actually cheaper to visit during the height of summer.

Granada

Famous for its food and Moorish history and architecture, Granada (meaning pomegranate in Spanish) was once an Islamic stronghold. It’s famously home to the grand Alhambra Palace, Spain’s most popular tourist attraction, and the lush Generalife Gardens. Enjoy tapas in the Old Town before watching the city’s stunning sunset, or get out and explore the nearby Sierra Nevada mountain range, home to the southernmost ski resort in Europe.

Salamanca

This stunningly beautiful university town in north-central Spain, close to the border with Portugal, is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. Salamanca is famous for the winding cobbled streets, medieval buildings and literary cafes within its Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the famous university where you can soak up the history and do a bit of frog-spotting. At sunset the city’s sandstone buildings glow a stunning golden colour, which gives the city its the title ‘the Golden City’. This view is best enjoyed from Plaza Mayor, one of Spain’s most elegant squares. Salamanca is not a big place and makes an ideal stop for a couple of days, easily reached by train from Valladolid or Madrid.

Bilbao

Once an industrial port town, Bilbao’s remarkable transformation into a modern, attractive city has also made it a huge draw for visitors from around the world. And you’ll quickly understand why when you visit. This stunning Basque city on Spain’s north coast is famously packed with world-class museums, including the Guggenheim contemporary art museum. In the evening, enjoy a romantic walk around the pretty Old Town and sample the famous seafood and pintxos (the Basque-country version of tapas).

Santiago de Compostela

The beautiful Galician capital, with its cobbled streets and gothic architecture, is the final stop for pilgrims on the famous Camino de Santiago route through Spain. But you don’t have to walk hundreds of miles on an ancient Christian pilgrimage to visit this UNESCO World Heritage-listed city, as luckily it also has an international airport. Explore the maze of medieval streets around the Cathedral and stop at a couple of the city’s legendary tapas bars to enjoy some of the local delicacies in one of Europe’s most impressive old towns.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.