Spanish coast and islands off the beaten path.
Less-touristed coastal towns and islands in Spain, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Marbella
This Mediterranean city on Spain's Costa del Sol with a dense café and restaurant scene, a photogenic old quarter, and a seafront backed by the Sierra Blanca…
Llastres
Modest fishing village on the Asturian coast of northern Spain, Llastres sits directly on the water with scenic viewpoints in the surrounding area and a café…
Pasaia
A working port town on the Bay of Pasaia in Spain's Basque Country, spread across four distinct districts around a natural harbour where the Oyarzun river me…
Oviedo City
Oviedo, the capital of Asturias in northern Spain, has a dense café and restaurant scene in its historic centre, which holds a concentration of old churches…
Plentzia
A small Basque resort town on the Bay of Plentzia, a short metro ride from Bilbao, with a sheltered beach on the River Butrón estuary, a café and pintxos bar…
Blanes
A beach town on the Costa Brava marking the southern gateway to that stretch of Catalan coastline, Blanes sits where mountains meet the Mediterranean, with c…
Llanes
Little coastal town on Asturias's eastern Costa Verde, Llanes sits between the Cantabrian Sea and the limestone ridge of the Sierra del Cuera, with the Picos…
Capileira
High in the Sierra Nevada, Capileira is the uppermost village in the Poqueira Gorge and the highest point public traffic can reach on the road toward Mulhacé…
Vilafamés
This small village in Castellón's Plana Alta comarca, Vilafamés has been listed among Spain's most beautiful villages since 2015, a designation that reflects…
Sagunto
The ruins of ancient Saguntum, the Iberian and Roman city whose siege in 219 BC triggered the Second Punic War, are the defining reason to visit this Mediter…
Dénia
A walkable coastal town on Spain's Costa Blanca, Dénia sits between Alicante and Valencia with a food-and-drink scene dense enough to reward several days of…
Peníscola
This small Mediterranean coastal town in Castellón, Peníscola sits on a rocky promontory jutting into the sea, giving it strong photographic appeal and sceni…
Motril
Coastal town on the Mediterranean shore of Granada province, Motril sits at the southernmost point of the province with the Sierra Nevada visible inland and…
Matalascañas
A coastal resort village on Spain's longest beach, Matalascañas sits at the edge of Doñana National Park in Huelva province, with fine golden sand, mobile du…
Ayamonte
Sitting at the mouth of the Guadiana River on the Portuguese border, Ayamonte is a walkable Andalusian town with a café-filled centre, waterfront views, and…
Oliva
This walkable Valencian town with a Mediterranean beach stretching along its eastern edge, Oliva sits in the Safor comarca of Valencia, close to mountains an…
Villaviciosa
This compact Asturian coastal town where an ornate sandstone town hall with a clock tower anchors a palm-lined square, backed by green hills and a waterfront…
Viveiro
This coastal town on Galicia's Cantabrian shore, Viveiro sits at the mouth of the Río Landro where it meets the Ría de Viveiro, with a walkable centre dense…
Iznájar
White-village pueblo blanco in Córdoba province, Iznájar sits on a large rock above the Embalse de Iznájar — the largest lake in Andalucía — with wide views…
Sueca
Since 1961, Sueca has hosted the International Valencian Paella Competition, a fitting role for a rice-farming town in eastern Spain whose surrounding fields…
Cullera
A coastal town in Valencia where the Júcar river meets the Mediterranean, Cullera sits between the sea and a modest inland peak that shapes its natural setting.
Orihuela
Orihuela's historic centre, declared a protected monumental ensemble, holds an exceptional concentration of churches alongside a walkable café and restaurant…
Rincón de la Victoria
This Costa del Sol town on the Mediterranean coast east of Málaga, Rincón de la Victoria is known for its sea caves and beaches, with a food-and-drink scene…
Covadonga
The site of the 722 Battle of Covadonga — the first Christian victory over Arab forces in the Iberian Peninsula and the traditional starting point of the Rec…
Lepe
Founded by Phoenicians on the Río Piedras and later settled by Romans and Arabs, Lepe is an Andalusian town near the Portuguese border with a compact centre…
Benavites
A narrow whitewashed street leads toward a striking brick tower in this tiny Valencian village, where historic architecture holds a surprising number of opti…
La Vall d'Uixó
A compact Spanish town spread across a valley between scrubby hills, La Vall d'Uixó offers a walkable centre with cafés, historic churches, and easy access t…
Covarrubias
Known as "the cradle of Castile," this compact village on the Arlanza river in Burgos province was made a capital of the region by the 10th-century Count Fer…
Santillana
A modest historic town in Cantabria known by the old saying that it is "the town of three lies" — neither a saint, nor flat, nor by the sea, despite what its…
Candeleda
A small town on the southern slopes of the Gredos mountains in Ávila province, Candeleda sits close to the Tiétar valley and benefits from a mild Mediterrane…
Calatañazor
Tiny fortified hilltop settlement in Soria, Castile and León, Calatañazor takes its name from the Arabic for "Castle of Vultures" and was the site of the 100…
l'Ametlla de Mar
A fishing port on the Catalan coast with a café and restaurant scene that would suit a town twice its size, l'Ametlla de Mar — also known as La Cala — sits i…
Oropesa
Little coastal town on the Mediterranean shore of Castellón, Oropesa del Mar has a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, making it a pr…
Tamarit
A sandy beach curves directly below a stone castle complex rising from rocky cliffs in this little Catalan coastal village near Tarragona, where historic arc…
Vinaròs
Fishing harbour and coastal town on Spain's eastern seaboard, Vinaròs sits at the northern edge of the Valencian Community near the Catalan border, with a wa…
Alcalalí
This tiny wine-country village in the Pop Valley of Alicante's Marina Alta comarca, Alcalalí sits between the Serra del Ferrer and the Segili hills with scen…
Poio
This waterside municipality on the north shore of the Ría de Pontevedra in Galicia, Poio sits between the resort town of Sanxenxo and the provincial capital,…
Benahavís
A mountain village on the western Costa del Sol with a restaurant scene well out of proportion to its size, Benahavís sits inland from the coast on the south…
Punta Umbría
This little Andalusian fishing town on the banks of the Río Odiel, where it meets the Atlantic, Punta Umbría has a Blue Flag beach stretching along its shore…
Puerto Real
Founded in 1483 by the Catholic Monarchs as a royal port town on the northern shore of the Bay of Cádiz, Puerto Real has a walkable historic centre — declare…
Conil de la Frontera
A whitewashed Atlantic-coast town in Cádiz province, Conil de la Frontera sits on the Costa de la Luz with a walkable centre dense with food and drink option…
Pontedeume
Founded in 1270 by royal charter of Alfonso X, Pontedeume is a small Galician town on the Eume estuary in northwestern Spain where the river meets the Atlantic.
Villarcayo de Merindad de Castilla la Vieja
The little capital of the Las Merindades comarca in Burgos province, Villarcayo sits in a broad valley crossed by the River Nela, with a central Plaza Mayor…
La Vila Joiosa
A Mediterranean coastal town on Spain's Costa Blanca with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, La Vila Joiosa — whose name translates as "The Joy…
Tavernes de la Valldigna
This Valencian town sits where a horseshoe-shaped valley, bordered by mountains on the west, opens onto the Mediterranean coast, giving it both mountain terr…
la Ràpita
A coastal town in Catalonia's Montsià region, la Ràpita sits at the edge of the Ebro Delta beside the Port dels Alfacs lagoon, with a walkable centre full of…
Santa Pola
Mediterranean fishing port on the Alicante coast, Santa Pola pairs a walkable centre with a dense food-and-drink scene and direct access to Blue Flag beaches.
Gandia
This Mediterranean beach town on Spain's Costa de Valencia, Gandia splits into two distinct zones: a historic city centre dense with churches, cafés, and mon…
Coma-ruga
A pocket-sized seaside resort on the Costa Daurada in Tarragona province, Coma-ruga sits directly on a long sandy beach and carries a café and restaurant sce…