Sacred and spiritual destinations in Spain off the beaten path.
Less-touristed spiritual destinations in Spain, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Unquera
Small village in western Cantabria, on the estuary of the River Deva at the Asturian border, Unquera is known across Spain for its pies and serves as the mai…
Puente La Reina – Gares
Where the French Way and the Aragonese Way of the Camino de Santiago converge, Puente la Reina — whose Spanish name means "the Queen's bridge" — sits on the…
Aguilar de Campoo
A small town in northern Palencia where the River Pisuerga runs through the historic centre, Aguilar de Campoo has an unusually dense concentration of histor…
Villafranca Montes de Oca
This little Burgos hamlet lies directly on the French Way of the Camino de Santiago, making it a natural stop for pilgrims crossing the Montes de Oca in Cast…
Graus
A small Aragonese town at the confluence of the Esera and Isabena rivers in the Pyrenees, Graus is home to the Basilica de Santa Maria de la Peña and a nearb…
Villafranca del Bierzo
A small wine-country town in the El Bierzo comarca of León, Villafranca del Bierzo sits at the confluence of the Burbia and Valcarce rivers on the Camino de…
Santo Domingo de Silos
The Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos draws visitors to this tiny Burgos village, with researchers linking it to El Cid — Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar and his wife Ji…
Caravaca
The fifth Holy City of Catholic Christianity, Caravaca de la Cruz holds a papal privilege — granted in 1998 — to celebrate a jubilee year in perpetuity, obse…
Tobarra
Tobarra, a small town in Spain's Albacete province, is best known for its Holy Week drum processions — the tamboradas — declared of National Tourist Interest…
Lorca
Lorca's Holy Week processions, declared a festival of international tourist interest, are the headline draw of this city in south-eastern Spain's Murcia region.
Manresa
Saint Ignatius of Loyola spent a year in a cave near this Catalan city in 1522, writing the foundational text of the Spiritual Exercises, making Manresa a pl…
Belorado
This pocket-sized Burgos village on the Camino de Santiago's French Way, sitting alongside the Tirón river with the Sierra de la Demanda mountains in view.
Castrojeriz
One of the more substantial stops on the French Way of the Camino de Santiago, this small Burgos village in Castile and León sees the pilgrimage route pass t…
Frómista
The 11th-century church of San Martín de Tours, built in the style of Jaca cathedral and funded in part by the widow of Sancho el Mayor of Navarra, is the ar…
Briviesca
This small Castilian town in Burgos province that served as a Roman crossroads settlement — then called Virovesca — and later grew along the medieval Camino…
Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Montaña
This hilltop religious sanctuary in Spain's Cáceres region draws visitors with sweeping views over the surrounding hills, a local café and dining scene, and…