Spanish wine country off the beaten path.
Less-touristed wine towns in Spain, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Lerma
A pocket-sized Castilian village above the Arlanza river valley, Lerma is the headquarters of the Arlanza DOP wine denomination and holds a historic centre —…
Ontinyent
This walkable town on the banks of the Clarià River in Valencia's Vall d'Albaida comarca, Ontinyent has a centre with cafés and restaurants alongside baroque…
La Solana
This wine- and olive oil-producing town in the Ciudad Real province of Castile-La Mancha, La Solana sits in one of Spain's most productive agricultural zones…
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…
Alcalá del Júcar
This modest village in Albacete province where the Júcar river curves tightly around a dramatic gorge, Alcalá del Júcar was designated a protected historic s…
Cangas del Narcea
A compact Asturian town on the Narcea river, with vineyards in the surrounding hills and a compact centre of cafés and restaurants.
Lebrija
Lebrija, a town on the left bank of the Guadalquivir in Andalusia's Sevilla province, sits at the edge of the Las Marismas marshes and has a long tradition o…
Carmona
Built on a ridge above the central plain of Andalusia, Carmona is a town in the province of Seville with a walkable centre full of cafés, restaurants, and hi…
Peñafiel
Peñafiel Castle, visible from miles around and now housing the Wine Museum of Valladolid, crowns this pocket-sized Castilian town at the heart of the Ribera…
Almansa
Moorish castle crowns the white limestone crag above Almansa, a wine-country town in Albacete province where vineyards spread across the surrounding plain.
Fermoselle
Fermoselle, a tiny village in Zamora's far southwest, sits above the dramatic gorge of the Arribes del Duero where the Duero and Tormes rivers meet at the Po…
Llíber
This compact Valencian village of stone-roofed white houses spread across a valley floor, backed by pine-forested limestone hills, with surrounding vineyards…
Tomelloso
This wine-country town at the geographic heart of La Mancha, Tomelloso sits amid extensive vineyards that define the flat Manchegan landscape, with the Campo…
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…
Valdepeñas
Wine has shaped Valdepeñas for centuries, earning this Castile-La Mancha town the popular nickname "Ciudad del Vino" — City of Wine.
Almagro
Almagro, a little town in Ciudad Real, has hosted an International Festival of Classical Theater annually since 1978 and holds designation as one of Spain's…
La Roda
La Roda, a town in Albacete's La Mancha region of Castilla-La Mancha, is known for its miguelitos, a local pastry, and sits among vineyards typical of the La…
Jorquera
This tiny hamlet in Albacete's La Manchuela wine country, Jorquera sits on a river spur encircled by the Júcar, with 12th-century Almohad walls running along…
Consuegra
Consuegra's hilltop row of windmills, set against the plains of La Mancha, is among the most recognisable sights in Castile, rising alongside a medieval cast…
Bembibre
Bembibre, in the El Bierzo region of León, is a small town on the Boeza and Noceda rivers with vineyards in the surrounding area and a café and restaurant sc…
Requena
A wine-country town in the interior of Valencia province, Requena sits on the left bank of the river Magro with a compact centre of cafés and restaurants.
Montilla
Montilla, a town in Andalusia's Province of Córdoba, is the capital of the Montilla-Moriles Denominación de Origen, producing wines and vinegars from the Ped…
Sonseca
Modest Castilian town in Toledo province, Sonseca centres on a handsome granite Casa Consistorial draped in Spanish flags, sitting within easy reach of viney…
Ayora
A pocket-sized inland town in Valencia's Valle de Ayora comarca, set among vineyards and bordered by the rivers Cabriel and Júcar, with mountain ranges on ei…
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…
Tudela
Tudela sits on the Ebro river in southern Navarre, a walkable town with a centre dense with historic churches, listed buildings, and cafés, set in the wine-g…
Oiartzun
A Basque town in Gipuzkoa at the foot of the Aiako Harria massif, Oiartzun sits in mountain terrain with vineyards nearby and a café and restaurant scene tha…
Yecla
Wine-country town in the far north of Murcia, Yecla sits among vineyards in mountain terrain with a compact centre of cafés and restaurants.
Briones
Tiny wine-country village in La Rioja Alta, Briones sits on a hill above the Ebro river, its northern slope dropping almost vertically to the water.
Senija
This compact Valencian village set among olive groves and terraced farmland, with a flat-topped rocky peak dominating the skyline, a church tower at its hear…
Manzanares
Founded in the mid-13th century by the Order of Calatrava during the Christian resettlement of La Mancha, Manzanares is a wine-producing town in Ciudad Real…
Hellín
This compact inland town in Castilla–La Mancha, Hellín spreads its terracotta rooftops beneath bare rounded hills, with a white-domed church rising above the…
Logroño
The trade capital of Spain's Rioja wine country, Logroño sits on the Ebro River in northern Spain and was named the country's first Gastronomy Capital in 201…
Tembleque
This pocket-sized village in Toledo province, Castile-La Mancha, sits in wine-growing country with vineyards nearby and water close at hand, and carries a co…
Tarazona de la Mancha
A compact Castilian town in Albacete whose sun-drenched Plaza Mayor pairs a whitewashed arcaded town hall with a substantial stone church tower, surrounded b…
Alburquerque
This small town in Spain's Badajoz province, close to the Portuguese border, with vineyards in the surrounding countryside and cafés and restaurants in its c…
Montánchez
Sitting high in the Sierra de Montánchez above the plains of Extremadura, this pocket-sized Spanish village is one of the country's main centres for jamón ib…
Enguera
This pocket-sized agricultural town in southwestern Valencia province, Enguera sits close to the Sierra de Enguera and is surrounded by olive groves and vine…
Albaida
This hilltop church tower and whitewashed old quarter rise above palm-lined streets in this compact Valencian town, set among vineyard country with a walkabl…
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…
Almendralejo
A substantial Extremaduran town built around a striking multi-tiered stone church tower rising above a compact square, with a walkable centre of cafés and re…
Solsona
This tiny Catalan town in the province of Lleida serves as the seat of the Diocese of Solsona and holds an unusual concentration of historic churches for its…
Plasencia
Founded by King Alfonso VIII of Castile in 1186 as a Reconquista frontier stronghold, Plasencia is a walkable town in northern Extremadura with a historic ce…
Caudete
A compact Castilian town in Albacete's upland wine country where a cobbled main square — shown here alive with costumed participants in a public celebration…
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…
Campo de Criptana
Campo de Criptana's hilltop windmills — three of which date to the 16th century — are among the best-preserved examples of the mills that Don Quixote famousl…
Anna
A small village in Valencia's Canal de Navarrés comarca, Anna sits in wine country with water close at hand.
Ponteareas
Ponteareas is a Galician town on the river Tea known for its Corpus Christi celebrations, in which residents hand-craft elaborate floral carpets across the s…
Jumilla
Wine country defines this town in the north of Murcia, where both the local wines and pears carry a Denominación de Origen.
El Toboso
El Toboso, a wine-producing village in Toledo province, is best known as the fictional hometown of Dulcinea, the beloved of Don Quixote in Cervantes's novel.
Bullas
Wine country defines this small town in the highlands of Murcia, where the surrounding area holds its own Denominación de Origen and a long winemaking tradit…
Alcázar de San Juan
A wine-country town on the La Mancha plain in Ciudad Real, Alcázar de San Juan has a walkable centre with a good spread of cafés and restaurants.
Villarrobledo
Villarrobledo, in Castilla-La Mancha's Albacete province, claims the world's largest vineyard area and the greatest production of La Mancha Denominación de O…
Toro
This wine-producing town on an escarpment above the Douro river in Castile and León, Toro is known as a centre of Mudéjar art and holds an unusual concentrat…
Bailén
Bailén, a town in Andalusia's Jaén province, sits along the Sierra Morena corridor — a natural gateway linking central and northern Spain with the south — an…
Cacabelos
A small wine-country town in the El Bierzo region of León, Cacabelos sits on the water with mountains visible on the horizon and a central core of cafés and…
Alfauir
Compact Valencian village of whitewashed and ochre houses centered on a slender church tower, set among terraced citrus groves and vineyards with wooded upla…
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…
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…
Barbastro
A wine-country town in Aragon's Somontano comarca, Barbastro sits at the confluence of the rivers Cinca and Vero, with mountain views on the horizon and UNES…