Not all great cities are ostentatious. While Paris preens, London loves glitz, New York swaggers, and Barcelona is bold, Valencia quietly gets on with the business of being a brilliant place to live and visit. This coastal Spanish city is very much the match of its national competitors, the capital and first city of Madrid, and Barcelona with its Modernism and the plentiful wonders of Gaudi.
Malaga has always been something of a secretly wonderful location, nestled among the more visitor-centric Costa del Sol destinations. But recent investment has transformed it and taken this city to another level entirely. Today, it’s so much more than a one-trick beach location. You can find art in museums and on the streets, a redeveloped port, history around every corner, and so much mouth-watering food.
Seville epitomizes old-world glamour. This is a Spanish city that’s proud of its past – Moorish architecture provides the backdrop as flamenco dancers stamp along to pulsing melodies in honey-toned squares, while horse-drawn carriages clip-clop and rumble along quaint cobbled streets.