Spain
City Breaks

Just a hop across the English Channel and a skip over France, Spain is more than qualified for Big Short Breaks. Passionate, bold and cosmopolitan, you’ll probably think you have the country – or at least its stereotype – down. But the thing about the Iberian Peninsula is that it loves to surprise. Fortunately, our Spain city breaks do too. From the cavernous Picos de Europa National Park, which overdelivers when it comes to rock formations, beech groves and sightings of the endemic Iberian wolf, to Andalusia’s often-overlooked older sister, Málaga, which has quietly weathered the perennial storm of package holidays (and risen above with youthful vigour), Spain is a smorgasbord of wildlife, art, history, cuisine and culture.

See how Málaga has rescued the soul of Costa del Sol down the cobblestone streets of its monument-rich old town and ride into the sunset – quite literally – on horseback along the aptly named Costa de la Luz (Coast of Light). Eat your way through San Sebastian and get to know your Dalí from your Gaudí on a cultural break to Catalonia. When it comes to museums though, it’s all about Madrid. From the mighty Prado Museum, which houses one of the world’s finest European art collections, to the Reina Sofía, where you’ll find Picassos, Mirós, and Eduardo Chilidas, what the city lacks in award-winning architecture and Modernist masterpieces, it more than makes up for in its museums. Spain city breaks don’t need to be fast paced though, especially where the Mediterranean sun is concerned. So if a fleeting flop on a sun lounger is needed, Spain’s cities couldn’t be more accommodating.