Spain, deep and long. Murcia, Cartagena, Valencia, Seville, Alicante, Córdoba, Toledo, Segovia, Palma de Mallorca and Valldemossa — the cities, the coast, the food, the tiny villages. Currently in a full-blown love affair with the country.
Most tourists never leave the southern beaches, but Tenerife’s ignored East Coast holds the island’s genuine timeline. From a freezing UNESCO city that became the blueprint for Havana to a bizarre abandoned leper colony in the desert, this is the history they’re missing.
Far more than just an industrial port, Santa Cruz is a vibrant, living capital. This guide explores the deep naval history, pristine tropical parks, brutalist architecture, and golden beaches that 7 million tourists skip every year.
Around seventy percent of Tenerife’s visitors never leave the southern resorts. I drove the north-west coast instead: an accidental stop in San Juan de la Rambla, the street-sledging tradition of Icod de los Vinos, Garachico buried by lava in 1706, the seven-million-year-old Teno massif, and a one-euro bus to the restricted lighthouse at Punta de Teno.
El Hierro is the quietest of the main Canary Islands, swapping crowded beach resorts for extreme volcanic isolation, high-altitude pine forests, and terrifying mountain dirt tracks. Discover what it is actually like to explore the literal edge of the map.
La Palma trades all-inclusive resorts and white sand beaches for fresh volcanic wreckage, second-gear hairpin turns, and sea-cave villages. Here is what to expect from the most aggressive, vertically extreme island in the Canaries.
Valencia is Spain’s most confident, relaxed alternative to Barcelona. With its pedestrianised old town, a sprawling 9-kilometre park in a dry riverbed, and a metro that drops you directly at a massive sandy beach, it delivers all the culture without the suffocating crowds.
An honest, unfiltered guide to visiting Seville during a blistering summer heatwave. Discover why the famous river boat tours are a tourist trap, how to dodge the midday sun, and why Palacio de las Dueñas is the best alternative to the crowded Real Alcázar.
Millions of tourists treat Alicante purely as a transit hub for Benidorm. Here is what to expect from the city’s authentic old town, colossal medieval fortress, and 6.5 million mosaic tiles if you skip the mega-resorts and actually explore it.
Cordoba is widely treated as a quick stop to see the Mezquita, but this deeply layered Spanish city demands a proper visit. Discover the hidden medieval synagogues, quiet courtyard palaces, and massive street festivals that make it a top-tier city break.
Hermigua is La Gomera’s quietest valley: cliffs on every side, a village officially among Spain’s prettiest with nobody in it, concrete cranes left standing in the sea, and a rockfall road to the north coast’s best beach. Worth it if you rent a car, don’t mind the silence, and like knowing why a place looks the way it does.
Alojera is an isolated, untamed village on La Gomera’s west coast. Known for its dramatic cliffs, black sand beach, and the Charco de Alojera natural pool, it is the ultimate escape for travellers seeking raw nature and authentic Canarian culture.
Skip the busy resorts for Vallehermoso, the wild heart of northern La Gomera. Here is what to expect from the sleepy town square, dramatic volcanic landscapes, and a rugged pebble beach where agriculture matters more than tourism.
