Ten places in Spain you should travel to at least once if you haven't already

Today is October 12th, Hispanic Heritage Day, and I think it's a good time to promote Spain as a tourist destination.

The places a Dutch couple found in Spain looking for adventure
Ten beautiful places that you should not miss if you spend your holidays in Galicia

Spain is the second country in the world that attracts the most tourists each year (France is the first). There are many reasons to visit Spain: its landscapes, its people, its gastronomy, its climate, its history, its culture... Today I want to recommend ten places in Spain that I think are worth visiting. Of course, this is a very personal list in which I suggest the places I liked the most among those I've visited. Surely others will have different preferences (you can indicate them in the comments if you wish).

1. Santiago de Compostela

This beautiful city, also known as the "stone rose" (due to its distinctive shape), is the final resting place of Saint James the Apostle, the patron saint of Spain. It is housed in a splendid cathedral that is one of the symbols of Galicia. Santiago is a city with pleasant streets to stroll through in its historic center and some great places to eat. It is also said that rain is art there (I can attest to that).

2. Granada

The Mexican poet Francisco de Icaza wrote about this city: "Give alms, woman, for there is nothing in life like the pain of being blind in Granada." It is a magnificent city, with an enormous castle from the Moorish era, the Alhambra, which seems to have come straight out of a fairy tale, and a colossal cathedral where the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, are buried. Granada is a very pleasant city to walk around and is full of beautiful spots. If I weren't Galician, I would surely have put it at the top of this list.

3. Segovia

A beautiful Castilian city known for its splendid Roman aqueduct, but also home to gems like its Cathedral, the Alcázar, and the Church of the Vera Cruz, owned by the Order of Malta. It's a pleasant city to stroll around and offers excellent food.

4. The Vigo Estuary

Being from Vigo, I have to mention the place where I feel very fortunate to live. The Vigo Estuary is a beautiful natural place, on the southern shore of which is the city that gives it its name and the largest city in Galicia. It also has beautiful towns like Nigrán and Bayona, as well as splendid beaches and the magnificent Cíes Islands. It's a very pleasant place to live, and you can reach a beach or a mountain in no time.

5. Puebla de Sanabria

This is the smallest town on this list. It has fewer than 1,400 inhabitants and is in the Sanabria region, in the western part of the province of Zamora, in the community of Castilla y León. Puebla de Sanabria is one of the most beautiful towns in Spain and also one of the most pleasant I've been to. It has a beautiful castle and a Parador de Turismo. To the northwest is the lovely Sanabria Lake.

6. San Lorenzo de El Escorial

This town in the Community of Madrid is famous for the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, built in the 16th century by order of King Philip II of Spain. Throughout history, it has served as a monastery, palace, basilica, school, library, and pantheon. Inside is the Royal Crypt, where almost all of the Spanish kings of recent centuries are buried. This town is also home to the famous Valley of the Fallen, a huge funerary monument that houses the remains of thousands of combatants killed in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and is crowned by the largest cross in the world.

7. Las Médulas

In the region of El Bierzo, in the province of León, lies Las Médulas Natural Park, the remains of ancient gold mines from the Roman era. The rich mineral was extracted from the earth using the "ruina montium" system, which used the power of water to literally break up mountains. This mining operation gave rise to a spectacular landscape, where you can still see some of the galleries excavated in the Roman era. In the same region you can also see Ponferrada Castle and Cornatel Castle, both of Templar origin, among many other things.

8. Covadonga

Covadonga is a parish in the town of Cangas de Onís, in the Principality of Asturias. The Reconquest of Spain began here after the Muslim invasion in 711, with the Battle of Covadonga in 718. The winner of that battle, Don Pelayo, is buried in the Holy Cave of Covadonga, which houses the image of the Virgin of Covadonga, a 16th-century image also known as "La Santina." Near the Holy Cave is the Basilica of Santa María la Real de Covadonga. In this same place there are some beautiful glacial lakes called Enol and Ercina.

9. Toledo

Located in the community of Castile-La Mancha, Toledo is an ancient city founded before the Roman conquest of Hispania. It was the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom of Spain until the Muslim invasion in 711. It is known as the Imperial City, as it was the capital of the Spanish Empire until 1561, when the capital was moved to Madrid. Toledo is a monumental city, with a colossal and beautiful Cathedral and streets that invite you to wander around.

10. Madrid

This list couldn't be complete without the capital of Spain and the largest city in the country. Madrid is a city full of interesting things to see: museums, palaces, churches, monuments, streets, gardens, squares... It's a city where I've never felt like a stranger and where there's always something new to discover. It couldn't be missing from this list.

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Main photo: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL.