Spanien

Stränder, kulturstäder och mysiga byar. Här är ställena som du inte får missa på bilresan genom södra Spanien.

Galicia, a unique region with its own language and distinctive culture, is home to Santiago de Compostela, the destination of more than quarter of a million souls who travel each year along the Camino de Santiago pilgrim trails. Santiago is one of Spain's most beautiful and magical cities, an exceptionally good reason for any traveller to make their way to Spain's northwestern corner.

You can traverse this green-clad region next to Asturias from north to south in an hour. But don’t. For modern travellers, Cantabria offers a bit of everything. The coastline is a sequence of soft cliffs, beautiful beaches and colourful fishing ports; summer seaside days are perfectly possible (unreliable weather permitting). The inland mountains – sliced up by deep, multibranched valleys connected only by steep passes – are sprinkled with sleepy villages and prove a feast for the eyes, whether you drive the country roads or walk the trails.

Få det bästa av två världar med en kombinationsemester till Barcelona och Pyrenéerna. Här är Vagabonds guide till hur du fixar resan.

Bilbao är Baskiens kulturhuvudstad, och en trevlig avstickare om man spenderar några dagar i Biarritz eller San Sebastian. Här är 6 tips på saker att göra, som lotsar dig förbi några av stadens bästa höjdpunkter.

Ön förknippas ofta med ett nattliv som aldrig sover, men partyryktet är starkt överdrivet – söker man sinnesro, vacker natur och lugna stränder så finns det i överflöd på Ibiza!

Catalonia's Pyrenees are much more than an all-season adventure playground, and, beyond the major resorts, conceal a raw natural beauty that invites discovery. Certainly, the Val d'Aran draws winter skiers and snowboarders (with resorts ranging from red-carpet to family-focused), while summer and autumn lure hikers to the jewel-like lakes and valleys of the Parc Nacional d’Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici, the low-lying countryside of Cerdanya, and the climbing terrain of the Serra del Cadí.

Spanning a broad swath of suburbs west of the old town, this neighbourhood has varied attractions. At the western end of the Turia riverbed, the Bioparc zoo presents African animals in innovative ways, while the history museum gives an overview of the city's past. Various park spaces across the area give the chance for a pleasant time out from urban life.

In the northeastern reaches of Cádiz province lie a string of classic pueblos blancos (white towns) rooted in turbulent border history. Most centre on beautiful, fortified old cores, a testament to the fact that these towns once stood on the contentious Moorish-Christian border for more than two centuries, between the 1248 Christian conquest of Seville and the 1492 fall of Moorish Granada. Today, they're a delight to explore, with moody streets twisting past whitewashed houses to crumbling castles and imposing churches. The most spectacular of all is Arcos de la Frontera, to the east and northeast of which are Zahara de la Sierra, Grazalema, Olvera and Setenil de las Bodegas.

A popular holiday destination for Spaniards and international visitors, this province offers one of the country's prime coastal strips, the Costa Blanca, and a hinterland of interesting towns. Once you venture away from the Med, it's a different, truly Spanish world.