Despite being forged by shipyards, textiles, and fishing from the Middle Ages onwards, coastal A Coruña (or La Coruña in Castellano) has always kept its heart in Plaza de María Pita. Named for the woman who famously rallied the city against a siege in 1589, the square remains the city’s proud center stage. Domed city hall presides over arcades of glass-fronted galleries that sparkle in Galician light, while nearby lanes tempt hungry travelers with empanadas and pulpo a la gallega paired with crisp Albariño.

In the early 20th century, King Alfonso XIII built his summer palace in Santander, and the royal spirit still lingers in pastel villas, sweeping promenades, and the golden crescent of El Sardinero Beach. In 1941 a devastating fire erased much of the medieval heart, forcing the city to reinvent itself. What remains today are two distinct identities: a graceful seaside escape with lively beaches and fine dining, and a place whose roots reach back 15,000 years, visible in the prehistoric cave art of Altamira and Puente Viesgo.

There are cities where you eat well, and then there’s San Sebastián. With more Michelin-starred restaurants per square meter than almost anywhere else in the world, this jewel of Spain’s Basque Country is its undisputed culinary heartland. Pintxo bars crowd the Old Town, their counters overflowing with anchovies, peppers, and jamón, while elegant dining rooms reinterpret centuries of gastronomic tradition with modern flair.

La Ràpita is a town of plates, promenades, and plunges into the deep, blue Mediterranean. At its edge lies the Ebro Delta, where vast rice fields shimmer in the sun, salt flats stretch to the sea, and flocks of flamingos turn the lagoons pink. Rice from these paddies fills steaming paellas, often paired with the prized tuna landed in local waters. The town’s story is written in chapters: Moorish origins, a medieval monastic community, and Bourbon-era redesigns that influenced squares, churches, and viewpoints, leaving one of the most distinctive corners of Catalonia.