In Spain there are fascinating villages, full of unique spots and landscapes. However, there is always one that you keep a special memory of that makes it your favourite town. The team of Fascinating Spain wanted to share these memories with their readers and make their favourite villages known. Does one of them match yours?
“My favorite village is, since I was a little girl, Cudillero. Every summer, my family and I organize a trip to Asturias, and we always stop there after an intense day at the beach. I loved its atmosphere, its colorful houses and its narrow streets, and it became an unforgettable place for me, where I will always want to return every summer.”
Located in Asturias, the fishing village of Cudillero is one of the most beautiful in the Principality. It is an amphitheatre open to the Cantabrian Sea, where the colourful houses are staggered, leaving the main square inside. Cudillero, surrounded by mountains, is a village where you can enjoy its bars and restaurants in which you can taste fresh fish and Asturian cuisine. Afterwards, you can take a walk through the narrow streets of the old town and discover all its heritage. The visit can be completed with the spectacular views offered by the Mirador de la Garita, easily accessible to the public.
“I discovered it while doing the Northern Way and it is the entrance to a town that has impressed me the most. Its Cistercian monastery overlooks the landscape, immense and next to an artificial lake made by the monks themselves in the 16th century. Inside it is totally naked, due to the amortizations, and it generates a phantasmagoric sensation that goes very much with the land of A Coruña where it is located.”
Sobrado dos Monxes is a Galician village in the province of A Coruña. It has several outstanding monuments, although the one that attracts most interest is the Monastery of Santa María de Sobrado, a reference point of the Galician Baroque. An important point on the pilgrimage route of the Northern Way, this Cistercian monastery was for centuries the economic and spiritual engine of the town, as well as a refuge for pilgrims.
With a high historical value and a relevant natural richness, in Sobrado dos Monxes you can also visit the Roman camp of Ciudadela and the Sobrado lagoon (artificially built by the monks).
“I visited Peratallada after it was recommended and, of course, I was glad I did. It is a small medieval village of the ‘Baix Empordà’ with much charm, its low, cobbled houses, narrow streets and plants climbing the facades make it a special place. To finish the visit and as a curiosity, it has one of the best artisan gourmet ice-cream parlours, where you can try different flavours such as Idiazábal cheese, anchovies with mussel vinegar, beer or vermouth…”
On Costa Brava we find the beautiful village of Peratallada, in Girona. In the heart of the Empordà, this medieval village has been declared a historic-artistic site. Its special attraction lies in the conservation of its feudal aspect, with its castle-palace, the walls, the towers, the moats and its streets and stone houses. When the temperatures are warm, the ivy climbs up the walls creating an even more beautiful picture. Outside the ancient walls, lies the Romanesque church of San Esteban.
“My favourite village in Spain is Mundaca. I discovered it last summer and found it to be a magical place and one of the most beautiful villages I have ever seen. Its chapel, the viewpoints, the port, its green landscapes, the colorful houses… make this town unique.”
The origin of this Basque coastal town is uncertain. Legend has it that in the 10th century a ship arrived from Scotland with an exiled princess. The Scots who accompanied her found a source of clear water and called it “munda aqua”. In Latin it means crystal clear water. This princess had a son whom she named Jaun Zuria, becoming the first lord of Biscay.
Nowadays, it is a small fishing village with a port that has become the real gem of the town. On the outskirts of Mundaka, you should not miss the opportunity to discover the hermitage of Santa Catalina, located on a small peninsula. Here you can enjoy views of Mount Ogoño, the island of Izaro and the estuary, which is representative of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve.
“A couple of years ago I discovered what has since become my favourite village in Spain. Its location in the Guadalest valley allows you to enjoy unparalleled views, both of the reservoir and the surrounding mountains. The village itself is also very special, as some of the buildings are located at the top of the rock, such as its popular castle. A unique village with a lot of history to discover.”
Another charming medieval village is Guadalest, in the province of Alicante. It is best known for the Guadalest Castle or San José Castle, located in the highest part of the village on a huge rock. Built in the 11th century, it is an old Muslim troop base, later conquered by Jaume I.
The village, catalogued as a Historic-Artistic Site, is divided into two areas. That of the castle and what remains behind the old medieval wall, and the Arrabal, where the population located their houses at the foot of the mountain. To access the first, you must enter through a tunnel dug into the rock of the same mountain.
“Quel was my childhood hometown. A small corner of La Rioja Baja in the Cidacos valley and protected by the high figure of the rock on which stands out its impassive castle. A place where children would walk the slopes of the old town with their houses overflowing with peppers drying in the sun. I remember those summer afternoons when we used to pick tomatoes from its bushes and peaches from its branches overflowing with juice and sugar. Summer afternoons when we hunted snails that the grandmothers prepared for everyone. And those summer nights when we climbed the rock to contemplate the stars. An idyllic place.”
Quel’s existence is documented as early as 1065. This village in La Rioja amazes visitors with the fantastic view of its 15th century castle crowning the town. As for its origin, it is uncertain whether it is Roman or Arabic. Legend has it that there is a tunnel that starts at the castle, crosses the whole town and the river and ends up at a hermitage. In Quel you can also visit the church of San Salvador, of late Gothic style with some Renaissance elements, and the hermitage of Cristo de la Transfiguración. Every year in August the Bread and Cheese Festival is celebrated, of Regional Tourist Interest.
“I do not know if it is really a village, but this small amount of houses piled up among imposing monuments and hidden among mountains won my heart. I discovered it when I was a child, on vacation far away from my homeland, and I remember the impression that it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Nothing has ever again surpassed the cliffs at every turn of the road, the intense green of the almost vertical mountains, the wet stones of the Basilica, the cave of the Virgin carved into the rock, the fog that came and went enveloping everything…
And if you are not surprised, the cows will do that, wandering all over the place!”
Covadonga is a small parish of just over 250 inhabitants located in the Council of Cangas de Onís, in Asturias. It is located in the exceptional natural environment of the Picos de Europa Natural Park. The town is also known for its history related to the reconquest of Spain and King Pelayo, from the 8th century, considered the first monarch of the kingdom of Asturias. As for its monumental complex, the Santa Cueva de Covadonga, the San Pedro monastery located next to the cave, and the Santa María la Real basilica in Covadonga, are all worth a visit. On the outskirts of the village it is possible to reach the Lagos de Covadonga by car.
“Zumaia is a town with an impressive cuisine, good museums, beautiful beaches and very special places. Many people know it as the beach of Game of Thrones or the church of Spanish Affair, but it is a perfect village to walk and enjoy with a very varied tourist offer.”
Zumaia is located in one of the most spectacular stretches of the Gipuzkoan coast, specifically in a bay where the Narrondo and Urola rivers meet. Two beautiful beaches, a modern marina, an interesting historic quarter that has preserved its medieval layout… You should also not miss the parish church of San Pedro, a Gothic temple from the 13th century. Walking through its streets you will discover other buildings such as the palaces of Zumaia and Ubillos.
However, a must see are the majestic cliffs that are located here. From Itzurun beach to Deba, it is possible to take a tour in which you can observe these incredible rock formations raised above the sea. Without a doubt, the phenomenon called Flysch is one of the most curious that occurs at low tide.
“It is the village of reference in the area where my grandparents were born, neither very big nor very small, it makes you feel that you have always been part of it even if it is the first time you visit it. Famous for the Castle of El Cid, as well as for the kid, which is undoubtedly the most delicious of all, I would dare to say that it has the best “torreznos” in Spain in Bar el Alto Rey”.
Jadraque is located in the Henares Valley, in the province of Guadalajara. From the heights, the view is overlooked by the Castle of El Cid or Jadraque, a great 15th century fortress. Once in the village, the noble houses tell the story of the town itself. The house of the Verdugo family, which Goya visited one day and illustrated with his paintings; the house of the Cadenas, a small Castilian-style palace; and the house of San Juan. For its part, San Juan Street has beautiful buildings from the 16th to 19th centuries decorated with details such as coats of arms and blazons.
The religious architecture is also quite abundant. On the one hand, the church of San Juan Bautista, with elements from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. On the other hand, the hermitage of Santísimo Cristo, in a classicist style. As an added value, the convent of the Capuchins.
“It is a village in Girona with a special charm. It is a very touristic destination, but no wonder why. Its stone streets are beautiful, its white houses, its coasts and its bars and terraces give a different touch to the town. It is also famous because Salvador Dalí lived there, today you can visit a house-museum where he lived.”
Cadaqués is located in the Alt Empordà region, in the province of Girona. It is a coastal town located in a natural and picturesque port. Nowadays it is one of the most touristic enclaves of the Costa Brava, but it maintains the charm of a fishing village. In order to get to the old town of Cadaqués, you have to go through one of the gates of the old wall, which has been preserved to this day. Walking among its white houses is one of the main attractions, as well as the streets of the old Jewish quarter. The promenade is another option for walking and enjoying the sea breeze.
A visit not to be missed is the Salvador Dalí House Museum, located in the Portlligat bay, to the north of the town. A beautiful landscape that captivated the artist and where you can see the fishermen’s huts that the painter acquired, memories of Dalí, his workshop, the library…
“Ribadesella has everything to make visiting it a pleasure. A beautiful and enormous beach and many restaurants, some of them of the highest category. In the same village, which is beautiful, you have modern artistic heritage, prehistoric art and even dinosaur footprints. You are very close to the Picos de Europa and to the Asturian capitals, and if you are up for adventure you can go canoeing down the Sella River, probably the best known in Spain, or go surfing with one of the surfing courses established there.”
Ribadesella is an Asturian council founded by Alfonso X the Wise. In the 19th century it was one of the main Asturian ports. It is known for being the site of the prehistoric cave of Tito Bustillo, declared a World Heritage Site. In the cave there are paintings and engravings of cave art. Ribadesella is also known for being the finish line of one of the most famous canoe races in the world. The International Descent of the Sella takes place once a year, on the first Saturday in August. It is the only festival in Asturias that has been classified as being of International Tourist Interest.
“My grandparents’ village, where I have spent endless summers and weekends. A magical place for me, because you can visit hundreds of places and dozens of countries, but in the end there is no better place than the one that takes you back to your childhood, where every day was a Sunday. Besides, they roast some suckling pigs!”
Rapariegos is located in Segovia, near the border with Ávila. With just over 200 inhabitants, it retains the charm of small towns. Special mention should be made of the convent of Santa Clara which is located here, near the town centre. Also of special mention is the church of San Pedro, dated in the 17th century, and the hermitage of Cristo de la Moralejilla, an Asset of Cultural Interest and the only one in the province with three naves.
“Until a few years ago I still had no idea about the province of Cáceres. After visiting several of its locations, it seems to me to be one of the most unknown gems in Spain. However, the town that stole my heart is Guadalupe, perhaps one of the most popular. Its cobbled streets seem to be taken from a fairy tale. It is very pleasant to visit a town where the views are accompanied by the very friendly people who live and work there. The monastery also attracted my attention”.
Guadalupe, in Cáceres, has a lot to see. The most important is the Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe, declared a World Heritage Site. A place that, besides being beautiful, has witnessed key moments in the history of Spain, such as the meeting that led the Catholic Monarchs to hand over the caravels to Christopher Columbus. The construction of the monastery is home to different Mudejar, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. Inside is the Virgin of Guadalupe, who, according to Catholic tradition, holds the title of Queen of Spain.
The streets of Guadalupe are also worth mentioning, with their mountain architecture, which lead to corners such as the Plaza de Santa María de Guadalupe, the baroque church of La Santa Trinidad or the Colegio de Infantes. Also noteworthy are the five medieval arches that are divided by its two walls.
