Historic sites in Spain

Historical sites in Spain : Editor's Picks

• 1. Alcazar of Segovia
  The Alcazar of Segovia is an imposing medieval fortress turned royal palace.
  Photo by Alaskan Dude (cc)

• 2. Baelo Claudia
  The Roman town of Baelo Claudia in Spain is a well-preserved ancient city which sits on the Andalusian coast, providing a beautiful backdrop to these ancient remains.
  Photo by Photo Javi (cc)

• 3. El Escorial
  El Escorial is an impressive sixteenth century royal complex built under the orders of King Philip II of Spain. UNESCO listed.
  Photo by armk (cc)

• 4. Belchite
  Belchite contains the ghostly remains of a town destroyed during the Spanish Civil War.
  Photo by kurtxio (cc)

• 5. La Sagrada Familia
  La Sagrada Família is an iconic church in Barcelona with UNESCO status. It is the final resting place of Antoni Gaudi.
  Photo by PhyreWorX (cc)

• 6. Lugo Roman Walls
  The Lugo Roman Walls have been described by UNESCO as "the finest surviving example of late Roman military fortifications", a title they truly deserve.
  Photo by hermenpaca (cc)

• 7. Royal Palace of Madrid
  The Royal Palace of Madrid was built in the eighteenth century and was the home of the Spanish royal family until 1931.
  Photo by Destination Europe (cc)

• 8. Alcazar of Toledo
  The Alcazar of Toledo in Spain is a fortress dating back to the third century AD.
  Photo by eschipul (cc)

• 9. Merida Roman Theatre
  The Merida Roman Theatre is a well-preserved first century BC structure and a UNESCO site.
  Photo by Tomas Fano (cc)

• 10. Alhambra
  The Alhambra in Granada, Spain was a fortified palace complex of the Nasrid Dynasty conquered by the Christians.
  

• 11. Palma Cathedral
  Palma Cathedral is a vast and imposing Gothic cathedral in the capital of Majorca.
  Photo by goro (cc)

Historical sites in Spain: Site Index

• Albuera Battlefield
  Albuera Battlefield was the site of one of the battles of the Peninsula War in 1811.
  Photo by El Bichólogo Errante (cc)

• Alcazaba Fortress
  The Alcazaba Fortress in Merida was a defensive structure built in the middle of the ninth century.
  Photo by Enrique__ (cc)

• Alcudia City Walls
  The Alcudia City Walls were built following the Spanish conquest of Majorca in the fourteenth century.
  Photo by kalleboo (cc)

• Badajoz Fortress
  Badajoz Fortress is a 12th century fortification captured by the British during the Peninsula War.
  Photo by El Bichologo Errante (cc)

• Banys Arabs
  The Banys Arabs in Palma are one of the sole surviving examples of Islamic architecture in Majorca.
  Photo by sri_the_quack (cc)

• Barcelona Cathedral
  Barcelona Cathedral is a gothic cathedral dating back over five hundred years.
  Photo by dbaron (cc)

• Basilica de la Virgen de los Desamparados
  Basi­lica de la Virgen de los Desamparados is a 17th century church built in a Baroque style.
  Photo by Piper... (cc)

• Basilica Vega del Mar
  Basilica Vega del Mar was a Paleo-Christian basilica in Marbella with a history dating back to the fourth century AD.
  

• Carranque Archaeological Park
  Carranque Archaeological Park contains a series of Ancient Roman ruins built in the fourth century AD.
  Photo by Isaacus (cc)

• Casa de Colon
  Casa de Colon is a museum of the history of the Canary Islands, particularly as relates to Christopher Columbus and the Americas.
  Photo by Ted and Jen (cc)

• Casa-Museo Federico Garcia Lorca
  The Casa-Museo Federico Garcia Lorca is dedicated to the life of Spanish poet, playwright and writer Federico Garcia Lorca. It is housed in the Huerta de San Vicente, the summer house of the Garcia Lorca family.
  

• Castell de Bellver
  Castell de Bellver is a striking fourteenth century citadel near Palma in Majorca.
  Photo by Vvillamon (cc)

• Castillo de San Andres
  Castillo de San Andres is the pretty ruin of an eighteenth, perhaps seventeenth, century fortification in Tenerife.
  

• Castillo de San Jose
  Castillo de San Jose is a dramatic cliff-top eighteenth century fort built to protect Lanzarote’s main port from pirate attacks.
  Photo by LANZATE (cc)

• Catedral de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  Catedral de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a pretty sixteenth century cathedral.
  Photo by Ted and Jen (cc)

• Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Laguna
  Catedral de San Cristobal de La Laguna is an early twentieth century Neoclassical cathedral.
  

• Catedral de Toledo
  Catedral de Toledo is a thirteenth century cathedral in Spain.
  Photo by galio (cc)

• Centre d'Interpretació 115 Dies, Corbera d’Ebre
  The Centre d’Interpretació 115 Dies in Corbera d’Ebre is a museum dedicated to the bloody Battle of the Ebro in the Spanish Civil War.
  

• Circo Romano de Toledo
  Circo Romano de Toledo is a site which houses the ruins of a Roman circus in Toledo, Spain.
  Photo by amaianos (cc)

• Ducal Palace, Lerma
  Ducal Palace is a 17th century fortress in Lerma, built in the 17th century by its Duke, a favourite of Phillip III.
  Photo by Daquella manera (cc)

• El Miguelete
  El Miguelete is an iconic gothic bell tower built in 1381 and joined onto Valencia Cathedral in the 15th century.
  Photo by plusgood (cc)

• Empuries
  The ruins of a Roman military camp built on the remains of a bustling Greek city, Empuries is the only archaeological site on the Iberian Peninsula that boasts such an ancient history.
  Photo by tristanf (cc)

• Fort Conception
  Fort Conception is a seventeenth century Spanish fort which served as a British base during the Peninsular War.
  

• Galdar Archaeological Site
  The Galdar Archaeological Site houses the best preserved remains of the prehistoric inhabitants of the Canary Islands.
  

• Guadalmina Roman Baths
  The Guadalmina Roman Baths are the ruins of a Roman baths complex in Marbella.
  

• Guadiana Bridge
  Guadiana Bridge in Merida was one of the largest bridges built by the Roman Empire.
  Photo by Tomas Fano (cc)

• Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion
  Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion is an 18th century church with a history dating back to the 16th century.
  

• Iglesia de Santo Domingo de Guzman
  Iglesia de Santo Domingo de Guzman is a church dating mostly to the seventeenth century.
  Photo by tm-tm (cc)

• La Almudaina Royal Palace
  The La Almudaina Royal Palace in Palma was a Muslim citadel turned into a Majorcan palace.
  Photo by Jaume Meneses (cc)

• La Olmeda Roman Villa
  La Olmeda Roman Villa is a well-preserved fourth century AD Roman home in Palencia in Spain.
  Photo by Jon Gonzalo Torróntegui (cc)

• Lugo Cathedral
  Lugo Cathedral was mainly built from 1129 to 1273 and added to over the centuries.
  Photo by IES-MGB (cc)

• Lugo Roman Baths
  The Lugo Roman Baths were built in approximately 15BC, around the time when the city was founded and remain well-preserved.
  

• Marbella Castle Walls
  The Marbella Castle Walls were once part of an impressive Moorish citadel built in the tenth century.
  

• Merida Amphitheatre
  Merida Amphitheatre is an Ancient Roman ruin and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
  Photo by Tomas Fano (cc)

• Merida Roman Circus
  The Merida Roman Circus was an Ancient Roman chariot racing arena which remains well preserved.
  Photo by Mikelo (cc)

• Monasterio de Piedra
  The Monasterio de Piedra is a monastery located in Zaragoza, Spain. The building was constructed between 1195 and 1218, and is surrounded by acres of spectacular parkland.
  

• Monestir de Pedralbes
  Monestir de Pedralbes is a fourteenth century church and a museum.
  Photo by Jaume Meneses (cc)

• Murcia Cathedral
  Murcia Cathedral is a picturesque Roman Catholic cathedral in Spain dating back to the 14th century.
  Photo by Keith Williamson (cc)

• Palacio del Infantado
  Palacio del Infantado is a fifteenth century palace in Guadalajara built by the Mendoza family.
  

• Pollentia
  Pollentia is an Ancient Roman site in Alcudia in Majorca.
  

• Puente de Alcantara
  Puente de Alcantara is a Roman bridge crossing the Tagus River in Spain.
  

• Refugi 307
  Refugi 307 was one of thousands of bomb shelters built in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War.
  

• Rio Verde Roman Villa
  The Rio Verde Roman Villa was a first to second century Roman home in Marbella.
  

• Roman Necropolis of Barcelona
  The Roman Necropolis of Barcelona contains 95 Ancient Roman tombs.
  

• Sagunto Castle
  Sagunto Castle was a large Moorish citadel, the impressive remains of which overlook the modern town.
  

• Sagunto Roman Theatre
  The Sagunto Roman Theatre dates back to the first century, when it was built into the side of a mountain.
  

• Salamanca Battlefield
  The Salamanca Battlefield was the site of a major victory by the Duke of Wellington in 1812 during the Peninsular Wars.
  

• Santa Eulalia Basilica - Merida
  Santa Eulalia Basilica was an Ancient Roman church, the remains of which are located in Merida.
  

• Santa Maria del Mar
  Eglesia de Santa Maria del Mar is a fourteenth century church in Barcelona and an excellent example of Catalan-Gothic architecture.
  

• Santiago de Compostela Cathedral
  Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain is home to the relics of Saint James and a place of pilgrimage for centuries.
  

• Segovia Aqueduct
  The Segovia Aqueduct is one of the best preserved Roman structures in Spain. UNESCO listed.
  Photo by Alaskan Dude (cc)

• Segovia Cathedral
  Segovia Cathedral is an impressive gothic structure in the Old Town of Segovia.
  

• Serranos Towers
  The Serranos Towers are a duo of medieval defensive towers which once formed part of Valencia’s fortifications.
  

• Seville Cathedral
  Seville Cathedral is the third largest cathedral in the world, a World Heritage site and the resting place of Christopher Columbus.
  

• Spanish National Museum of Archaeology
  The Spanish National Museum of Archaeology displays historical artefacts from throughout the country’s history as well as from around the world.
  

• Talavera Battlefield Monument
  The Talavera Battlefield Monument commemorates the first major victory won by the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War.
  

• Tarragona Amphitheatre
  Tarragona Amphitheatre is a second century AD construction would once have played host to gladiatorial battles.
  

• Tarragona Roman Circus
  Tarragona Roman Circus was built in the first century AD and is one of the best preserved Roman sites in this Spanish city.
  

• Tarragona Roman Forum
  The Tarragona Roman Forum houses the ruins of what was the central square of the Ancient Roman city of Tarraco.
  

• Temple of Augustus - Barcelona
  The Temple of Augustus is a first century Ancient Roman ruin hidden in Barcelona’s back streets.
  

• Temple of Diana - Merida
  The Temple of Diana is a very well-preserved UNESCO-listed Ancient Roman temple in Merida.
  

• Tenerife Archaeological Museum
  The Tenerife Archaeological Museum contains archaeological finds from around the Canary Islands.
  

• The Alcala Gate
  The Alcala Gate is an iconic eighteenth century triumphal arch in Madrid constructed under King Charles III of Spain.
  

• The Cibeles Fountain
  The Cibeles Fountain is an iconic monument in Madrid which was built under the orders of King Charles III.
  

• The Debod Temple
  The Debod Temple is an Ancient Egyptian temple in Madrid gifted to Spain in the 1960s.
  

• The House of Robert Graves
  The House of Robert Graves in Mallorca is a small museum dedicated to the life of this famous author and poet.
  

• The Los Milagros Aqueduct
  The Los Milagros Aqueduct in Merida supplied water to the Ancient Roman city of Augusta Emerita.
  Photo by Susonauta (cc)

• Toledo Sephardic Museum
  The Toledo Sephardic Museum is dedicated to the history, culture and legacy of the city’s Jewish population.
  Photo by Harshil.Shah (cc)

• Tordesillas
  Tordesillas was the location of the imprisonment of Juana of Castil (Juana la Loca)
  

• Trajan Arch of Merida
  The Trajan Arch of Merida is a UNESCO listed Ancient Roman granite gateway.
  

• Valencia Cathedral
  Valencia Cathedral was begun in the 13th century and boasts an eclectic range of styles including Gothic, Romanesque and Baroque.