Nine underrated cities in Spain overlooked by foreign tourists

Zaragoza

Zaragoza is the capital of the region of Aragón and the fourth most populous city in Spain, yet it’s hardly known by international visitors at all and many in Spain haven’t visited either. Zaragoza may not shout and boast about its attractions, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any. The city is built around its 17th century Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, one of the most important religious sites in Spain. It was also once the home of one of Spain's most famous artists - Francisco de Goya, and there's an excellent museum dedicated to the painter that's worth seeing. It's crown jewel though is the Palacio de Aljafería, an opulent 11th century Moorish castle.

Avilés

Avilés is the third most important city in the northern region of Asturias, behind Oviedo and Gijón, and while Madrileños (people from Madrid) have definitely discovered this region during the hot summer months, international tourists have yet to explore it. The city’s old town has been declared a Historic-Artistic-Monumental Site and is dotted with historic architecture and colonnade-lined streets. It's also home to the futuristic Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre.

Antequera

The city of Antequera lies in between two renowned Andalusian cities - Málaga and Córdoba, but despite its location right in the middle of the southern region, many travellers simply miss it out. Antequera is known as the City of Churches because it has so many places to worship – in fact it’s the Spanish city with the greatest number of churches per habitant. Whether you’re religious or not, you can’t help but admire these spectacular creations, of all different styles and ages. The city is also crowned by the Alcazaba of Antequera, an 11th century Moorish fortress, but the real treasure lies just on its outskirts - three megalithic dolmens - two of which you can actually go inside.

Cuenca

With its UNESCO World Heritage status, Cuenca may be an obvious underrated city to those in Spain, but it’s still relatively unknown to international tourism. It’s listed due to its well-preserved medieval fortified walls, as well as its Casas Colgadas or Hanging Houses, ancient apartment blocks which sit suspended over the cliff faces.

Vitoria i Gasteiz

Vitoria i Gasteiz is in fact the capital of Spain’s Basque Country, but you wouldn’t know it given the popularity of nearby San Sebastián and Bilbao. Bilbao may boast having the Guggenheim and San Sebastián may have its pintxos bars and La Concha Beach, but Vitoria i Gasteiz has a lot to write home about too. It is also known for its fantastic Basque cuisine and Michelin-Starred restaurants, as well as its art including the ARTUM Museum of Contemporary Art of the Basque Country. Not to mention it’s one of the greenest cities in Spain and is great for cycling.

Reus

Reus is located in Catalonia, just inland from more popular Tarragona. If you’re not from the area, it’s unlikely you will have heard of it, however, you will have most definitely heard of the city’s most famous son - Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí lived in the city as a child and many experts believe he was born here too. Curiously you won’t find any of his buildings here, but you will find a treasure trove of other Catalan Modernista designs. There are over 80 Modernist buildings dotted around the city and you can visit many of them on the city’s special Modernisme Route. One of the most spectacular is the Pere Mata Institute designed by another genius architect who was in fact one of Gaudí’s teachers - Lluís Domènech i Montaner​​.

Logroño

As one of the main stops along the Camino de Santiago, La Rioja’s capital of Logroño is loved by pilgrims, but if you haven’t come here on two feet, it’s likely that will have visited at all. La Rioja may be famous for its wine, but in fact it’s one of the least visited regions of the country, and those that do come typically head for nearby Haro near the wineries instead. But they’d be missing out as Logroño is in fact one of the best foodie destinations in the country. Move over San Sebastián, Logroño is where it’s at.

A Coruña

A Coruña is the second largest city in the northwestern region of Galicia, but despite this it’s often overlooked in favour of Santiago de Compostela – the end of the Camino pilgrimage route and the largest city of Vigo. As well as it’s coastal location right on the corner of Spain, there’s a lot to love about A Coruña, including the Tower of Hercules, the oldest Roman lighthouse in the world and its celebrated glass balconies, giving it the nickname City of Glass.

Elche

There aren’t many places in Valencia’s Alicante province that you can call underrated as most of them are very popular, but Elche could be considered one of them. The city lies just 25km inland from Alicante and is worth visiting for its incredible Palmeral, home to over 200,000 palm trees and the largest palm grove in Europe. The palms have been here for more than 2,000 years back to the time of the Carthaginians, but the city’s history is also intertwined with the Moors who founded the current city.