Where to Stay in Spain

Centro covers the patch from Puerta del Sol down through Las Letras and west to La Latina. You sleep above tapas bars on Cava Baja, walk five minutes to the Prado, and roll out of bed for churros at San Gines at 2am. Salamanca, just east across Calle de Serrano, is calmer and pricier, full of leather shops and stiff coffee at Cafe Saigon. Avoid the blocks immediately around Gran Via at night. They are loud and full of hen parties. Stick south of Calle Mayor for the best feel.

Best for

First-time visitorsart loverslate-night eaters

Walk times

Sol to Prado 8 min
Plaza Mayor to Reina Sofia 12 min
Salamanca to Retiro Park 6 min

Skip if: You want beach access or quiet mornings

Local tip: Buy the Paseo del Arte pass before you arrive. It covers the Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen and saves you about 12 euros.

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$123per night

Barcelona (Eixample and Gothic Quarter)

Gaudi on your doorstep, sea 15 minutes away

Mid-range $130-$380/night

Eixample is the grid above Plaza Catalunya, with Passeig de Gracia cutting through the middle. You walk to Casa Batllo and La Pedrera in under ten minutes from most hotels here. The Gothic Quarter, just south, is medieval lanes around the cathedral. It is gorgeous but pickpockets work La Rambla hard, so keep your phone in a zipped pocket. Skip Barceloneta if you want to sleep. The beachfront bars run until 3am and the rooms are tiny. Eixample Dret, east of Passeig de Gracia, is the calmer half.

Best for

Architecture fansfoodiesdesign hotel hunters

Walk times

Plaza Catalunya to Sagrada Familia 22 min
Gothic Quarter to the beach 15 min
Passeig de Gracia to Park Guell 35 min

Skip if: You hate crowds or want cheap rooms in summer

Local tip: Book Sagrada Familia tickets two weeks ahead with the tower add-on. Walk-up tickets sell out by 10am from May to October.

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$146per night

Seville (Santa Cruz and Triana)

Andalusian heat, flamenco bars, orange trees

Mid-range $85-$240/night

Santa Cruz is the old Jewish quarter wrapped around the cathedral and the Alcazar. The lanes off Calle Mateos Gago are too narrow for cars, which is the point. You hear flamenco guitar through open windows after dark. Triana sits across the Guadalquivir river, ten minutes on foot over the Isabel II bridge. It is where locals actually drink, on Calle Betis with the cathedral lit up across the water. Avoid hotels right on Avenida de la Constitucion. Trams rattle past until midnight.

Best for

Couplesflamenco fansslower-paced travelers

Walk times

Santa Cruz to Alcazar entrance 4 min
Cathedral to Plaza de Espana 14 min
Triana to Santa Cruz 11 min

Skip if: You are visiting in July or August (110F is normal)

Local tip: Eat dinner after 10pm. Restaurants that serve at 7pm are tourist traps. Real Sevillanos sit down at 10:30 and the food is cheaper.

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$95per night

San Sebastian (Parte Vieja and Gros)

Pintxos, surf beach, the best food per square mile in Europe

Mid-range $160-$420/night

Parte Vieja is the old town, eight blocks of bars where you stand at the counter, point at pintxos and pay 2.50 euros each. Calle 31 de Agosto is the spine. Bar Nestor does one tortilla a day at 1pm and 8pm, and it sells out in 20 minutes. Gros sits across the Urumea river, a 12-minute walk away. It has Zurriola beach, surfboards for rent, and quieter hotels. La Concha bay is the postcard beach but the rooms there cost double. Skip the strip behind La Concha unless you have a real budget.

Best for

Food obsessivessurferssummer travelers

Walk times

Parte Vieja to La Concha beach 6 min
Gros to Parte Vieja 12 min
Parte Vieja to Monte Urgull viewpoint 15 min

Skip if: You want low prices or sun guarantees in winter

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$179per night