Hidden Gems in Spain: 12 Towns You’ve Never Heard Of
12 Spanish Towns That Even Most Spaniards Haven’t Heard Of
Spain gets 85 million tourists a year. They go to Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, and the beaches. And those places are wonderful. But Spain has over 8,000 municipalities, and some of the most extraordinary ones are places where the only tourists are a few French hikers who took a wrong turn.
I’ve spent the last three years hunting down Spain’s hidden corners — villages perched on impossible cliffs, medieval towns where time genuinely stopped, and coastal hamlets where the fish arrives on the beach before the restaurant opens. These are the 12 that made my jaw drop.
1. Albarracín, Aragón
Why it’s special: Consistently voted one of Spain’s most beautiful villages, Albarracín is a cluster of pink-sandstone houses clinging to a cliff above the Guadalaviar River, surrounded by a Moorish wall. The entire town is a national monument, yet it gets a fraction of the visitors that similar towns in Tuscany or Provence receive.
Walking through the narrow streets feels like entering a painting. The houses lean toward each other across alleys so narrow you can touch both walls. The cathedral is tiny but exquisite. And the landscape around the town — pine forests, red-rock canyons, and prehistoric cave paintings (the Abrigo de Toro) — adds days of exploration.
Getting there: 3 hours from Madrid, 2.5 from Valencia, 2 from Zaragoza. No public transport — car only.
Where to eat: Restaurante Albarracín — lamb roasted in a wood oven, €16. Local sheep’s cheese, €5.
Where to stay: Casa de Santiago — boutique hotel in a restored medieval house, €70/night.
Pro tip: Visit in autumn when the surrounding forests turn gold and red. The contrast with the pink sandstone is extraordinary.
2. Cudillero, Asturias
Why it’s special: A tiny fishing village where brightly painted houses cascade down a steep hillside to a miniature port. Imagine the Italian Riviera but Spanish, less crowded, and with better cider. The amphitheater-like arrangement of the village around the harbor looks like a natural coliseum.
Getting there: 45 minutes from Oviedo, 1 hour from Gijón. Bus service from Oviedo (ALSA, €5).
Where to eat: Any restaurant on the port serves fresh-caught seafood. El Remo — grilled sea bream with Asturian cider, €14. Fabada asturiana (bean stew with sausages), €10.
Pro tip: Asturias is Spain’s “Green Spain” — rainy, lush, and completely different from the sun-baked south. It’s perfect for a summer escape when Andalusia is scorching.
3. Peñíscola, Comunidad Valenciana
Why it’s special: A medieval castle town built on a rocky peninsula jutting into the Mediterranean. The Castillo del Papa Luna (€5) — fortress of the antipope Benedict XIII — dominates the skyline. Below it, the old town’s white walls drop straight into the sea. It was a Game of Thrones filming location (Meereen).
Getting there: 2.5 hours from Barcelona, 1.5 from Valencia. Train to Benicarló-Peñíscola (then bus or taxi 5 km).
Where to eat: The seafood here is outstanding — Peñíscola is a working fishing port. Casa Jaime — rice dishes (arroz a banda, paella de marisco), €12-16 per person. Some of the best rice in Spain outside Valencia.
Pro tip: Visit in June or September — summer weekends draw Spanish day-trippers. The beaches north and south of the old town are excellent and far less crowded than the Costa Brava.
4. Ainsa, Aragón
Why it’s special: A perfectly preserved medieval village in the Pyrenees foothills with a massive 11th-century castle and a Plaza Mayor that’s one of the most beautiful squares in Spain. The backdrop is the snow-capped peaks of the Parque Nacional de Ordesa — Spain’s answer to Yosemite.
Getting there: 2.5 hours from Zaragoza, 3 hours from Barcelona. Car essential.
Where to eat: Restaurante Callizo — Michelin-starred, contemporary Aragonese cuisine. Tasting menu €65. For casual: Bodegón de Mallacán — grilled lamb cutlets and wild mushroom croquetas, €18-22 for a meal.
Where to stay: One of the casas rurales (rural guesthouses) in the surrounding villages — €50-70/night, mountains out every window.
Pro tip: Use Ainsa as a base for the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park (30 minutes) — spectacular canyon hikes, waterfalls, and genuine wilderness. The Cola de Caballo waterfall trail (3 hours return) is one of the best hikes in Spain.
5. Frigiliana, Andalusia
Why it’s special: The most beautiful white village on the Costa del Sol, and one that most beach tourists never discover despite it being just 7 km from Nerja. The Moorish old town is a labyrinth of whitewashed houses, cobblestone steps, and cascading bougainvillea. Ceramic tiles on the walls tell the story of the 1569 Morisco rebellion.
Getting there: 7 km from Nerja (10 minutes by car or bus). 1 hour from Málaga.
Where to eat: The Garden Restaurant — Mediterranean fusion on a terrace with valley views. Mains €12-18. For a quick bite: the local miel de caña (cane honey) is famous — buy a jar from any shop (€4) and drizzle it on cheese.
Pro tip: Visit during the Festival de 3 Culturas (August) — a celebration of the town’s Christian, Muslim, and Jewish heritage with live music, food, and processions. Also combine with our Andalusia Road Trip.
6. Combarro, Galicia
Why it’s special: A granite fishing village on the Galician coast with the highest concentration of hórreos (traditional stone granaries on stilts) in Spain. They line the waterfront like miniature stone temples. Behind them, stone crucifixes (cruceiros) stand against the Atlantic sky. It’s hauntingly beautiful and deeply Galician.
Getting there: 7 km from Pontevedra, 30 km from Vigo. Bus from Pontevedra (15 minutes).
Where to eat: Galician seafood is the best in Spain. Taberna de Combarro — pulpo a feira (octopus with paprika and olive oil, €12), zamburiñas (scallops, €10), and Albariño wine (€3/glass). You’ll eat better here for €20 than for €60 in Madrid.
Pro tip: Galicia is Spain’s best-kept culinary secret. The entire coast from Vigo to Santiago de Compostela is dotted with fishing villages serving extraordinary seafood at laughable prices.
7. Mojácar, Almería
Why it’s special: A white hilltop village in Europe’s only desert (the Tabernas Desert nearby was used as a film set for spaghetti Westerns). The old town (Mojácar Pueblo) is a maze of white cubes, blue doors, and flower pots. Below, Mojácar Playa has some of the most uncrowded beaches on Spain’s Mediterranean coast.
Getting there: 2 hours from Murcia, 2.5 from Granada. Almería airport is 1 hour away.
Where to eat: Rincón de Embrujo — terrace overlooking the desert and sea simultaneously. Grilled fish and local tapas, €15-20 for a full meal.
Pro tip: Visit the Tabernas Desert (1 hour away) — Mini Hollywood, where Sergio Leone filmed “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” You can watch a live Western show (€24) in an actual film set.
8. Olite, Navarra
Why it’s special: A medieval town dominated by a fairy-tale castle — the Palacio Real de Olite (€3.50) looks like it was designed by Disney, with turrets, towers, and hanging gardens. It was once the seat of the Kingdom of Navarra and reputedly the most luxurious palace in 15th-century Europe.
Getting there: 45 minutes from Pamplona, 3.5 hours from Madrid. Train from Pamplona (30 minutes, €5).
Where to eat: Navarra is rosé country and pintxo country. Restaurante Merindad de Olite — regional dishes, fantastic Navarra rosado (€3/glass). The local pimiento del piquillo (roasted peppers) stuffed with cod (€9) is divine.
Pro tip: Combine with a day in Pamplona (if it’s not July, it’s a quiet, beautiful city with some of Spain’s best pintxo bars) and the Bardenas Reales semi-desert (30 minutes) — a surreal badlands landscape used in Game of Thrones.
9. Trujillo, Extremadura
Why it’s special: The birthplace of Francisco Pizarro (conqueror of Peru), with a massive Plaza Mayor surrounded by Renaissance palaces built with New World gold. The castle above the town has views over the Extremaduran plains that stretch to the horizon. And somehow, almost nobody visits.
Getting there: 2.5 hours from Madrid, 45 minutes from Cáceres. Bus from Madrid (Avanza, €15-20).
Where to eat: Extremadura is Spain’s most underrated food region. Mesón La Troya — legendary for its fixed-price meal (€15 for multiple courses including Ibérico pork, local cheese, and dessert). Portions are enormous.
Pro tip: Visit Cáceres (45 minutes) on the same trip — its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site that doubles as a Game of Thrones filming location (King’s Landing scenes) and is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe.
10. Besalú, Catalonia
Why it’s special: A medieval town entered via a dramatic 12th-century Romanesque bridge with seven arches. Inside, a rare Jewish mikveh (ritual bath) from the 12th century, a monastery, and stone streets that haven’t changed in 800 years. It’s 30 minutes from Girona but most tourists go to the coast instead.
Getting there: 30 minutes from Girona, 2 hours from Barcelona. Bus from Girona (Teisa, €4).
Where to eat: Cúria Reial — creative Catalan cuisine in a medieval building. Lunch menu €18.
Pro tip: The bridge is best photographed from the river below in the morning light. Combine with the nearby volcanic zone of La Garrotxa — extinct volcanoes covered in beech forests, extraordinary hiking.
11. Guadalest, Comunidad Valenciana
Why it’s special: A tiny village built into a rock pinnacle with a castle ruin on top, overlooking a turquoise reservoir. You enter through a tunnel carved through the rock. The views from the cemetery (yes, the cemetery — it has the best viewpoint) over the reservoir and mountains are extraordinary.
Getting there: 1 hour from Alicante, 20 minutes from Benidorm.
Cost: Free to walk around. Castle €3, several quirky micro-museums (€3-4 each).
Pro tip: Go early morning (before 10 AM) or late afternoon. Day-trippers from Benidorm flood the village midday in summer.
12. Comillas, Cantabria
Why it’s special: A small coastal town with an outsized cultural heritage. El Capricho de Gaudí (€7) — one of only three buildings Gaudí designed outside Catalonia — is a fantastical summer house covered in sunflower tiles. The Pontifical University on the clifftop, the Marquis of Comillas’ palace, and the beach below create a town that punches wildly above its weight.
Getting there: 45 minutes from Santander, 1 hour from Bilbao.
Where to eat: El Duende de Comillas — creative Cantabrian cuisine, locally caught anchoas and rabas (fried squid). Mains €14-20. Finish with sobaos pasiegos (local butter cakes).
Pro tip: Combine with Santillana del Mar (20 minutes) — another gorgeous medieval town with the Altamira Cave replica (€3, stunning prehistoric art) — and the Picos de Europa mountains (1 hour).
How to Plan a Hidden Gems Road Trip
These towns aren’t on typical tourist circuits, which is part of their charm. Here are two suggested routes:
Northern Spain Loop (10-14 days)
Bilbao → Comillas → Cudillero → Combarro → Santiago de Compostela → back east via Ainsa
Central-Southern Loop (10 days)
Madrid → Albarracín → Peñíscola → Valencia → Mojácar → Granada → Frigiliana
For broader trip planning, see our Spain Itinerary guide and 10 Days in Spain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a car?
For most of these towns, yes. Spain’s bus network reaches everywhere but infrequently in rural areas. Rental cars are cheap (€15-25/day) and the roads are excellent.
Best time of year?
Spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October) for most towns. Northern Spain (Asturias, Galicia, Cantabria) is best in summer (July-August) as it’s cooler and drier.
Are these towns tourist-friendly?
They’re welcoming but less set up for international tourists than major cities. English is limited — basic Spanish helps enormously. Accommodation is available but book ahead in summer.
Can I combine hidden gems with major cities?
Absolutely — that’s the best approach. Most of these towns are 1-3 hours from a major city, making them perfect day trips or overnight stops. See our Barcelona vs Madrid guide for city planning.
Looking for hidden gems in other countries? Our friends at France Vibe have 15 French villages tourists never find, and Switzerland Vibe covers Alpine gems near Zurich.
