SPAIN

Barcelona contains six UNESCO World Heritage Sites and five of them are by a single architect: Antoni Gaudí. La Sagrada Família has been under continuous construction since 1882 and is projected to complete in 2026 — visiting during this final phase is a historical event worth prioritizing. Park Güell, Casa Batlló, and Casa Milà (La Pedrera) are the other major works. But Barcelona's real character lives in the neighborhoods: the Gothic Quarter's medieval labyrinth, the Born's design shops and cocktail bars, Gràcia's village squares where old men play cards in the afternoon. The food market La Boqueria is overrun with tourists — the Mercat de Santa Caterina two blocks away is where Barcelonans actually shop.

Madrid's Paseo del Arte contains three of the finest art museums in the world within walking distance of each other. The Prado holds Velázquez, Goya, El Greco, and Bosch in depth — a full day is not enough. The Reina Sofía has Picasso's Guernica and the finest collection of 20th-century Spanish art assembled anywhere. The Thyssen-Bornemisza fills the gaps with everything else: from medieval to Impressionist to Pop Art. All three on the same museum pass. After the museums: the rooftop terrace of the Círculo de Bellas Artes for the view, the vermut bars of La Latina at 1pm on Sunday, and the mercado de San Miguel for the best pintxos outside the Basque Country.

The Alhambra palace complex in Granada is the finest surviving example of Moorish architecture in the world. The Nasrid Palaces — the royal apartments at the heart of the complex — require a separately timed ticket that must be booked weeks ahead. The fortress walls of the Alcazaba and the Generalife gardens round the visit to a full day. Seville's Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus. The Alcázar of Seville (still a royal residence, the oldest in Europe still in use) is as impressive as the Alhambra and significantly less crowded. Córdoba's Mezquita — a mosque that became a cathedral — is the third piece of the Andalusian triangle and the strangest of the three.

Already covered in the Fine Living Guide, but worth repeating here for the photography: San Sebastián is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and the Parte Vieja at night — the pintxo bars lit from within, the narrow streets packed with people eating and drinking — is one of the finest street photography environments on the continent. La Concha beach at sunrise. The view from Monte Urgull. The fish market at La Bretxa. This city photographs well in every direction.