Spain's UNESCO heritage

Spain is one of the countries with the most sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, alongside Italy, China, Germany and France. The first were recognised in 1984: the Alhambra in Granada, the Mezquita in Córdoba, Burgos cathedral, Gaudí's works and the monastery of El Escorial. Recent additions include Madrid's Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro (2021) and the sites of Talayotic Menorca (2023). Here is a selection to help plan your trip.

Historic cities

• Toledo, city of three cultures.
• Salamanca, with its university.
• Segovia, with its Roman aqueduct.
• Ávila, with its medieval walls.
• Cáceres, an old town of towers and palaces.
• Cuenca, with its hanging houses.
• Santiago de Compostela and the Camino.
• Úbeda and Baeza, Renaissance gems.
• Alcalá de Henares, the first planned university city.
• The old town of Ibiza, Dalt Vila, together with the Posidonia.
• San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on Tenerife.

Arab and Mudéjar monuments

• The Alhambra, Generalife and Albaicín in Granada.
• The historic centre of Córdoba, with the Mezquita, and the caliphal city of Medina Azahara.
• The cathedral, Alcázar and Archive of the Indies in Seville.
• The Mudéjar architecture of Aragon, in Teruel and Zaragoza.

Roman legacy

• The archaeological ensemble of Mérida.
• The Tarraco complex in Tarragona.
• The Roman walls of Lugo.
• The Segovia aqueduct and the gold mines of Las Médulas.
• The Tower of Hercules in A Coruña.

Churches, monasteries and masterpieces

• The cathedrals of Burgos and Seville.
• The works of Gaudí and the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona.
• The monasteries of El Escorial, Guadalupe, Poblet and San Millán de la Cogolla.
• The Asturian pre-Romanesque of Oviedo.
• The Romanesque churches of the Vall de Boí.
• The Palmeral of Elche and the landscape of Aranjuez.

Prehistory

• The Altamira cave and the painted caves of Cantabria and Asturias.
• Levantine rock art, along the Mediterranean arc.
• Atapuerca, near Burgos, with the remains of the first Europeans.
• The Antequera dolmens and Talayotic Menorca.
• The engravings of Siega Verde, near Ciudad Rodrigo.

Natural landscapes

• Doñana National Park, in Andalusia.
• Mount Teide, on Tenerife, and Garajonay, on La Gomera, near Valle Gran Rey.
• Ordesa and Monte Perdido, in the Pyrenees, shared with France.
• Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture, with its Posidonia meadows, see Formentera.
• Primeval beech forests, part of a European site.
• The cultural landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana on Majorca and Risco Caído on Gran Canaria.

Intangible heritage

UNESCO also recognises living Spanish traditions, including flamenco, Catalan castells, the Misteri d'Elx, silbo gomero, Valencia's Water Tribunal, the Fallas, the Mediterranean diet, the Patum of Berga and the tamborradas. See also national parks and itineraries.