Iberia Completa

Two masterpieces by Antoni Gaudí flank the elegant Passeig de Gràcia: Casa Milà ("La Pedrera"), with its undulating façade that mimics the movement of the sea, and Casa Batlló, clad in mosaics that recreate the legend of Sant Jordi and the dragon. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the best possible introduction to the modernist genius who redefined Barcelona.

Gaudí's unfinished — perhaps unfinishable — masterpiece remains, more than 140 years after its first stone was laid, Spain's most visited religious building. Its interior, bathed in light filtered through stained-glass windows that change colour with the time of day, has been described as "a forest of stone": the columns branch upward toward the ceiling like real trees. UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Originally conceived as a luxury housing estate that was never completed, Park Güell is today a fantasy garden where trencadís — Gaudí's signature mosaic of broken tiles — covers undulating benches, palm-shaped columns and the iconic salamander that greets visitors at the entrance.

On the banks of the Ebro, the Basilica of El Pilar is one of the most important Marian shrines in Christendom — tradition holds that the Virgin Mary's first apparition took place here. Its cluster of domes, reflected in the river beside the historic Stone Bridge, is Zaragoza's most recognisable image.

Frank Gehry's titanium-clad building transformed Bilbao from a declining industrial city into a world reference for contemporary art — the phenomenon critics dubbed "the Guggenheim effect". Its collection, together with Louise Bourgeois's sculptural spider "Maman" at its feet, draws over a million visitors every year.

Stroll through the Casco Viejo (Old Town) and sample pintxos.

Founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX, the University of Salamanca is Spain's oldest institution of higher learning and one of the oldest in Europe. Recognised by Pope Alexander IV in 1255 with universal validity for its degrees, it was the first university to have a public library and a chair of music.

At the height of the Spanish Golden Age, the School of Salamanca laid the foundations of international law and economic science, educating figures such as Fray Luis de León and Miguel de Unamuno. Its iconic plateresque façade, with its famous frog perched on a skull, symbolises the union of wisdom and mortality. Today, after nearly eight centuries of history, it remains a cultural and academic pillar of global relevance.

The Dom Luís I Bridge, designed by a disciple of Gustave Eiffel, links the two banks of the Douro with a silhouette that has become the symbol of the city. Beside it, the Stock Exchange Palace (Palácio da Bolsa) conceals one of Portugal's most sumptuous halls — the Arab Room — while Porto Cathedral (Sé do Porto) has watched over the Ribeira district since the 12th century.

Considered one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world, its curved wooden staircase and neo-Gothic stained glass are said to have inspired J.K. Rowling during her time in Porto — many claim to recognise here the visual seed of Hogwarts.

From the battlements of São Jorge Castle, Lisbon unfolds in a mosaic of terracotta rooftops down to the Tagus. At its feet, the maze of narrow lanes in Alfama — the city's oldest neighbourhood, a survivor of the 1755 earthquake — captures the soul of Lisbon: fado drifting from courtyards, laundry strung between balconies, and viewpoints offering some of Portugal's most photographed postcards.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the finest expression of Manueline architecture, Jerónimos Monastery was funded by the wealth brought by Portugal's maritime discoveries — it is here, fittingly, that Vasco da Gama rests. On the banks of the Tagus, Belém Tower once guarded the entrance to the port and today stands, together with the monastery itself, as the ultimate symbol of the Age of Discovery.

The Royal Alcázar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is Europe's oldest royal palace still in use: a dazzling example of Mudéjar architecture that served as a filming location for "Game of Thrones". A few steps away, Seville Cathedral — the largest Gothic cathedral in the world — holds the tomb of Christopher Columbus in the shadow of the Giralda, a former Almohad minaret turned bell tower.

The Torre del Oro, a 13th-century military watchtower on the banks of the Guadalquivir, tells the defensive history of Islamic Seville. Plaza de España, built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition, is simply monumental: a 50,000 m² semicircle with tiled alcoves representing every Spanish province, navigable canals, and architecture that has served as a set for "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Star Wars".

Flamenco, declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, was born precisely in this land. An evening of singing, dancing and guitar at a Seville tablao is the most authentic way to feel Andalusian "duende".

A former Visigothic, Muslim and Christian capital, Toledo is known as "the city of the three cultures" for the historic coexistence of Christians, Muslims and Jews within its walls. Its primatial Cathedral, one of the pinnacles of Spanish Gothic architecture, and the imposing Alcázar crowning the city bear witness to more than a thousand years of intertwined history.

Europe's third-largest royal palace, with over 3,000 rooms, remains the official — though unoccupied — residence of the Spanish royal family. Its Throne Room, Royal Armoury and Royal Pharmacy make the visit a direct journey into the splendour of the Spanish court of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Almudena Cathedral rests upon Madrid's ancient Arab city wall. Its neoclassical silhouette crowns the capital's skyline with regal elegance. The building fuses centuries of waiting with a light-filled neo-Gothic interior, its modern stained-glass windows watching over devotion to the city's patroness — a monumental mirror where living history and contemporary art meet.

The Kilometre Zero of Spain's road network (Puerta del Sol), the elegant Plaza Mayor — for centuries a stage for coronations, bullfights and inquisitorial trials — and the Mercado de San Miguel, an 1916 iron-and-glass temple to gastronomy, round off a walk through the most traditional side of Madrid. Not to be missed: finishing with churros and hot chocolate at a century-old chocolatería (San Ginés).

A former royal garden turned into Madrid's great green lung, the Retiro conceals the Crystal Palace — an 1887 iron-and-glass greenhouse now hosting contemporary art exhibitions — beside a pond where Madrileños and visitors have been rowing for more than a century.