Of all the cities in Spain, Granada is the one where you can most feel the legacy of the Muslims who ruled Iberia for nearly eight centuries. After all, this was the last city on the Iberian peninsula to be reconquered by the Catholic Monarchs Fernando and Isabel, with their 1492 siege of the capital of the Emirate of Granada representing the final nail in the coffin for Al-Andalus.

With a number of centuries-old establishments serving up prized regional dishes, Seville’s food scene is among the best in Spain.

Often cited as one of Italy’s premier food cities, Bologna is rich with culinary tradition in past and present. The city is nicknamed la grassa (“the fat”) for its emphasis on meat and dairy products, which come from the fertile Po River Valley nearby. Bologna has produced a number of Italy’s most famous dishes—not just the bolognese.

Madrid has no shortage of things to do, but the area around the Spanish capital is full of places to explore, too.

Lisbon has become one of Europe’s hottest tourist destinations, and the city has undergone something of a transformation in recent years, with a litany of new restaurants and cafes popping up catering to the growing population of tourists and digital nomads. But the Portuguese capital remains rooted in tradition—if you know where to look.

Athens, one of the world’s oldest cities, is famous as the birthplace of Western civilization, with a recorded history spanning some three and a half millennia. But the Greek capital is also home to a vibrant culture, spoiled for choice with food, nightlife, and cultural activities. Most tourists come here for the ancient, but it would be a shame not to explore the modern as well.

The charming city of A Coruña, in Spain’s far northwest, is one of the major cities of Galicia, which existed as an independent kingdom with its own language and culture for nearly a thousand years. Although it has long since been incorporated into the Spanish nation, Galicia still maintains a distinct identity, which can be felt strongly here.

The city of Vigo is the gateway to exploring the Illas Cíes, the jewel of the national park comprising an archipelago of Atlantic islands off Galicia’s western coast. These pristine islands, reachable from the city by ferry, boast untouched nature as well as some of the best beaches in all of Spain.

As the endpoint of Europe’s most famous pilgrimage, Santiago de Compostela occupies a central role in the history of Christianity. Since the early 9th century, when a shepherd noticed a bright light shining over an abandoned Roman tomb in the forest and subsequently discovered the remains of the apostle Saint James the Great buried within, pilgrims have flocked to the city along the network of trails known as the Camino de Santiago (‘The Way of Saint James’) that stretch acro

With a history spanning nearly three thousand years, Rome has something remarkable around every corner. Its sights—the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon—are known the world over. But Rome is more than just ancient monuments. There is another city here, hiding in plain sight, that is often overlooked by the tourists who come for the ticketed attractions. This local’s guide will help you to, as the saying goes, do as the (modern) Romans do.

Renowned as a destination for art and architecture, the Basque capital is also a paradise for food lovers, offering a wide array of options from classic tabernas to Michelin-starred experiences.

While its neighbors Mallorca and Ibiza suffer from the ill effects of overtourism, Menorca exists in relaxed juxtaposition, offering visitors a Mediterranean island experience with similar natural and cultural beauty but at a much more pleasant, calm pace.

On the southern side of the Sorrentine Peninsula, which separates the gulfs of Naples and Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast is one of Italy’s premiere tourist destinations—for good reason. This is a place of stunning natural beauty, with colorful, hillside towns built into rugged mountains that lead down to the deep blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Located in Salento, the heel of the boot of Italy, the city of Lecce is an open-air museum of Baroque architecture, forged in the native limestone known as ‘Lecce stone.’ This stone is renowned for its softness and malleability before hardening over time with exposure to air, allowing for intricate carvings and decoration that last for centuries without wear.

Valencia, on Spain’s eastern coast, is an archetypal Mediterranean city, offering visitors a wonderful combination of history, climate, green space, beach, and cuisine.

The so-called Costa Blanca is famous for its high-rise beach resorts attracting tourists from northern Europe, but Spain’s southeastern Levante coast has much more to offer. Read on for a guide to some of the best towns to visit in the province of Alicante.

Spread out along nine miles (15 km) of the rugged Ligurian coast, wedged between the Apennine Mountains and the Mediterranean, the five medieval villages collectively known as Cinque Terre are a testament to the communities who for centuries have made their lives in this beautiful yet inhospitable stretch of land.

Malasaña is Madrid’s most bohemian neighborhood, and it has tons to offer by day or night, full of lively bars, casual restaurants, and vintage clothing stores.

Madrid is without a doubt one of Europe’s footballing capitals. The city’s name is synonymous with that of the world’s most successful club, Real Madrid, but it is also home to a variety of clubs both large and small with passionate support and noble histories of their own. Here, you will find a guide to the three first-division clubs within the city limits, each with a unique culture woven into the fabric of the city.

Vermouth is a way of life in Madrid, and you will often see locals having one or two with some tapas for dinner or getting started earlier on a sunny afternoon. Here is a guide to some of the best places in the city to indulge in some crisp, housemade vermouth on tap.