For many, Spain still conjures up images of package holidays on the Costas. These have their place, of course, but the Spanish tourist board is trying, yet again, to shift this mindset with a new campaign highlighting lesser-known parts of the country, and a slogan that reads: “Think you know Spain? Think again.”
Its videos champion a dozen regions of mainland Spain, particularly across the northern coast and inland. There are very few people in swimsuits and the beaches featured are mostly shown on blustery, grey days. Instead, families kayak down rivers, run into the sea in wetsuits, cycle along mountain paths and enjoy bowls of warming bean stew.
If you’re not convinced, I should point out that these under-the-radar spots can be seriously fancy, with no end of swanky hotels to choose from. For many Spanish people, rural tourism involves driving to a medieval village on a Sunday, having a stroll in their best outdoor gear, then settling into a long lunch in a restaurant with checked tablecloths and wooden beams.
Here, I’ve picked 10 of the unsung regions that feature in the campaign and suggested some of my favourite places to stay.
Castilla-La Mancha
The Castilla-La Mancha region sprawls across the countryside to the south and east of Madrid, an undulating meseta of vines and olives punctuated by castles.
The town of Almagro is famous for hosting the International Classical Theatre Festival, which takes place in July in its 17th-century courtyard playhouse, Corral de Comedias. But go at any time for a beer and a tapas (it’s all about aubergines here) in the porticoed Plaza Mayor, famed for its galleried buildings with green window frames.
As you walk through narrow streets flanked by grand mansions, listen out for the clacking of wooden bobbins and peep into patios to see the local ladies making lace.
Stay at
Parador de Almagro, housed in the Convent of Santa Catalina; doubles from £122, breakfast included.
Extremadura
A three-hour drive west from Madrid, the lush valleys surrounding the Jerte and Ambroz rivers are popular for weekend jaunts. Think hikes through fields of peppers, cherry orchards and chestnut forests, followed by a bracing dip in one of the nearby wild swimming spots.
The medieval town of Hervás, on the Silver Route of the Camino de Santiago, also boasts one of the best-preserved Jewish quarters in Spain. Lanes lead up to a Templar castle and everyone gathers in the taverns in Plaza de la Corredera for a glass of pitarra red wine, which is aged in clay vats.
Stay at
Hotel Valle del Ambroz, a former convent in Hervás; doubles from £100, breakfast included.
Castile and León
This vast inland region stretches across northern Spain, covering an area bigger than Portugal and containing a string of historic cities such as Salamanca, Ávila, Segovia, León and Burgos. Lesser-known provincial capitals such as Soria, Zamora and Palencia are well worth sticking on your itinerary too.
Wine is made all over the region and you can do some pretty epic gastronomic routes, with stops at paradores and some surprisingly glamorous hotels along the way.
Stay at
Abadía Retuerta, LeDomaine, where Stella – the daughter of Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith – recently got married. Surrounded by vineyards in the Ribera del Duero area of Valladolid province, this Romanesque abbey is one of Spain’s smartest hotels; doubles from £475, breakfast included.
Aragón
Want to disappear for a while? It’s worth making the effort to get to Matarraña in the northern Teruel province. You’ll be driving for hours wherever you start from, so it’s just as well the area is a gorgeous enclave of olive groves and vineyards.
Butterscotch villages such as Valderrobres, Fuentespalda and Calaceite contain superb restaurants and wine bars, where arty locals mix with celebrities trying to keep a low profile.
Stay at
La Torre del Visco, where the restaurant has a Michelin Green Star; doubles from £350, breakfast included.
La Rioja
If you love Rioja wines, why not sample them in La Rioja? The smallest region in mainland Spain has far more than its fair share of boutique hotels and is one of the best for food too. For a gastronomic break with a bit of hiking – or just eating and drinking, no judgment here – I highly recommend it.
You could spend a jolly couple of days trawling the bars of Logroño, the regional capital, or base yourself in Echaurren, which has just been added to the UN Best Tourism Villages list and is close to the Valdezcaray ski resort.
Stay at
Hotel Echaurren, which is run by top chef Francis Paniego and features the Michelin-star restaurant El Portal; doubles from £190, breakfast included.
Navarra
The Bardenas Reales Nature Reserve is one of the most extraordinary landscapes in Spain. This semi-desert is dotted with unique clay and sandstone pinnacles, making it a popular location whenever a lunar, apocalyptic or otherworldly backdrop is required (Game of Thrones was partly filmed here).
There are miles of tracks for cycling or exploring in a 4x4 or buggy, too, so be sure to take your binoculars for owl and vulture spotting.
Stay at
Hotel Aire de Bardenas, where you sleep in cubes or pods and get the full middle-of-nowhere experience, even though you are reassuringly close to the town of Tudela; doubles from £235, breakfast included.
Basque country
City breaks in Bilbao and San Sebastián are understandably appealing, but to get more of an idea about the history and heritage of Basque country you need to venture inland.
Base yourself in Laguardia, a walled, medieval town in the south of the region. This is the hub of the Rioja Alavesa wine area and bottles are stored in a labyrinth of tunnels underneath cobbled lanes.
Should you need a break from wine tastings (unlikely, I know), have a look at the Chabola de la Hechicera dolmen. You might even spot a coven of witches there if you’ve had enough wine.
Stay at
Hospedería de los Parajes in the heart of Laguardia, so you can stumble back from the bodegas; doubles from £150, breakfast included.
Cantabria
It may be one of Spain’s smallest regions (roughly the size of Norfolk), but Cantabria has 130 miles of coastline on the Bay of Biscay, astounding cave art and natural spas – plus, the elegant city of Santander.
Take your own car on the ferry, base yourself in one place and drive to a different area each day, whether by the beach or in the lush countryside.
One day could start in the surf in Somo or Suances, before seeing Art Nouveau architecture in the seaside town of Comillas (including Gaudí’s El Capricho) and ending up in San Vicente de la Barquera for a seafood dinner.
Stay at
Palacio Helguera, a grand, 17th-century residence turned boutique hotel in the bucolic Valles Pasiegos; doubles from £240, breakfast included.
Asturias
Majestic mountains rise up just behind splendid beaches in this lush region in northern Spain. Cangas de Onís makes a great base for exploring the Picos de Europa national park, whether you want to paddle a canoe, hike, cycle or go birdwatching.
A dish of fabada, a rich butter bean stew with chorizo and black pudding, will set you up for the day, while slurping cider and scoffing cheese count as a cultural experience here if you just want to sit back and take in the jagged peaks and glacial lakes.
Stay at
Parador de Cangas de Onís, a former monastery by the Sella river; doubles from £114, breakfast included.
Galicia
In the north-western corner of Spain, Galicia combines spectacular wild beaches with gorgeously green inland areas. Yes, it rains more here, but what with the seafood, the wine and the fabulous scenery, who cares?
For a romantic break, head for the Ribeira Sacra, where terraced vineyards cover the steep hillsides of the Miño and Sil canyons. While Albariño from the Rías Baixas has become very popular in the UK, wine from Ribeira Sacra has been revered since Roman times, and a new generation of winemakers are now producing superb Mencía reds and Godello whites.
Stay at
Parador de Sant Estevo, a lavishly-revamped monastery surrounded by forest; doubles from £141, breakfast included.