Bescanó: a quiet Ter-river town at the gateway to Girona
What Bescanó is really like: a quiet Ter-river town just west of Girona, a low-key base for the Costa Brava, the Garrotxa volcanoes and Girona city.
Granollers: La Porxada, markets and the capital of the Vallès Oriental
What Granollers is really like: a lively Vallès market town near Barcelona, with the historic La Porxada hall, museums and Montseny nearby.
Foios: a huerta town north of Valencia with orxata and the Albufera nearby
What Foios is really like: a Valencian huerta town just north of the city, in tiger-nut orxata country, with the Albufera and beaches nearby.
Santpedor: a walled medieval town in the Bages and Pep Guardiola’s birthplace
What Santpedor is really like: a walled medieval Bages town near Manresa, birthplace of Pep Guardiola, with Montserrat an easy day trip.
Alzira: Júcar Island Town of the Ribera
What Alzira is really like: a historic island town on the Júcar river, ringed by old walls and orange groves in the Ribera Alta of Valencia.
Elda: Shoe Museum, Almohad Castle and Moors and Christians Fiestas
Inland Alicante town, about 39 km by road from the sea: the Shoe Museum, a 12th–13th-century castle and the Moors and Christians fiestas.
Los Barrios: Cork Forests and the Gibraltar Strait
What Los Barrios is really like: gateway to the Los Alcornocales cork forest and Palmones estuary, near the Strait of Gibraltar.
Alhama de Murcia: Thermal Baths and Sierra Espuña
What Alhama de Murcia is really like: an old thermal-spa town with a hilltop castle and gateway trails into the Sierra Espuña mountains.
Onda: tile museum, Moorish castle and Sichar reservoir
Inland ceramics town in Castellón, about 20 km from the nearest beach: Manolo Safont tile museum, a 10th-century castle and the Sichar reservoir.
Coín: Guadalhorce Valley Gardens and Springs
What Coín is really like: a green Guadalhorce-valley town of citrus groves, springs and whitewashed streets inland from the Costa del Sol.