The Best Summer Getaways to Spain’s Small Cities
As the mercury begins its climb and the promise of summer on the horizon, that familiar itch to escape the everyday becomes impossible to ignore. But before you reach for the brochures of the Costa del Sol or the strips of Barcelona, you may want to consider a different path.
To find the true soul of a Spanish summer, we recommed that you look at where the Spaniards themselves are heading.
The holiday rental portal Holidu analysed monthly Google searches by Spanish people for villages in Spain with fewer than 5,000 residents. Four of the top five are in the green, Atlantic north: a part of Spain most travellers have never thought to visit, and probably should.
The top 10 most searched small Spanish villages
| Position | Town | Province | Monthly searches |
| 1 | Comillas | Cantabria | 4660 |
| 2 | Santillana del Mar | Cantabria | 3490 |
| 3 | Frigiliana | Malaga | 3380 |
| 4 | Albarracin | Teruel | 3290 |
| 5 | San Vicente de la Barquera | Cantabria | 3220 |
| 6 | Cudillero | Asturias | 2880 |
| 7 | Potes | Cantabria | 2880 |
| 8 | Morella | Castellon | 2660 |
| 9 | Setenil de las Bodegas | Cadiz | 2380 |
| 10 | Riano | Leon | 2290 |
Five small Spanish cities for a long weekend getaway
All five are long-weekend sized. None of them require a packed itinerary. All of them will make you wonder why you didn’t go sooner.
1. Comillas, Cantabria
The most-searched village in Spain isn’t in Andalusia, it’s a small Cantabrian town where Gaudí once built a summer house. Ceramic-tiled fantasy architecture, green meadows, a wide sandy beach. Utterly unexpected, completely worth a few days. Santander is an hour away, with direct flights from London and Edinburgh.
2. Santillana del Mar, Cantabria
One of Europe’s best-preserved medieval towns, just down the road from Comillas, making the two an easy, unhurried pairing for a long weekend. Cobbled streets, stone manor houses, and nearby Altamira, where 14,000-year-old cave paintings once stopped Picasso in his tracks. Sartre called it the most beautiful village in Spain.
3. Frigiliana, Málaga
If you prefer the south, this is a great option. Whitewashed alleys, cascading geraniums, views down to the Mediterranean, the Andalusia of the imagination, without the crowds. Ten minutes inland from Nerja, an hour east of Málaga airport. Small enough to explore on foot, and great to linger over long lunches all weekend.
4. Albarracín, Teruel
A rust-red medieval town carved into a river gorge in inland Aragon. Two hours from Valencia, three from Madrid or Barcelona, very doable as a long weekend base. Not the easiest to reach without a car, which is exactly why it still feels like a secret worth keeping.
5. San Vicente de la Barquera, Cantabria
A working fishing town between a wide estuary and the open sea, with a medieval castle above and the Picos de Europa visible behind on clear days. Pair it with Comillas or Santillana for a Cantabrian long weekend that covers beaches, mountains, medieval history, and some of the best seafood you’ll eat all year.