Over-tourism in Spain? A joke, if we set off to explore this fabulous country off the beaten track. From Val de Boi to Priego de Cordoba and from Maestrazgo to Picos de Europa, here is a rural and peaceful Spain, often overlooked and happy to reveal its heritage to its visitors, to savor along beautiful side roads. Vamos.

Val de Boi, in the heart of the Catalan Pyrenees

Far from the crowds of the Costa Brava, the Val de Boi stretches over twenty kilometers in the heart of the Catalan Pyrenees in the province of Lleida.

This quiet little valley well populated by a thousand people only, is distinguished by its exceptional concentration of Romanesque churches, built in the 11 th and 12 th centuries. Most of them have a bell tower erected in a slender square tower that can reach six floors. Eight churches and a hermitage in the valley are listed as World Heritage by Humanity.

Surrounded by magnificent mountains, the Val de Boi is the gateway to the Aigüestortes i Estany Sant Maurici national park, a hikers’ hotspot with peaks exceeding 3,000 m above sea level and nearly 300 lakes Mountain.

Terres de l’Ebre, south of Catalonia

Right in the south of Spanish Catalonia, Terres de l’Ebre remains an authentic destination. On the menu, small fishing villages with a strong character, long sandy beaches and unspoiled nature, between lagoons and mountains, where hikers will find their happiness.

The region presents a remarkable mosaic of landscapes and ecosystems. Mountains, fluvial islands, creeks, dense forests and the Ebro river make up this unique territory in Spain, without forgetting, of course, the famous Ebro delta with its rice fields, and the fabulous delta natural park where you can observe hundreds of bird species.

There is no shortage of hiking trails for walks in the great outdoors. On the GR 99, we follow the course of the Ebro, while the GR 7 crosses the natural park of Ports, where we can also practice canyoning and climbing. Beautiful walks are also to be done in the natural park of the Ebro Delta.

The Maestrazgo, last border of Aragon

A corner of Spain off the beaten track, in the vicinity of Peñiscola, between sea and mountains. Almost uninhabited harsh land, the Maestrazgo is in a way the ultimate frontier of Aragon. It offers beautiful hilly landscapes, punctuated by superb views, olive groves, orchards and a string of small villages perched or steeped. Former capital of the region, the town of San Mateu has preserved part of its medieval walls and stone bridges.

On this earth, men have erected villages and built churches. The whole country still carries today the stigma of the struggles that presided over its genesis: Moors, Templars, Hospitallers. It was here that Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known by the name of Cid, led the Reconquest of Moors 11es.

Priego de Cordoba, in the heart of the olive trees of Andalusia

90 km south of Cordoba and 30 km east of Alcalá la Real on the A 339. Or even better from Baena, the A 333, whose sinuosities change a bit from the vast landscapes of olive groves in the region. The old center of Priego de Cordoba benefits from a rather exceptional site, suspended at the top of a cliff above the rows of olive trees. In Priego, the oil has a controlled designation of origin.

Do not miss the barrio de la Villa, a postcard district with clearly Muslim origins, typically Andalusian. Streets paved with pebbles, small one-story houses with white walls highlighted by lintels and colorful doors, dapper azulejos, plants and flowers… Magnificent! The promenade leads to the Balcón del Adarve, enclosed by wrought iron balustrades: the top of a natural cliff which made the city breath taking, today a peaceful promenade. Superb view of the surrounding countryside.

Baeza, one of the pearls of Andalusia

One of the pearls of Andalusia. 48 km northeast of Jaén, in the heart of olive trees, Baeza is a small town of 17,000 inhabitants rich in monuments, with narrow paved streets. Successively Iberian, Roman, Visigoth and Muslim, it peaked at 16th century under the leadership of relatives of Charles V, from Baeza.

The city is covered with many Renaissance buildings listed as World Heritage by Unesco. Do not miss the cathedral, built on the old mosque, the Calle San Pablo and palaces of 15th and 16th century, and the magnificent Plaza Leones and Renaissance buildings. Numerous olive oil factories surround the town which houses the academy of the Guardia civil.

Ávila, medieval Castile

The highest provincial capital of Spain (1,127 m), Ávila de los Caballeros is also the birthplace of Saint Teresa of Ávila. Here, in the heart of Castile, the winds blow powerfully, the snow falls until spring and the mystical atmosphere of Ávila transports us to the Middle Ages.

Founded in the 11th century to protect the Spanish territories against Moors, Ávila deploys 2.5 km of walls 13 e s interspersed with 88 towers protruding, 9 robust doors, 2 posterns: the city evokes a spiritual and ascetic fortress. Behind the ramparts, a beautiful group of churches and Renaissance palaces. The historic center covers 33 ha. Unesco also declared Ávila a World Heritage Site in 1985.

Los Picos de Europa, national park in Cantabria, Asturias and Leon

Located in the Cantabrian mountain range, the Picos de Europa, classified as a national park and biosphere reserve, are a mountain range that rises rapidly only 40 km from the sea. Its high limestone peaks form a veritable natural fortress horse between Cantabria, Asturias and Leon. Their contrasting relief impresses, with high peaks, gorges and deep canyons, but also rivers and glacial lakes bordered by pastures.

The concentration of peaks, gorges, parades and peaks is impressive in this region which is a true paradise for hikers. The landscapes, a thousand leagues from the beaches, surprise in Spain with jagged and intimidating peaks, sometimes lost in the mist at more than 2,000 m above sea level.

Bardenas Reales Natural Park: a desert in Navarre

Is it New Mexico, Jordan or Arizona? Straddling Aragon and Navarra, the strange 400 km 2 red and white limestone desert of the Bardenas Reales is one of the most fascinating landscapes in Spain.

Limestone peaks eroded by centuries, with spooky shapes, punctuate an immense arid plain with cracked earth, formed by thorn bushes, tufts of yellow grass, a kind of dry savannah inhabited by insects, reptiles and a few flocks of sheep.

Strange rocky figures rise here and there as in a western setting. The dust is constant, the wind permanent, the rain rare. No villages, no inhabitants, just a military base. These endless desolate and wild horizons attract hikers and mountain bikers but also poets and artists.

Puente La Reina, on the way to Compostela in Navarre

To the south of Pamplona, Puente la Reina (Queen’s Bridge) is an essential passageway on the way to Saint-Jacques. At this place, the paths of Baztan and Roncesvalles join in a single road, the path of Somport, towards the city of pilgrimage.

Ancient Roman bridge rebuilt in the 12th century, the Puente la Reina, with its six arches appear on the arms of the city. The nearby old town is worth a visit for its architectural gems such as the Romanesque church of Crucifijo or Calle Mayor with its old emblazoned houses with wrought iron balconies.

Segura, adorable village in the Basque Country

Despite its Castilian name, it is a village in the Basque Country and one of our favorites. Founded in the 13 th century, Segura has retained much of its former splendour. There are more palaces than houses there and you can still admire three of the city’s five gates.

Among the most beautiful buildings, the Guevara Palace – the largest and most emblazoned -, the Gothic Church or the Palace of Lardizabal, a family one of whose members was Viceroy of Venezuela.

Also visit the region, the Goierri (“highlands” in Basque), located south of Guipuzcoa (50 km from Donostia), for its villages, its ruta del queso – it is the country of the delicious sheep cheese Idiazabal – and the natural park of Aralar which covers a magnificent forest the karst massif of the Sierra of Aralar, straddling the Basque Country and Navarre.

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