With 45 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Spain ranks third just behind Italy and China. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) administers the World Heritage Programme that designates and catalogs places that are of significant cultural or natural importance.
To help you plan your itinerary for your next trip to Spain we have listed below some of the top World Heritage Sites that you won’t want to miss:
Andalucía
- The Alhambra, Generalife and Albaicín (Granada) – for more information, click here
- Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias (Seville) – for more information, click here
- Historic Center of Córdoba – for more information, click here
- Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza
Barcelona
- Works of Antonio Gaudí – for more information, click here
- Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau – for more information, click here
Madrid and environs
- Monastery and Site of El Escorial – for more information, click here
- Aranjuez Cultural Landscape – for more information, click here
- University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares
- Historic City of Toledo – for more information, click here
- Historic Walled Town of Cuenca – for more information, click here
- Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches – for more information, click here
- Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct – for more information, click here
- Old City of Salamanca – for more information, click here
Extremadura
- Old Town of Cáceres
- Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida
- Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe
Santiago de Compostela
- Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) – for more information, click here
Valencia
- La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia – for more information, click here
For a complete list of Spain’s World Heritage Sites, click here.
Photo Credit: © Christopher Pappas · All rights reserved / Photo of Seville’s Cathedral and La Giralda
For assistance with your travel plans, including hotel and private tour reservations, click here.
El Escorial is an impressive monastery and palace that is located about an hour’s drive northwest of Madrid in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The UNESCO World Heritage Site was commissioned by King Felipe II to showcase the power of the Spanish monarchy. The massive complex has nearly 15 miles of corridors, and was the largest building in the world building for many years after it was completed. El Escorial is also the burial site for most of the Spanish kings of the last five centuries.
El Escorial is an impressive monastery and palace that is located about an hour’s drive northwest of Madrid. The UNESCO World Heritage Site was commissioned by King Felipe II to showcase the power of the Spanish monarchy. The massive complex has nearly 15 miles of corridors, and was the largest building in the world building for many years after it was completed. El Escorial is also the burial site for most of the Spanish kings of the last five centuries.