Spain's cities are distinctive and varied, reflecting the variety of Spanish regions, and each has its own history and personality. And geography plays its part, the warmth of the Mediterranean, the melancholic roughness of the Atlantic, the harshness of Spain's meseta, high plain, and the ruggedness of its mountains all affecting the populations which have grown up within their influence.

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This is a slightly arbitrary selection of the most important Spanish cities. Essentially, it includes all Spain's provincial capitals (even though some of them are barely town-sized), plus a couple of other important cities such as Mérida, capital of the Extremadura region, or Santiago de Compostela, the great pilgrimage destination, or Benidorm (which is not strictly a city, but how could I not include "Spain's Manhattan" on this page?).

Top Cities:

Madrid: The capital of Spain and its most visited city. One of the art capitals of the world, thanks to its trio of great galleries: the Prado Museum, the Thyssen, and the Reina Sofía; a great centre for exploring the centre of the country: Toledo, Segovia, Ávila, Aranjuez and more, and one of the most exciting, vibrant cities in Europe, especially after dark - its nightlife has to be experienced to be believed.

Barcelona: The second-largest city in Spain and the capital of Catalonia is one of Europe's most chic destinations and an understandable favourite for a weekend braeak. It is a vital, regenerated port city with a host of attractions, especially the Sagrada Familia basilica and other works by the great Gaudi.

León: One of Spain's great cathedral cities and an important stage on the Camino de Santiago, León's Barrio Húmedo (literally, "Wet District") is one of Spain's most unexpected destinations for serious tapas enthusiasts.

Andalusia's Great Moorish Cities:

Córdoba: Capital of the fabulous Caliphate of Córdoba, the most advanced of the mediaeval civilizations, where three great cultures - Christian, Jewish and Arabic - each reached a pinnacle. Its narrow, winding streets reflect its mediaeval origins, and its colourful patios are the essence of Andalusia.

Granada: Noteworthy for the great Alhambra palace alone, though Granada has much more and is one of those places many visitors fall unconditionally in love with.

Seville: Capital and largest city of Andalusia, Seville is simply spell-binding, from the great Moorish minaret-turned-cathedral belltower which is the Giralda, the city's symbol, to the old Jewish quarter, the Barrio Santa Cruz, and the lovely, unreal Parque de María Luisa.

More Spanish Cities:

Alicante: Capital of the Costa Blanca in the Valencia region, a graceful, seaside town of great charm.

Almería: Capital of the driest region in Spain and having the second largest Alcazaba (fortified palace) in Spain after Granada's Alhambra.

Ávila: Spain's most mystical city, closely linked to Saint Theresa of Jesus. Its cathedral is appropriately magnificent, and its mediaeval city walls are awesome.

Badajoz: A border town, guarding the road to and from Portugal, Badajoz has an immense, strife-ridden history.

Benidorm: Year-round tourist magnet, with a fabulous microclimate, and all the facilities you could possibly ask for.

Bilbao: Former industrial giant, with the Guggenheim Museum, the Basque Country's financial capital has converted itself into an unmissable centre of cultural tourism.

Burgos: Halfway between Madrid and the Basque Country and halfway along the Camino de Santiago, one of Spain's great cathedral cities and closely connected with El Cid, the country's nearest figure to our Robin Hood.

Cáceres: Grand, old town in Extremadura, with an important university and a lively historic centre.

Cádiz: A great port city, gateway to the Costa de la Luz, a thoroughly recommendable alternative to the Spanish Med.

Castellón de la Plana: Capital of the Costa de Azahar, the orange-blossom coast.

Ciudad Real: Capital of La Mancha: Don Quijote country.

Corunna: The English name is not often used, nowadays, except for the poem about the burial of John Moore. A Coruna (Galician) or La Coruña (Spanish) is one of Galicia's high points, a historic port city, now one of its most exciting, bustling centres of business and cultural activity.

Cuenca: Lovely town in New Castile, with a sierra all of its own, and famous for its casas colgantes, houses suspended terrifyingly over a deep gorge.

Donostia-San Sebastián: Spain's Biarritz, an elegant, Georgian-type resort, with a graceful promenade and a historic centre which is a hive of Basque nationalist activity.

Girona: Historic city between the Pyrenees and the Costa Brava.

Guadalajara: Punished by the Spanish Civil War, rural emigration and the decline of traditional agriculture, Guadalajara is nevertheless the gateway to the fascinating Alcarria region.

Huelva: Gazing across the Bay of Cádiz towards Portugal, Huelva is an interesting city with a fascinating industrial past, as the home of Riotinto Zinc.

Huesca: Aragón's second-largest city, capital of the Aragonese Pyrenees.

Ibiza: Synonymous with hippy culture and serious dance music, Ibiza is still a place to turn on, tune in, drop out, even if it is only for a week or two each summer.

Jaén: Made prosperous by olives and vineyards, Jaén is one of Spain's least known cities.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: One of the most cosmopolitan cities in Europe, even though it sits facing Africa. Las Palmas' carnaval is breathtaking, which is understandable. Los Palmenses have reason to be happy, for it is said that Las Palmas has the best climate in the world.

Lerida: Catalonia's most inland city.

Logroño: Capital of La Rioja (the administrative region, not the wine-making area, the capital of which is Haro).

Lugo: Ancient walled city in Galicia, with fabulous Roman walls.

Mahón: Largest city in Minorca (Menorca in Spanish), replete with vestiges of its British colonial past.

Málaga: Founded by the Phonoecians, and colonized by practically every Mediterranean civiliation thereafter, nowadays Málaga is the gateway to the Costa del Sol.

Mérida: Modern capital of the Extremadura region and ancient capital of the Roman Lusitania, and so most interesting for its fabulous Roman remains.

Orense: Graceful, provincial Galician capital, known for its Romanesque architecture.

Oviedo: Capital of the principality of Asturias, improbably adopted as a near-second home by Manhattan-loving Woody Allen.

Palencia: Attractive little city in Old Castile.

Palma Mallorca. Majorca's capital, divided between being an important tourist centre, one of Spain's great cathedral cities, and the place consistently rated as having the highest quality of life in the country.

Pamplona: Inextricably associated with Ernest Hemingway, the capital of Navarre (Navarra in Spanish) is most famous for the tremendous running of the bulls at its annual festival of San Fermín (personally, I prefer it during the rest of the year).

Pontevedra: Sleepy provincial capital in Galicia.

Salamanca: One of the oldest university towns in the world, still a hive of student activity (and high life), as well as a great cultural centre. Famous for its Roman bridge and its plaza mayor, often referred to as the most perfect in the country.

Santa Cruz: Capital of Tenerife and of the Canary Islands.

Santander: The capital of the region of Cantabria is an elegant port city.

Santiago de Compostela: Historic pilgrimage destination, the city of Saint James.

Saragossa: Capital of the Aragón region.

Segovia: Mediaeval city famous for its Roman aqueduct, so amazing that local legend holds that it was built by the devil.

Soria: Appealing provincial capital.

Tarragona: Bustling, cosmopolitan, provincial capital with important Roman monuments.

Toledo: The mediaeval city of three cultures - Christian, Jewish and Arabian - and the modern day capital of the Castile-La Mancha region.

Valencia: The third-largest city in Spain is a bustling , cosmopolitan, regional capital, chock-full of interesting historical sights, and home to the Las Fallas festival of fireworks and bonfires.

Valladolid: Provincial capital in Old Castile, with an important place in the history of the Spanish language.

Vigo: The second-largest fishing port in the world after Tokyo, Vigo is still unmistakeably Galician.

Vitoria-Gasteiz: The administrative capital of the Basque Country is a likeable city with an enviable quality of life.

Zamora: Provincial capital in Old Castile with a cheery, market town feel to it.

Zaragoza. The same place as Saragossa, but with a football team. Nah, that's just a joke, a slightly bitter one because I think the city name should be "Saragossa," and the rest of the world seems to want to say "Zaragoza," especially since Expo Zaragoza 2008.