The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry, opened in 1997. Its curving walls of titanium, glass and stone look like a ship or a flower beside the Nervión River. It shows modern and contemporary art. Outside stand Jeff Koons' giant flower-covered dog, Puppy, and Louise Bourgeois' spider, Maman. The museum transformed Bilbao.

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is a small island on the Basque coast near Bermeo, linked to the mainland by a stone bridge and a winding path of about 240 steps. A hermitage dedicated to Saint John stands at the top. Visitors ring its bell three times for luck. It became famous as a filming location for Game of Thrones.

La Concha Beach is the main beach of San Sebastián, curving around a shell-shaped bay. It is one of the most famous city beaches in Europe. An elegant promenade with white railings runs along it. Santa Clara Island sits in the bay, and Monte Igueldo and Monte Urgull rise at either end. The old town is famous for pintxos bars.

The Picos de Europa are a range of limestone mountains in northern Spain, shared by Asturias, Cantabria and Castile and León. It was Spain's first national park, created in 1918. Jagged peaks, deep gorges and green pastures make it popular for hiking. At Fuente Dé, a cable car rises about 750 metres up a cliff to a viewpoint.

Covadonga is a sacred site in the mountains of Asturias, where tradition says the Christian reconquest of Spain began in 722. A chapel is built into a cave in the cliff above a waterfall, holding the statue of the Virgin of Covadonga. A pink stone basilica stands nearby. A road climbs to the lakes of Covadonga in the Picos de Europa.

Cathedrals Beach, Praia das Catedrais, near Ribadeo in Galicia, is famous for its huge rock arches and caves carved by the sea. The arches look like the flying buttresses of a Gothic cathedral. They can only be walked among at low tide, so access is limited in summer and must be booked. At high tide the sea covers the beach.

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral is said to hold the remains of Saint James the Apostle and is the end of the Way of Saint James pilgrimage. The present cathedral was begun in 1075, with a grand Baroque facade added in the 18th century facing the Praza do Obradoiro. A giant incense burner, the Botafumeiro, swings across the transept at special services.

The Tower of Hercules in A Coruña is the oldest working lighthouse in the world. It was built by the Romans in the 1st century AD and restored in the 18th century. The tower is about 55 metres tall and stands on a rocky headland facing the Atlantic. Visitors can climb its steps for views of the coast. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

León Cathedral is a Gothic cathedral begun in the 13th century, inspired by French cathedrals. It is famous for its stained glass windows, which cover about 1,800 square metres, among the most complete medieval sets in Europe. The light inside makes it one of the brightest Gothic churches. It is a stop on the Way of Saint James.

Burgos Cathedral is one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in Spain, begun in 1221. Its facade has two openwork spires, and inside are richly carved chapels, a golden staircase and the tomb of El Cid, the medieval hero. It is a stop on the Way of Saint James pilgrimage. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.