19 day trips worth the trip across Spain, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Spain guides.
Lasarte-Oria (Martin Berasategui) ★ 4.9 · San Sebastián
Lasarte-Oria, 9 km south of San Sebastian, is the village home of Martin Berasategui's flagship restaurant, three Michelin stars since 2001, with a 250-euro tasting menu the canonical pilgrimage.
Tip: Book 8 weeks ahead through the restaurant website. The Berasategui tasting is the canonical Basque haute cuisine experience.
Girona (El Celler de Can Roca) ★ 4.8 · Barcelona
Girona is a 40-minute AVE ride north of Barcelona: the Roca brothers' three-star El Celler de Can Roca runs the country fine-dining benchmark in a converted family house.
Getaria (Grilled Turbot) ★ 4.8 · San Sebastián
Getaria, a fishing village 25 km west of San Sebastian, is the canonical Basque grilled-fish destination, anchored by Elkano (one Michelin star) and the dockside brasas of Astillero and Kaia.
Tip: Book Elkano 6 weeks ahead; Astillero is the dockside walk-in alternative. Lunch service is the main meal.
Errenteria (Mugaritz) ★ 4.8 · San Sebastián
Errenteria, 10 km east of San Sebastian between Astigarraga and the border, is the home of Mugaritz, Andoni Aduriz's two-Michelin-star room and one of the world's most influential tasting menus.
Tip: Book 2 to 3 months ahead via mugaritz.com. The 250-euro tasting menu is the canonical avant-garde Basque meal.
Valls (calçotada) ★ 4.7 · Barcelona
Valls in Tarragona province is the Catalan calçot capital: the Festa del Calçot runs late January, and the Masies country-bistros serve calcotada lunches January to March.
Segovia (cochinillo asado) ★ 4.7 · Madrid
Segovia, 30 minutes from Madrid by AVE, is the Castilian wood-oven capital, with Meson de Candido at the foot of the Roman aqueduct serving cochinillo asado since 1860 and Jose Maria running parallel on Calle Cronista Lecea.
Tip: Book Candido or Jose Maria three days ahead for cochinillo. AVE 14 euros each way; 30 minutes. Cochinillo lunch 38 to 45 euros.
Astigarraga (Cider Houses) ★ 4.7 · San Sebastián
Astigarraga, 7 km south of San Sebastian, is the capital of Basque cider with the densest concentration of sagardotegis, anchored by Petritegi (since 1526) and the 15-strong cider houses.
Tip: Txotx season runs January to April; outside that book bottled service. Buses every 30 min from San Sebastian Boulevard.
Priorat ★ 4.6 · Barcelona
Priorat in Tarragona's interior is the second of Spain's two DOQ wine appellations: schist-soil garnacha and carinyena reds, with cellar tastings at Mas Doix and Clos Mogador.
Hondarribia (Bidasoa Fishing Village) ★ 4.6 · San Sebastián
Hondarribia, 25 km east of San Sebastian on the French border, is the Bidasoa fishing village with the Alameda Michelin-star kitchen and the harbour's Calle San Pedro pintxo crawl.
Tip: Alameda lunch is the value Michelin slot; the upper-town walls and the Calle San Pedro pintxos round out the day.
Tolosa (Ama + Casa Julian) ★ 4.6 · San Sebastián
Tolosa, 30 km south of San Sebastian, is the inland Gipuzkoan market town anchored by Ama (one Michelin star, Green Star for sustainability) and Casa Julian's legendary chuleton brasa.
Tip: Saturday market is the morning ritual; Casa Julian and Ama for lunch. Book both 2 weeks ahead.
Sitges (xato) ★ 4.5 · Barcelona
Sitges is a 40-minute train ride south of Barcelona on the Garraf coast: the xato salad with romesco-style sauce is the canonical winter Sitges lunch from January to March.
Penedes wine region ★ 4.5 · Barcelona
The Penedes wine region 50 minutes by train from Barcelona is the Catalan cava heartland: Codorniu, Freixenet and Recaredo all run cellar tours and tastings.
Cadaques (Costa Brava) ★ 4.5 · Barcelona
Cadaques on the Costa Brava is the white-washed fishing village where Salvador Dali lived: the seaside restaurants serve Catalan suquet, sea-urchins and the gambes of Roses.
Toledo (marzipan tradition) ★ 4.5 · Madrid
Toledo, 33 minutes from Madrid by AVE, is the marzipan capital of Spain with Santo Tome and Casa Telesforo making the canonical almond-and-honey treats since the 14th century, plus venison and partridge stews at the old Manchego tabernas.
Tip: AVE 14 euros each way. Buy marzipan whole boxes from Santo Tome (24 euros per kilo). Lunch at Adolfo for the venison.
Valdemoro (cocido tradition) ★ 4.4 · Madrid
Valdemoro, 30 minutes from Madrid by Cercanias, is the suburb-and-Manchego frontier where Chiron (1 Michelin Star since 2014) cooks the canonical Castilian cocido madrileno in clay pots and the regional roast tradition.
Tip: Cercanias 7 euros return. Chiron tasting menu 65 to 95 euros; book three weeks ahead for weekend lunch.
Aranjuez (strawberry and asparagus tradition) ★ 4.3 · Madrid
Aranjuez, 45 minutes from Madrid on the Cercanias C-3 train, is the royal-garden town with the spring strawberry tradition (fresas con nata at Casa Pablo) and the white asparagus from the Tajo riverside.
Tip: Cercanias 8 euros return. Strawberries peak in April and May. Casa Pablo for the strawberry-and-cream order at 13:30.
San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Castilian) ★ 4.3 · Madrid
San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 1 hour from Madrid by Cercanias, is the royal-monastery town with Castilian-roast canon at Charoles (Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2010) and the high-altitude wine tradition from the Sierra.
Tip: Cercanias 10 euros return. Charoles books up two weeks ahead for weekend lunch; carte 45 to 60 euros per head.
Chinchon (Castilian roast and anis) ★ 4.2 · Madrid
Chinchon, 55 minutes from Madrid by bus, is the 17th-century arcade-plaza Castilian town with cordero asado at Meson Cuevas del Vino (a 1648 wine-cellar dining room) and the Anis de Chinchon liqueur tradition.
Tip: Bus 8 euros each way. Cordero asado lunch on the Plaza Mayor terraces 32 to 38 euros. Try Anis Chinchon Especial at the bar.
Alcala de Henares (Cervantes territory) ★ 4.0 · Madrid
Alcala de Henares, 45 minutes from Madrid by Cercanias, is the UNESCO heritage university city where Cervantes was born, home to the Costrada de Alcala almond cake at Casa Salinas and the Mostrador university dining tradition.
Tip: Cercanias 8 euros return. Costrada de Alcala 14 euros per cake; whole costrada to take back to Madrid. Lunch on Calle Mayor at 14:30.