One of my favourite Places to visit between Lisbon and Porto
See the guides →

SPAIN AND PORTUGAL, SLOWLY

The Spain the Spanish go back to

Guides to Spain and Portugal, written by someone who isn't passing through.

Explore Spain Explore Portugal
Matt

I'm Matt. I've lived in Spain for ten years, Madrid at the moment. Every summer we drive west into the hills past Salamanca, close to the Portuguese border. In 2027 we move there for good.

That mark is a botón charro, the silver filigree button of Salamanca province. The centre bead is the city, the ring around it the comarcas that shielded it. There's a story behind it.

La Alberca Plaza Mayor features a stone cross, surrounded by traditional wooden buildings adorned with flowers and people strolling.

Spain

Castilla y León, the Sierra de Francia, and everywhere the AVE doesn't go.
A vibrant scene along the Aveiro canal central, featuring colorful boats and historic buildings with people enjoying a sunny day.

Portugal

Twenty minutes from the border — Aveiro, Coimbra, Porto and the coast.

HOME GROUND

Salamanca, properly

Most visitors give Salamanca a day for the Plaza Mayor — or drive straight through on the way from Santander to Portugal. The province is the part nobody writes about: Ciudad Rodrigo, the swimming holes, and above all the Sierra de Francia — stone villages and the walk up to La Peña.

The Sierra de Francia →

The village of Monsagro nestled in a lush valley, surrounded by terraced fields and green hills under a clear blue sky.

Latest guides

All guides →