Tarragona, Catalonia
Go for: The Human Pyramid Festival
If you can think of anything more worthy of celebration than the human pyramid, we want to hear about it. Head to Tarragona in Spain for a masterclass in the art of balancing people on top of lots of other people – a tradition that dates back to the 18th century.
Castells can reach ten storeys high, and celebrations pop up all over Catalonia. Tarragona’s celebrations take place in the Tàrraco Arena Plaza on 1-2 October this year.
Barcelona, Catalonia
Go for: Els Encants market
If you’re heading to Barcelona this summer, your first port of call might well be the beach. But fans of bargain hunting should also make time for the city’s biggest flea market – Els Encants in the El Clot neighbourhood.
Public auctions take place first thing in the morning on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and it’s open on Saturdays too. The mirrored canopy – you can see its abstract lines in this picture – is worth a visit on its own.
Fuerteventura, the Canary Islands
Go for: Watersports
Just south of Corralejo, on the northern tip of the island of Fuerteventura, is a long and beautiful stretch of otherworldly sand dunes and immaculate beach. If you’re into surfing, kite surfing or wind surfing you’ll be in heaven here, thanks to plenty of wind, year-round warm temperatures and reliable waves.
The island has more than 150km of beaches in total, so there’s more than enough to go round, whether you’re in the north or the south.
Barrika Beach, Basque Country
Go for: Adventure
The Basque Country, which straddles the border with France in the north west of Spain, is rich in cultural tradition, natural beauty and outrageously good food. Barrika sits north of Bilbao – the de facto Basque capital – and reveals these ridges of rock at low tide.
At high tide the 600m-long beach disappears, making it better for surfing than sunbathing – unless you and your towel fancy a race against the tide…
