Your favourite place in Spain

[Youkilledmyfatherpreparetodie]

I'm off to Spain in August for 3 weeks. I will be travelling with my husband and our 6 year old and have no set route in mind. We will fly into Alicante as our first stop is in the mountains nearby. What is your favourite not too touristy place to stay? I've been to Barcelona a few times, but not Madrid or Seville. Thanks in advance 🙂

Cordoba but not sure how hot it would be in August, probably unbearably

Mojacar 😍

Mijas.

If your flying into Alicante and going into the mountains, head back to the coast and stop at Altea. It’s a beautiful coastal town with old winding streets. No high rise and not many tourists, but loads of restaurants as the Spaniards summer there.
Along the esplanade ( about 1km)is Albir another small town with several hotels and restaurants. All still low rise.

Agree with PP.
I would embrace the Costa Blanca.
Alicante, Elche lovely city, up the coast to Villajoyosa, then Albir and Atea, Polop and Guadalest.
The Jalon valley, Calpe, Moraira, Javea, Denia, Ondara, then up the coast to Olivia.
In August these places will be busy with Spanish holidaymakers but adds to the atmosphere and they all go there food r a reason, it's cooler.

We flew to Porto in Portugal this august as it was the easiest to access northern Spain. Stunning drive up to the Galician coast line. Vigo and Santiago are stunning. We did the trek to Cap Finisterre. Literally the end of the earth. Absolutely stunning without the fierce heat.

Have read the thread so far and am surprised that nobody has mentioned La Zenia which is not far from Alicante airport. It’s beautiful and has something for everyone. There’s a fab beach there called music beach which as the name suggests is a beach filled with music and atmosphere and has a great restaurant.
I recommend a gorgeous place called Alessandro’s for food and people watching, it’s just a fabulous little resort.

Also, right down south the little village of La Cala not far from Fuengirola/Mijas, really family friendly and has lots of bars and restaurants situated around a square where you can watch baby lizards climbing the village walls. Nearest airport is Malaga.

Asturias is a beautiful area, llanes is a favourite place of mine, a charming little town on the coast. Gijon nearby if you want a bigger place for shopping.

Maxifly, I’d also recommend Oviedo, a bit inland, not far from Gijon. It’s an elegant, pleasing little city.

Absolutely @Byfleet it can be very hot in Zaragoza in summer. I lived there for 5 years during parts of my school and student days. Looking back at old images, once the ones of friends and family are put to one side, I seem to have many urban pictures where there aren't many people to be seen.

Zaragoza and Monzón in late July:

Soller in north west Mallorca

@MMBaranova
thank you for the photo of Zaragoza, I am so fond of the place! To me it is the ‘real’ Spanish city where people speak the best Spanish 😄

If you are planning on visiting Spain and want to pick the best place to go, the problem is that Spain is really big and each region is very different from the other. If you have time I think the best thing to do would be a multi centre holiday: Nerja and Ronda in the south then Seville and Toledo then up to Valencia and Barcelona, west to the Pyrenees and then San Sebastián and along the north coast. You’d need a month though!

Valencia is great and will have lots for a 6yo to do.
I LOVE San Sebastian, is more for the food, wine, beautiful town and great shopping but there are two great beaches which kids would enjoy.

San Sebastian and the Basque /asturius/Galicia region hands down. SS is one of my favourite places in the world (and I've seen a lot of world)

@beachcitygirl A very lovely place indeed!!

Mijas , Cadiz, Nerja

In August I would go for Calella de Palafrugell/llafranc on the Costa Brava. Lovely Catalan beach resorts but near to Girona and other towns for sightseeing or trips into the Pyrenees.

I think the answers will be very different from those who have holidayed in Spain to those who live there! Some of the towns mentioned by previous posters as lovely are some that I consider hideous tourist traps (I live on the Costa Blanca). As others have said, in August I'd head directly north. Galicia is lovely, San Sebastian, Bilbao etc. Much more comfortable than the south at that time of year and not as touristy. The aforementioned 'little village' of La Cala, for example, has a 30% English population, which is probably not what people hoping to discover Spain are looking for.

Cordoba then Seville

I'm pretty sure this person is taking the mick. You will fry in both these place in August.
@SharpLily is spot on with her advice

Sorry, definitely not in August, didn't read the OP properly, in August I'd head up to San Sebastian a lot cooler but still hot. Cordoba and Seville I've been to in March and October, still fairly hot even in those months.

Santiago de Compostela is beautiful

Seville but not in August.
Segovia is lovely too

Valencia, and Toledo.
We spent a week in Toledo in August on the advice of Spanish friends who said it would be extremely hot but because of the low humidity there we'd feel comfortable. It was 32 at night and 38-42 in the day! But it was bearable and it's a fantastic town to visit!

I adore Spain and lived there for nearly a decade but I'd hate to be in most of Spain in August. For us it was the month to leave for a holiday in the UK or to travel to the north of the country as it was far to hot to enjoy the best of what much of Spain has to offer.
We have travelled through the country quite extensively and most of the popular cities live up to the hype. I haven't got a favourite place but as a mainland beach destination I'd say that the Costa Brava is lovely, though very expensive. We finally discovered the undeveloped Extremadura region this year which was stunning.