Hidden Spanish cities boast surprising artistic treasures, challenging the notion that major cultural hubs hold all the best collections.
MADRID, July 25, 2025 — Forget the sprawling metropolises for a moment. Spain’s cultural landscape is surprisingly rich, with small and medium-sized cities safeguarding artistic and historical gems that merit a dedicated journey, even if they don’t headline every tourist guide.
Small Cities, Grand Collections
While cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Bilbao often dominate discussions of major museums, a closer look reveals a country peppered with cultural riches. These often-overlooked locales offer a compelling contrast between their modest size and the impressive scope of their exhibitions.
Consider Figueres, more than just the birthplace of Salvador Dalí. It’s a place where surrealism itself has been transformed into a building, an actual museum. Cuenca, dramatically perched on a cliffside, houses one of Spain’s premier collections of abstract art. Even Ponferrada has successfully reimagined its industrial past into a museum of significant interest. This juxtaposition of smaller urban centers with world-class cultural offerings is precisely what makes exploring them so captivating.
