Spain has a total of 50 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the fifth highest number in the world (Italy has the most, with 61 sites). These include historical sites, places of cultural importance, and natural locations. I have compiled a complete list of World Heritage Sites in Spain: how many of them have you been to?
Contents
World Heritage Sites In Spain: How This List Is Organised
I have arranged the list by region, followed by those sites that cover more than one region. Note that regions without any individual entries may be included in multi-region sites. Where appropriate I have added links to further information elsewhere on this website.
I have not included entries on the Tentative List. Nor have I added UNESCO Creative Cities or Intangible Heritage.
Andalucia
- Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada
- Antequera Dolmens Site
- Caliphate City of Medina Azahara
- Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville
- Historic Centre of Cordoba
- Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza
- Doñana National Park
See this post for more information: UNESCO World Heritage Sites In Andalucia.
Asturias
- Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias. A collection of 9th century churches dating from a time when the Kingdom of Asturias was a rare survival of Christianity in the Iberian Peninsula.
Aragon
- Mudejar Architecture of Aragon. Visible in the buildings of Aragon, Mudejar art was a fusion of Islamic tradition with European styles from the 12th to 17th centuries.
- Pyrénées – Mont Perdu. The mountains of the Pyrénées are a dual-country site (Spain and France), noted for their historic and natural significance.
Balearic Islands
- Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana. Located on the island of Mallorca, this is a historic agricultural landscape.
- Talayotic Menorca. A collection of prehistoric settlements and burial places on Menorca.
- Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture. This site features the marine and coastal ecosystems of Ibiza, along with several archaeological sites from different periods of history.
Basque Country
- Vizcaya Bridge. The world’s first transporter bridge, the Vizcaya Bridge is a massive iron structure built in 1893 to connect the two sides of the River Ibaizabal, not far from Bilbao.
Canary Islands
- Risco Caido and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria Cultural Landscape. The mountainous landscape at the centre of Gran Canaria is home to a number of ancient troglodyte settlements and two sacred temples.
- San Cristóbal de La Laguna. Located on Tenerife, San Cristóbal de La Laguna consists of the historic Upper Town, and the Lower Town, which was planned according to defined civic principles and includes a number of fine private and public buildings.
- Teide National Park. Also on Tenerife, the Teide National Park offers a dramatic volcanic environment.
- Garajonay National Park. This park, on La Gomera, has a lush vegetation of a type that has now mostly disappeared from southern Europe.
Cantabria
- Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain. A collection of seventeen decorated caves dating from the Paleolithic era.
Castile And León
- Archaeological Site of Atapuerca. Caves rich in fossils, recording early human beings from nearly a million years ago.
- Burgos Cathedral. A spectacular Gothic cathedral.
- Las Médulas. Remains of industrial activity from the Roman period.
- Old City of Salamanca. The historic centre of an ancient university city with important Gothic, Moorish and Renaissance monuments. Of particular note is the Plaza Mayor, with its arcades and galleries.
- Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches. Ávila is the birthplace of St Teresa, and is noted for its well preserved medieval fortifications, the most complete in Spain.
- Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct. Segovia is noted for its old town, historic monuments and defences, and for its multicultural history, home to Christians, Jews and Moors. However its most prominent feature is the massive Roman aqueduct.
- Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde. This is a dual-country site (Spain and Portugal), bringing together two prehistoric sites famed for their rock art.
Castile La Mancha
- Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija. This dual-country site covers historic mercury mines in Almadén in Spain and Idrija in Slovenia.
- Historic City of Toledo. Toledo was important both to the Romans and the Visigoths, and is noted for the co-existence of Jewish, Christian and Islamic communities.
- Historic Walled Town of Cuenca. A well preserved medieval fortified city with many important buildings.
Catalonia
- Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco. Tarraco (or Tarragona) was an important regional capital in Roman times.
- Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí. A group of Lombard Romanesque churches with notable wall paintings.
- Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona. Two Art Nouveau buildings in the city of Barcelona.
- Poblet Monastery. One of the largest Cistercian abbeys in Spain.
- Works of Antoni Gaudí. Seven buildings in and around Barcelona built by the architect Antoni Gaudí. These include the Basilica of La Sagrada Familia and the fantastical Casa Batlló.
Estremadura
- Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida. Well preserved remains of a provincial Roman capital.
- Old Town of Cáceres. A 9th century walled town whose architecture reflects the battles between Moors and Christians.
- Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe. The building of this monastery is representative of Spanish religious architecture. It also symbolises the re-Christianisation of Spain and the discovery of the New World.
Galicia
- Roman Walls of Lugo. The city walls of Lugo have survived intact and are described as “the finest example of late Roman fortifications in western Europe”.
- Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain. Part of the network of ancient pilgrimage routes of the Camino de Santiago.
- Santiago de Compostela (Old Town). Pilgrimage site and tomb of St James.
- Tower of Hercules. A 1st century Roman lighthouse.
Explore Some of Spain’s UNESCO and other Cultural Sites
La Rioja
- San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries. An early place of pilgrimage and a later 16th century monastery.
Madrid
- Aranjuez Cultural Landscape. The gardens of the Aranjuez Palace, this is a managed landscape with an important collection of cultivated trees.
- Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid. El Escorial is a 16th century monastery of architectural and historical importance.
- Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences. The Paseo del Prado, at the centre of Madrid, is home to several buildings dedicated to the arts and sciences, and to the gardens of Buen Retiro.
- University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares. The world’s first planned university city.
Valencia
- La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia. A group of buildings in Valencia that were once used in the silk trading industry. The silk exchange is regarded as a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture.
- Palmeral of Elche. A landscape of date palms, with ancient irrigation systems.
Multi-Region Sites
- Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. A large group of sites featuring prehistoric rock art. They can be found in Andalucia, Aragon, Castile La Mancha, Catalonia, Murcia and Valencia.
- Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe. This is a multi-country site that covers 94 forests across Europe, including four in Spain (Tejera Negra in Castile La Mancha, Montejo in the region of Madrid, Lizardoia in Navarre, and Cuesta Fría and Canal de Asotín in Castile And León). It celebrates the variety and versatility of the beech tree.
