On Barcelona's waterfront stands one of the city's most recognisable buildings: the W Barcelona, better known as the Vela Hotel. Designed by renowned architect Ricardo Bofill and opened in 2009, its sail-shaped silhouette has become a defining feature of the Barceloneta skyline. Wrapped in glass and positioned at the edge of the Mediterranean, the hotel was conceived to maximise sea views, making the surrounding landscape an essential part of the experience.

From the air, it resembles a giant stone wave frozen beside the Mediterranean, its form tracing the curve of the coastline and creating a striking image within the urban landscape.This is not a sculpture, but the seafront promenade along Poniente Beach in Benidorm.

Every summer, alongside the Blue Flags awarded for beach quality, a less desirable distinction also appears: Black Flags. These highlight environmental problems such as pollution, untreated discharges and poor coastal management. In 2026, notable cases include Portmán Bay and the Mar Menor in Murcia, the coastline of L’Ametlla de Mar in Tarragona and Usgo Beach in Cantabria. Areas affected by urban development pressure include Isla Cristina’s Central Beach in Huelva and Los Berengueles Beach in Almuñécar, Granada.

With more than five kilometres of unspoilt sand in the heart of Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, this wild beach in Almería is a paradise for swimming, diving and flamingo spotting.

In the Prades Mountains, the terrain leads visitors down through rocky outcrops and dense vegetation.

In the heart of Catalonia, a narrow tongue of rock rises vertically amid forests, supporting the remains of a unique medieval fortress.

This small Catalan town, with barely 70 inhabitants, preserves stone streets, a fortress over a thousand years old and legends that remain alive underground.Follow idealista/news on the WhatsApp channel (in Spanish)Some places still retain the essence of the past.

Rodas Beach in Galicia is the only Spanish beach featured in the World’s 50 Best Beaches 2025, despite not being located in the Balearic or Canary Islands. Shaped like a crescent and stretching for 1.3 kilometres, its fine white sand – formed from crushed shells – connects the islands of Monteagudo and O Faro, two of the three that make up the Cíes archipelago. The beach currently holds 18th place in the global ranking.

Nou Barris grew in the 1950s and 60s to house the thousands of workers who arrived in Barcelona from other regions of Spain.

Just a decade ago, Nou Llevant was a collection of empty plots and industrial buildings.