Barcelona
-43%€34median tour
€22middle half of tours€62
- 67% under €50
- #3 cheapest of 50
Europe · 23 cities
Things to Do in Spain
Twenty-three Spanish destinations in one place: which two sights have to be booked months ahead, how the fast trains turn one base into four cities, and what a tour costs in a country that is cheaper than its neighbours.
15,410 tours listed by Viator 23 cities we cover Median tour €34–€42 Free cancellation
Where to go
Cities of Spain
In the order Viator’s own catalogue puts them — most-booked first, not alphabetical.
Full list
All cities, by region
Grouped by region using Viator’s own map of the country. The first block is the places it files directly under Spain.
What it costs
What tours cost in Spain
From our own price index — 2,400 tours across 50 cities, collected August 2026. Medians, not averages: a couple of multi-day packages drag an average into fiction.
Madrid
-30%€42median tour
€29middle half of tours€75
- 56% under €50
- #11 cheapest of 50
Vertical line is the global median, €60. Full table for all 50 cities in the Tour Price Index.
Food & drink
Street food, markets and tasting walks with a local guide.
ExploreWine & breweries
Vineyards, cellars, breweries and distilleries.
ExplorePhotography
Guided shoots at the right hour, and photographers for hire.
ExploreBoats & cruises
Harbour cruises, catamarans, kayaks and sunset sailings.
ExploreCooking classes
Cook the local dish, then eat it — usually three hours.
ExploreCycling
City rides, e-bikes and countryside routes.
ExploreWalking tours
Small groups, old streets, two hours on foot.
ExploreDay trips
Out of the city and back the same day.
ExplorePractical info
Know before you book
The things that change a decision — not a retelling of the guidebook.
Two places sell out months ahead, not weeks
The Alhambra in Granada and the Sagrada Família in Barcelona both run capped timed entry, and the Alhambra ties the ticket to the passport that bought it — names are checked at the gate. In summer the official slots go two to three months out and there is no standby queue at either. A tour with its own allocation is the usual way in once the official site is empty.
Spain eats and starts late
Lunch is at two, dinner rarely before nine, and plenty of smaller museums still close for a few hours in the afternoon. Tours are built around it: a food tour starts when locals eat rather than at six, and a morning tour here often means ten o’clock.
Inland August is a different country
Seville, Córdoba and Madrid pass 40 °C regularly, and Spaniards themselves leave. Walking tours move to early morning or evening in July and August, and some operators stop altogether. The north coast and the Balearics stay perfectly pleasant.
The fast trains are why the day trips work
Madrid to Toledo is about half an hour, to Segovia much the same, Madrid to Seville around two and a half hours. Much of this catalogue is built on that geography: one base and trips outward beats moving hotel every second night.
Semana Santa is both the reason and the problem
Holy Week in Seville and Málaga is extraordinary and fills every bed in Andalusia. It also stops ordinary sightseeing: the processions own the streets, and walking tours are curtailed or rerouted. Book a year ahead, or go a fortnight later and have the city back.
Regional languages are not dialects
Catalan, Basque and Galician are separate languages with their own signage and their own politics. Nothing changes practically — tours run in Spanish and English — but it explains why the museum label in Barcelona is not the Spanish you learned.
When to visit
Spain through the seasons
What is open, how busy it gets, and when to book ahead.
Spring
Mar–May
- Best for
- Andalusia before the heat, green north, the best walking weather of the year.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Semana Santa and the Seville fair fill Andalusia — check where the dates fall before booking.
Summer
Jun–Aug
- Best for
- The coast, the islands, and the north — San Sebastián and Galicia at their best.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Inland cities are punishing by day; book anything outdoors for early morning or after eight.
Autumn
Sep–Nov
- Best for
- Everywhere at once: sea still warm in September, cities comfortable into November.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- September is the best month in the country — full timetables, no August heat, thinner crowds.
Winter
Dec–Feb
- Best for
- Madrid and Seville without queues, the Canaries for actual sun, low prices.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Coastal boat trips and some island ferries drop to a skeleton timetable — confirm it runs.
Frequently asked
Spain: common questions
How many days do you need in Spain?
A week gives you one region properly — Madrid with Toledo and Segovia, or Barcelona with Montserrat and Girona. Ten days is the classic Madrid, Seville, Granada and Barcelona run, and the trains make it comfortable. Trying to add the north as well is where these itineraries usually break.
Do I need to book the Alhambra in advance?
Yes, and earlier than feels reasonable. Daily numbers are capped, tickets are tied to the passport that bought them, and summer slots disappear two to three months ahead. If the official site is sold out for your dates, a guided tour holding its own allocation is normally the only remaining way in.
What does a tour in Spain cost?
From our price index of 50 cities: a median of €34 in Barcelona and €42 in Madrid, against a global median of €60. Barcelona is one of the cheapest major cities in the whole study — Spain is a country where paying for a good guide costs less than you would expect from the flight price.
When is the best time to visit?
May, June, September and early October. April is lovely and lands on Semana Santa in some years, which changes Andalusia completely. August is for the coast and the north only — the inland cities are genuinely too hot to walk around.
Do I need a car in Spain?
Not for the cities on this page, and in Barcelona, Madrid and Seville a car is a liability: historic centres are restricted-traffic zones with camera enforcement. A car earns its keep in Andalusia’s white villages, rural Catalonia and the north, which is also why the day tours from those bases are built around a driver.
Are tours run in English?
In every city here, routinely — Spain has one of the deepest English-language guiding markets in Europe. Smaller towns thin out, and there a small-group or private tour is the reliable way to get a guide rather than an audio device.
Barcelona or Madrid for a first visit?
Barcelona if you want the sea, Gaudí and a compact centre you can walk in three days. Madrid if you want the art — the Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen within ten minutes of each other — and the best day trips in the country on the doorstep. Neither is the wrong answer, and the train between them takes under three hours.
BarcelonaMadridMallorcaSevilleGranadaMalagaIbizaTenerifeValenciaSan SebastianBilbaoMarbellaCordobaLanzaroteGironaGran CanariaAlicanteCadiz