Five Spanish Cities Feature On ’s List Of The World’s Best Cities In 2025, Canada Reviews

In case you missed it, we published our annual list of the world’s 50 best cities for 2025 last week, crowning Cape Town as the overall champion.

Twenty-two cities from across Europe were on the list, including six from the UK – London, Edinburgh, Brighton, Glasgow, Belfast and Bristol – but five from across Spain also made it, making the Mediterranean country the second-most represented on the list.

The first of these was (drum roll, please) Barcelona! Shocked? No, neither are we. At the core of Spain’s brilliant second city is its street culture – that’s street food, street parties, enjoying drinks alfresco (basically any excuse to go outside). Buzzy neighbourhoods like Poblenou, Sants and Poble-sec draw the cool crowds, and it’s a great time to head to the newly-opened Market Barcelona. 

Barcelona came 17th on the list, while Seville followed closely behind at number 18. Madrid – which we crowned one of the best cities in the world for culture last year – came in at 22, and Valencia at 43.

Valencia suffered catastrophic floods at the tail end of 2024, which has since had a knock-on effect for local businesses. As local writer Lucy Lovell says: ‘visiting now, and spending your money in independent restaurants, shops and hotels, will make a huge difference.’  

The fifth and final Spanish destination, ranked the 45th best city in the world, was Bilbao. Though the city has seen lots of urban development programmes since the Guggenheim opened its doors in the ‘90s, this city still has Basque culture at its heart. 

‘So, skip the Guggenheim and instead eavesdrop on locals chatting away in Euskara (the Basque language); devour the city’s famed pintxos (tapas) in the Casco Viejo neighbourhood; squeeze into a bar while a band blasts out Basque rock (an acquired taste) and try to catch a win from the legendary local football team,’ writes Stuart Butler. 

Quite a lot to explore, eh? Check out our guide to the very best places to visit in Spain and make the most of the country’s thriving railway network. 

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