Merida, Zaragoza, Tarragona, Valencia

I had stays planned in Zaragoza and Tarragona last year, and while unfortunately the trip had to be cancelled, I think they are both worthy. One of our regular contributors is high on Zaragoza. As for Tarragona, I like to be near the sea, and in addition to seeing the Roman sites in the city, I planned to day-trip to the natural areas south of the city (while being in an apartment in town to enjoy dining out without driving).
Absolutely go to Merida if only to see the ruins. I found it a pleasant little town aside from the excellent sites, but I visited on a day trip from Caceres. The Roman bridge at Alcantara is really cool too, juxtaposed with a dam. I did not get to see Tarragona so I cannot compare, but the Merida ruins are impressive and the way the town grew up around them is interesting. I did not give myself time for the museum and I regretted it.
Valencia is a fairly major city, so I think it would be mentioned more often if the other cities of Spain were not such blockbusters. That probably goes for the others too--there is just a lot of tough competition!
Guide books have to be edited or they'd weigh too much. Is there an equivalent of Blue Guides for Spain?

If it’s Roman ruins you want to see, then Mérida is where you want to go. It has more ruins than the other cities. It is in Extremadura and a part of Spain many tourists overlook. There are many locations within an hour’s drive of the city worth visiting.

Zaragoza is also overlooked by many and by itself, worth 2-3 nights. Like Mérida, there are many locations in the surrounding area worth visiting, including a few Spanish civil war sites.

To me, a car is needed to visit the outlying areas of both cities and to make the best use of your time.

I haven’t been to Tarragona, but wasn’t impressed with Valencia the two times I made a short visit to it.

Edited: I second Carlos’ recommendations of Loarre Castle, Olite, and Trasmoz. Trasmoz is very small and there is a free parking lot at the edge of the village. Only residents can drive in it. There are plenty of other small towns worth visiting in that area.

All excellent places that are relatively off the radar for Anglo tourists, perhaps why you have difficulty finding them in guide books. That does not mean they are "not recommended" actually it's a good thing that they are not so well covered in guidebooks. In Spain these places are very well known, and traveled to by domestic tourism.

Valencia is my new favourite city in Spain, it's like how Barcelona was 20 years ago before mass tourism destroyed that city's historic centre. From Valencia you have more options, you can head south to explore La Albufera Wetlands National Park, where Paella originated from. You can also head north and explore the less touristy Costa del Azahar, Peñíscola is certainly worth a look, a Knights Templar crusader castle on a rock that juts out into the sea, surrounded by a whitewashed old town, very Levantine. Inland you find the ancient ruins of Saguntum, which Hannibal invaded to start the the Second Punic War with Rome.

Zaragoza as well is hardly known to Anglos I think, but is well regarded in Spain for its Moorish Palace and Roman ruins as well as the Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, one of the great churches of Spain. Zaragoza is one of the rare examples of Spain of a town touched by almost all the major civilizations that passed through Spain, much of which can still be seen like the extensive Roman ruins and Aljafería Moorish Palace. Excellent tapas and food scene too. I think that Zaragoza is one of those undiscovered gems that Rick calls "back doors". If you have extra time, there are also plenty of good day trips from Zaragoza too, like the Calatayud Wine Region, Loarre Castle, Olite royal palace, and the witches' village of Trasmoz.

Merida's city is maybe not the most charming but it has the best Roman ruins in Spain that can hold its own with most Roman ruins found in Italy. Merida is the capital often overlooked and underrated Extremadura region, in my opinion, one of Spain’s most fascinating regions. It is full of time-warped old towns, castles, monasteries, and beautiful countryside.

Tarragona is ancient seaside town with very good Roman ruins, including an amphitheater, intact aqueduct, and Praetorium Tower, was once the capital of Roman Hispania (modern-day Spain). Tarragona's winding medieval old town is a delight to explore too. Nearby is Les Ferreres Aqueduct, a Roman Aqueduct you can actually still walk on top of, a few km hike from Tarragona.

Any one of these towns are worth several nights.

Merida is fantastic if you are in to Roman ruins. The ruins there are spectacular. Right next to the ruins is a gorgeous, brilliantly done museum with a ton of Roman artifacts including numerous Roman mosaic floors. I loved it so much I am going back in a few months. About an hour away is Caceres which is also amazing and worth the trek. Caceres and nearby Trujillo have been the setting for several Game of Thrones filming. That should tell you how amazing these places are. All of these towns are off the beaten track for foreign tourists so prices are reasonable and parking is not the headache it is elsewhere.

We stayed in all four last year in March-April.

Loved both Merida and Zaragoza. Merida's Roman ruins are spectacular. We bought the 48 hour pass and saw most of the sites. Even in late March Merida was pretty warm so there is no way I would visit in summertime.

Zaragoza we loved the laid back feel of the place and really enjoyed the Aljaferia. It was just a nice city to wander around in and we had the pleasure of watching the statue carrying practice in the lead up to Easter.

Tarragona is one of our favourite places in Spain - we have been twice. Again it has some really cool Roman ruins. The beach isn't as nice as Sitges but it is very easy to get to Sitges by train. Just be aware that the high speed train from Madrid stops at Camp Tarragona station and not the station that is right in town. Camp Tarragona is about a 15 minute taxi ride into town.

Valencia was our least favourite but that might have been because it rained all the time we were there. We found the beach very underwhelming, but as Australians, we are very spoiled when it comes to beaches.

Thank you to everyone for the many thoughtful responses.

Merida seems to have a nice Roman museum with a statue of Augustus (the first emperor) which would be great to see. Perhaps some GladiiHispaniensis would be nice too. Merida is also attractive because it's a (relatively short) 4 hour train ride to Lisbon, but also not far from Sevilla and Madrid.

But I also like cool areas, nice restaurants that are authentic or novel, architecture, other historical factors (a famous battle, the birthplace of a famous local, etc) and nice landscape photo opportunities.

I don't understand the references to Anglo tourists. Aren't all foreigners dependent on guide books, influencers, and tv shows? I think all countries have certain cities which get most of the tourist hype, while other ones are overlooked. It makes sense with RS's books because he seems to cut out the excess and just tell us where we should go if we have a week or two. But many other book companies aim to be more general. In Spain alone, I would say Cadiz, Segovia, and Girona are perfectly fine locations which don't get as much attention.

3 days in Zaragoza. We loved it.
Has Europe’s only origami museum. Great.
Has an excellent firefighter museum.
Fantastic food in the Del Tubo neighborhood.

You don´t say how much time you have to visit all these places, plus going on to Lisbon.

If you do have time, as mentioned there are interesting places to visit around Zaragoza. One place was the village of Trasmoz. If you were to go there, you must also visit the Monasterio de Veruela. It was the monks from here that got Trasmoz excommunicated. The monastary is also the home of the Borja Wine Region with a museum and tasting room.

Going deeper, around Olite there are several Roman excavation sites. The most important one is Santa Criz de Eslava, about 15 miles from Olite. About 20 miles in the other direction is the Roman Castellum, aqueduct and dam of Andelos.

It depends on the "Anglo" doing the research, lol. Many American visitors for example only have time to hit the highlights and that is where they prioritize. I was lucky to find Cadogan guides many years ago, and letting it sink in just how many places there are to go beyond the obvious was just a happy accident.

I don't understand the references to Anglo tourists.

I find that tourists from different countries tend to visit different places in Europe, because of their language-specific media available to them influencing their travel decisions. I'm guessing you are not browsing El Viajero section in El Pais or reading a Guide du Routard or following Robert Makłowicz on YouTube? All these non-English resources have recommendations distinct from what one typically finds in tourism influencers in the Anglosphere (ie RS, Lonely Planet, Wolters World etc.). Why do Americans visit mostly Barcelona and not Valencia, Granada not Malaga, the Alps not the Pyrenees, the Basque Country not Asturias...

I visited two of the cities you list -- Mérida and Zaragoza -- partly BECAUSE they are not frequently mentioned or recommended. (And patly because through study, I knew Spain well enough to know I would like them.) And I should add that personally, I thought both were great. One of the things I love about Spain is that it's big enough to hold many quaint, aesthetic, historic and interesting towns and cities beyond those tourist crowds that I am determined to avoid. (It helps, too, that i've always made by Spain visits during the late-autumn "off-season.")
My point is that even if they are a minority (though fortunately some seem to have commented above), those who have an interest in going more deeply into Spain than they can on the crowded tourist-conveyor-belt routes should not necessarily be deterred from destinations that get little mention or recommendation. Now maybe there really are some boring places in Spain; I just haven't encountered any yet. But I have had such rewarding Spain trips off the "conveyor belt," that I now come onto forums like this one, not to see where tourists are going, but mainly to take note of where they're NOT going!

Why do "Anglo's" like Barcelona - a major cruise/ferry port, non-stop flights to LA, 6 hour train ride to Paris to the north or Seville to the south, the amazing sacred family church and Gaudi buildings, various other amazing buildings, squares, theaters, and the hub of activity and tourist infra-structure.

I don't think any of those benefits are uniquely attractive to a particular race or nationality. Asuming the term "Anglo" is an abbreviation for "Anglo-Saxon" which suggests British and Americans (and Canadians, New Zealanders, and Australians) of British decent, I don't understand how that has any relevance.

I became curious about where other Europeans prefer to go. I also did a little research online about what what cities in Spain, German tourists prefer in Spain, and one website suggested Barcelona, and another the Islands and beach ears which make sense - because Germany does not have warm sunny beach resorts. I did a similar search for where French people like to visit in Spain - and again Barcelona, Madrid, beach areas and islands. Perhaps the British like to retire to the Costa del Sol - most famously Sean Connery lived there for years. Overall it seems that Europeans like to go to the same places as "Anglos" but prefer the sunny beaches - which are not so much of a novelty. for those of us familiar with California and Florida.

Maybe some Americans are more attracted to Spain because 10% of Americans are not Anglo's but rather Latinos. Many speak Spanish. A Mexican friend did a DNA test and found 50% Spanish. As an aside its interesting that Spain colonized Mexico, but they have imported certain bits of Mexican culture back to Spain - such as Mariachi bands in the city square of Madrid, and churros being sold on the street. It would be like hearing American country music and buying hot dogs in Piccadilly Circus. But this suggests some cultural connection - much like our American hotdogs, apple pie, and hamburgers all come from German culture.

There do seem to be some cultural differences with Asian tourists. I am around Asians a lot, and hear about their travel, and see their travel tour packages, and if we are going to make broad generalizations, I think those tours are more superficial - sort of checking off boxes - rather than savoring an experience. I was with a group and we were in Palermo Siciliy and took and hour bus to get to the UNESCO Norman church in Monreale - and they didn't want to pay the 12 eu to get in, and stayed outside taking selfies while I paid and experienced one of the most amazing cathedrals.

Regarding Caceres, that was not on my radar. I saw it as a stop on the high speed train network. Thanks so much for that. I am going to look into it. Watching some videos on it now. Looks nice.

We just returned from Spain last night and we visited some of the places that you mentioned. We had a fantastic time and I'll do a more detailed Trip Report soon. Our travel mode is relaxed and we planned for 29 nights.

We modified a Trip Report that Carlos posted to plan our itinerary and really enjoyed each destination. (thank you so much Carlos for your detailed report)

Our plan was:

Train Madrid to Cuenca - 3 nights

Valencia - 5 nights

Alicante - 4 nights ( picked up rental car at the end of our stay in Alicante)

Peniscola - 3 nights

Tarragona - 4 nights

Teruel - 3 nights

Valencia - 2 nights (we enjoyed the city so much that we returned the rental car early and stayed 2 more nights)

Madrid - 5 nights

For us, except for Madrid, these were places that we had not visited in the past. In each one, we had great places to stay, great food, friendly locals and quite a lot to see and do. We've visited Zaragoza in the past and felt that the cities we visited on this trip were better. We tend to like cities more than smaller villages.

But I also like cool areas, nice restaurants that are authentic or novel, architecture, other historical factors (a famous battle, the birthplace of a famous local, etc) and nice landscape photo opportunities.

I'd consider a Teruel for all the things you mentioned above. It's a great city and we ate some delicious tapas there. The architecture is really unique and the museum very well done.

We have not been to Mérida but it hope to do so another time.

Feeling a bit of jet lag so hope this makes sense...happy travel planning. We loved our time in Spain.

On the preceding comment (Marsie's) I'm going to support the recommendation for Teruel. My visit was back in 2009, but I recall it as being one of my favorites among the several great but smaller and less-known historic Spanish towns I've seen. I'm also going to go with the recommendation for three nights -- that's how long I spent in Teruel, and I deeply regretted not being able to stay a fourth.

(I'm sure the other destinations recommended in that comment are great too, but among them Madrid and Teruel are the only two I have seen.)

If going to Teruel take the drive over to Albarracín. In addition to walking the town there is a short walking trail that goes completely around the town. If you enjoy walking, closer to Teruel is the Camino Natural del Rio Guadalaviar. It’s a six miles round-trip walk along a river through a gorge with a portion on those metal grates that extend out over the river.

Thanks for the recommendation of Teruel. I see it's about 2.5 hours by bus from Zaragoza on the way to Valencia.

What did you like so much about Valencia by the way? And can you compare and contrast with Malaga which is another coastal town.

Having taken note of your forum name, I'll recommend that you also look into taking the train to Teruel (from Zaragoza).

I haven't been to Malaga so I don't know how it compares to Valencia - I'm curious too so I hope that someone will add a comment.

Valencia is an elegant, vibrant city with lots of history. The city center is compact and easily walkable. In addition to the beautiful city center, there is a complex with an opera house, science museum, 3D cinema theater and an aquarium. We spent an afternoon in the science museum and it was interesting and fun. There is an excellent market there, other good museums, and fun restaurants. We liked the vibe in Valencia. It seems very popular at the moment so we're hoping that it won't lose it's charm and it gets more touristed.

The two train stations are about 10-15 minutes from the city center - an easy walk with light luggage. If you needed, the bus/tram system is great and easy to access - we got a multi-ride pass that we could share. The train station is also a place to rent a car though driving in the city center can be a challenge.

Not sure if you're planning to rent a car or if you've decided to go to Tarragona. If so, the drive between Tarragona to Teruel is about 3.5 hours. The landscapes through the Matarraña region are beautiful. We only stopped briefly in Calaceite but might return one day to explore the villages in that region.

Also agree with jaimeelsabio that Albarracín is worth a visit - we did a daytrip from Teruel.

on my 2nd trip to spain now. this time I started in caceres. from there went to merida and trujillo. merida is great for roman architecture. the longest still active roman bridge, the temple of diana, and the quite intact and still used amphitheater are all within walking distance from the train station. loved the church of santa eulalia - an unusual mix of romanesque and gothic. trujillo was an awesome find, especially since I love medieval buildings. hardly any visitors. caceres is great for the same reason. avila was next-more romanesque and gothic! just arrived in oviedo. santillana del mar and burgos next.