4 Underrated Towns in Spain Worth Visiting

Spain’s most-photographed towns get that way for a reason, and nobody needs another list telling you Ronda and Toledo are beautiful. This one looks past them, to four towns that hold up just as well on their own terms but rarely make it onto an international itinerary.

Last verified: October 2026. This guide was built from official regional and municipal tourism sites, national tourism board pages (spain.info), transport operator information, and local government sources.

All four towns below are worth the detour, but none of them are secrets in the “nobody’s heard of this” sense — some are locally celebrated and simply under-visited by international travelers, which is a different kind of underrated.

Contents hide

1 Quick Answer: Four Towns, Four Different Reasons to Go

2 1. Albarracín, Aragón

2.1 Who Is This Best For?

3 2. Morella, Castellón

3.1 Worth Knowing Before You Go

4 3. Zahara de la Sierra, Cádiz

4.1 Who Should Skip It?

5 4. Trujillo, Extremadura

5.1 Is It Worth the Trip?

6 One Town We Left Off: Besalú

7 Planning Around These Four

8 Research & Sources

Quick Answer: Four Towns, Four Different Reasons to Go

Quick Answer: If you only have time to pick one, here’s the shorthand.

Albarracín (Aragón) — for the single best-preserved medieval streetscape on this list, if you don’t mind a car and a limited bus schedule.

Morella (Castellón) — for intact city walls and truffle season, best reached by car since weekend buses don’t run at all.

Zahara de la Sierra (Cádiz) — for a reservoir-view hill town that’s quieter than its Pueblos Blancos neighbors, car essentially required.

Trujillo (Extremadura) — for conquistador history and an uncrowded Plaza Mayor, reachable by direct coach from Madrid.

Map of Spain showing the locations of four underrated towns: Albarracín, Morella, Zahara de la Sierra, and Trujillo — Where these four towns sit relative to each other across Spain.

Map key: 1) Albarracín, Aragón — 2) Morella, Castellón — 3) Zahara de la Sierra, Cádiz — 4) Trujillo, Extremadura.

1. Albarracín, Aragón

Pink and ochre houses of Albarracín clinging to a gorge above the Guadalaviar river in Aragón, Spain — Albarracín’s ochre houses climb the gorge above the Guadalaviar river.

Albarracín is well known among Spaniards — it is promoted by Spain’s national tourism board and by Aragón’s regional tourism site, and its own tourism office markets it confidently, though we found no visitor-count data comparing it with other Spanish towns. What it isn’t, is easy to reach, and that alone keeps international numbers modest. The town sits on a bend of the Guadalaviar river in the hills of Teruel, its pink and ochre houses stacked along a walled ridge that’s changed remarkably little in centuries.

The walk through the old town does most of the work. Timber balconies lean out over streets too narrow for cars, the walls climb a stepped ridge to the Torre del Andador watchtower, and the 16th-century Cathedral of El Salvador holds a small Diocesan Museum of Flemish tapestries that most visitors skip. None of it is staged for tourists — this is simply what a well-preserved Aragonese hill town looks like when it hasn’t been flattened by mass visitation.

Albarracin: getting there

There’s no train station in Albarracín, and the one public bus from Teruel runs a single round trip Monday to Saturday (08:50 from Teruel, 14:10 back from Albarracín), with no Sunday or holiday service, per the town’s transport page. A car makes this an easy stop; without one, plan around that solitary bus and expect it to shape your schedule.

Nearest city: Teruel, about 38 km away (Teruel has its own rail links to Zaragoza and Valencia).
Getting there: One bus each way from Teruel, Monday to Saturday, with a €3.90 fare paid on board (no Sunday or holiday service, per the town’s own transport page); a car is the practical choice for most visitors.
Car necessary? Effectively yes, unless your schedule matches the single daily bus.
Time to allow: Half a day covers the walled town; an overnight stay lets you see the pink houses in early or late light, when the color is most striking.
Seasonal notes: This is a cold, high-altitude interior climate — winter brings real frost and snow, so spring and early autumn are the more comfortable seasons for the steep, stepped streets.
Where to stay: Small casas rurales and family-run hotels rather than chain lodging — book ahead in high season, since capacity is limited.
Budget: The cathedral can only be entered on a guided visit sold by Fundación Santa María de Albarracín, the official ticketing body. The visit lasts about 1 hour 45 minutes and the booking page says tours are in Spanish only, and the booking page showed slots at 10:30, 12:15, 16:00 and 17:30 for a date in October 2026 (other dates vary, so check the calendar). The page does not state the price of the visit. It offers a Diocesan Museum discount to visitors who show their visit ticket, but gives two different figures (€2 against an official €3.50 in one place, €2.50 against €4 in another), so confirm the price when you book. The main booking listing shows the €2.50 (official €4) version.

Who Is This Best For?

Travelers with a rental car and a taste for architecture over nightlife. It’s a poor fit if you’re relying entirely on public transport or want a lively evening scene — Albarracín is quiet after the day-trippers leave, which is either the whole point or a dealbreaker depending on what you’re after.

2. Morella, Castellón

Medieval walls and hilltop castle of Morella in Castellón province, Comunitat Valenciana, Spain — Morella’s two kilometers of medieval walls still fully encircle the old town.

Morella sits inland from the Costa del Azahar resorts of Castellón province, which is precisely why most international itineraries never reach it. It’s a member of the “Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España” (Most Beautiful Villages in Spain) association and gets steady domestic press, but it rarely appears on English-language “best towns in Spain” lists — a gap that has more to do with geography than merit.

Nearly two kilometers of medieval wall, punctuated by sixteen watchtowers, still fully encircle the town. Above it all sits a 14th-century castle built over Neolithic and Iron Age remains, and below, the Gothic Basílica Arxiprestal de Santa Maria has a spiral stone staircase unlike anything else on this list. Morella is also one of Spain’s serious truffle towns, with an annual truffle festival that draws food-focused visitors rather than sightseeing crowds.

Morella: no weekend buses

There’s no rail line to Morella, and the town’s own tourism site lists just two weekday bus departures from Castellón de la Plana — with no service at all on weekends or holidays. If you’re not driving, build your visit around a weekday.

Nearest city: Castellón de la Plana, roughly 100 km away by road.
Getting there: Weekday-only bus from Castellón (Autos Mediterráneo, two departures daily); no weekend bus service exists, per Morella’s official tourism site.
Car necessary? Strongly recommended, and effectively required for a weekend visit.
Time to allow: A full day covers the walls, castle, and basilica comfortably; stay overnight to enjoy the old town without day-trip traffic and to justify a truffle-focused dinner.
Seasonal notes: The Jornadas de la Trufa, the town’s truffle food season, ran from 23 January to 15 March in 2026, per the Valencia region’s tourism site; the town sits at around 1,000 meters elevation, so winters are cold.
Where to stay: A mix of small hotels, hostales, and casas rurales in and around the walls — availability is reasonable for the town’s size but limited during truffle season.
Budget: Confirmed prices from Morella’s own tariff page: castle €3.50 (€2.50 reduced), Basílica Arciprestal €2.50 (€2 reduced; the page says it is run by a separate operator, Visitur), Torres de Sant Miquel €1.50, Dinosaur Museum €2 (€1.50 reduced). Entry is free for children under 6 with an adult and for visits made on Tuesdays between 14:00 and 18:00. The tariff page does not list opening hours, so ask at the tourist office (Placet de Sant Miquel 3) before planning around a particular monument.

Worth Knowing Before You Go

The near-total lack of weekend public transport is the one fact that changes how you should plan this trip — if you don’t have a car, a weekday visit isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s close to mandatory. Everything else about Morella is straightforward and rewarding once you’re there.

3. Zahara de la Sierra, Cádiz

White hilltop village of Zahara de la Sierra overlooking a turquoise reservoir in Cádiz province, Andalucía, Spain — Zahara de la Sierra’s castle ruins overlook the reservoir that shares its name.

Andalucía’s Pueblos Blancos route is not obscure — Ronda alone draws heavy international traffic. Zahara de la Sierra, one stop along that same white-village route, gets a fraction of that attention despite a comparably dramatic setting: a Moorish castle keep on a rocky outcrop above a turquoise reservoir, with the Sierra de Grazalema’s peaks behind it.

There’s no hard visitor-count data confirming Zahara sees fewer travelers than Ronda, but the circumstantial evidence is consistent — a single dedicated Tripadvisor attraction page, no rail link, and repeat mentions from visitors describing it as overlooked relative to its beauty. Treat that as a reasonable inference, not a proven statistic.

Check the reservoir level

The reservoir view is not guaranteed year-round. Drought left the Zahara-El Gastor reservoir at nearly 6% of capacity in February 2024, and levels fluctuate with rainfall. Check current levels if the postcard shot is the main draw for you.

Nearest city: Ronda, about 50 km away, or Sevilla at roughly 100 km.
Getting there: Bus links with Ronda are sparse and thinner at weekends; Transportes Comes runs the route, so check current times on the operator’s site before relying on it. No direct bus from Sevilla was found.
Car necessary? Essentially yes — the sparse bus schedule makes a car-free day trip impractical.
Time to allow: Half a day for the castle and old town; a full day if you’re adding the Garganta Verde gorge trail, which needs a permit from the Andalusian regional government, requested through the El Bosque visitor centre; from 1 June to 15 October, fire risk limits walkers to the first viewpoint, per Cádiz provincial tourism.
Seasonal notes: Summers are hot even by Andalucían standards; spring and autumn are more comfortable, and reservoir levels are typically higher after winter rains.
Where to stay: A small number of hotels and casas rurales — book ahead for weekends, since capacity is limited.
Budget: No official entry fee could be confirmed for the castle itself at time of research. The town’s heritage page lists opening hours but not a ticket price, and the Torre del Homenaje page on the Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España site lists neither. That page does say the tower stands at the castle’s highest point (about 605 m above sea level), is entered through its lower chamber, and has vaulted interior stairways between floors, so expect a climb. Treat any price you see elsewhere as an estimate. Lodging from roughly €50-60/night upward is likewise an estimate drawn from booking aggregators.

Who Should Skip It?

If a guaranteed reservoir view is the whole reason you’re going, check water levels first — they’re variable. And if you don’t have a car, the transport schedule alone may rule this one out; it’s not a place you can easily wing without your own wheels.

4. Trujillo, Extremadura

Plaza Mayor of Trujillo, Extremadura, Spain, with the equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro and a hilltop castle above — Trujillo’s Plaza Mayor, with the equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro.

Extremadura doesn’t get the international attention that Andalucía or Castilla do, and Trujillo is the clearest example of what that leaves overlooked. Its Plaza Mayor — anchored by an equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro, who was born here — is as handsome as any main square in central Spain, and it is far less often included on first-time international itineraries than Toledo or Segovia, though we found no visitor-count data to put a number on the difference.

Trujillo’s history is distinctive rather than generically “medieval Spain.” This was the birthplace of several conquistadors, and the Renaissance palaces ringing the plaza were built on fortunes made in the Americas — the Palace of the Marquises of the Conquista is the most striking of them. Above the town, an Islamic-era castle looks out over the plains, and storks nest on the old rooftops much as they do across the rest of Extremadura.

Unlike the other three towns on this list, Trujillo is reachable without a car: Avanza runs direct coaches from Madrid, which booking platforms list at roughly three to three and a half hours (check Avanza’s timetable), and regular buses link it with nearby Cáceres. A car adds flexibility for exploring the wider region — Monfragüe National Park is close by — but it isn’t required just to visit the town itself.

Nearest city: Cáceres, about 45 km away.
Getting there: Direct Avanza coach from Madrid (roughly 3 to 3.5 hours) or a regional bus from Cáceres; there’s no passenger rail station in Trujillo.
Car necessary? No — bus access is workable — though a car helps for side trips to Monfragüe or Guadalupe.
Time to allow: A full day covers the plaza, castle, and old town; an overnight at the Parador (a former convent) lets you catch the Plaza Mayor at dusk without day-trip crowds.
Seasonal notes: Extremadura’s summers run hot and dry; spring and autumn are markedly more comfortable for walking the hilltop streets.
Where to stay: The Parador de Trujillo is the standout option, alongside smaller hotels around the old town.
Budget: Castle entry was €2 as of October 2025, according to a travel guide’s page on the castle; we could not confirm it on an official site. Spain’s national tourism board gives the castle’s address (Cerro Cabeza de Zorro, at the highest point of the town) but no hours or prices. The Junta de Extremadura lists the tourist office on the Plaza Mayor as open daily 10:00-14:00 and 16:00-19:00 in winter, and 10:00-14:00 and 17:00-20:00 in summer, so ask there for current castle prices. Parador rates from roughly €70/night are an estimate from booking sites, not an official rate.

Is It Worth the Trip?

Yes, particularly if you’re already routing between Madrid and Extremadura’s other highlights, like Cáceres or the monastery at Guadalupe. The drawback is that Trujillo alone may not justify a special trip from Madrid if it’s the only stop — it earns its place best as part of a wider Extremadura itinerary.

One Town We Left Off: Besalú

Besalú, in Girona province, was on our initial research list, and it’s a beautiful medieval town with a striking fortified bridge and one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval mikvehs. But it didn’t survive the “underrated” test. It’s a fixture of nearly every “day trips from Barcelona” and “day trips from Girona” list we found, and it’s actively marketed by Catalonia’s own tourism board. That’s not a knock on the town — it’s simply not overlooked, and this list is about places that are.

Planning Around These Four

These four towns don’t share a single road trip route, and that’s fine — Albarracín and Morella both sit in inland Aragón and the Valencian Community respectively, close enough that an ambitious traveler could combine them, while Zahara de la Sierra and Trujillo belong to separate trips through Andalucía and Extremadura. Treat this list as four independent detours rather than one itinerary.

Which one fits depends mostly on how you travel. Without a car, only Trujillo works on public transport as described above; Morella is possible on a weekday bus from Castellón, and Albarracín only if the single Teruel bus suits your day. Morella has the most clearly published admission prices (a few euros per monument), Albarracín’s cathedral is visited by timed guided tour, and Zahara de la Sierra is the one where you should expect to confirm prices and access locally. Zahara and Morella are the more weather-sensitive choices: the reservoir may be low, and Morella and Albarracín sit high enough for cold winters.

If you’re building out a wider tour of Europe’s overlooked towns, our guide to underrated towns in Italy and our guide to underrated towns in France cover similar ground in neighboring countries, with no overlap in the towns featured.