Eastern Spain

Eastern Spain is in Spain.

Regions

Map of Eastern Spain

From north to south, Eastern Spain covers the Mediterranean regions of:

Catalonia Catalonia has produced world-famous artists like Salvador Dalí, the curvy architecture of Antoni Gaudí, and Barça football club; not to mention a wide range of natural scenery and unique festivals and traditions.

Murcia It offers historical cities like Murcia (the capital city), Cartagena or Lorca, notable monumental municipalities, and cities of services, with a colourful local folklore and festivities.

Valencian Community This region has endless fine beaches, unspoiled water, beautiful weather, the wonderful cuisine, spectacular festivals, traditional Spanish cities and a surprising cultural scene.

Cities

• 1 Alicante — a dynamic tourist hotspot on the Costa Blanca with an attractive waterfront promenade to complement its buzzing nightlife
• 2 Barcelona — extremely vibrant city that is a must for architecture buffs and foodies
• 3 Cartagena — an ancient port city with many archaeological sites and outstanding buildings of historical interest
• 4 Castellón — this small but attractive city is off the tourist radar and is a hub for travel in the Costa del Azahar
• 5 Figueres — home to the Dalí museum
• 6 Girona — nice old town with an impressive Jewish quarter, close to the Costa Brava
• 7 Lleida — door to the west Pyrenees mountains, has a cathedral
• 8 Murcia — an important university town known for its its folklore, its festivals and its several baroque churches
• 9 Tarragona — Roman age capital, has beaches, close to Costa Daurada
• 10 Valencia — the third largest city in Spain, with a thriving cultural scene

Talk

In Catalonia and Valencia (and also in the Balearic Islands), Catalan is spoken. In the Valencian region, this language is called "Valencian", a variety of the Catalan language. Spanish is also spoken throughout these regions. In tourist regions, you can usually get by using English, but a phrasebook will definitely come in handy outside of them.

The Murcian dialect of Spanish is spoken in Murcia. The only exception is the small area known as El Carche, where Valencian (Catalan) is the main language.

Go next

• To the east, Balearic Islands. An archipelago in the Balearic Sea with culture and cuisine that are similar to those of the rest of Spain but have their own distinctive features.