The capital of Spain and the third-largest city in the European Union, Madrid is a major center of Southern Europe and a thoroughly modern city. Yet you only have to stroll through the streets to be immersed into Spain’s rich history. From the Royal Palace of Madrid and the Museo del Prado to the Santiago Bernabéu, home to the acclaimed Real Madrid, you will see Spain’s unique culture at every turn.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Toledo is a monument to the diverse cultural and religious heritage of Spain. Inhabited since the Bronze Age, ancient Roman, Visigoth and Moorish ruins are still visible in addition to the political and religious histories of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Toledo is particularly famous as the translation site of many Arabic and Hebrew works into Castilian and Latin.

About a 60-minute drive from Madrid, Avila has unique legacy. Named a World Heritage Site in 1985, this Castilian city is still enclosed by Medieval walls punctuated by 88 turrets and 9 gates. You can walk along the entire 2.5 kilometer perimeter of the walls and see the most impressive of these gates--Puerta de San Vicente and Puerta de Alcázar--still guarding the Romanesque defensive rampart.