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As you enter Barcelona‘s famous Mercat de Sant Josep de La Boqueria from La Rambla, one of the first stalls you encounter is Tocineria Marcos, purveyors of Iberico ham and a stunning array of other cured, cooked, and fresh meats. It’s just one of the dazzling displays of delicacies in this, the most famous of Barcelona‘s 40 or so food markets. (Another favorite, and slightly less touristed, is the beautifully remodeled Mercat de Santa Caterina, short walk away.) La Boqueria dates back to 1217; a pig market was conducted here starting in 1470; and the current metal roof was built in 1914. There’s no better place to shop for a taste of Catalan culture.

This 2.5-kilometer (1.5-mile) promenade along the vast Guayas River is part public park, part urban playground filled with restaurants, cafés, shops, a clock tower, an IMAX theater and even a Ferris wheel. From the docks, small boats leave on river tours or head to Santay Island, a wildlife refuge on the eastern side of the river. At La Rotonda, a statue of Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín commemorates their meeting in Guayaquil after the liberation of Ecuador from Spain.

Pamela Echeverría founded her original Avenida Ámsterdam space in 2010, after experiences at Galería OMR and the Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil. Since then, the gallery has made a name for itself by providing a forum for contemporary-art proposals based on impassioned research; its catalog has included artists such as Teresa Margolles (2009 Venice Bienniale and the 2012 Prince Claus Award), Erick Beltrán, Santiago Sierra (2003 Venice Bienniale, representing Spain), and Héctor Zamora, as well as Jill Magid, Pablo Vargas Lugo, Terence Gower, and Antonio Vega Macotela. Labor’s current headquarters were originally functionalist architect Enrique del Moral’s 1948 residence and lie just across the street from 1980 Pritzker Prize winner Luis Barragán’s house, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004.

There are a few contemporary boutique brands poised to put San Francisco on the fashion map. Freda Salvador shoes have become the “it” footwear for a subset of effortlessly cool creative women. Editors and designers can be spotted sporting the brand’s modestly heeled modern loafers, mules, boots, and sandals, which come in gorgeous colored leathers and satins. The shoes are all designed in Freda Salvador’s Sausalito studio by cofounders Megan Papay and Cristina Palomo-Nelson, and fabricated in a tiny family-run factory in Elda, Spain. Quality is paramount, as is wearability, but it’s the styles that have truly set the brand apart. The San Francisco flagship on Fillmore Street attracts a ladylike version of the obsessed sneakerhead—Freda fetishists who collect new styles like playing cards.

To come to Fes and skip the Jewish Quarter is to miss out on a massive chunk of the city’s history and identity. After the Sephardic expulsion from Andalusia in 1438, a walled Jewish quarter was established in Fes. It was named the Mellah, meaning “salt marsh” in Arabic. The Jewish community was protected and accepted to the point where a Jew was appointed to be a vizier, or government minister, in 1465. The appointment unfortunately stirred up a wave of anti-Jewish protests and, on May 14, 1465, a massacre of nearly all of the Mellah’s inhabitants. When the next influx of exiles from Spain arrived in 1492, they bought with them an injection of wealth and creativity that allowed the community to prosper until the 16th century. Sadly, the next few centuries saw a steady decline in population: Only 2,500 Jews are said to remain in Morocco, some 150 or less in Fes. This rather handsome neighborhood with its enclosed hanging balconies reveals fascinating history to those willing to look. Don’t miss the atmospheric cemetery, the 17th-century Ibn Danan Synagogue (which can be accessed if you ask the guard nicely and reward him with a few dirhams), and the daily markets. You’ll also find the best goldsmiths and jewelers in Fes here.

Outerlands is an Outer Sunset institution. The small restaurant near Ocean Beach serves local, organic cuisine in a rustic-chic setting. Covered floor-to-ceiling in warm, rough-hewn wood, the interior invites lingering over an artisan cocktail or a ginger-lemon apple cider. Lunch and dinner feature such refined but hearty options as cast-iron grilled cheese brushed with garlic oil and slow-cooked lamb shank with nasturtium leaf pesto. The weekend brunch draws a crowd and is worth the often lengthy wait. Standouts include the Dutch pancakes and the house-roasted turkey. You can always make the most of waiting for a table and head to the beach for a quick jaunt before you indulge.

The immense Gothic Cathedral of Seville was built on the site of an ancient Muslim mosque. It was completed in the early 16th century and was designated a Roman Catholic cathedral. Since 1987, this cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is said to be the third largest in Europe. The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Sea is also the final resting place of Christopher Columbus since 1898. His tomb is large and elaborate. The beauty and size of the cathedral is simply amazing. The exterior is ornate with extensive carvings, there are many doors, flying buttresses, and towers. There are several ornate doors to the cathedral. The one in the photo is the Puerta de Palos. The interior is incredible with extensive gilding. The central nave is lavishly decorated and carved. The main altarpiece is a stunning golden work of art. The floors are polished marble, the columns and arches tall and imposing. There are intricate 15th century stained glass windows. There are 80 chapels in Saint Mary of the Sea Cathedral there in Seville. The beauty and the sheer size of this historic, religious site was quite amazing. I could have spent four or five hours in this incredible monument. The history lesson learned was that of the story of Seville from the 12th century until modern times. You might want to tour with the audio guide. Plan at least two hours. For info: www.travelinginspain.com

The smallish Plaza Manuel Tolsá—at the end of Calle de Tacuba—is an all-but-perfect urban conglomeration that will thrill architecture fans. To the south lies the 18th-century Palacio de Minería (a former engineering college) whose solid, sober mastery of imposing volume is leavened by the wavy effects of the city’s sinking soils; to the north is the former Palacio de Comunicaciones, now Mexico’s National Art Museum. The collection here is a winner—but some of the structure’s soaring neoclassical spaces will leave you agog. At the corner with the Eje Central thoroughfare stands the city’s beloved old post office, noted for its eclectic, Venetian-style facade and coruscating interiors in marble, bronze, and iron (don’t miss the grand staircase). A recently restored equestrian statue of a somewhat dopey-looking King Charles IV of Spain is a marvelous finishing touch.

Tapas and paella are the big draws at Zuzu, a tiny Spanish-inspired restaurant in downtown Napa. Small-plate portions range in price from $6 to about $15, and feature a variety of local produce—some from Zuzu’s own garden. Fan-favorite tapas include pan-fried Manchego cheese with roasted poblano peppers, Monterey squid and morcilla sausage a la plancha, and bacalao, dried salt cod drizzled with white truffle oil. Paellas are larger, more expensive, and more involved; most take at least 20 minutes to prepare. Choose between the paella of the day with chorizo, shellfish, and sofrito, and the black paella with clams, shrimp, mussels, and calamari. Zuzu also offers an interesting wine and beer list, with a number of imports from Spain. The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, so be sure to go early.

While the Barcelona Cathedral may be the city’s more famous church, Santa Maria del Mar is just as impressive, and a masterpiece of Catalan Gothic style. The basilica was built in just 54 years—begun in 1329 and completed in 1383—and its interior is austere but architecturally dazzling. Slender 60-foot-high columns set far apart from one another give the impression of lightness and space, while the enormous, brilliantly colored stained-glass rose window at the church’s western end allows sun to flood the space. Guided tours of the rooftop are conducted for 8 euros (about $9). The church also hosts regular classical concerts.

Wouldn’t pulling a brightly painted ceramic bowl or tile out of your bag at home summon a vivid memory of this sunny corner of Spain? Santa Ana has been selling the hand-painted work of local ceramic workshops since 1870 and offers a wide variety of items from small eggcups to large tile murals.

Restaurants abound in the heavily touristed Gothic Quarter, but few of them are particularly good. Irati is one of the exceptions, a bustling spot popular with locals thanks to its excellent pintxos, traditional Basque tapas served on bread and speared with a toothpick. There’s seating in the back, but you’re really here for the experience of eating pintxos, which means standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the bar and helping yourself to the buffet of bite-size offerings. A sure bet is the jamón, lightly drizzled in olive oil, and the blue cheese topped with quince paste and walnuts. Save room for the hot snacks, like ham-and-cheese croquetas, which are brought out at regular intervals from the kitchen. And don’t toss your toothpicks—that’s how the bill is tallied.

The imposing, white-domed wedding cake now known as Palacio de Bellas Artes was originally planned as a national theater, and construction was begun in 1904. The Mexican Revolution, among other things, postponed its completion until 1934, which explains the stark contrast between its creamy art nouveau exterior (note amazing iron- and stonework with local motifs like serpents) and its art-deco-inspired interior, finished in black and red marbles, and with walls that feature dazzling murals by Rivera, Siqueiros, and other postrevolutionary masters. Today the beloved edifice is home to a concert hall, exhibition areas given over to blockbuster shows, and Mexico’s National Architecture Museum; take an auditorium tour—or better yet, see a performance—to lay eyes on the theater’s magnificent Tiffany glass “curtain,” a mosaic formed (they say) by more than 1 million separate glass components.

La Fosca is one of the most popular beaches around Palamós. It’s a five-minute drive or a 20-minute walk north of the town’s marina. The sandy interior of the cove is divided by a rocky promontory in the middle, while the ruins of the Castle of San Esteban de Mar are at the north end of the bay. During the busy summer months, there are ample services available at La Fosca, including lifeguards, seaside restaurants, bathrooms, showers and beach-chair rentals.

The feudal lord Arnust of Begur built his castle on a coastal hilltop in the 11th century, and to this day it remains the centerpiece of the medieval town that rose up around it. The castle was sold to the city in 1604; it has played a key role in a number of conflicts since then, including the Spanish War of Independence at the beginning of the 19th century. Visitors can only explore the outside of the fortress, which does, however, offer spectacular views of the coast.