Granada

Granada needs 2 days: a full one for the Alhambra (tickets should be booked weeks ahead) and another for the Albaicín and Sacromonte neighborhoods. March-May brings pleasant temperatures with the Sierra Nevada still snow-capped in the background, a contrast unique in Spain. It's one of Andalusia's cheapest cities, with the tradition of a free tapa with every drink — a custom that's disappeared in Seville or Málaga. Its hook is exactly that: it's the only European city where you can ski in the morning and stroll through a Nasrid palace in the afternoon, all on the same day.