Major Cities in Spain

Barcelona

Barcelona is right on the Mediterranean. It is the most cosmopolitan and economically active city in Spain. There are many international schools in Barcelona, as well as English-teaching opportunities. It is the second-largest city in Spain. Barcelona exhibits some of the most interesting modern architecture, as well as romantic winding streets and alleyways with cobble stones and lovely terraces with clothes hanging out to dry alongside flowers. Catalan is the official language of Barcelona, but many people know Spanish.

Seville

Seville, or Sevilla, is famous for being a center of remaining Moorish archeaology, as the Moors had occupied this region for over 800 years. It’s a great place to live if you love the warm weather. The sun shines about 3000 hours per year in Seville, and summers can be a bit overbearing. Its region, Andalusia, is the birthplace of Flamenco music and bullfighting.

Madrid

Madrid has been the capital of Spain since 1562, and is its largest city. It is right in the center of the Iberian Peninsula. It has warm, dry summers and cool winters due to its elevation. It plays the role of financial center of its region, and hosts the majority of the major Spanish companies. There is a modern infrastructure in Madrid, but many of the local streets and neighborhoods give it a historic feeling. The greater Mardrid Metropolitan Area is divided into an Inner Ring, the metropolitan, and the Outer Ring, the main residential and suburb parts. There exists a dichotomy of many modern business buildings and many historic buildings in the city. It is filled with green spaces and parkland, so it has many opportunities for relaxing while living a city lifestyle.

Valencia

Valencia is a big, lively city on the Mediterranean coast. There are beaches right in the heart of the city. It was the birthplace of Paella. It is the third largest city in Spain. It also has the biggest port of the Western Mediterannean Coast. It is an industrial city that is a big exporter of food, particularly oranges, as well as furniture, ceramic tiles and textiles. Recently there has been an increase of foreign-born residents in Valencia, largely from Ecuador, Bolivia, Columbia, Morocco and Romania. It has a Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and mild winters. The main language is Spanish, but there is also a regional dialect of Valencian. If you move here, you can’t miss out on La Tomatina, the annual tomato fight!

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