5 Things Every Cosmo Girl Should Do in Spain...

BEACH HOP ACROSS THE COUNTRY

The cliff-edged beaches in Spain are unreal. The waters in most of them are nearly emerald-green—so perfect for a bikini-backdrop photo. Tamariu, Costa Brava is famous for its ‘smuggler’s coves’, and for being littered with gorgeous coral-pink rocks and pines. Es Pujols, Formentera, is ideal if you’re more into pristine white sands, and calm water. Marbella, Costa del Sol, will pretty much make every kind of girl super-happy, because it has both a low-key stretch and a party stretch. Win-win!

SHOP CHEAP, AND SHOP FANCY

Here’s a little insider intel: Zara, Massimo Dutti, Mango, and Pull&Bear are all originally Spanish brands (which means some of their best collections can be found here). That aside, shopping in Spain is a total yes—go all-out at the flea markets (Mercat dels Encants in Barcalona, and Mercado de Motores in Madrid come highly recommended) and spend a little time strolling down the luxe avenues of La Roca Shopping Village (Barcalona) and Claudio Coello and Serrano streets in Madrid to pick up the one, quality, luxury memory of your trip.

OVERUSE THE #HISTORYINSTA HASHTAG

If you’re one of those Insta addicts that absolutely needs to hashtag history, you’ve found your Mecca. The pretty-church junkies should definitely check out Church of Santiago and Santa María Pro-Cathedral (both in Cáceres), while the Monastery of Saint Mary of Parral in Segovia proves a nice break (as religious heritage sites go). Of course, if you’re a buff, you’ll already know that the Sagrada Família Basilica in Barcelona, Nuestra Señora del Pilar Basilica in Zaragoza, and the Roman Theatre in Mérida are the biggies. Carry a crown (and, if possible, a sceptre from your friendly neighbourhood costume store) so that you can take tonnes of goofy ‘pseudo-royal’ photos and Snap your day away.

Pro tip: the Insta filter Lark de-saturates reds and plays up blues and greens to the hilt, and is the optimal filter to make your monument and historical landmark selfies pop the most.

GET YOUR TAPAS ON

When you’re on this holiday, your diet can suck it. You can’t go to Spain and not go a little Tapas-mad. Casa Gonzalez and TriCiclo in Madrid are supposed to be great if you’re up for trying things that are much more tailored to the local palette (read: tonnes of saffron, rosemary, garlic and the round, red pepper Ñora). Quimet i Quimet and La Esquinica in Barcelona are worth checking, too—they’ve got a very easy, authentic vibe. If you must do a Michelin Star place (like, non-negotiable) then Messina in Marbella (known for it’s Raya en amarillo) is the place to hit up.

PUT ON YOUR CULTURE BOOTS

If you’re always scoping out book launches, gallery openings, and jazz concerts in the events pages of your daily, your calender just filled up, Houdini style. The world famous Museo Nacional del Prado (popularly known as El Prado) in Madrid has wildly famous originals like Hieronymous Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, and Francisco Goya’s The Third of May, 1808. If all that sounds way too artsy to be your jam, the music festivals here are bad*ss—Festival Internacional de Benicàssim in Castellón is well-known, but the Mad Cool Festival in Madrid is a little under the radar, and a total gem.