“Any reasonable, sentient person who looks at Spain, comes to Spain, eats in Spain, drinks in Spain, they’re going to fall in love. Otherwise, there’s something deeply wrong with you. This is the dream of all the world.“
The Kingdom of Spain is the second-largest country in the European Union and its fourth-most populated member. With its borders stretching from France and Andorra in the north to Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea in the south, it is a country dominated by breathtaking geography, vibrant cultures and over two thousand years’ worth of history.
It is also a country filled to the brim with contrasting and conflicting norms, attitudes and politics, giving each of its seventeen autonomous regions a unique identity of its own. Join us here at What We Reading as we run you through our best Spain travel books!
The Great Book Of Spain – Bill O’Neill
Bill O’Neill is one of the most respected trivia authors of his day, and he brings some of the most interesting facts and stories from Spain’s entire history together in The Great Book of Spain. From the country’s founders, its most famous celebrities and the importance of its culture, industries and geography, it is the perfect travel book about Spain for understanding everything you need to know before a visit. Not only is it informative, but also incredibly entertaining. O’Neill’s writing manages to bring to life all of his facts and figures in an enthralling way.
Driving Over Lemons – Chris Stewart
Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucía is a travel memoir from Chris Stewart set in the picturesque Alpujarra Mountains in Southern Spain. The book follows Stewart and his wife Ava as they set up a sheep farm.
Though their farm lacks some basic essentials and comes with its series of exotic issues, Stewart’s unshakeable optimism coupled with the breathtaking beauty around them helps the pair set up an idyllic life that captures everything great about rural Spain. Based on his own real-life experiences, Driving Over Lemons gives readers a wholly personal look at life across the country.
Ghosts Of Spain – Giles Tremlett
Sometimes travel books can capture the magic behind a culture by casting a light on its darker pasts. That is certainly the vibe captured by Giles Tremlett in his Spain travel book, Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and its Silent Past. In it, he explores the Spanish Civil War and how the ghost of Franco continues to mould the country and its people to this day.
Drawing on twenty years’ worth of experience living in the country, it examines the wide array of personalities present in the Spanish people, and how the country’s history has altered the way in which they mix with one another.
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Spanish Steps – Tim Moore
Inspired by a pilgrimage undertaken by one-third of Europeans back in the day, Spanish Steps is the hilarious tale of Tim Moore and his 500-mile trek with just a donkey for company. Tim and his donkey companion, named Shinto, attempt to recreate the famous pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela together.
Detailing all the hilarious misadventures the pair get up to on their gruelling travels together, Moore is also able to tap into a genuinely inspiring note at the same time across Spanish Steps, detailing all the sincerity from the many strangers he and Shinto to meet along their way.
Slow Trains Around Spain – Tom Chesshyre
Spain is a remarkable country home to some of the most diverse landscapes in Europe. From arid deserts, and soaring mountain ranges, to lush valleys filled with olive gardens and fruit orchards, Tom Chesshyre brings the country’s vibrant landscapes to life in Slow Trains Around Spain. Rail enthusiast Chesshyre describes how the best way of seeing Spain’s beauty is from the rail tracks. From Aragon to Sevilla, he tackles the entire country by train in an effort to take readers away from the typical touristy hotspots.
Grape, Olive, Pig – Matt Goulding
Matt Goulding established himself as one of the most pioneering foodie travel writers with his culinary book on Japan, Rice, Noodle, Fish.
In Grape, Olive, Pig: Deep Travels Through Spain’s Food Culture, Goulding attempts to take readers across the length and breadth of the country to discover its history and heritage through its wide array of culinary delights. Stirring your imagination as well as your stomach, Goulding presents the stories and inspirations behind each dish he discovers to give readers an insight into the country. Grape, Olive, Pig is a Financial Times and Amazon Best Book winner.
The New Spanish Revolutions – Christopher Finnigan
Travelling from Madrid, across the Basque County, through Galicia and into the contested Catalonia heartland, The New Spanish Revolutions is a personal deep dive into the complex dynamics at play across Spain from Christopher Finnigan.
Meeting a diverse collection of characters along his journey, Finnigan examines how Spain’s turbulent past has shaped the country it is today. From anti-austerity activists to separatists looking to found a new country, it is an eye-opening read that takes readers across the beliefs and motivations that dominate Spain’s day-to-day lives.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
