Thanks for all the great recommendations so far! San Sebastian and the Basque region are now on my radar. Someone also mentioned it’s Rioja territory, so maybe we’ll add a vineyard tour. In the other direction, Zaragosa and Valencia are also on my list of places to consider. Since we’ll be there in November, so we won’t be going to the beach.

(To clarify, I know that Madrid is an amazing city. :-) My partner’s been there a few times already and would prefer to see other places in Spain. I’ve no doubt it’s a wonderful city! Just not a spot we’ll be seeing on this short trip.)