We went to Spain in September of this year, and visited several cities, including Madrid and Salamanca. My favorite, though, ended up being the Basque city of Bilbao. The exquisite Guggenheim museum, the beautiful old city, and the to-die-for tapas and pintxos... it was a wonderful experience, and I can't wait to go back. It's a simple, quiet city, not hugely hustly-bustly like Madrid or Barcelona, but it was really incredibly lovely.
