Once a wine warehouse, Azkuna Zentroa is now one of Bilbao’s main cultural spaces. Inside you’ll find cinemas, galleries, a library, a gym, and even a rooftop swimming pool with a glass floor you can look up through from the atrium below. Philippe Starck, a French industrial architect, redesigned the building, adding 43 columns, each with a unique style, and open spaces that make the building an attraction in its own right. The venue’s programme ranges from art exhibitions and talks to film screenings and concerts.

The Gala Dalí Castle in Púbol is a Gothic fortress transformed by Salvador Dalí into a secluded shrine for his wife and muse. Acquired in 1969, the medieval structure became a stage for their unconventional relationship — Dalí could only visit with Gala’s written invitation. He personally designed the interiors, blending Baroque furnishings with surreal touches: trompe l’oeil radiators, spindly-legged elephant sculptures in the garden, and celestial frescoes honouring Gala as a divine figure. After Gala’s death in 1982, the castle became her mausoleum (she lies entombed in the crypt) and Dalí’s final studio. Today, you can explore rooms frozen in time, from Gala’s lavish wardrobe to the artist’s melancholic paintings. Part love letter, part psychological portrait, it completes the “Dalí Triangle” alongside his Portlligat home and Figueres museum.

The only active volcano in Continental Europe, Mount Vesuvius is a popular destination for excursions, and offers a stunning panorama over the Naples bay, as well as a thrilling opportunity to look inside its crater. Infamous because it destroyed Pompeii 2,000 years ago, Vesuvius is now carefully controlled by geologists. An interesting choice can be visiting it in the morning — it's only 20 minutes away from Naples — and then heading to the Pompeii archaeological site in the afternoon.