EXPLORING SPAIN Day trips for wine lovers

North to south, Spain truly does have something for everyone - from its monumental and groundbreaking architecture to charming villages, splendid beaches and rugged countryside

- SHAWN HENNESSEY

With its complex history and culture, generally fine weather, wide variety of landscapes, and top-quality food and wines, it's no surprise that Spain is one of the world's top travel destinations. But given such a range of choice, especially for the wine-loving traveller, decisions need to be made when planning a trip.

Is it better to travel around and see as many different places as possible? Or should you explore just one or two places in sufficient depth to feel that you really get to know them? Somewhere in between is the art of the day trip, choosing a place as your base of operations to explore properly, while supplementing your visit with excursions to other nearby locations.

Here we've put together a selection of day trips from popular destinations. They include the unique Basque country appeal of Bilbao; cosmopolitan Barcelona and Madrid with their magnificent cityscapes, architecture and culture; and the southern charms of sunny Seville and coastal Málaga. Using any of these as a base, you can head out to explore the neighbouring towns and countryside and, of course, sample the delights of a range of local cuisines and wines in some of the country's principal wine regions.

For some of the day-trip destinations you can choose between travelling by public transport or hiring a car for a self-guided experience. Although Spain is very well connected, with a good network of train and bus routes, few producers have wineries within towns or cities, so when choosing public transport a combination of either bus and train, with the occasional taxi ride, may be required. A guided day tour can eliminate the stress of coordinating train and bus schedules, or logistics of car hire, route planning and parking - though for some this is all part of the adventure. Whichever option you choose, booking winery visits, activities and restaurants in advance is essential.

Bilbao