One pretty city in Spain is the country’s “cheapest” place to stay, according to national data, with hotels at just £47 per night on average.
The Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) revealed the country’s most and least expensive hotel stays for 2025, after comparing around 8,000 establishments in winter and 10,000 in summer.
Salamanca in central west Spain, full of architectural and historical sites, was found to be the cheapest at an average of €58 (£47) per night.
One of the city’s most famous sights is its interconnected “new” and old cathedral – if new means the 16th century. The newer Gothic building boasts intricate carvings, such as a curious monkey eating an ice cream, and the older 12th-13th century Romanesque section is famous for its imposing Gallo tower.
The Plaza Mayor is best for relaxing with a coffee among locals, maybe at the hundred-year-old Café Novelty, or trying out local tapas, which is not for the vegetarians among us with local specialities of cured meats and roast suckling pig.
The best way to get to Salamanca from the UK is flying into Madrid, then getting a train across which takes under three hours.
The city of Zaragoza in northeast Spain is also 50% lower than the national average, where you can sample local delicacies looking over the winding river Ebro. It costs €74 (£61) a night on average, which drops lower for a three-star hotel, at €50 (£41) a night.
The Andalusian city of Granada is on the affordable list too, with an average price of €61 (£50) for a three-star hotel stay. The hilly city is home to the stunning Alhambra, with uninterrupted views of the city, where free tapas normally lands on your table alongside a beer.
When it comes to pricier destinations, Marbella is unsurprisingly home to the most expensive hotel stays in the country, at €303 (£250) a night, which has risen by around 8.2% compared to last year.
The beachy Balearic Islands closely follow at an average of €194 (£160) per night, while popular city break Barcelona also fares near the top at €187 (£162).
The highest price increase was recorded in the region of Madrid, with a 12 percent increase in pricing, with the capital city of the region coming in at €170 (£140) per night on average.
The study found hotels charged an average of €112 (£92) per room in January, a 7.6 percent increase on the same month last year.
In January, hotel stays went up 2.5% this year compared to the first month of 2024, largely down to the rise in international tourists by 4.2 percent. Interestingly, the number of Spanish tourists staying in hotels went down by 0.5 percent.
The report also found hotel prices rose by 6.1 percent in the last year.