Blessed with a dramatic setting on the steep banks of the river Douro, Portugal’s second city is currently enjoying something of a renaissance, and is best known as the home of the country’s most famous export, port wine.

Vigo is the biggest city in Galicia, Spain’s verdant northwest corner. The city itself is a busy fishing port with limited tourist appeal, but it’s a great base for striking out into the countryside, visiting the lovely Cíes Islands just offshore or joining the pilgrims in Santiago de Compostela, 60 miles to the north.

Gijón is the largest city in the Asturias region of northern Spain, an important industrial port but also a lively and youthful place, ideally positioned for exploring the Costa Verde. The most interesting area is the historic fishing village of Cimadevilla, which sits on a peninsula that divides the bay in two.

It’s not so long ago that Bilbao was a grim and unappealing place, scarred by heavy industry, but the Basque Country’s biggest city has reinvented itself as a cultural hub since the opening of the shimmering Guggenheim Museum in 1997.