From north to south, Eastern Spain covers the Mediterranean regions of:

• 38.345278-0.4830561 Alicante — a dynamic tourist hotspot on the Costa Blanca with an attractive waterfront promenade to complement its buzzing nightlife
• 41.38252.1769442 Barcelona — extremely vibrant city that is a must for architecture buffs and foodies
• 37.601944-0.9841673 Cartagena — an ancient port city with many archaeological sites and outstanding buildings of historical interest
• 39.985981-0.0374394 Castellón — this small but attractive city is off the tourist radar and is a hub for travel in the Costa del Azahar
• 42.2666672.955 Figueres — home to the Dalí museum
• 41.9833332.8166676 Girona — nice old town with an impressive Jewish quarter, close to the Costa Brava
• 41.6166670.6333337 Lleida — door to the west Pyrenees mountains, has a cathedral
• 37.986111-1.1302788 Murcia — an important university town known for its its folklore, its festivals and its several baroque churches
• 41.11751.2527789 Tarragona — Roman age capital, has beaches, close to Costa Daurada
• 39.47-0.37638910 Valencia — the third largest city in Spain, with a thriving cultural scene

In Catalonia and Valencia (and also in the Balearic Islands), Catalan is spoken. In the Valencian region, this language is called "Valencian", a variety of the Catalan language. Spanish is also spoken throughout these regions. In tourist regions, you can usually get by using English, but a phrasebook will definitely come in handy outside of them.

The Murcian dialect of Spanish is spoken in Murcia. The only exception is the small area known as El Carche, where Valencian (Catalan) is the main language.

• To the east, Balearic Islands. An archipelago in the Balearic Sea with culture and cuisine that are similar to those of the rest of Spain but have their own distinctive features.