Looking for the perfect festive getaway (from Covid)? Five charming villages with under 1000 inhabitants.

If you are on the lookout for the perfect place to hide away from the hordes this Christmas and New Year, you might well be tempted by one of these tiny villages, tucked away in some of Spain's most scenic areas.

In these strange, COVID-blighted times, spending Christmas far from the madding crowds has never so attractive. Not only to be miles from the city mayhem, its bright lights and gaudy Christmas decorations, but to also be miles away from everyone else, just with your loved one, before an open fire and surrounded by peace and tranquility. Any one of these villages could be the perfect place for your enchanted Christmas this year:

Regencós (Girona)

The well-preserved, walled, medieval village of Regencós has the advantage of being up in the mountains, but still close to the sea. It boasts two towers, two gateways and remains of walls dating back to the 14th & 15th centuries. A stroll through the Puigcalent district takes you past country houses built between the16th and 18th centuries, some of which have been converted into hotels and rental cottages - the perfect love nest for a winter getaway.

Llánaves de la Reina (León)

This little village high up in the Leonese mountains at an altitude of 1,420 metres, gets some of the highest snowfall in Spain, so it's perfect at this time of year if you're looking for somewhere to get snowed in for a while. With fewer than 10 permanent inhabitants, Llánaves de la Reina knows all about being incommunicado - something that happens every year with the first snowfalls. A visit to this village would not be complete without a trip up to the viewpoint at the Corzo monument at the top of the Puerto de San Glorio mountain pass, from where you can enjoy some spectacular views. Also not to be missed are the Orpiñas cave, with its stalactites and stalagmites and the Butrero well, a lagoon up at 1,900 metres.

Rubielos de Mora (Teruel)

An urban and architectural gem. At an altitude of 929 metres and lying on the right bank of the river Rubielos, it belongs to the locality of Gúdar-Javalambre. It showcases a whole range of traditional buildings, decorated with many fine examples of wrought ironwork - the work of local workshops that still enjoy well-deserved fame today. It also boasts a number of beautiful churches, convents, hermitages and various civic buildings dating back to between the 16th and 18th centuries. And if you and your partner want to see the other side of the mirror, there's always nearby Mora de Rubielos.

Candelario (Salamanca)

Nestled up at an altitude of over 1,100 metres in the locality of Sierra de Béjar, its narrow, stone streets and unique architectural style bear witness to its age-old ability to adapt to the heavy snowfalls in the region. When the big thaw comes along, water runs down the little gullies built into all its steep streets. Not far from Candelario you can find the hugely popular village of La Alberca (stunning) and La Covatilla ski resort. Its historic centre, which houses the 18th century hermitage in honour of Christ Refuge, was declared an Historic-Artistic Site in 1975.

Alquézar (Huesca)

Alquézar lies in the heart of the Sierra y Cañones de Guara nature reserve. The village is crowned by a fortress and a collegiate church which sit right on top of a cliff. There are some truly unique Romance capitals inside the bastion.