Abandoned hospitals in Spain are the most emotionally intense type of urbex — they are not factories or convents but places where people went to heal and sometimes did not succeed. The empty hallways where nurses’ voices once echoed, the rooms with beds still in place, the operating rooms with instruments still in cabinets, the courtyards where patients took the sun in wheelchairs. The Artxanda Hospital in Bilbao, from whose ruined hallways you can see the entire city that patients looked at but could not reach; the Bétera Psychiatric Hospital in Valencia, with courtyards of century-old palm trees no one prunes anymore; the Berta Hospital in Granada, where the furniture was donated by Queen Victoria Eugenia. Discover the 5 best abandoned hospitals in Spain, selected from our Urbex Spain Map — 600+ GPS locations across Spain.
Why Abandoned Hospitals Are the Most Emotionally Charged Urbex in Spain
Abandoned hospitals and psychiatric facilities carry an emotional weight that no factory or castle can match — they were places of both suffering and care, and what remains after closure are the everyday objects of that dual effort: beds, instruments, patient files, uniforms hanging in closets. That intimacy of hospital abandonment is what makes each visit more than just a photographic exploration.
1. Artxanda Hospital – Mount Artxanda, Bilbao — Anti-Tuberculosis Hospital on the Mountain above Bilbao, Empty Hallways with Panoramic City Views (Known Place)
The Artxanda Hospital on Mount Artxanda is the most iconic abandoned hospital in the Basque Country — an anti-tuberculosis hospital built on the mountain above Bilbao whose empty hallways, crumbling rooms, and the pine forest surrounding the complex create a unique atmosphere in northern healthcare urbex. What makes Artxanda completely different from other abandoned hospitals is the view: from the ruined hallways and deteriorated terraces, Bilbao unfolds below like a map — the Left Bank, the Guggenheim, the Nervión. The patients looked at the city they could not reach; the explorer sees the same city from the same windows, decades later. Widely documented by the Bilbao urbex community through social media and exploration videos.
🔗 Source: EscapadaRural – The 25 Most Spectacular Abandoned Places in Spain
2. Bétera Psychiatric Hospital – Bétera, Valencia — Psychiatric Hospital Emptied in the 1990s, Pavilions with Empty Hallways, Courtyards with Unpruned Century-Old Palm Trees (Known Place)
The Bétera Psychiatric Hospital in the province of Valencia is one of the most photogenically extraordinary historic psychiatric hospitals in Spain — its pavilions were emptied in the 1990s during the psychiatric reform that closed the large Spanish asylums, leaving courtyards with century-old palm trees that no one prunes anymore and hallways with rooms silently open. The scale of the complex, with several interconnected pavilions, and the presence of gardens in progressive abandonment create one of the most specifically Mediterranean hospital atmospheres in Spanish urbex. Widely documented by the Valencian urbex community as a reference for psychiatric urbex in the region.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Abandoned Sites in Spain →
3. La Barranca Sanatorium – Navacerrada, Madrid — Tuberculosis Hospital Converted into Psychiatric, Closed in 1995, 8-Story Ruins in the Sierra de Guadarrama (Known Place)
The La Barranca Sanatorium in Navacerrada is the most intimidating abandoned hospital building in the Sierra de Guadarrama — built in 1941 for tuberculosis patients, converted into a psychiatric hospital, and permanently closed in 1995 after half a century of continuous operation. The eight-story building in the mountainous surroundings of Navacerrada is massive, isolated, and marked by decades of psychiatric use that visitors' imaginations fill with stories. Legends of screams and voices have made it one of the most visited horror tourism destinations in the Community of Madrid. The ruins in the Sierra de Guadarrama area present a deeply unsettling image. Documented by descubrir.com as one of the six creepiest hospitals in Spain.
🔗 Source: Descubrir.com – Six Abandoned Hospitals That Are Scary in Spain
4. Hospital de Berta (Alfaguara) – Sierra de Huétor, Granada — Built in 1923, Furniture from Queen Victoria Eugenia, Consolidated in 2021, Filming Location (Known Location — With Nuance)
The Hospital de Berta in the Sierra de Alfaguara in Granada has the most unique history of any hospital in Spain — built in 1923 by philanthropist Berta Wilhelmi at 1,400 meters altitude, with furniture donated by Queen Victoria Eugenia (president of the Red Cross), abandoned after the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936. In 2021 the city council consolidated its structure, and today it is included in the Film in Granada location catalog for filming. Note: the building is consolidated and has periodic uses as a film set — it retains its atmosphere of abandonment but may be occupied during shoots. A hospital with two overlapping stories: the philanthropy of the 1920s and 21st-century cinema. Documented by descubrir.com.
5. Sanatorio de la Marina – Los Molinos, Madrid — Military Health Center Opened in the 1940s for Sailors with Tuberculosis, Looted and Painted Since Closure (Known Location)
The Sanatorio de la Marina in Los Molinos (Madrid) is the best-known abandoned military hospital in the Sierra de Guadarrama — opened in the 1940s for tuberculosis and other respiratory disease patients from the three armies, closed when the disease was controlled, and since then looted, painted, and damaged to its current state of advanced deterioration. The contrast between the solid 1940s construction and the decay caused by decades of vandalism creates an image of accelerated abandonment that no other hospital in the mountain range can match. Stories of noises and apparitions circulating since its closure have made it a frequent destination for Madrid’s night explorers. Documented by descubrir.com as one of the six scariest hospitals in Spain.
🔗 Source: Descubrir.com – Six Abandoned Hospitals That Are Scary in Spain
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most famous abandoned hospital in Spain?
The La Barranca Sanatorium in Navacerrada and the Artxanda Hospital in Bilbao are the most sought after on social media. La Barranca for its eight-floor scale in the mountains and its legends of screams; Artxanda for the view of Bilbao from its ruined hallways. The Bétera Psychiatric Hospital in Valencia is the most photogenic overall due to its palm courtyards and the scale of the complex.
Why were psychiatric hospitals closed in Spain?
The 1986 General Health Law promoted Spanish psychiatric reform — deinstitutionalizing the mentally ill and integrating them into the community through supervised housing and day centers. Large psychiatric hospitals, some with hundreds of beds and decades of history, were progressively emptied in the 80s and 90s. The difficulty of repurposing buildings of that scale and type left many of them permanently abandoned.
Is exploring abandoned hospitals dangerous?
Yes — abandoned hospitals have specific risks that set them apart from other types of abandonment: asbestos in all facilities built before 1980 (pipes, cladding, false ceilings), potentially dangerous medical waste in those built before 1990 (degraded medicines, lab materials), and compromised floors in the most deteriorated ones. FFP2 mask mandatory, gloves, and never explore alone.
Safety Tips
- Asbestos and medical waste: FFP2 mask mandatory in any abandoned hospital built before 1980 — asbestos dust is invisible and deadly; never touch insulation materials or lab waste
- Floors: hospitals with destroyed roofs have compromised floors — never step on areas that sound hollow or enter under beams showing signs of corrosion
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and share your location
The urbex code: "Respect the decay. It tells the story."
🎯 Summary
The best abandoned hospitals in Spain range from the Artxanda Hospital with views of Bilbao from its ruined hallways to the Bétera Psychiatric Hospital with its untrimmed palm trees and La Barranca with its eight floors in the Sierra de Guadarrama. Each holds a story of care, neglect, and decay that makes hospital urbex the most emotionally intense urbex experience in Spain.
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