Best Spanish-language podcasts

Spanish is the second-largest podcast language on the open web by listener count, but the discovery experience for Spanish-language shows still lags English. Most English-language "best podcasts" lists ignore them entirely. The list below covers shows that work for native speakers and for serious learners, across the genres that have the deepest Spanish-language catalogues: long-form journalism, narrative storytelling, comedy, and culture. A few of the picks are accessible to intermediate Spanish learners; others are firmly for fluent listeners.

TL;DR

• For long-form narrative journalism: Radio Ambulante and El hilo.
• For news in clear, slowed-down Spanish (good for learners): News in Slow Spanish and Notes in Spanish.
• For Latin American culture and storytelling: De eso no se habla and Las Raras.
• For comedy and culture: Nadie sabe nada and Estirando el chicle.
• For history and ideas: Curiosidades de la historia and La cafetera.
• For Spanish-speaking entrepreneurship: Libros para Emprendedores.

Radio Ambulante

• Best for: Long-form Latin American storytelling, beautifully produced.
• Standout features: NPR-style narrative reporting, but Spanish-first. Daniel Alarcón's team covers stories across the Spanish-speaking world that simply wouldn't reach English-language audiences otherwise.
• Considerations: Episodes are typically 30-40 minutes. The Lupa app, made by the same team, offers paced-Spanish versions for learners.

El hilo

El hilo is the news-analysis sibling to Radio Ambulante, made by the same team. Weekly long-form episodes on the biggest stories from Latin America and the US Latino world. The hosts move beyond the breaking-news layer to explain why a story matters and what it means in context.

• Best for: Smart current-affairs reporting in Spanish.
• Standout features: Production polish, careful framing, guests who actually know the subject.
• Considerations: Weekly cadence means breaking news doesn't always land in time.

News in Slow Spanish

• Best for: Spanish learners building listening comprehension.
• Standout features: Spanish news read slowly with clear enunciation. Tiered difficulty levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced). Transcripts available.
• Considerations: Won't feel "real" to fluent listeners. It's pedagogical by design.

Notes in Spanish

• Best for: Conversational Spanish, taught by a real couple.
• Standout features: Ben (English) and Marina (Spanish) cover daily-life Spanish across decades of episodes. The catalogue covers beginner through advanced.
• Considerations: Production is unfussy. The strength is the natural-conversation register, not the polish.

De eso no se habla

• Best for: Personal essay storytelling, Spanish-first.
• Standout features: Isabel Cadenas Cañón's show explores topics that don't get talked about — silence, mourning, sexuality, exile. Strong literary writing.
• Considerations: Episodes can be heavy. Best paired with the space to sit with them.

Las Raras

Las Raras is a Chilean-produced narrative show that covers oddball stories and underexplored corners of Latin American life. Each episode is a self-contained piece of audio reporting, often with rich sound design. It's the show to recommend to someone who already loves narrative English-language podcasts and wants the Spanish-language equivalent.

• Best for: Audio storytelling that doesn't sound like anything else.
• Standout features: Sound design, unconventional subjects, strong host voice.
• Considerations: Released in seasons rather than weekly. New episodes are sporadic.

Nadie sabe nada

• Best for: Spanish-language comedy and improvisation.
• Standout features: Andreu Buenafuente and Berto Romero riff for an hour, weekly, on whatever comes up. It's one of the longest-running comedy podcasts in Spanish.
• Considerations: Cultural references are Spain-centric. Latin American listeners sometimes find it more niche than the hosts assume.

Estirando el chicle

• Best for: Female-led culture and comedy commentary.
• Standout features: Carolina Iglesias and Victoria Martín cover pop culture, gender, and contemporary Spanish life with a sharp, conversational energy. Has built a serious audience in Spain and growing internationally.
• Considerations: Like Nadie sabe nada, the cultural frame is Spain rather than Latin America.

Curiosidades de la historia

• Best for: Bite-sized history in Spanish.
• Standout features: Short episodes (15-25 minutes) on specific historical moments. National Geographic in Spanish-language audio form.
• Considerations: The breadth means episode quality varies. Search by topic rather than working chronologically.

Libros para Emprendedores

• Best for: Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs and business-book listeners.
• Standout features: Luis Ramos summarises one business book per episode in Spanish. The catalogue covers hundreds of titles, useful as a triage tool before deciding which books to actually read.
• Considerations: Format is consistent across episodes — production-line rather than crafted.

How we chose

We weighted shows that are still actively publishing in 2026, have either a strong narrative voice or a useful pedagogical structure, and represent the breadth of Spanish-language podcasting rather than just Spain or just Latin America. Where two shows covered similar ground we picked the one with the larger back catalogue. The brand no-go list ruled out a handful of bigger shows that would otherwise have fit.

For listeners using podcasts to learn or maintain Spanish, pair these picks with our guide to using podcast transcripts — transcripts are the single best tool for picking up unfamiliar vocabulary as you listen. For finding similar shows once you've worked through this list, our guide to finding new podcasts covers the discovery toolkit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best Spanish podcast for beginners?

News in Slow Spanish is the cleanest entry point for genuine beginners. Once you can follow it comfortably at advanced level, move to Notes in Spanish for natural conversation, then Radio Ambulante for the full Spanish-language narrative experience.

Are these podcasts free?

All ten shows publish free public RSS feeds. Some (Radio Ambulante via Lupa, Estirando el chicle, Nadie sabe nada via Cadena Ser) have premium tiers with bonus content, but you don't need those to enjoy the main shows.

Can I get transcripts in Spanish?

Many Spanish-language podcasts now publish transcripts on their websites. Radio Ambulante and El hilo both consistently publish full episode transcripts in Spanish. Apple Podcasts is gradually adding Spanish auto-transcription too. See our transcripts guide for the broader transcript landscape.

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