Barcelona: Explore Barcelona with a Local Expert who sets out the city’s shape from street level — the long run of Passeig de Gràcia, the sharp grid of the Eixample and the way the skyline shifts as the Sagrada Família comes into view. The route ties together the city’s Modernista detail and its ongoing architectural change.
Peñíscola: See Peñíscola’s 14th-century castle rising above the old town, set on a limestone headland that divides the shoreline.
Valencia: Get your bearings in Valencia’s Old City as your Travel Director points out the surviving medieval gateways and the street grid shaped by centuries of expansion.
Seville: Visit Seville Cathedral, completed in the 16th century and recognised as the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. Walk through its vast nave and chapels and view the Giralda, originally built as the minaret of the 12th-century Almohad mosque. The cathedral’s scale and layered construction show how the site developed from Islamic to Christian use.
Córdoba: In Córdoba, you’ll join your Travel Director for a short orientation that helps fix the city on the map. Walk by the Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir, pass the old gateway towers and step into the historic centre, where whitewashed houses, small squares and hidden patios show how this older part of the city fits together.
Córdoba: Visit the Mezquita with a local historian to trace how a mosque became a cathedral. You’ll step into a forest of striped arches and columns from the original Islamic building, then see later Christian additions including the central choir and chapels.
Madrid: Explore Madrid’s Old Quarter with a Local Expert who outlines how the district developed from a small medieval citadel into the centre of Habsburg Madrid. You’ll see the compact street grid, market squares and civic buildings that shaped the early city, and trace how each layer of expansion created the foundations of the modern capital.
Córdoba: Visit the Mezquita with a local historian to trace how a mosque became a cathedral. You’ll step into a forest of striped arches and columns from the original Islamic building, then see later Christian additions including the central choir and chapels.
Madrid: Explore Madrid’s Old Quarter with a Local Expert who outlines how the district developed from a small medieval citadel into the centre of Habsburg Madrid. You’ll see the compact street grid, market squares and civic buildings that shaped the early city, and trace how each layer of expansion created the foundations of the modern capital.
9 daysDuration
Group TourJoin a group of travelers
48 peopleMaximum group size
5 - 99 yearsAge range for participants
EnglishGuide language
Easy
Light physical activity suitable for most people with average fitness levels.
Starts
Ends
Barcelona, Spain
Madrid, Spain
What's Included
Accommodation
All hotel tips, charges and local taxesWe carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel doorComplimentary coach and hotel WiFi where availableBarcelona: At La Pau, you’ll sit down to a seasonal Catalan menu in a restaurant built around social impact. Dishes are prepared and served by young people in training, many moving on from care or disrupted schooling. Paid work, mentoring and a clear structure help them gain skills in the kitchen and dining room as they move towards independent living. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities.Granada: Visit the Alhambra Palace with a Local Expert and walk through its courtyards, carved plasterwork and palace rooms from the Nasrid period. You’ll see how water channels, gardens and intricate detail define the complex, and how this hilltop site shaped Granada’s cultural and political story for centuries.
Meals
Madrid: Sit down to dinner with your Travel Director and fellow travellers at a local restaurant.
Transport
Airconditioned, 40seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom
Guide
An expert Travel Director and professional DriverFrom time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with a local specialty representing the destination.
Others
Audio headsets for flexible sightseeingHand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.Seville: The Cristina Heeren Foundation promotes the teaching and preservation of flamenco and is supported by a TreadRight Foundation grant. Meet students, learn a few basic steps and watch them perform, gaining insight into how the school trains young artists in guitar, singing and dance. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education.Valencia: Spend time with a chef in a family-run kitchen to see how Valencian paella is built from its base — the heat of the pan, the saffron stock, the type of rice and the order ingredients go in. Afterwards, sit down to eat the finished paella, tasting the layered flavour and socarrat crust you’ve just watched being made.Madrid: Visit the Prado Museum with an art historian who places key works within their historical setting. With your historian’s expert guidance, you’ll examine paintings by Velázquez, Goya, Titian and Rubens, noting their connection to royal patronage and the broader European tradition. Learn how the museum, founded in 1819, became a principal repository for Spain’s royal collections and major works from across the continent.Seville: Join a guided walk through the Santa Cruz quarter, following a street pattern shaped by Seville’s medieval Jewish community until the 14th century. You’ll navigate narrow lanes, enclosed courtyards and small plazas reflect the district’s earlier layout, with surviving architectural elements that point to the neighbourhood’s social and cultural history within the wider city.Seville: Take a panoramic drive around Seville to observe the city’s main districts and landmarks, including the riverfront near Torre del Oro, the avenues created for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition and the open spaces around María Luisa Park.Choose between two carefully selected activitiesSeville: Join a guided walk through the Santa Cruz quarter, following a street pattern shaped by Seville’s medieval Jewish community until the 14th century. You’ll navigate narrow lanes, enclosed courtyards and small plazas reflect the district’s earlier layout, with surviving architectural elements that point to the neighbourhood’s social and cultural history within the wider city.Seville: Take a panoramic drive around Seville to observe the city’s main districts and landmarks, including the riverfront near Torre del Oro, the avenues created for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition and the open spaces around María Luisa Park.
Itinerary
Experience the essence of Spain on the "Highlights of Spain" tour, a 9-day city sightseeing journey from Barcelona to Madrid. Dive into Barcelona’s lively Las Ramblas, savor authentic paella in Valencia, and explore Granada’s majestic Alhambra. In Seville, learn flamenco first-hand before witnessing a passionate performance, and enjoy an art historian’s insights at Madrid’s Prado Museum. Designed for families and mature travelers, this tour offers expert guidance, comfortable accommodation, and hands-on cultural activities. Its unique highlight? Private culinary and artistic experiences that immerse you in Spain’s culinary and creative traditions, making this trip a true feast for the senses.
day 1Welcome to Barcelona
Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for dinner at local restaurant La Pau. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience supports teenagers and young people to transition to their adult life. Learn about local life through the eyes of the youth.
Meals
Dinner
Location Visited
Barcelona
Accommodation
NH Collection Barcelona Constanza
day 2Barcelona, the City of Gaud
day 3Along the coast to Valencia
day 4Exquisite Granada and Alhambra
day 5A Scenic Drive to Seville
day 6Seville, the City of Carmen
day 7Moorish Crdoba and on to Madrid
day 8Madrid of the Bourbons
day 9Depart Madrid
Availability
Loading availability...
What's Excluded
Monthly Price Comparison
D
Dela H.Verified Traveler
5.0 | Excellent
Very good itinerary - excellent tour director - comfortable bus - nice hotels
A
AnonymousVerified Traveler
4.0 | Very Good
On long drives more info about what we’re passing and seeing in the moment or, in advance, would have been very appreciated. Would have welcomed visiting an Olive Orchard or Orange Orchard, since we passed so many on the long drives.
C
Charleen B.Verified Traveler
5.0 | Excellent
Very happy and pleased . Can't waited to set up another trip
A
AnonymousVerified Traveler
4.0 | Very Good
All was terrific. Two more dinner should be included. In addition, when in some cities, a later start after breakfast would be more convenient
A
AnonymousVerified Traveler
5.0 | Excellent
More time in Valencia would have been good :)
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