Best of Spain

About this trip

Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.

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   Day 1 · MadridMadrid

   Arrive in Madrid and attend a welcome meeting at 6 or 7 pm. If you get there early, explore the Real Jardin Botanico or visit one of the city's art museums. Meet your group for tapas and Rioja, or dance on Gran Via.

2. 2
   Day 2 · GranadaGranada

   

   Bus to Granada, nestled at the foot of the Sierra Nevada. Wander the Albaicin's tangled streets and whitewashed houses, browse the Alcaiceria silk market, or climb to Mirador de San Nicolas for sunset views of the Alhambra. Consider the Cathedral and Capilla Real.

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   Day 3 · GranadaGranada

   Spend the day inside the Alhambra Palace: the 11th-century Alcazaba fortress with tower views, the Palacio Nazaries, and the Generalife summer palace against the Sierra Nevada backdrop. Explore traditional tea houses in the Albaicin afterwards, then rejoin the group for dinner.

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   Day 4 · GranadaRonda

   Travel by train and private transport to Ronda, the whitewashed Andalucian town where bullfighting began. The Puente Nuevo, built in 1751, spans a 100-metre gorge dividing old Moorish town from newer El Mercadillo. Walk across the bridge and peer into the drop from its balconies.

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   Day 5 · RondaRonda

   Walk through Los Molinos valley and descend into El Tajo gorge for views of the bridge from below. The afternoon is free: visit the Plaza de Toros bullfighting ring and its museum with mountain views, explore the Museum of Bandits, or tour local wineries and national parks.

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   Day 6 · TarifaTarifa

   Travel south-west along the coast to Tarifa, a laid-back beach town with rocky scenery, a sea fortress and lighthouse. The afternoon is yours: catch a bus to Playa de Los Lances for kite surfers, relax at Playa de Valde Vaqueros, or stroll the promenade past seafood restaurants.

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   Day 7 · TarifaCosta de la Luz / Tarifa

   Choose from optional activities: whale and dolphin watching, a 45-minute ferry to Tangier's medina and kasbah, or a day trip to Gibraltar to ride the cable car up the Rock, explore caves and a Moorish castle, and wander the main street.

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   Day 8 · SevilleSeville

   

   Travel to Seville, famous for oranges, tapas and flamenco. Explore Barrio Santa Cruz, the shaded medieval quarter, then head to San Jacinto in the Triana neighbourhood. Sample tapas in the city's many bars as Seville is Spain's tapas capital.

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   Day 9 · SevilleSeville

   Free day in Seville with must-sees: the world's largest Gothic cathedral and its Moorish tower La Giralda for city views, the Alcazar palace complex with fragrant gardens and Moorish architecture (a Game of Thrones filming location), plus museums. Catch a flamenco performance with the group in the evening.

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    Day 10 · CordobaCordoba

    

    Train to Cordoba to experience Muslim, Jewish and Christian cultures in its architecture and food. Visit the Mezquita with its golden arches and columns—once the third largest mosque, later consecrated as a cathedral. Wander the Old Quarter's cobbled lanes, squares and cafes.

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    Day 11 · ValenciaValencia

    

    Train east to Valencia on the Mediterranean coast, known for its port, beaches and waterfront promenade. The Old Town sits back from the seafront with historical monuments. Spend the evening bar-hopping and eating tapas in the Ciutat Vella.

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    Day 12 · ValenciaValencia

    Bike leisurely through Turia Park to the City of Art and Science. Visit the 13th-century cathedral housing the Holy Grail and climb the Miguelete tower's 207 steps for city views. Explore the Museo de Bellas Artes, parks and beaches, then eat paella at Las Arenas.

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    Day 13 · BarcelonaBarcelona

    

    Train to Barcelona, known for art, Gothic architecture and nightlife. Wander the Gothic Quarter's narrow streets, stroll La Rambla tree-lined boulevard, grab juice at La Boqueria market, visit the Picasso Museum or National Art Museum of Catalonia, or take the funicular to Montjuic or Tibidabo for views.

14. 14
    Day 14 · BarcelonaBarcelona

    Join your leader on an orientation walk around Barcelona's main sights.

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    Day 15 · BarcelonaBarcelona

What's included

• Guide: All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leader or local representative. The aim of the group leader or local representative is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced group leader or local representative however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your group leader or local representative is new to a particular region or training other group leader or local representative. Your group leader or local representative will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your group leader or local representative can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip. , EUROPEAN LEADERS: Intrepid trips in Europe are accompanied by one of our local European group leaders. ’Local’ in this context means a leader who is European or lives in Europe. We also aim to support local guides in the individual cities or locations we travel to. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your leader can recommend an optional local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.
• Meals: 14 breakfasts, 1 lunch
• Activities: Granada - Orientation Walk Granada - Guided Visit to Alhambra Palace & Gardens Ronda - Orientation Walk Ronda - Los Molinos (Windmill Valley) Hike Seville - Orientation Walk Seville - Evening Flamenco Performance Cordoba - Mezquita (Mosque-Cathedral) Visit Cordoba - Orientation Walk Valencia - Orientation Walk Valencia - City Cycling Tour Valencia - Picnic Barcelona - Leader-led orientation walk Barcelona - La Sagrada Familia Cathedral visit
• Transport: TRANSPORT IN EUROPE: Half the fun of travel is the travelling itself, that's why we like to travel the local way – whether that means mingling with commuters on a local train, watching the scenery roll by from the window of a long distance bus, arriving on a high speed train in the city centre of your next destination, or navigating each city's public transport system. In Europe, you are guaranteed to travel by genuine local public transport wherever possible, which puts you right in the centre of the action. Train, Public bus, Metro, Taxi, Bicycle
• Accommodation: The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation. Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available., EUROPEAN HOTELS: Hotels in Europe often don't have double beds, but rather two single beds that can be pushed together/apart. Rooms can be rather small, especially by American or Australian standards. Your accommodation may not always have private en suite facilities or air-conditioning. European hotels generally don't provide kettles or fridges. Hotel (12 nights), Hostal/Guest house ( 2 nights)

How travellers rate it

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Common questions