Karen
Spain Specialist
Karen’s first-hand experience and long-term relationships with hoteliers & tour guides around the world allows her to create highly specialized, tailor-made itineraries for her clients.
E. Clarke Travel
Spain
Thriving Madrid, coastal Barcelona, historic Seville are only the beginning. Explore the lush meadows, snowy mountains, and fantastic beaches that characterize the landscape. See how Jewish, Christian, and Islamic heritage continue to influence the country today. Sample the delicious tapas, and then join in the vivacious nightlife, bullfighting and flamenco that account for the nationwide alegria (happiness). With relaxing beaches, nonstop nightlife, cultural diversity, and historic cities, Spain is the perfect destination for any vacation.
The Grand Tour: 8-Day Sample Itinerary
Days 1 & 2: Barcelona
Arrive in Barcelona, a city that thrives on fiestas, delicious food, historic architecture, art, fashion, and music. Navigate through the labyrinth of Barri Gotic (the Gothic Quarter), admiring the Medieval architecture that lines the streets. Explore the shops and watch the street theater of Las Rambles. Drive to seaside Montjuic, site of the 1992 Olympics. Visit Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece, Sagrada Familia, a massive Roman Catholic Church.
Day 3: Final Moorish Strongholds
Journey to the foothills of snow-capped Sierra Nevada and explore Granada, which still retains its Muslim, Jewish, and Christian influences. Visit Alhambra, the palace, citadel, and fortress where artists and intellectuals took refuge as Crusaders conquered Moorish cities. Continue through scenic back roads to the preserved town of Ronda, one of the last cities to fall to the Crusaders. Enjoy the relaxing atmosphere as you tour the twisting streets and cliffside houses.
Day 4: Spain’s Scenic South
Visit Plaza de Toros, Spain’s oldest bullring, before exploring the surrounding Andalucia area. A bridge between Europe and Africa, AndalucÃa has long been a melting pot and point for cultural and intellectual exchange. Walk among Andalucia’s diverse landscape, filled with warm valleys and snow-capped mountains, as you learn about its rich Moorish history.
Day 5: Seville
Visit unforgettable Seville and tour picturesque sights such as Parque de Maria LuÃsa and Palacio de San Telmo. Stop for afternoon tapas before visiting Seville Cathedral, the third largest Roman Catholic Church in the world and final resting-place of Christopher Columbus. Explore the small, winding streets in the former Jewish Quarter, regarded as the most charming part of the city. Enjoy an evening Flamenco performance.
Day 6: Cordoba
Tour Cordoba, the ancient city so filled with wonders it was declared a World Heritage Site. How many other cities can claim to have been the capital of a Roman province (Hispania Ulterior) and the capital of an Arab State (Al-Andalus)? View the impressive ancient architecture as you tour the Jewish Quarter and then visit Le Mezquita, the third-largest Mosque in the world, with a Cathedral built inside.
Day 7: Madrid
Enter Madrid, a city simultaneously dominated by its venerated history and vivacious cosmopolitan lifestyle. Wander through cultural and artistic heritage in Museo del Prado, one of the best art museums in the world. Tour sights such as the ornate Palacio de Oriente, official home of the King of Spain; and Plaza de Toros, Spain’s largest bullring. Shop in the upscale Gran Via or Salamanca district. Discover the liveliest nightlife scene in the world; dance until dawn in Malasana district.
Day 8: Madrilen’s Breakfast
Enjoy the popular Madrid breakfast of chocolate con churros before boarding your plan for a safe flight home.
