Spain & Portugal Iberian Classic

Every part can be changed to suit your group.

1. Day 1 Arrival in Madrid

   Fly to Madrid and transfer to your hotel near the Puerta del Sol. In the evening walk to the Plaza Mayor and through the old lanes of La Latina for tapas: Spanish omelette, ham croquettes and a glass of Rioja.

2. Day 2 Madrid and Toledo

   Morning at the Royal Palace, the largest in Western Europe, and the Prado Museum with masterpieces by Velázquez and Goya. In the afternoon a short drive to Toledo, the city of three cultures on a hill above the Tagus river, where churches, synagogues and mosques stand side by side. See El Greco's Burial of the Count of Orgaz.

3. Day 3 AVE train to Granada

   The AVE high-speed train crosses La Mancha with its windmills to Andalusia. In the afternoon wander through the Albaicín, the old Moorish quarter of white houses, and watch the sunset over the Alhambra from the Mirador de San Nicolás. Dinner with free tapas, a Granada tradition.

4. Day 4 The Alhambra

   With timed tickets your guide takes you through the Alhambra, the palace city of the Nasrid sultans: the Nasrid Palaces with their carved stucco and the Court of the Lions, the Alcazaba fortress and the Generalife gardens with fountains and roses. Afternoon free in the city below.

   
5. Day 5 Córdoba

   Drive to Córdoba to visit the Mezquita, a vast mosque of 856 columns and red-and-white arches with a cathedral built in its centre. Walk through the Jewish quarter and the flower-filled patios. Continue to Seville in the late afternoon.

6. Day 6 Seville

   Your guide shows you Seville Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, with Columbus's tomb and the Giralda tower, then the Royal Alcázar with its gardens and tiled halls, and the Plaza de España. In the evening experience a passionate flamenco show in the Santa Cruz quarter.

   
7. Day 7 To Lisbon

   The coach crosses the Guadiana river into Portugal and the plains of the Alentejo, with a stop in Évora, a UNESCO town with a Roman temple and a chapel of bones. Arrive in Lisbon in the evening.

8. Day 8 Lisbon

   Ride the yellow tram 28 up through the Alfama quarter to the São Jorge Castle viewpoint. Visit Belém with the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower, and taste the original pastéis de nata at the bakery that has made them since 1837. In the evening listen to fado, Portugal's melancholic song, in a small restaurant.

   
9. Day 9 Sintra

   A day in Sintra, a romantic town in green hills, with the colourful Pena Palace on a mountain top and the mysterious Quinta da Regaleira with its initiation well. Continue to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe, and return along the coast via Cascais.

10. Day 10 Departure

    Transfer to Lisbon Airport for your flight home.