Spain & Portugal

Tour begins: 6:00 PM, InterContinental Porto. A transfer is included from Porto Airport to your hotel, InterContinental Porto – Palacio das Cardosas, set within a recently renovated 18th-century palace in the heart of the city. Meet your traveling companions this evening at a welcome reception and dinner at your hotel. Stay Two Nights: InterContinental Porto (D)

Begin the day with a panoramic guided tour of Porto and its historic district – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – with its beguiling architecture, from medieval to baroque to Beaux-Arts, winding alleyways, miradouros (lookout points), opulent palaces and churches.

Following your city tour, go for a ride along the Douro River aboard a traditional, flat-bottomed rabelo boat like those used for centuries to transport port wine from vineyards along the river to Porto on the Atlantic. Visit a port wine cellar for a tour, tasting and lunch; then spend the rest of the day and evening exploring as you wish. (B/L)

An excursion from Porto today takes you to Sintra – once a favored summer retreat for Portugal's monarchs and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – for a visit to the National Palace of Sintra, and time to explore on your own before returning to Lisbon. Check into your Four Seasons hotel for a two-night stay; dine at the hotel this evening. Stay Two Nights: Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon (B/L/D)

A guided sightseeing tour provides an introduction to this intriguing city and its most famous landmarks; view the famous monastery Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, visit the Maritime Museum in the monastery's west wing (featuring an amazing 17,000 items) and visits Ajuda Palace. Enjoy the rest of the day and evening as you please. (B)

Today you'll travel from Lisbon to Seville through the Alentejo region of Portugal, known for its rolling plains, bucolic villages and local cork trade. The region produces more than half of the world's cork supply!

Your travels continue into the border region between Spain and Portugal – an area where fortifications dotting the landscape have witnessed centuries of struggle between the Spanish, Portuguese and Moors – then through the Spanish Extremadura, a unique region that was once part of the Roman Empire and today is famous among epicures worldwide for its prized delicacy, jamon iberico.

Spend the next two nights in the heart of Seville at one of Europe's most luxurious hotels, commissioned by the king of Spain for the famous Exposition of 1929. You may have dinner at your hotel this evening, or choose to enjoy an included lunch or dinner at the hotel tomorrow. Stay Two Nights: Hotel Alfonso XIII (B/L/D)

After getting your bearings (and an introduction to many of Seville's historic and cultural attractions) on a sightseeing tour with your local guide, ride a horse-drawn carriage through the city's historic heart. Enjoy a walking tour through the fascinating Barrio de Santa Cruz and the maze of old streets in the city's former Jewish Quarter, and a guided visit inside Seville Cathedral, one of the largest Roman Catholic churches in the world, and the final resting place of Christopher Columbus. The evening is free to spend as you wish; enjoy lunch and dinner as you please today. (B)

Depart Seville for famous Gibraltar, where you'll tour the fabled "Rock" by mini-coach (weather permitting), and spend some time exploring on your own with lunch as you please. Your final destination today is the glamorous coastal resort town of Marbella on the Costa del Sol, for a two-night stay. Stay Two Nights: Gran Meliá Don Pepe (B/L/D)

The entire day is yours to enjoy the pleasures of your elegant resort hotel, Grand Meliá Don Pepe, a paradise for the senses in the heart of the Costa del Sol. On one side is the famous Port of Marbella; on the other, gleaming white boats anchored at the exclusive Puerto Banús. And on the horizon, you can see Gibraltar and the North African coast, majestic in the distance, against the magnificent backdrop of the mountain peak – La Concha de Marbella.

Long a favorite of celebrities in Marbella's privileged enclave of Sierra Blanca, the resort's guest list has included Sean Connery, Julio Iglesias, Prince, Maximillian Schell, Arthur Rubinstein, Bob Hope and many more... and you, spending a perfect day as you please. (B)

As your tour continues, journey from the Spanish coast into the mountains to visit scenic Ronda, perched on a cliff overlooking the spectacular El Tajo gorge. Ronda is synonymous with the evolution of the art of bullfighting; along with revealing the town's Moorish heritage and remains, a guided walking tour includes a visit to one of Spain's oldest bullrings, the Plaza de Toros.

Continue on to Granada, situated in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. The city boasts extraordinary architecture from over 250 years as the capital of a Moorish kingdom; your hotel is steps away from Granada's celebrated Moorish palace, the Alhambra. Dine at a local restaurant this evening. Stay Two Nights: Hotel Alhambra Palace (B/L/D)

A highlight today is a guided visit to Granada's famed Moorish palace, the Alhambra, constructed to be a "paradise on Earth" by caliphs who ruled here in the 13th century. Tour the palace itself, considered to be one of the world's most beautiful, and stroll through the Generalife, the grounds of the summer palace of former sultans.

Explore the sights of Granada on a historically rich guided tour before discovering the city as you please this afternoon. Nestled in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the city was the last stronghold of the Spanish Moors who left their mark here in Islamic architecture, horseshoe arches, teahouses and culinary traditions; you'll also find historic basilicas, tapas bars, flamenco clubs and cafés aplenty. Enjoy a private flamenco show tonight, followed by dinner at your hotel. (B/D)

Continue from Granada to Córdoba today for a visit that begins with a guided walking tour through the cobblestone streets of the Judería, Córdoba's former Jewish Quarter; from its alleyways, you can see the walls and decorative details of the candy-striped La Mezquita (Spanish for "mosque.") Your visit to this masterpiece of architecture and art reveals its nearly 1,200-year history as an early Christian church, a Moorish mosque, and, since the 16th century, a Roman Catholic cathedral.

Late this afternoon, board the AVE train in Preferente class for a rail journey to Spain's amazing capital city. Arrive in Madrid for three nights at The Westin Palace, Madrid – a Belle Époque landmark in the heart of the city, a short walk from the tapas bars that American novelist Ernest Hemingway made famous. A light dinner will be served at your hotel this evening. Stay Three Nights: The Westin Palace, Madrid (B/D)

Set off this morning for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Toledo, known as the "city of three cultures" because for centuries Christians, Arabs and Jews have lived together behind its walls – as the range and artistry of the city's architecture attests. It was also the home of the Spanish artist El Greco whose haunting canvases include one of his most famous works, View of Toledo. From afar, Toledo still looks as it did when El Greco painted it. See Toledo up close today on a guided walking tour with a local guide.

Make your way along cobbled streets paved with history, including visits to the 12th-century Synagogue Santa María la Blanca, considered one of the oldest synagogues in Europe still standing, and the Church of Santo Tomé, home to El Greco's painting, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. Have lunch in a local restaurant before returning to Madrid late afternoon. (B/L)

Join a local guide for a morning orientation tour of Madrid's landmark sights that includes a walking tour of the vast Plaza Mayor and the Mercado San Miguel. Then view the art treasures of Madrid's celebrated Museo del Prado – one of the most famous art museums on Earth, just a block away from your hotel – on a guided visit with a local expert. Join us tonight for a farewell reception and dinner with traditional Castilian entertainment. (B/D)

Tour ends: Madrid. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from The Westin Palace, Madrid to Madrid Barajas Airport or Madrid Atocha train station. Allow a minimum of 3 hours for flight check-in at the airport. (B)