Amazing Spain and Portugal
Overview
Itinerary
While in Madrid, explore the elegant boulevards, expansive parks and varied architectural styles. Join your Travel Director for dinner at a local restaurant and enjoy the opportunity to get to know your fellow travellers over a delightful evening of good food and wine.
Visit the fascinating city of Toledo, situated high above the River Tagus. This was Spain's capital during the Golden Era, where Arab, Jewish and Christian cultures flourished side-by-side through the Middle Ages. From here you will venture south to meet a local artisan in a Damascene workshop for a personal insight into this ancient craft, handed down by the Moors centuries ago.
Then enjoy a walk within the city walls of Toledo, through the narrow cobbled streets, led by your Local Expert. Visit the Church of Santo Tomé, housing El Greco's famous painting, ‘The Burial of the Count of Orgaz'. Your journey continues to Granada.
"Give him alms, woman, because there is nothing sadder in life than being blind in Granada,” proclaims the inscription on the walls of the Alhambra. Bathed in the morning light, the Alhambra Palace awaits—a fantasy of arabesque gardens, fountains and stone cut like lace. Explore this architectural masterpiece in the company of your Local Expert before visiting the exotic water gardens of the Generalife, the serene summer retreat of the Nasrid rulers. Take a moment to unwind in the sunshine and admire the views over the town and its three verdant hills.
Later, journey on to Seville, Andalucía's spirited capital, where orange-scented courtyards and sun-dappled plazas set the scene for the days ahead.
Enjoy a relaxed start or choose to join one of two Optional Experiences: admire the architectural elegance of Pilatos Palace, or explore the Alcázar of Seville and nearby Plaza América, home to graceful pavilions from the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition. Continue exploring with Insight Choice. Choose to stroll through the atmospheric Santa Cruz Quarter with a Local Expert, or sit back and enjoy a scenic drive taking in the city's iconic landmarks.
Later, visit the Seville Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and the final resting place of Christopher Columbus.
In the evening, take part in a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience at the Cristina Heeren Foundation. Try your hand at flamenco during a lively dance lesson, then witness this expressive art form brought vividly to life in a passionate performance.
Continue to the lively university town of Évora, one of the best preserved medieval towns in Portugal, with architectural styles dating back to Roman Times. Visit the fascinating Capela dos Ossos, a chapel decorated with 5,000 bones, before making your way to Lisbon.
During your stay, a guided sightseeing tour of the city with your Local Expert takes you to visit the Belém Quarter and enjoy a taste of Pastéis de Belém from the patisserie that has been using the same secret recipe for almost 200 years. View the Monument to the Discoveries and the historic Belém Tower. This fortress was originally set in the middle of the river, but is now left high and dry on the riverbank. Visit the National Coach Museum. With the afternoon at your leisure, consider joining an Optional Experience to the beautiful Portuguese Riviera.
Travel into the green hills north of Lisbon to visit Fátima, the most celebrated place of pilgrimage in Portugal. Visit the chapel commemorating the appearance of the Virgin Mary to three children in 1917. Cross the border, returning to Spain and continue to Salamanca, famous for its golden stone buildings and the handsome arcades of the Plaza Mayor. Across the River Tormes, see the Puente Romano with 15 of its 26 arches dating from the time of the ancient Romans.
Cross the rock-strewn hills of the Castile, to arrive at Ávila. Admire the impressive city still entirely enclosed within its 11th-century walls, a unique occurrence in Europe. Return to Madrid to explore more of the capital with your Local Expert. At a local restaurant, join your Travel Director and newfound friends for a lively dinner.
Today, your remarkable journey comes to an end as you transfer to the Madrid-Barajas Airport. Take a moment to reflect on the unforgettable experiences, meaningful connections and enriching encounters that have shaped your travels.
Trip Inclusions
- Toledo: Explore this magnificent ancient city with your Local Specialist and visit the Church of Santo Tomé to see an El Greco masterpiece.
- 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.
- 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.
- Évora: With your Travel Director explore the ancient city of Évora and visit the fascinating Capela dos Ossos, meaning the Chapel of Bones, a chapel decorated with human remains.
- Lisbon: Explore Lisbon with a Local Specialist, focusing on the Baixa district rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake and the broad Pombaline layout that shaped the Lower Town. Continue through the Belém Quarter to view landmarks linked to Portugal's maritime era, including the Monument to the Discoveries and the Belém Tower, both positioned along the Tagus.
- Lisbon: Visit the National Coach Museum to examine its collection of royal carriages dating from the 16th to 19th centuries. Used for state ceremonies and diplomatic events, you'll view coaches that illustrate the shifts in artisanship, decoration and court protocol across several European courts.
- Fátima: You'll visit the Sanctuary of Fátima, centred on the reported apparitions of 1917. The site brings together major places of worship such as the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Chapel of the Apparitions, set around a vast open square used for major pilgrimages.
- Salamanca: See the golden stone and arcades of Plaza Mayor, and learn about the unique traditions of this historic university city.
- Avila: Explore within the ancient walls of this unique town.
- Madrid: Explore Madrid's Old Quarter with a Local Specialist 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.
- Toledo: At a Damascene workshop, meet a master artisan for an insight into this ancient craft. Witness firsthand their precision as they inlay gold and silver into iron, using a chisel and a hammer.
- Granada: Visit the Alhambra Palace with a Local Specialist 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.
- 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.
- Air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom
- An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
- Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
- All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
- We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door
- From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with a local specialty representing the destination.
- Complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi where available
- Madrid: Join your Travel Director at 18:30 for dinner in a local restaurant and get to know your fellow travellers over a beautiful evening of delicious food and wine.
- Lisbon: In Belém, try pastéis de Belém: crisp layers of pastry encasing custard complete with a dusting of cinnamon. See how the pastries follow a closely guarded recipe, and are still prepared in the same bakery that has produced them since 1837.
- Madrid: Sit down to dinner with your Travel Director and fellow travellers at a local restaurant.
- Dining Summary: 3 Dinners (D), 8 Breakfasts (B)
- Itinerary and inclusions are subject to change
- Price is for land, cruise and internal flights as specified. Flights not specified are not included
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Trafalgar Worldwide Tours (2027-28)
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A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you Enquire. Additional savings may apply. T&C’s apply.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by Trafalgar. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
