Sunlit Spanish Escapade Madrid to Seville - 7 Days

Welcome to Madrid. On arrival at the airport, we’ll transfer you to your hotel. You’ll have free time until the tour begins – please check the information signs at reception for details of the welcome meeting with your guide and fellow travellers. In the evening, we’ll provide a transfer to Plaza Mayor and La Latina – Madrid’s most famous neighbourhood for nightlife and tapas restaurants. You can choose where to dine, with a wide range of options including Spanish, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern cuisines. Please note: This tour may have travellers joining or departing at various points along the route, meaning group composition can change during the tour. Please also be aware that depending on group composition, guiding may be in additional languages as well as English.

This morning we take a comprehensive tour of central Madrid, passing the Paseo del Prado, Cibeles and Neptuno, Puerta de Alcalá, Plaza de Colón and Plaza Mayor. We then head to Retiro Park to see the lake and the Palacio de Cristal. Admission is included to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium – home of Real Madrid. You have the rest of the afternoon at leisure. In the evening we provide a return transfer to the hotel.

We leave Madrid early and drive south across La Mancha, pausing in Puerto Lápice – a classic Manchego village linked to Don Quixote. We continue through Despeñaperros into Andalusia and arrive in Granada, where lunch is included. In the afternoon, if you have chosen the Alhambra option, you explore the Alhambra Palace and its Generalife Gardens – historic sites from the Arab period – with a local guide.

Entry to the Alhambra is strictly regulated by law. To secure your place, tickets are issued when your tour reservation is confirmed, and you must provide accurate personal details – full name and passport or ID number – at the time of booking. Ticket costs are not refundable if you cancel. In the rare event the Alhambra visit cannot be arranged, we will instead visit Seville’s Royal Alcázar, which offers similar historical and architectural significance.

Leaving Granada, we journey past the Sierra Nevada before following the Mediterranean along the Tropical Coast, where a mild climate supports guavas, mangoes and avocados – and in the past, sugar cane. We stop in Nerja, a seaside town with impressive cliffs, then continue to Málaga, the lively capital of the Costa del Sol. You have time for lunch and a stroll through the historic centre. In the afternoon we head into the Andalusian sierras to reach Ronda, a beautiful white town famed for the dramatic gorge that splits the city in two. We then continue to Seville, arriving in the late afternoon – dinner is included at the hotel.

In the morning, we explore Seville on a guided city tour, taking in the cathedral and its famous Giralda, the banks of the Guadalquivir, and the characterful neighbourhoods of Santa Cruz and Triana. After the tour, we unwind on an included boat cruise along the Guadalquivir – a relaxing way to enjoy panoramic views of the city from the water. In the evening, you can choose to attend a flamenco tablao performance.

We leave Seville and follow the Guadalquivir Valley to Córdoba, once the capital of the Caliphate of Córdoba. With a local guide, we visit the magnificent Mosque–Cathedral – tickets included – and explore the Jewish Quarter, known for its narrow streets and flower filled patios. You’ll have time for lunch before we continue into Castilian lands, stopping in Consuegra where 12 giant windmills stand beside the castle overlooking the La Mancha plain. We visit the Rucio Mill, then continue to Madrid at the end of the day.

After breakfast in Madrid, we conclude the tour – there are no further scheduled activities. We hope you leave with lasting memories of your journey.