• 6 Dinner (D)
• 17 Breakfast (B)
• 1 Lunch (L)

• Business class coach with extended leg room
• 4 & 5-star stays
• Top-rated dining, from farm-to-table to local restaurants

• Valencia: Spend time with a chef in a family-run kitchen to see how Valencian paella is built from its base — the heat of the pan, the saffron stock, the type of rice and the order ingredients go in. Afterwards, sit down to eat the finished paella, tasting the layered flavor and socarrat crust you’ve just watched being made.
• Barcelona: Your final evening brings the group together around the table in Barcelona. It’s a chance to share dinner in the Catalan capital, reminisce over the days you’ve traveled and mark the end of your journey across Spain and Portugal with one last meal together. 

• 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.
• Madrid: Visit the Prado Museum with an art historian who places key works within their historical setting. With your historian’s expert guidance, you’ll examine paintings by Velázquez, Goya, Titian and Rubens, noting their connection to royal patronage and the broader European tradition. Learn how the museum, founded in 1819, became a principal repository for Spain’s royal collections and major works from across the continent.

• Santiago de Compostela: Join a city tour with a Local Specialist and visit Praza do Obradoiro to admire the cathedral facade festooned with architectural frills.
• Santiago de Compostela: Embark on a scenic walk on part of the Way of St. James with a Local Specialist, through parks and gardens that transform with the seasons.

Explore Barcelona with a Local Specialist as you join a guided panoramic tour along the elegant Passeig de Gràcia and through the sharp grid of the Eixample. Gaze up at Modernista facades that ripple with color and ironwork, linking Gaudí’s city to its 19th-century burst of creativity.

Continue to the gardens beside the Sagrada Família to admire its soaring spires and storytelling facades from up close. When interior access is limited, your route reveals the UNESCO-listed Hospital de Sant Pau’s Art Nouveau pavilions—another jewel of Catalan modernism.

Pause at the sea-lapped bastion of Peñíscola’s 14th-century castle, a cinematic fortress set on a dramatic limestone headland. From the ramparts and whitewashed lanes below, the Mediterranean frames the walls, inviting you to pause for photos and reflection.

Discover how this Templar stronghold later became the residence of Benedict XIII—“Papa Luna”—during the Western Schism. Fishermen’s cottages, salt air and gull calls set the scene around one of Spain’s most photogenic coastal citadels.

Step into a family-run kitchen in Valencia to learn to build an authentic paella from the base up—pan heat, saffron stock and rice selection. Watch the rhythm of the sofrito, hear the sizzle and see how the prized socarrat crust forms across the wide paella pan.

Sit down with the chef to taste the results alongside sample regional wines. Stories from the Albufera rice fields and the city’s markets add flavor to a hands-on encounter with Spain’s most emblematic dish.

Explore the Alhambra with a Local Specialist, tracing the courtyards and Nasrid palaces where filigree stucco, calligraphic tiles and mirror-still pools reveal Moorish Granada’s refined artistry. Hear the trickle of water channels and the whisper of cypresses as the citadel crowns its hilltop.

Wander the Generalife’s terraced gardens, where rills and roses cool the Andalusian sun. From its belvederes, take in views across Granada to the Sierra Nevada, understanding why this hill became the last emblem of Al-Andalus.

Follow a Local Specialist on a guided walk through the Santa Cruz quarter, a labyrinth of narrow lanes, hidden patios and geranium-draped balconies. The scent of orange blossom leads to intimate small plazas where Seville’s medieval layers come into focus.

Step inside Seville Cathedral, the world’s largest Gothic church, to sense the vast nave and chapels. View the Giralda, a former Almohad minaret, and encounter the city’s layered faith and stonework, including the monument to Christopher Columbus.

Enter Seville’s renowned school of flamenco to learn a few basic flamenco steps, clapping palmas and feeling the percussive footwork that powers this art. Meet students and teachers, then watch a live performance that reveals the dialogue between cante jondo, guitar and dance.

This Cristina Heeren Foundation visit supports training the next generation of artists and advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education. Your presence helps safeguard Andalusia’s most expressive cultural tradition.

Walk past the Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir and through whitewashed streets into Córdoba’s historic heart. A local historian sets the scene, mapping how the city’s courtyards, alleyways and gateways reveal centuries of exchange.

Step inside the Mezquita to stand beneath its forest of arches and lustrous marble columns. See the shimmering mihrab and later Christian additions—most notably the central choir—that tell the story of faiths shaping a single sacred space.

Join a guided panoramic tour through Madrid’s grand boulevards and Old Quarter, tracing the evolution from Habsburg plazas to Bourbon avenues. Glimpse Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and elegant Retiro-side neighborhoods en route.

Continue with an art historian at the Prado Museum, where court painters like Velázquez and Goya converse with Titian and Rubens. Context-rich commentary reveals royal patronage, technique and symbolism, bringing Spain’s masterworks vividly into focus.

Choose your experience in Galicia’s pilgrim capital. Join a Local Specialist to explore the old town and Praza do Obradoiro, admiring the ornate Santiago Cathedral facade and granite streets animated by arriving pilgrims.

Alternatively, set out with a guide for a contemplative section of the Way of St. James, following scallop-shell markers through seasonally changing parks and gardens. This Choice Highlight is included; you select one experience with no extra cost.

Meet local hosts near Gijón for a Farm-to-Table lunch built from Asturian produce—garden vegetables, artisan cheeses and mountain meats. Learn the ritual of pouring sidra by height, then taste Asturian cider fresh from the barrel.

Conversations with producers highlight the Green Coast’s agricultural heritage and responsible sourcing. Your visit supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 and fosters connections with communities who keep these traditions alive as you meet local hosts.

Explore Oviedo with a Local Specialist to see rare pre-Romanesque churches and the city’s noble squares. In the Cathedral of the Holy Savior, linger over the golden altarpiece and chapels that testify to the former Asturian capital’s deep faith.

Hear how 9th-century kings shaped a distinctive architectural style, where delicate stonework frames ancient wall paintings. The result is a compact city rich in devotion, learning and artisan craft.

Visit the holy cave of Covadonga, a sanctuary set into a sheer limestone cliff, and pay respects at the tomb of Pelayo, hero of the 8th-century victory that reshaped Iberian history.

Between waterfalls and candles, absorb the solemn atmosphere before viewing the basilica that crowns the valley. Legends of 722 and the spark of the Reconquista lend historical gravity to this mountain pilgrimage site.

Venture into Picos de Europa National Park to admire jagged limestone massifs, deep gorges and emerald pastures kept by alpine cattle. Each bend reveals misty mountain passes and dramatic, photo-worthy vistas.

Continue to Cangas de Onís to see the emblematic “Roman” bridge, from whose arch hangs a replica of the Victory Cross. This graceful span, stone, water and sky create a natural frame to pause for photos and reflection.

Stroll Santillana del Mar, often called one of Spain’s most beautiful villages, along cobblestone lanes flanked by heraldic stone houses and flowered balconies. Artisan shops and timeworn thresholds reveal centuries of Cantabrian life.

Gather by the church square to appreciate the Romanesque Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana and the village’s prosperous merchant past. It’s a living open-air museum—calm, compact and captivating.

Survey Bilbao’s riverfront on an orientation that frames the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Frank Gehry’s icon clad in titanium curves. Bridges, promenades and public art chart the Basque city’s renaissance.

Learn how industry gave way to design and gastronomy, and how the museum’s sculptural silhouette helped reposition Bilbao on the global cultural map—before diving deeper into the Basque coast.

Follow the Costa Vasca past cliffs, sheltered harbors and wave-washed beaches. Pause at Getaria to view ‘El Ratón’ rock, the mouse-shaped headland that guards the fishing port and offers wide sea-spray vistas.

Hear about txakoli vineyards that stripe the hills and the maritime heritage that shaped these villages—where boats, nets and salt air remain daily companions.

Enjoy a guided walking tour through San Sebastián’s Parte Vieja, where arcaded Plaza de la Constitución opens onto lanes filled with pintxo bars and bakeries. La Concha’s crescent glimmers nearby, embraced by headlands.

Trace the harbor’s maritime story—from ocean-going whalers to pleasure craft—while learning how Belle Époque elegance and Basque tradition blend in this food-loving city by the bay.

Return to Barcelona for a final evening to raise a toast and share a seasonal Catalan menu with newfound friends. Expect simple, ingredient-led dishes that showcase the region’s olive oil, seafood and orchard produce.

In the lively Catalan capital, conversation flows as you celebrate the stories and flavors collected across Spain—a warm, convivial close to your journey.

Explore the Albaicín quarter, Granada’s Moorish maze of whitewashed lanes and courtyards. Climb to the Mirador de San Nicolás for one of Spain’s great views—Alhambra’s honeyed walls set against the Sierra Nevada.

Hear tales of Zirí and Nasrid Granada as you pass carmenes (walled garden houses) and minaret-turned-bell towers. This is an Optional Experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Visit Casa de Pilatos, a 16th-century palace where Mudéjar and Renaissance styles mingle in azulejo tiles, coffered ceilings and secluded courtyards cooled by fountains.

Learn how noble families shaped Seville’s urban palaces and step through salons used as film sets for their atmospheric detail. This is an Optional Experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Explore the Royal Alcázar of Seville, a UNESCO palace where Mudéjar craftsmanship dazzles in honeycombed plaster, intricate woodwork and cool gardens. Wander the Patio de las Doncellas and hear stories of dynasties and diplomacy.

Continue to the 1929 pavilions of Plaza de América in Parque de María Luisa, a showcase of regionalist architecture. This is an Optional Experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Set out from Madrid to discover the medieval city of Toledo, rising over a loop of the Tagus River. Walk its lanes to the Jewish Quarter, admire synagogues and churches, and hear how faiths intertwined beneath fortress walls.

Views of the skyline, possible visits to artisan workshops and insights into El Greco illuminate Spain’s former capital. This is an Optional Experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Travel from Madrid to UNESCO-listed Segovia to stand beneath the Roman aqueduct, a feat of stone engineering soaring above the old streets. Continue to the fairy-tale Alcázar of Segovia and the Old Town of limestone and slate.

Stories of Castilian kings, cathedral canons and master builders bring the city’s silhouette to life. This is an Optional Experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Leave Barcelona for the serrated peaks of Montserrat to visit the Monastery of Montserrat, a Benedictine sanctuary famed for the Black Madonna. The mountains’ saw-toothed peaks frame sweeping views across Catalonia.

Hear how monks have safeguarded worship and music here for centuries as you take in chapels, plazas and vistas. This is an Optional Experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Gather in a handpicked neighborhood restaurant to meet your Travel Director and fellow travelers over seasonal Catalan dishes. Savor coastal flavors, from market-fresh produce to rustic classics, and raise a glass of local cava as the city’s evening energy hums outside.

Hear how Barcelona’s kitchen blends Pyrenean and Mediterranean traditions, where fishermen’s recipes, olive oil and ripe tomatoes shape the cuisine. This convivial welcome sets the tone for the days ahead and lets you share a seasonal Catalan menu in an authentic setting, typically early in the tour.

Insight Vacations