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Spain: Madrid, Andalusia and Barcelona

12 days from Madrid to Barcelona: Toledo, Córdoba, two nights each in Seville and Granada with the Alhambra, a night in Ronda and three nights in Barcelona.

12 days · Madrid to Barcelona · up to 12 guests

The facts

At a glance

Length
12 days, 11 nights
Start and end
Madrid to Barcelona
Group size
7 to 12 guests
Activity level

Moderate

City walking of 5 to 8 km on most days, on cobbles and slopes, with steep lanes in Toledo, Ronda and the Albaicín, the 35 ramps of the Giralda and about 4 km of uphill paths and steps at the Alhambra. The longest drive is about 2 hours 30 minutes; the train to Barcelona is about six and a half hours seated. Any climb or viewpoint walk can be skipped.

Meals included
11 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 2 dinners
Room of your own
+ CAD 1,200 (estimated price)
Season
March to June and September to November

Highlights

Why this trip

  • The Alhambra's Nasrid Palaces on a timed morning entry, booked as soon as sales open for your departure, with a licensed local guide
  • The Sagrada Família at its first entry of the day, and Park Güell before the midday crowds
  • The Mezquita of Córdoba at its 10 am opening, after an evening in the Judería and on the Roman bridge
  • The Real Alcázar of Seville at first entry, and a flamenco show with a tapas dinner
  • Ronda's Puente Nuevo in the evening, after the day-trippers have gone, and Setenil's houses built under the rock
  • Toledo with El Greco's Burial of the Count of Orgaz, and the Prado at opening with a guide
  • Sunset over the Alhambra from the Mirador de San Nicolás in the Albaicín

What makes this trip different

  • Free time is part of the plan

    Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.

  • Solo without the penalty

    A room of your own is + CAD 1,200 (estimated price).

Day by day

Itinerary

SPAINANDALUSIACATALONIAPORTUGALMediterranean SeaAtlantic Ocean123456MadridDays 1 to 3ToledoDay 2CórdobaDays 3 to 4SevilleDays 4 to 6SetenilDay 6RondaDays 6 to 7AntequeraDay 7GranadaDays 7 to 9BarcelonaDays 9 to 12

Tap any stop on the map to open that day

Arrive in Madrid

Madrid-Barajas Airport to your hotel in central Madrid

  • Welcome dinner
  • Stay in Madrid
  • Drive about 30 min
The long white stone facade of the Royal Palace of Madrid with visitors crossing the square in front under a deep blue sky
Photo: Evomp, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Madrid_palace.jpg)

Fly into Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD), about 15 km from the centre, where a driver meets you in the arrivals hall and takes you to your hotel.

Evening

Plan to land by about 3 pm so you can rest before the evening. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the twelve days ahead, then leads a first walk through the old city as the streets fill for the evening: Puerta del Sol, the arcaded Plaza Mayor, the lanes of the Madrid de los Austrias, and on to the 18th-century Royal Palace and the gardens of Plaza de Oriente as the light goes. Spaniards eat late, so we finish with a relaxed welcome dinner at a local restaurant, a chance to meet the group over shared plates. If you arrive early, the Royal Palace interior or a first look at the Retiro park fills the afternoon.

Included

  • Pick-up at Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD)
  • Welcome briefing with your guide
  • Evening walk: Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, the Madrid de los Austrias and the Royal Palace from Plaza de Oriente
  • Welcome dinner

Optional experiences

  • Royal Palace interior for early arrivals

Free time: Free until the evening briefing

Activity: About 3 km of easy walking in the evening.

  1. Madrid2 nights
  2. Córdoba1 night
  3. Seville2 nights
  4. Ronda1 night
  5. Granada2 nights
  6. Barcelona3 nights
  • Overnight stop
  • Day trip
  • By boat or train
Print itinerary

Wildlife and weather: Spring and autumn bring warm days and mild evenings. July and August often pass 40 °C in Seville and Córdoba, so in summer we visit early and rest at midday; winter is mild in the south but cold in Madrid and Granada at night.

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Before you book

Right for you?

Good for you if you want

  • First-time visitors who want Madrid, Andalusia and Barcelona in one trip without a coach
  • Travellers who missed the Alhambra on another tour, or do not want to risk it
  • People who like a guided morning and a free afternoon
  • Solo travellers who want a fair single price and a real single room

Not for you if you want

  • Step-free access: Toledo, Ronda, the Albaicín and the Alhambra are steep and cobbled
  • Anyone wanting beach time on the Costa del Sol
  • Travellers who want a new town every day, or who would rather plan each day alone

Book flights after we confirm your seat.

11 nights

Where you'll stay

Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.

  • Madrid2 nights
  • Córdoba1 night
  • Seville2 nights
  • Ronda1 night
  • Granada2 nights
  • Barcelona3 nights

One price

What's in the price

Included

Accommodation

  • 11 nights: 2 in Madrid, 1 in Córdoba, 2 in Seville, 1 in Ronda, 2 in Granada and 3 in Barcelona
  • Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms, within about a 10 minute walk of each old centre; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
  • Hotel city and tourist taxes

Transport

  • Pick-up at Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) and drop-off at Barcelona El Prat Airport (BCN)
  • Reserved high-speed AVE train from Madrid to Córdoba and the direct train from Granada to Barcelona
  • A private vehicle and driver for the Toledo day and through Andalusia, from Córdoba station via Seville, Setenil, Ronda and Antequera to Granada
  • Luggage moved by vehicle between every station and hotel
  • Public transport and taxis for the Barcelona sightseeing

Your guide

  • A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 12
  • Licensed local guides in Toledo, at the Prado, the Mezquita, the Real Alcázar, the Alhambra and the Sagrada Família

Activities

  • Madrid: the Prado and an evening walk to the Royal Palace
  • Toledo: the Primate Cathedral, Santo Tomé and the Burial of the Count of Orgaz, the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca
  • Córdoba: the Mezquita-Catedral, the Judería and the Roman bridge
  • Seville: the Real Alcázar, the Cathedral and the Giralda, Triana, a flamenco show
  • Setenil de las Bodegas and Ronda
  • The Antequera Dolmens
  • Granada: the Alhambra with the Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife, the Albaicín and San Nicolás
  • Barcelona: the Sagrada Família, Park Güell, the Gothic Quarter, Santa Maria del Mar and La Boqueria
  • All entrance fees for included sights, on timed entries where the site offers them

Meals

  • 11 breakfasts
  • 7 lunches: in Toledo, Madrid, Córdoba, Setenil, Antequera and Granada, and a packed lunch for the train to Barcelona
  • 3 dinners: a welcome dinner in Madrid, a tapas dinner with flamenco in Seville and a farewell dinner in Barcelona

Not included

  • International flights to Madrid and from Barcelona
  • Travel insurance
  • An ETIAS travel authorisation fee, only if ETIAS has started by your travel dates
  • Meals not listed: 4 lunches and 8 dinners between days 1 and 11, and any meal after breakfast on day 12
  • Drinks beyond those served with included meals
  • Tips for guides and drivers
  • Optional activities, paid on the day at current prices (most about €5 to €40 per person; a Granada bath or a Barcelona Gaudí house can be more), listed with prices in your pre-departure pack: the Royal Palace interior, the Reina Sofía, the Hospital de los Venerables, a Guadalquivir boat trip, the Ronda bullring and Arab baths, the Royal Chapel, a Granada bath, a Sacromonte show, the Sagrada Família towers, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera, the Picasso Museum, the Montjuïc cable car
  • Personal expenses

Extras

Room of your own
CAD 1,200 (estimated price)

When you can go

Dates and prices

Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.

Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.

Before you book

Booking terms

Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.

Business addresses

See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584

Guest reviews

What guests say

Reviews from guests on our day tours.

Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
google

5/5

Parminder did a great job guiding us around, giving us tips & teaching us the history of the falls. A great experience!

Jane
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

Good views of the surrounding area of Halifax in a comfortable minivan

Susan
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

June was brilliant- made good contact beforehand and really attentive and knowledgeable. Made me feel like I was special- something only experience can do. Thank you June.

Tom L
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Our host was very knowledgeable, friendly and even provided some humor.

MandL83
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Peter was a very good guide, giving us insight into the various parts of the Park, including parking lot congestion details, trail and viewing location suggestions.

Darren O
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Excellent morning spent with my guide Nancy. Very knowledgeable and friendly. Thoroughly enjoyed my trip

4.7/5 from 38,601 guest reviews

Good to know

Questions

What does the price include?

Eleven nights in central hotels, 11 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 3 dinners including a flamenco show, both airport transfers, two reserved trains, our own vehicle in Andalusia, a See Sight Tours guide throughout, licensed local guides, and every entry in the day plan, including the Alhambra, the Sagrada Família, the Prado and the Mezquita.

Are the Alhambra tickets guaranteed?

We book them as soon as sales open for your departure, about three months ahead, through an authorised agent, and we only publish departures far enough ahead to hold the entries. The Sagrada Família is booked the same way. Missed Alhambra entry is a recurring complaint about Spain tours, and twelve tickets are far easier to secure than a coach load.

How big is the group?

Between 7 and 12 guests, never more. That is small enough to hear the guide inside the Nasrid Palaces, sit at one table at lunch and board a train together without a scramble, against the 40 to 50 seats of a typical coach tour of Spain.

Who leads the trip?

A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the welcome evening in Madrid to the last breakfast in Barcelona. Licensed local guides join at Toledo, the Prado, the Mezquita, the Real Alcázar, the Alhambra and the Sagrada Família, where Spanish rules or the depth of the site call for one.

Can you cater for vegetarians and other dietary needs?

Yes. Tell us at booking and we arrange vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or allergy meals with each restaurant before you arrive; the included lunches and dinners are ordered for you, not a fixed coach menu. Andalusian cooking leans on ham and fish, so your guide also points out places that suit you for the free meals.

How fit do I need to be?

Moderately. Most days involve 5 to 8 km of walking on cobbles and hills, with steep lanes in Toledo, Ronda and the Albaicín and about 4 km of slopes at the Alhambra. No day has more than about two and a half hours of driving, every climb has an easier option, and our vehicle can drop you at the Alhambra gate.

I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?

A room of your own is from CAD 1,200 more, about 20 percent of the trip price, and it is a real single or a double for one, not a box room. If you would rather share, ask when you book and we will try to match you with another solo traveller of the same gender.

When is the best time to go?

March to June and September to November, when days are warm and evenings mild. July and August often pass 40 °C in Seville and Córdoba. Holy Week and the April Fair make Seville busy and expensive, so we check hotels for those dates separately.

Do I need a visa for Spain?

No. Canadian, US, UK and Australian passport holders do not need a visa for a stay of up to 90 days in the Schengen area. The EU's ETIAS online travel authorisation is not yet in force and has no confirmed start date; we will tell you if it applies to your dates.

How does booking work?

Choose a departure and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 5,990 per person sharing, taxes included. Departures go on sale at least about three months ahead, and we book the timed entries as soon as sales open for your date.

Can we travel privately or on our own dates?

Yes. The trip runs as a private departure for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle and your pick of Alhambra and Sagrada Família times. If you would rather travel independently, ask from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, trains and local guides.

Are the hotels central?

We only book hotels within about a 10 minute walk of the old centre in each city, so you can walk out in the evening without a taxi. We name each hotel, with its walk time to the main sight, when we confirm your dates.

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