Spain and Portugal: Madrid, Seville, Granada, Lisbon and Porto

1. Day 1: Arrive in Madrid

   Madrid Airport (MAD) to your hotel in central Madrid

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Dinner
   • Stay in Madrid
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD), about 15 km from the centre. A driver meets you in arrivals at any time of day and takes you to the hotel, about half an hour away. If you land early, walk to the Retiro park and its glass Crystal Palace, or wander the Paseo del Prado, where the city's three great art museums stand within a few minutes of each other. In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the two weeks ahead: which tickets are timed, where the trains and the short flight fall, and how the free afternoons work. Then we walk through the Barrio de las Letras, the old writers' quarter where Cervantes is buried, to a restaurant for a welcome dinner of Spanish dishes. Madrid eats late, and nine in the evening is an early table here.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Madrid Airport (MAD)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner in the Barrio de las Letras

   Free time: Free until the early-evening briefing

   Activity: Plan to land by mid-afternoon to join the briefing; later arrivals are met and briefed the next morning.

2. Day 2: Toledo, then an evening in Madrid

   Madrid to Toledo and back, then Sol and the Gran Vía

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Madrid
   Day 2 details

   Toledo is about an hour south of Madrid by road, on a rock almost wrapped by the Tagus, and we go early to beat the day-tour coaches. First the Mirador del Valle across the gorge, for the view El Greco painted. Then a local guide leads us through the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities lived side by side for centuries: the Cathedral with its carved choir and the Transparente, a baroque altar lit through a hole cut in the vault; the church of Santo Tomé for El Greco's Burial of the Count of Orgaz; and the white horseshoe arches of the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca. Lunch is a sit-down meal in the old town. Back in Madrid by mid-afternoon, rest, then join your guide for an evening walk from the Plaza Mayor through Puerta del Sol to the Gran Vía, past the domed Casa dos Portugueses.

   Included

   • The Mirador del Valle viewpoint
   • Toledo with a local guide: the Cathedral, Santo Tomé and the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca
   • Sit-down lunch in Toledo
   • Evening walk: Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol and the Gran Vía

   Optional experiences

   • The Royal Palace of Madrid in the late afternoon (entry on the day)

   Easier option: Toledo's public escalators climb from the river to the old town; we use them rather than the steep streets.

   Free time: Late afternoon free in Madrid

   Activity: Toledo is hilly and cobbled; about 5 km on foot, plus 2 km on the evening walk.

   

3. Day 3: The Prado, then the fast train to Seville

   Madrid: the Prado, then by high-speed train to Seville

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Seville
   Day 3 details

   We are at the Prado when it opens at 10, and an art guide takes us through it for about two hours, choosing the rooms that matter most: Velázquez's Las Meninas, the court portraits and dark late paintings of Goya, El Greco, and Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights. A vehicle has already taken the bags to Atocha station. After a quick lunch on your own we board a reserved high-speed train south, about two and a half hours across La Mancha and down through the Sierra Morena past Córdoba to Seville. We check in by late afternoon. In the early evening your guide walks you through the Santa Cruz quarter, the old Jewish quarter of whitewashed lanes, orange trees and tiled patios, to the riverside and the Torre del Oro, a 13th-century watchtower on the Guadalquivir. The rest of the evening is free for tapas.

   Included

   • The Prado at opening with an art guide
   • Reserved high-speed train from Madrid to Seville
   • Evening walk through Santa Cruz to the Torre del Oro

   Free time: Evening free in Seville

   Activity: About 2 hours standing in the Prado, with benches in most rooms.

4. Day 4: The Alcázar, the Cathedral and flamenco

   Seville: the Real Alcázar, the Cathedral, then Triana

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Seville
   Day 4 details

   We are at the gate of the Real Alcázar when it opens, while its courtyards are still cool and quiet. With a licensed local guide we walk through the Palace of King Peter, built in the 14th century by Moorish craftsmen for a Christian king, past the plasterwork of the Courtyard of the Maidens and out into gardens of orange trees, pools and tiled pavilions. Next door is the Cathedral, one of the largest Gothic churches anywhere, with the tomb of Columbus and the Giralda, the former minaret, which you climb by 35 ramps rather than stairs for the view over the rooftops. The Alcázar, the Cathedral and the Archive of the Indies are listed together by UNESCO. The middle of the day is free, when Seville rests. In the early evening we cross the Guadalquivir to Triana, the old potters' quarter, for its tile workshops, then a flamenco show.

   Included

   • Real Alcázar at opening with a licensed guide
   • Seville Cathedral and the climb up the Giralda
   • Evening walk in Triana: the market and the tile workshops
   • Flamenco show in the evening

   Optional experiences

   • Plaza de España and María Luisa Park in the free afternoon
   • The Hospital de los Venerables

   Easier option: Skip the Giralda climb and wait in the Patio de los Naranjos.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Seville

   Activity: About 7 km on foot, mostly flat; the Giralda is 35 gentle ramps and a short stair.

5. Day 5: Córdoba's Mezquita on the road to Granada

   Seville to Córdoba, then on to Granada

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Granada
   Day 5 details

   We leave Seville after breakfast and drive up the Guadalquivir valley to Córdoba, about 1 hour 45 minutes. A licensed guide takes us into the Mezquita-Catedral: begun as a mosque in 785 and enlarged over two centuries, it holds a forest of more than 800 columns joined by red and white striped arches, with a Renaissance cathedral built into its centre after 1236, and a gilded mihrab at the far wall. Afterwards we walk the Judería, the old Jewish quarter, past the small medieval synagogue and into lanes of whitewashed houses with flowered patios, and out onto the Roman bridge for the view back. Lunch is a long sit-down meal of Córdoba dishes such as salmorejo and flamenquín. In the afternoon we drive on through olive country to Granada, about 2 hours, arriving in the early evening with time to settle in. The driving is about 4 hours in all, 1 hour 45 and about 2 hours, split by five hours in Córdoba.

   Included

   • The Mezquita-Catedral with a licensed guide
   • Walk through the Judería, the synagogue and the Roman bridge
   • Sit-down lunch in Córdoba

   Easier option: After lunch, rest in a café in the Judería instead of walking to the bridge.

   Free time: Evening free in Granada

   Activity: About 4 hours of driving in total, split into 1 hour 45 and about 2 hours by about five hours in Córdoba; about 6 km on foot, flat. Covered shoulders are expected in the Mezquita.

6. Day 6: The Alhambra early, the Albaicín at sunset

   Granada: the Alhambra and the Generalife, then the Albaicín

   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Granada
   Day 6 details

   Today is why we buy the tickets in your name once your trip is confirmed and the Alhambra releases them. We go up to the Alhambra for an early timed entry to the Nasrid Palaces, the 13th- and 14th-century rooms of the last Muslim rulers of Spain, with a licensed guide: the Mexuar, the long pool of the Court of the Myrtles, the Court of the Lions and the honeycomb ceiling of the Hall of the Two Sisters. Then the Alcazaba fortress, the Renaissance Palace of Charles V and the terraced water gardens of the Generalife. The Alhambra, the Generalife and the Albaicín are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We are back in town by early afternoon, and the rest of the afternoon is free. Before sunset your guide leads a walk up through the Albaicín's steep lanes to the Mirador de San Nicolás, where the Alhambra turns red against the Sierra Nevada, then on to a few tapas bars for dinner.

   Included

   • The Alhambra with a licensed guide: the Nasrid Palaces on a timed entry, the Alcazaba, the Palace of Charles V and the Generalife
   • Guided walk through the Albaicín to the Mirador de San Nicolás at sunset
   • Tapas evening with your guide (dinner)

   Optional experiences

   • Granada Cathedral and the Royal Chapel, with the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella
   • An Arab-style bathhouse in the old town

   Easier option: Take the minibus up to the Alhambra and to San Nicolás instead of walking up.

   More active option: In the free afternoon, walk out to the Sacromonte caves and the abbey above them.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Granada

   Activity: About 3 hours on foot at the Alhambra on gravel paths, stairs and slopes, and an hour uphill in the Albaicín. Bring your passport: tickets are checked against it.

7. Day 7: Fly to Lisbon

   Granada to Málaga Airport by road, then by air to Lisbon

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Lisbon
   Day 7 details

   Granada and Lisbon are about 700 km apart by road with no through train, so rather than spend a whole day on a bus we drive to Málaga and fly. After breakfast we leave Granada and cross the mountains to Málaga Airport (AGP), about an hour and a half, then take a scheduled flight of about 1 hour 20 minutes to Lisbon. Portugal is an hour behind Spain, so the clock gives you back the hour. A driver meets the group at Lisbon's airport, which sits inside the city about 7 km from the centre, and we check in by mid-afternoon. In the late afternoon your guide walks you down through the Baixa, the grid of streets rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, to the riverside arcades of Praça do Comércio, and up to a miradouro in Chiado for the first view over the Tagus. The evening is free.

   Included

   • Transfer from Granada to Málaga Airport
   • Flight from Málaga to Lisbon, economy with one checked bag
   • Transfer from Lisbon Airport to the hotel
   • Orientation walk: the Baixa, Praça do Comércio and Chiado

   Free time: Evening free in Lisbon

   Activity: Flight times depend on the airline's schedule; we confirm them with your trip documents.

8. Day 8: Belém at opening, Alfama by evening

   Lisbon: Belém, then Alfama

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Lisbon
   Day 8 details

   We drive out along the Tagus to Belém and are at the Jerónimos Monastery when it opens, before the coach groups. With a local guide we walk the double-storey cloister, carved in the Manueline style with ropes, shells and sea creatures, and stand at the tomb of Vasco da Gama in the church. The monastery and the nearby Belém Tower, which we see from the riverbank, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Next door is the bakery that has sold pastéis de Belém since 1837, and we stop for a warm custard tart dusted with cinnamon. After a look at the Monument to the Discoveries we head back to the centre, and the afternoon is yours. In the early evening our vehicle drops the group at the top of Alfama, Lisbon's oldest quarter, and we walk down through stairways and laundry-hung lanes to a viewpoint over the river, then sit down to dinner with live fado.

   Included

   • Jerónimos Monastery at opening with a local guide
   • Pastéis de nata tasting in Belém
   • Belém Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries from the riverside
   • Evening walk down through Alfama to a viewpoint
   • Dinner with live fado in Alfama

   Optional experiences

   • São Jorge Castle in the free afternoon (entry on the day)
   • Tram 28 through Graça and Alfama
   • Browse Lisbon's wine shops for old ports in the free afternoon

   Easier option: Skip the Alfama walk: we meet you by taxi at the fado restaurant.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Lisbon

   Activity: Alfama is steep, with stairs and polished cobbles; we walk it downhill, and good shoes help.

   

9. Day 9: Sintra's palaces

   Lisbon to Sintra and back

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Lisbon
   Day 9 details

   Sintra fills with day-trippers by late morning, so we leave Lisbon early on a weekday and take the first timed entry at Pena Palace, the yellow and red 19th-century royal palace on a hilltop above the town. Inside are the rooms the last Portuguese kings used, and from the terraces you look over the Moorish Castle walls to the Atlantic on a clear day. The hills, palaces and gardens of Sintra are a UNESCO cultural landscape. A shuttle brings us down to the old village for a sit-down lunch, then we walk to Quinta da Regaleira, an early 20th-century estate of grottoes, towers and tunnels, where a spiral staircase called the Initiation Well winds nine levels down into the rock. We give Sintra the whole day rather than the rushed half-day other trips allow, and are back in Lisbon by late afternoon, with the evening free for a tasca in Bairro Alto.

   Included

   • Pena Palace on the first timed entry with your guide
   • Sit-down lunch in Sintra village
   • Quinta da Regaleira and the Initiation Well

   Easier option: Skip Quinta da Regaleira and spend the afternoon over coffee and travesseiros in Sintra village.

   More active option: Walk down from Pena through the park and past the Moorish Castle to the village, about 45 minutes on forest paths, instead of the shuttle.

   Free time: Evening free in Lisbon

   Activity: Pena and Regaleira both involve steep paths and steps; the Initiation Well is a narrow spiral stair.

10. Day 10: Train to Porto and the port lodges

    Lisbon to Porto by train, then Ribeira and Vila Nova de Gaia

    • Drive about 30 min
    • Breakfast
    • Stay in Porto
    Day 10 details

    The morning is free for a last coffee in a Lisbon pastelaria while a vehicle takes the bags to the station. Late in the morning we board a reserved Alfa Pendular train north, about three hours past Coimbra and along the coast to Porto's Campanhã station, and check in by mid-afternoon. Your guide then walks you through the old centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site: into São Bento station, whose hall is lined with blue and white tile panels of Portuguese history, down the steep lanes to the Ribeira waterfront, and across the lower deck of the iron Dom Luís I bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia. This is where port wine has aged for centuries in riverside lodges, and we tour one of the cellars, among oak casks and old vintages, and taste a white, a tawny and a ruby. The evening is free on the waterfront.

    Included

    • Reserved train from Lisbon to Porto
    • Walk through São Bento station, the Ribeira and across the Dom Luís I bridge
    • Port lodge cellar tour and tasting in Vila Nova de Gaia

    Easier option: Ride the Gaia cable car down to the river or take a taxi back up to the hotel instead of climbing.

    More active option: Walk back over the bridge's upper deck from the Serra do Pilar viewpoint at dusk.

    Free time: Morning free in Lisbon, evening free in Porto

    Activity: Porto is steep; the Ribeira is reached by stairs and lanes, about 4 km on foot.

    

11. Day 11: The Douro Valley

    Porto to Pinhão in the Douro Valley and back

    • Drive about 3.5 h
    • Breakfast and lunch
    • Stay in Porto
    Day 11 details

    We drive east up the Douro, about 1 hour 45 minutes, into the Alto Douro Wine Region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of terraced vineyards cut into steep schist slopes above the river. Port wine grapes have been grown here for centuries, and the region was one of the first in the world to have its boundaries fixed by law, in 1756. Our first stop is Pinhão, a riverside village whose small station is decorated with tile panels of the harvest. From there we take a boat out on the river for about an hour, the best way to see how the terraces climb the hillsides. Then we visit a family wine estate for a tour of its vineyard and cellar, a tasting, and a long lunch on the terrace. We drive back to Porto in the late afternoon, arriving in time for a free evening. Between mid-September and early October the harvest may be under way.

    Included

    • Pinhão and its tiled railway station
    • Boat trip on the Douro from Pinhão, about 1 hour
    • Wine estate visit with a tasting
    • Sit-down lunch at the wine estate

    Easier option: Stay on the estate terrace during the vineyard walk.

    More active option: Walk a short stretch of vineyard terrace with the estate's guide before lunch.

    Free time: Evening free in Porto

    Activity: About 3 hours 30 minutes of driving in total on winding valley roads; little walking unless you choose the vineyard walk.

12. Day 12: Porto's old town and the six bridges

    Porto: the Palácio da Bolsa, Clérigos and the river

    • By boat
    • Breakfast and dinner
    • Stay in Porto
    Day 12 details

    We start at the Palácio da Bolsa, the 19th-century stock exchange built by the city's merchants, for a guided tour that ends in the Arab Room, a ballroom in gilded Moorish-revival style. Next door is the church of São Francisco, its interior almost entirely covered in carved and gilded wood. Then we climb through the old town past the Cathedral terrace to the Clérigos Tower, the baroque bell tower that rises above the city, and on to the Bolhão market, reopened after restoration, to taste cheese, sardines and pastries at the stalls. Before lunch we board a boat at the Ribeira for a cruise of about 50 minutes under Porto's six bridges, from the Dom Luís I to the mouth of the river. The afternoon is free: the Serralves museum and gardens, the beach at Foz, or a last port. In the evening we gather for a farewell dinner, and your guide goes over flights and transfers for tomorrow.

    Included

    • Palácio da Bolsa guided tour
    • Church of São Francisco
    • Walk past the Cathedral to the Clérigos Tower and the Bolhão market, with tastings
    • Six-bridges river cruise, about 50 minutes
    • Farewell dinner in Porto

    Optional experiences

    • The Clérigos Tower climb
    • Livraria Lello bookshop (timed ticket)
    • The Serralves museum and gardens

    Easier option: Skip the climb to the Clérigos and meet the group at the Bolhão market by taxi.

    More active option: Climb the 240 steps of the Clérigos Tower for the view over the river.

    Free time: Afternoon free in Porto

    Activity: About 5 km on foot, with steep streets between the river and the upper town.

13. Day 13: Depart Porto

    Your hotel to Porto Airport (OPO)

    • Drive about 30 min
    • Breakfast
    Day 13 details

    The trip ends after breakfast. A driver takes you from the hotel to Porto's Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO), about 15 km and 30 minutes away, at a time set around your flight, so flights at any hour of the day work. Porto has direct flights to several European hubs and, in season, across the Atlantic. If you are flying out late, leave your bags at the hotel and spend the morning in the city: a walk along the river to the Atlantic at Foz, the Majestic café on Rua de Santa Catarina, or the gardens of the Crystal Palace for a last view over the Douro. If you want more time in Portugal, ask us about extra nights in Porto or a few days in the Minho or Coimbra, and we will quote for them. Your guide says goodbye at breakfast and checks that everyone's transfer and flight details are right before the group goes its separate ways.

    Included

    • Drop-off at Porto Airport (OPO)

    Free time: Free until your airport transfer

    Activity: Any flight time works; allow 2 hours at the airport for international flights.

Wildlife and weather: Spring and autumn are mild and the best time for walking cities; the Douro harvest runs from about mid-September to early October. In July and August Seville, Córdoba and Granada often pass 40 C, so we sightsee in the morning and rest at midday, while Lisbon and Porto stay milder. Winter is cool and showery with short days but quiet sites.

• Madrid2 nights
• Seville2 nights
• Granada2 nights
• Lisbon3 nights
• Porto3 nights