Amazing Spain & Portugal
9 Days Starting and ending in Madrid, Spain
Visiting: Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Seville, Évora, Lisbon, Fátima, Salamanca, Ávila
Tour operator:
Tour code:
SE300ZM20
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Tour Overview
Alhambra Palace, flamenco and a tart made from a 200-year-old secret recipe - embrace the old-world cultures of Spain and Portugal.
Choice Highlights
- Choose between two carefully selected activities
- Seville: Stroll through Barrio de Santa Cruz with a Local Expert and learn about its history.
- Seville: See the city's top sights on a panoramic tour with your Local Expert.
Top Rated Highlights
- Toledo: Explore this magnificent ancient city with your Local Expert and visit the Church of Santo Tomé to see an El Greco masterpiece.
- Granada: Explore 'The City of the Pomegranate' with a Local Expert. During sightseeing you'll see the icons dedicated to this fruit throughout the city.
- Seville: Admire the cathedral's immense golden altarpiece and see the Tomb of Columbus held aloft by four kings.
- Évora: Stroll through charming cobblestone streets flanked by whitewashed facades and marvel at the haunting Chapel of Bones.
- Lisbon: Explore the Belém Quarter with your Local Expert.
- Fátima: Join the faithful at one of the world's holiest sites and pay homage at the Chapel of the Apparitions and see the basilica.
- 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.
Make Travel Matter
Seville: Visit the Cristina Heeren Foundation to learn flamenco steps and watch an evocative performance. This experience advances United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 11: Quality Education, and Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Authentic Dining
Madrid: Indulge in delicious food and wine at a characteristic restaurant of the city's vibrant centre.
Lisbon: Delight in a taste of the famous Portuguese custard tart, Pastéis de Belém, made in a 19th-century bakery.
Madrid: Toast to your travels and enjoy local specialties in one of the city's elegant central neighbourhoods.
Insight Choice
Seville: Panoramic City Tour Drive with Local Expert or Old Jewish Quarter Walking Tour with Local Expert
Seville: Stroll through Barrio de Santa Cruz with a Local Expert and learn about its history.
Seville: See the city's top sights on a panoramic tour with your Local Expert.
Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to Madrid
Location: Madrid
Accommodation: Barceló Emperatriz, Madrid.
Accommodation Name: Riu Plaza España, Madrid
Meals Included: Dinner
While in Madrid, explore the elegant boulevards, expansive parks and varied architectural styles. Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 2: The old capital of Toledo and on to Granada
Location: Toledo, Granada
Accommodation: Vincci Albayzín, Granada.
Accommodation Name: Vincci Albayzín, Granada
Meals Included: Dinner
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.
Day 3: The Alhambra Palace and Seville, City of Carmen
Location: Granada, Seville
Accommodation: Meliá Sevilla, Seville.
Accommodation Name: Meliá Sevilla
Meals Included: Breakfast
'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 with your Local Expert before visiting the exotic water gardens of the Generalife, the summer residence of the Spanish royals. Take a moment to relax in the sunshine as you enjoy the fine views over the town and its three verdant hills before continuing on to Seville. Visit the Seville Cathedral, the burial place of Christopher Columbus. Explore the city with Insight Choice. Choose to embark on a walk through the old Jewish quarter. Alternatively, enjoy a drive with panoramic views.
Day 4: Free Time and Flamenco in Seville Relaxed Start
Location: Seville
Accommodation: Meliá Sevilla, Seville.
Accommodation Name: Meliá Sevilla
Meals Included: Breakfast
This day is yours to completely relax or continue exploring this fascinating city. Perhaps join an Optional Experience to Córdoba and visit the magnificent Mezquita, an 8th-century mosque with a Christian cathedral built inside it? Later, visit the Cristina Heeren Foundation, a private flamenco dance school and beneficiary of a TreadRight Foundation grant, for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Put your rhythm to the test during a dance lesson, before witnessing emotions come to life in a flamenco performance.
Day 5: Évora and on to Lisbon Relaxed Start
Location: Évora, Lisbon
Accommodation: Turim Saldanha Hotel, Lisbon.
Accommodation Name: Turim Saldanha
Meals Included: Breakfast
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 5000 bones, before making your way to Lisbon.
Day 6: Lisbon and the Age of the Discoveries
Location: Lisbon
Accommodation: Turim Saldanha Hotel, Lisbon.
Accommodation Name: Turim Saldanha
Meals Included: Breakfast
During your stay, a guided orientation 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.
Day 7: Holy Fátima and Salamanca
Location: Fátima, Salamanca
Accommodation: Hotel Alameda Palace, Salamanca.
Accommodation Name: Alameda Palace, Salamanca
Meals Included: Breakfast
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.
Day 8: Ávila and Madrid
Location: Ávila, Madrid
Accommodation: Barceló Emperatriz, Madrid.
Accommodation Name: Canopy by Hilton Madrid Castellana
Meals Included: Dinner
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.
Day 9: Depart Madrid
Location: Madrid
Meals Included: Breakfast
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.
What's Included
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Choice Highlights
Choose between two carefully selected activities in Seville, including a stroll through Barrio de Santa Cruz with a Local Expert and a panoramic tour of the city's top sights.
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Top Rated Highlights
Explore Toledo with a Local Expert, visit the Church of Santo Tomé, and see an El Greco masterpiece. Visit the Seville Cathedral and the Tomb of Columbus, and explore the ancient city of Évora.
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Make Travel Matter
Visit the Cristina Heeren Foundation in Seville, meet the students, learn flamenco steps, and enjoy a performance.
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Authentic Dining
Enjoy a Welcome Dinner in Madrid, taste Pastéis de Belém in Lisbon, and toast to your travels with local specialties.
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Dining Summary
Includes 1 Dinner, 8 Breakfasts, and 2 Dinners with Wine.
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Additional Included Highlights
Personal radio headsets, hotel and restaurant tips, taxes, porterage charges, and complimentary Wi-Fi are included.
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Insight Experiences
Meet a master artisan in Toledo and visit the Alhambra Palace and Generalife Gardens in Granada with a Local Expert.
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Well-being
Travel in a luxurious, air-conditioned coach with double the standard legroom, onboard washroom, and hand sanitizer available.
What's Not Included
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Optional Experiences
Optional experiences such as a visit to Córdoba and the Portuguese Riviera are not included.
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Transfers Outside Scheduled Times
Transfers are only available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, you may need to purchase transfers or make your own arrangements.
Dining Summary
- 3 Dinner (D)
- 8 Breakfast (B)
Additional Included Highlights
- Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
- Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
- 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 an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
- Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
- If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Insight Experiences
- Toledo: At a Damascene workshop, meet a master artisan for a personal insight into the ancient craft of sword-making.
- Granada: Visit the famous Alhambra Palace and Generalife Gardens.
Well-being
- Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
- Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
Mode of Transport
Travel in style aboard a luxurious, air-conditioned 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom, ensuring comfort and safety with onboard washroom facilities and complimentary Wi-Fi.
Accommodation
Stay in comfort at the Riu Plaza España in Madrid, Vincci Albayzín in Granada, Meliá Sevilla in Seville, Turim Saldanha in Lisbon, and Alameda Palace in Salamanca, offering a blend of modern amenities and local charm.
Summary
- Visit Capela dos Ossos in Evora • National Coach Museum • Fátima Basilica.
- City tours of Madrid, Toledo, Seville and Lisbon, all with Local Experts.
- Welcome Dinner and Celebration Dinner in Madrid • Taste Pastéis de Belém in Lisbon.
Check out our Q&As
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What unique cultural experience is included in Seville?
In Seville, you will visit the Cristina Heeren Foundation, where you can learn some basic flamenco steps and watch a passionate flamenco performance. This experience supports the conservation of flamenco and helps young enthusiasts from the Andalusian region.
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What can I expect to see in Toledo?
In Toledo, you will explore the ancient city with a Local Expert, visit the Church of Santo Tomé to see an El Greco masterpiece, and meet a local artisan in a Damascene workshop to learn about this ancient craft.
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What is special about the Alhambra Palace visit?
The visit to the Alhambra Palace includes exploring its arabesque gardens, fountains, and intricate stonework with a Local Expert, as well as visiting the exotic water gardens of the Generalife, the summer residence of the Spanish royals.
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What historical site will we visit in Évora?
In Évora, you will visit the Capela dos Ossos, a chapel decorated with human bones, which is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Portugal.
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What is included in the Lisbon tour?
In Lisbon, you will explore the city with a Local Expert, visit the Belém Quarter, taste the famous Pastéis de Belém, and see the Monument to the Discoveries and the historic Belém Tower.
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What religious site will we visit in Fátima?
In Fátima, you will visit the chapel commemorating the appearance of the Virgin Mary to three children in 1917, which is one of the most celebrated pilgrimage sites in Portugal.
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What can I expect during the visit to Salamanca?
In Salamanca, you will see the golden stone buildings and the arcades of Plaza Mayor, and learn about the unique traditions of this historic university city.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
We regret that no refunds can be made for absences from a tour, including experiences such as missed meals or sightseeing.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Since 1978.
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Insight Vacations is a founding member of the TreadRight Foundation, a joint initiative created by the brands within The Travel Corporation (TTC) almost 15 years ago to ensure our impact through tourism is positive. Our ethos to #MakeTravelMatter guides our decision-making at every level of our business.
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
You have two options as a solo traveller. Either choose to be matched with a same sex partner for a room share - at no extra cost. Or choose a room of your own with a reduced or even free private room upgrade on select tours.
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What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest COVID-19 policies
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Saturday - Sunday
Mar 29, 2025 - Apr 06, 2025Book with Confidence
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Low Deposit
Insight Vacations requires a minimum deposit of 350 USD per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 90 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of insight vacations charges.
Up to 91 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 90 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.
At 29 days before tour starts: Forfeit 80% of booking price.
At 1 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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Terms and Conditions