Grand Tour of Spain: Barcelona to Madrid via Andalusia

Today you explore the extraordinary architecture of Antoni Gaudi with your guide. With reserved skip-the-line tickets, you step inside the Sagrada Familia, where soaring columns branch like a stone forest and stained glass floods the vast interior with shifting blue and amber light, a breathtaking sight. You continue to Park Guell, wandering its mosaic terraces, undulating serpentine bench and fairytale gatehouses, with sweeping views to the sea, and admire the rippling facades of Casa Batllo and La Pedrera along the Passeig de Gracia. The imagination and beauty of Gaudi's Barcelona are astonishing. As the day ends, you return to your hotel. This evening, enjoy Catalan cuisine and the buzz of the city, perhaps with tapas and cava. Rest well, ready to explore the old town and Montserrat tomorrow.

Today you discover the historic heart of Barcelona and the dramatic mountains beyond. In the morning you lose yourself in the Barri Gotic, the medieval Gothic Quarter, a labyrinth of stone lanes, hidden squares and the great Gothic cathedral, and stroll Las Ramblas and the Boqueria market. In the afternoon you journey into the mountains to the monastery of Montserrat, perched dramatically among extraordinary rounded rock pinnacles, a place of great beauty and pilgrimage, home to the revered Black Madonna and sweeping views over Catalonia. The history, spirituality and scenery are captivating. As the day ends, you return to Barcelona. This evening is yours to savour the city. Rest well, for tomorrow you travel south down the coast to Valencia.

This morning you board a high-speed train down the Mediterranean coast to Valencia, Spain's sunny third city and the birthplace of paella, arriving in around three hours. On arrival you are met and transferred to your hotel, then explore the city with your guide. You wander the beautiful old town, taking in the cathedral, the Gothic silk exchange and the vast Central Market piled with local produce, and marvel at the astonishing City of Arts and Sciences, a complex of futuristic white buildings rising like something from another world. You enjoy an authentic paella lunch in the city where it was invented. The flavour, beauty and modernity are captivating. As the day ends, you settle into Valencia. This evening, savour the relaxed Mediterranean atmosphere. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey into the heart of Andalusia and Granada.

Today you journey to Granada, cradled beneath the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, the last stronghold of Moorish Spain, travelling by a combination of scenic transfer and high-speed rail through the changing Spanish landscape. On arrival you are transferred to your hotel in the historic old town. This afternoon you begin to explore, wandering the atmospheric streets, browsing the Alcaiceria silk market and savouring Granada's famous free tapas, which still come with every drink. As evening falls you may climb into the Albaicin for a first glimpse of the floodlit Alhambra against the mountains. The atmosphere and beauty are captivating. As the day ends, you settle into Granada, the anticipation of the Alhambra building. This evening, savour Andalusian cuisine. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore the incomparable Alhambra.

Today you explore the incomparable Alhambra, one of the most beautiful buildings ever made. With reserved tickets and your guide you wander the Nasrid Palaces, where filigree stucco, honeycomb ceilings, reflecting pools and delicate arches create an atmosphere of impossible refinement, and the paradisal gardens of the Generalife, with fountains, cypresses and roses framing views of the city. In the afternoon you explore the atmospheric Albaicin, the old Moorish quarter of whitewashed houses and hidden carmenes, climbing to the Mirador de San Nicolas for the sublime view of the Alhambra against the Sierra Nevada. The beauty is breathtaking. As the day ends, you savour more of Granada's free tapas. This evening is yours to enjoy the city. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey to Cordoba and its great Mezquita.

Today you journey to Cordoba, once the greatest city in Europe and capital of a brilliant Moorish caliphate, where you are transferred to your hotel in the old town. With your guide you step into the Mezquita, one of the most extraordinary buildings in the world, standing amid its mesmerising forest of over eight hundred columns and double red-and-white horseshoe arches, at the heart of which a Christian cathedral was later raised, a breathtaking fusion of cultures. You wander the flower-filled lanes and whitewashed patios of the old Jewish quarter, the Juderia, and cross the Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir. The beauty and history are astonishing. As the day ends, you settle into the atmospheric old town. This evening, savour Cordoban cuisine such as salmorejo. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey to romantic Seville.

Today you journey to Seville, the sun-drenched and intensely romantic capital of Andalusia, a short high-speed train or scenic transfer away, where you are transferred to your hotel in the heart of the old town. Seville is a place of orange-scented plazas, Moorish palaces, tiled courtyards and passionate flamenco. This afternoon you begin to explore with your guide, wandering the whitewashed lanes and hidden patios of the Santa Cruz quarter, taking in the great cathedral and the Giralda rising above the rooftops, and the elegant riverside. The warmth and romance of Seville are seductive. As the day ends, you settle into the city. This evening, savour Andalusian tapas in a lively bar. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore Seville's great monuments and feel the fire of flamenco.

Today you explore the glorious monuments of Seville. You visit its immense Gothic cathedral, the largest in the world, home to the tomb of Christopher Columbus, and climb the Giralda for sweeping views. You wander the exquisite Real Alcazar, a royal palace of intricate Moorish and Mudejar craftsmanship, with dreamlike tiled halls and lush gardens of fountains and orange trees, and admire the tiled splendour of the vast Plaza de Espana. You lose yourself again in the enchanting Santa Cruz quarter. The beauty and romance are intoxicating. As the day ends, you gather for a special evening, feeling the raw passion of live flamenco over an Andalusian dinner in an intimate tablao. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey north to the grand capital, Madrid.

This morning you board a high-speed AVE train north from Seville to Madrid, gliding across the plains of central Spain to the grand capital in around two and a half hours. On arrival you are met and transferred to your hotel in the heart of the city, then begin to explore with your guide. Madrid is Spain's elegant capital, a city of world-class art, regal architecture and irresistible energy. You take in the arcaded Plaza Mayor, the historic Puerta del Sol and the San Miguel market. The grandeur and energy are captivating. As the day ends, you settle into the capital. This evening, plunge into Madrid's legendary tapas scene, hopping from bar to bar through lively La Latina. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore the great treasures of Madrid.

Today you explore the grand treasures of Madrid with your guide. You spend time in the Prado, one of the greatest art museums on earth, admiring masterpieces by Velazquez, Goya, El Greco and Bosch, from Las Meninas to the haunting Black Paintings. You stroll the leafy Retiro park, the green heart of the city, and tour the vast Royal Palace, the largest in Western Europe, with its opulent throne room, frescoed ceilings and armoury. You may add the Reina Sofia to see Picasso's Guernica. The art and grandeur of Madrid are captivating. As the day ends, you return to your hotel. This evening is yours to enjoy the capital's tapas and nightlife. Rest well, for tomorrow you take excursions to imperial Toledo and fairytale Segovia.

Today you take excursions to two of Castile's most magnificent cities. You visit imperial Toledo, the spectacular City of Three Cultures set on a hill above the Tagus, exploring its soaring Gothic cathedral, its synagogues and mosque and the masterpieces of El Greco, and taking in the breathtaking panorama of the golden city. You also journey to fairytale Segovia, marvelling at its astonishing Roman aqueduct, one of the best preserved in the world, its soaring Gothic cathedral, and the storybook Alcazar castle, said to have inspired Disney. The history and beauty are magnificent. As the day ends, you return to Madrid, your grand tour of Spain complete. This evening, savour a farewell dinner celebrating your epic journey. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow.

After a final morning in Madrid, perhaps a last stroll through the Retiro, some shopping on the Gran Via, or a coffee and churros, you are transferred to Madrid airport for your onward departure. You leave having experienced the full breadth of magnificent Spain, Gaudi's Barcelona and Montserrat, Valencia and the coast, the Alhambra of Granada, Cordoba's Mezquita and the palaces and flamenco of Seville, and the art of Madrid with imperial Toledo and fairytale Segovia. The images stay vivid long after you land, the towers of the Sagrada Familia, the forest of arches in the Mezquita, the floodlit Alhambra, the Giralda above Seville, and the Roman aqueduct of Segovia. Spain has embraced you with beauty, art, history and passion from Catalonia to Andalusia to Castile, and you depart already dreaming of a return to this most captivating and complete of countries.