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DAY 1
Overnight flight
DAY 2
Arrival in Madrid
Welcome to Madrid! After clearing customs, you’ll meet your Full-time EFCB Tour Guide and the rest of your group. Did you know that Madrid is Europe’s highest city, at 2,100 feet?
Orientation tour of Madrid (EFCB Tour Guide)
Orientation tour of Madrid (EFCB Tour Guide)
Your tour guide will walk you around Madrid. Step back to the Spanish Golden Age, when painters Goya and Velazquez were among the best in the world. Along the way, feel the friendly vibe of Madrid's biggest draw: the local madrileños socializing in the cafes, flea markets, and tascas around town.
Prado Museum
Prado Museum
The world-class museum is home to famous works of art collected by the Spanish monarchy. Highlights include Las Meninas by Velázquez and Goya’s controversial pair The Clothed Maja and The Naked Maja.
DAY 3
Sightseeing tour of Madrid (local guide)
Sightseeing tour of Madrid (local guide)
A local guide will bring Madrid into focus. Pass through the Puerta del Sol, the geographical center of the city and a popular meeting point. Head into the Plaza Mayor, the Renaissance hub that witnessed everything from bullfights to weddings to public executions. Then it's on to the Plaza de Oriente, Madrid's largest square.
Royal Palace
Royal Palace
This extravagant palace was built by Bourbon King Phillip V and has more than 2,000 rooms. Check out the amazing marble staircase, the golden Throne Room and the priceless frescoes and chandeliers.
Free time in Madrid (afternoon)
Top 5 free time suggestions:
1. Bullfight – Witness the classic, if bloody, Spanish sporting tradition (not for the faint of heart).
2. Shopping on Gran Via – This popular shopping avenue is a prime place to buy clothes, shoes, jewelry, and handcrafted goods from all over Spain.
3. Parque del Buen Retiro – Musicians, vendors, and families fill this beautiful park; rent a rowboat or have an ice cream under a tree.
4. Museo Thyssen–Bornemisza – Check out one of the largest private art collections in the world.
5. Alcalá de Henares – Take a half-hour train ride to this scenic university town, birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes.
For more ideas and details, see our Madrid city guide.
Welcome dinner
Enjoy some group bonding time at tonight’s included dinner.
DAY 4
Transfer via Cordoba
Transfer via Cordoba
Drive south and stop in historic Cordoba. The former Moorish capital was once known as one of Europe’s cultural centers. You'll visit the 8th-century Mezquita, held up by 850 candy cane columns.
Arrival in Seville
Continue on down to Seville. Did you know that Seville's Plaza de España was used as a location for Star Wars: Attack of the Clones?
Optional Flamenco Evening (extra cost)
Optional Flamenco Evening ($55 pre-booked)
Opt for a quintessential Spanish experience. The Flamenco is a unique emotional art form combining guitar playing, singing, chanting, dancing, and hand clapping. Enjoy a drink, and feel the Spanish rhythms.
DAY 5
Sightseeing tour of Seville (local guide)
Sightseeing tour of Seville (local guide)
See all that Seville has to offer with a local guide. Pass some impressive sights, including the Old Tobacco Factory—setting for the opera Carmen—and the Plaza de Toros, one of Spain's most well-known bullrings. Visit the Moorish Alcazar, which was built for Pedro the Cruel in the 14th century. Also go inside the Seville Cathedral. See Columbus's grave in this spectacular Gothic church, the third largest in the world. Climb the Giralda Tower for spectacular city views.
Transfer to the Costa del Sol
Transfer to the Costa del Sol
Continue on to the glorious Sun Coast. Did you know that golf enthusiasts call it the Costa del Golf?
DAY 6
Optional excursion to Morocco (extra cost)
Optional excursion to Morocco ($135 pre-booked)
Join a full-day optional trip across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco. Immerse yourself in a land of mosques, camels, snake charmers, and bustling markets. Travel to Tetouan, a North African town with Moorish influence, and enjoy a guided tour of the Medina.
Free time on Costa del Sol (nighttime)
Top 5 nightlife suggestions:
1. 24 Hour Square – Located on the way down to the port in Benalmádena, this is where you'll find the most clubs in town.
2. El Granaino – Enjoy the typical Granada custom of a free tapa with each drink at this Fuengirola bar.
3. Fun Beach – With seven floors of dancing, this is the largest club in Europe.
4. La Cubana – Salsa dancing and mojitos are the name of the game at this hip spot.
5. Da Pino – Treat yourself to a special Italian dinner at this upscale pizzeria in Marbella.
DAY 7
Transfer to Granada
Transfer to Granada
Continue on to Granada. Did you know that the symbol of Granada is the pomegranate?
Sightseeing tour of Granada (local guide)
Sightseeing tour of Granada (local guide)
A local guide will introduce you to Granada. Feel the Moorish atmosphere as you walk the historic streets. Visit the famous Alhambra, one of Europe's most impressive palaces. Over the centuries, the Alhambra has been inhabited by many princes and their harems.
DAY 8
Transfer to Valencia
Transfer to Valencia
Continue past local orange and vegetable groves to the Valencia region, appropriately nicknamed Huerta de España (Spain’s Orchard). Did you know the two official languages of Valencia are Spanish and Catalan?
DAY 9
Sightseeing tour of Valencia (EFCB Tour Guide)
Sightseeing tour of Valencia (EFCB Tour Guide)
Your tour guide will show you around this vibrant city. Valencia is known for its broad boulevards and lively fiestas, and legend says the town’s cathedral was the home of the Holy Grail in the 15th century.
Aquarium
Aquarium
At the sprawling City of Arts and Sciences complex on the city outskirts, the "L'Oceanografic" aquarium boasts 20 acres of underwater worlds to explore.
Transfer to Barcelona
Transfer to Barcelona
Continue on to Barcelona, one of Europe’s hottest international cities. Did you know that Barcelona is the capital of Spain’s Catalonia region?
DAY 10
Sightseeing tour of Barcelona (local guide)
Sightseeing tour of Barcelona (local guide)
A local guide will introduce you to Barcelona. Catch a glimpse of the controversial unfinished Sagrada Familia, a Gaudí masterpiece of twisted spires and colorful mosaics. Then take in the panoramic harbor views from atop Montjuïc, where many of the 1992 Olympic events took place.
Parque Guell
Parque Guell
Designed by Gaudí, this is the most surreal public park you'll ever walk through; plus, it’s got some eye-popping views. Visit the Room of a Hundred Columns, a covered market with 84 pillars, and see the Casa-Museu, where Gaudí lived from 1906 to 1926.
Walking tour of Barcelona
Walking tour of Barcelona
Your tour guide will lead you around town. Walk down the always exciting Las Ramblas, Barcelona's center of shopping, eating, and merry-making. English writer W. Somerset Maugham called this tree-lined boulevard “the most beautiful street in the world.”
Free time in Barcelona (afternoon)
Top 5 free time suggestions:
1. Museu d’Historia de la Ciutat – Take an elevator down to see the excavated Roman ruins of Barcelona.
2. Tibidabo – Ride a funicular to the top of the city and take in the beautiful views; in the summer there's an amusement park up here open late into the night.
3. Shopping on Las Ramblas – This is the best place to seek out souvenirs and the hottest fashions.
4. Villa Olimpica – Walk along the waterfront and admire the area where the athletes were housed during the 1992 Olympics.
5. Parc de la Ciutadella – Enjoy this beautiful open green space, which includes a waterfall and a zoo known for its albino gorilla.
For more ideas and details, see our Barcelona city guide.
Farewell drink
Share some last laughs (and maybe shed a few tears) over a farewell drink with the group.
DAY 11
Flight home
Don't want to go home?
Plan beforehand, and you can change your return ticket and explore more of Barcelona on your own, or visit another city and fly home from there. To request special travel, fill out this form.