Spanish Experience - End in Barcelona

It won't take long for you to fall in love with Madrid. This beautiful capital was revived by King Charles III several centuries ago and the city is still as graceful as ever. Arriving today, check in to your hotel and get settled in before meeting up with your Travel Director and fellow travelers for a look at what’s to come on your Spain value tour. Venture out into the streets at sunset and watch this football-mad city really come to life. You might like to join us for an optional walking tour around the city sights with the opportunity to get your first taste of tapas at a local restaurant. You'll quickly find out why the city's lively nightlife keeps the locals up until all hours of the night.

Gear up for a busy morning of sightseeing when you visit Madrid. Your Local Specialist will reveal all the secrets behind some of the city's most famous sights, kicking things off by heading up the Gran Vía through the heart of Madrid. See the Cibeles Fountain, the Royal Palace and the Paseo de la Castellana. This afternoon, you'll have some free time to spend as you like. History lovers will likely want to join an Optional Experience to the UNESCO-listed city of Segovia, with its Roman aqueduct and fairy-tale Alcázar, like something out of a storybook. Once you return to Madrid, you'll have another chance to discover the buzzing nightlife, which can be found spilling out into open-air cafes and pulsing plazas.

• Madrid City Tour

You'll watch history come to life when you visit the hilltop town of Toledo today, with its ancient city walls and long legacy of traditional sword-making. Take a sightseeing tour with your Local Specialist by your side, as every street reveals yet another stunning sight, including views of the cathedral and plazas. You'll also visit a steel workshop to discover the tradition of sword-making, which dates back to Roman times. Seville is your final destination today, where you'll stay for the next two nights.

• Toledo City Tour
• Discover the forging of quality steel in Toledo

The sizzling city of Seville is filled with the Spanish zest for life you'll come to know and love. It's a place of beautiful monuments, fine weather and it's also the home of the flamenco - no wonder it has been the royal family's (and thousands of travelers') favorite holiday retreat for centuries. Join your Local Specialist today to uncover some of the city's most famous sites, including Maria Luisa Park, built in 1929 for the Ibero-American exposition. Spend some time getting lost on purpose in the maze of lanes in Seville's Old Quarter or opt to join a tour to the grand 14th-century Moorish Alcázar. You'll have the whole evening free to explore your way, but you can't visit Seville and not witness a fiery flamenco show - join an Optional Experience to see the best flamenco in town.

• Seville City Tour

We'll begin our journey from kings to emirs as we travel from Seville to Granada this morning. A visit to this city will take you back in time to when the Moors ruled the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, their last fortress before being exiled to North Africa. You can still see their Arab influences in the Moorish architecture and tetería tea houses and we'll show you where to look this afternoon before you head out into the cobbled streets to explore your way. Alternatively, consider joining an Optional Experience tour of the Albaicín Quarter, the city's oldest neighborhood, known as the Arab Quarter. You'll discover its Moorish history and see the fortified citadel of the Alhambra on the hilltop overlooking Granada. If you're looking for the perfect way to end the day, why not head out to a lively gypsy performance?

Head into the hills of Guadix this morning, where white chimneys poking out of the earth hint at a whole other world below. These cave dwellings have been home to generations of locals, and you’ll have time to snap a few photos before continuing to Valencia, or ‘Bah-len-thee-a’ if you want to sound like you know what you’re doing. On your orientation tour, your Travel Director introduces the city’s greatest hits, from Estación del Norte and the Serrano and Quart Towers to Mercado de Colón and the striking City of Arts and Sciences. Later, make dinner count on an Optional Experience paella cooking class, then sit down to enjoy the results.

• Valencia Orientation

Today, you head to the stunning seaside town of Peñíscola, nicknamed ‘The City in the Sea.’ See its towering Templar castle—once a Spanish Pope’s palace and a Hollywood feature in the movie El Cid. Then, cruise along the gorgeous Costa Dorada to Barcelona. This afternoon, join your Local Specialist to uncover the best of Barcelona. Snap a pic of La Sagrada Família's jaw-dropping exterior details and drive along the stylish Passeig de Gràcia. When night falls, the fun keeps going—you can choose to join an Optional Experience taking in the city lights on a drive to Montjuïc, with time for dinner at a seaside restaurant.

• See the Peñíscola Castle
• Barcelona City Tour

It’s your last full day in Spain — time to soak up all that Barcelona has to offer. You can opt to join a morning Optional Experience visit to Montserrat to see the famous Black Madonna. Tonight, share a final dinner and toast to the unforgettable moments of your Spanish adventure. ¡Salud!

So long Spain! Your grand adventure through Spain's great cities and diverse landscapes may have come to an end, but you’ll keep its fiery passion burning long after your departure. It’s time to bid your compañeros a fond farewell.