Mediterranean & Andalusian Spain

Barcelona

Tag 1: Welcome to Spain!

Your local host will be waiting for you at Barcelona airport to take you to your hotel in the city center and explain the details of the trip you are about to start. After leaving your bags at the hotel, you will have free time to wander through the streets of Barcelona, taking the time to locate yourself and feel the vibrations of the city. In the evening, you will enjoy a traditional dinner in a local winery: Bodega Saltó.

Barcelona

Tag 2: Discovering the old town of Barcelona

After breakfast, you will embark on a unique guided tour of the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. You will have free time after the guided tour to visit some of the most famous Gaudi constructions, such as Sagrada Familia Cathedral or Park Güell (tickets included). Dinner tonight will be served at a fish restaurant in the popular neighborhood of Barceloneta. This restaurant serves dishes that are cooked using products fished sustainably in the Port of Barcelona.

Penedes - Montserrat - Barcelona

Tag 3: Driving into the countryside

After breakfast, our private transfer will take us to the ecological cava producer winery, located in the Penedés region. We will visit the vineyards and the winery, learning about their special production and enjoying their sparkling wines perfectly matched with local food for lunch. In the afternoon, our driver will take us to the magic mountain of Montserrat, where its symbolic monastery is placed. In addition to enjoying its impressive landscape, you could visit the monastery abbey by your own, as the entrance is free of charge. At sunset, you will return to Barcelona. Dinner is not included today but we will give you some recommendations.

Delta Del Ebro Natural Park

Tag 4: Enjoying the rough coast

After breakfast, you will depart by train to the special region of Ebro River’s estuary, Delta del Ebro Natural Park. In the village of L’Ampolla, our private driver will be waiting for us to take us to our accommodation, a traditional cabin or “barraca”. After leaving our luggage in the barraca, you will have free time to wander around the natural park to enjoy its landscapes and enjoy its flora and fauna.

For lunch, you have the chance (optional) to visit a restaurant specialized in traditional rice dishes from the Delta. In the afternoon, with some free time in Deltebre, you will visit a traditional rice farmer (El Moli de Rafalet) and his Rice Museum, ticket included. Dinner today is on your own with our suggestions

Delta Del Ebro Natural Park

Tag 5: Ecocultural safari through Delta del Ebro

After breakfast, with our local guide Polet, you will enjoy an authentic ethnographic experience about the traditional life and the rice production in the Delta. This eco-cultural safari will lead you to better know the different ecosystems of Delta del Ebro Natural Park, as well as the rice harvest customs and the knowledge of the locals. These are the activities you will enjoy during this experience: a vehicle ride to appreciate the different ecosystems and the ecological and ornithological importance of the Natural Park, plus, workshops about traditional rice harvest art to get to know their harvest methods better before the existence of current industry and chemical products.

You have the afternoon free to enjoy the deserted beaches of the natural park.

Benicassin

Tag 6: From natural park to beautiful beaches

Today our private transfer will take us back to L’Ampolla to take the train to Benicassin. You will have time for a hearty breakfast in the morning before departure. 

After reaching our accommodation, you will have free time to enjoy the beaches of this friendly Mediterranean coastal town.

Maestrazgo Region - Benicassin

Tag 7: Learning about oil production, the liquid gold

Our local guide will pick us up to enjoy the beautiful region of Maestrazgo and to visit the Traiguera Royal Sanctuary. Maestrazgo region is famous as one with the highest density of olive trees that are older than 2.000 years. Our local expert will guide us through a tour where we will learn about their culture and their impressive landscapes, as well as take some time to hug, feel and listen to the heartbeat of these millenary trees. In Santa Isabel Chapel we will enjoy our particularly indigenous lunch and we will discover la Sénia de Marimon, a huge and ancient waterwheel. Before lunch, we will have an oil degustation by different olive oil producers, to appreciate the taste of the so-called “Oro Liquido” (Liquid Gold). In the afternoon, you are free to enjoy Benicassin on your own. The sea and the sun might be calling you to relax on the beautiful coast.

Valencia

Tag 8: Sightseeing tour in Valencia

You will enjoy a good breakfast and fill up for your next leg of the trip. Today you will take the train again from Benicassin to reach Valencia. After leaving our luggage in the accommodation, you will have a free day to enjoy Valencia and all its cultural and historical heritage on your own.

Albufera Natural Park - Valencia

Tag 9: Walking in Albufera Natural Park and Valencia's famous Paella

The Albufera Natural Park with shores, sand dunes, forest, rice fields and lakes is your destination for the day.

This Mediterranean ecosystem concentrates astonishing biodiversity, it is a very special environment to discover! Birds who fly across thousands of miles to breed in these lands, fish you could only find here, insects adapted to live in extreme conditions, centenary trees with vines and bushes covering everything. Did you know that in this Natural Park you could find carnivorous mammals, a mix between cats and dogs, which are descendants of the pets of the ancient Arab settlers?

To round up your experience, you have the option to enjoy an authentic Valencian Paella in a barraca located in the Albufera Natural Park.

Córdoba

Tag 10: Visiting World Heritage City Córdoba

Unfortunately, it is time to leave Valencia. After breakfast, you will depart by high-speed train to Córdoba. Your driver will pick you up at the train station to drive you to the accommodation in the historic center of Córdoba, another World Heritage Spanish city. The ancient capital of Muslim Spain is the head of a territory located in the center of the Andalusian geography. Guadalquivir River, which resides in the middle course, crosses Cordoba province from east to west and fertilizes a large meadow where bear fruit the cereal plant, the grapevine, and olive tree. You have the afternoon to wander through the city streets and take in its beautiful spots.

A traditional dinner in a winery - Bodegas Mezquita - awaits you to round up the day.

Córdoba

Tag 11: A guided tour through lively Córdoba

For breakfast, you might try the Andalusian way today! Once sated, you will embark on a guided tour of the city, especially its Jewish quarter, its famous Mosque Cathedral, and its well-known “Patios Cordobeses” (Cordoban courtyards). On this private tour, you will have the chance to visit a living temple which has witnessed numerous historical events. You will understand its different constructive stages, from its ancient Visigoth basilica to the primitive mosque erected by Emir Abd al-Rahman I and its successive extensions. Afterward, we will stop at the famous Calleja de las Flores and its incomparable perspective of the Mosque-Cathedral bell tower. Finally, we will visit the ancient Jewish quarter, where we will see the Municipal Bazaar, the monument to Maimonides, and the Synagogue. After the tour, you will have free time to hang out along the river banks.

Granada

Tag 12: Being enchanted by the Alhambra

You will travel by high-speed train to Granada. From the station, you will get to your accommodation in the magical quarter of Albaycin on our own. Later on, you will have the chance to visit the Alhambra and Generalife with your guide. The Alhambra is a monumental complex based in ancient palaces, gardens, a convent, a church, and a fortress. It was initially conceived to accommodate the emir and the Nasrid Kingdom court and converted into the Royal Castilian residence at a later stage. Its singularity consists in the inside of the Nasrid palaces, whose decoration is placed on the top of the Andalusian art and whose adaptation generates a new landscape that fits perfectly in the preexisting nature where the Alhambra was built.

At sunset, we will enjoy a dinner with amazing views of the Alhambra at Aben Humeya, an exquisite restaurant located in a beautiful villa.

Granada

Tag 13: Sightseeing in Granada and Tapas night

You will have a free morning to walk around Albaycin quarter and the caves of Sacromonte, very special places that will take you to another age and will allow you to contemplate the beautiful Sierra Nevada National Park behind the Alhambra. You could also visit the rest of the city and other historic quarters such as El Relalejo, or head to the Catholic Monarchs’ grave, located into the Cathedral of Granada. At sunset, your local guide will show you a very essential part of the popular gastronomy (the Tapas) around the most living streets of Granada.

Seville

Tag 14: Bike tour through Sevilla

After breakfast, you will depart by high-speed train to Seville. After reaching the accommodation on your own and leaving the luggage, your local guide will pick you up for a guided bike tour of the highlights of the city. This is a fun way to get to know Seville on two wheels.

You have the afternoon free to continue your discovery of the historic quarter of Santa Cruz and discover its “tabernas” and “chiringuitos” (popular Sevillian bars).

Seville

Tag 15: Flamenco and tapas night

After breakfast, your private transport will take you to the quirky town of Rinconada to visit a fantastic olive grove. You will join a guided tour to learn about the olive oil culture and enjoy a tasting session of one of the best olive oils in the world. At Hacienda Guzmán, you will have a sensorial experience, enjoying an exclusive and organic extra virgin olive oil, fruit of the work, and deep knowledge of a family dedicated to olive oil for over three generations. In the afternoon, you will head back to Seville and enjoy some free time to take the city in on your own.

After sunset, you will live the experience of enjoying an authentic night of Flamenco and tapas in the popular neighborhood of Triana. This will indeed be one of the highlights of your trip, and vivid memory for the rest of your lives!

Seville - Barcelona

Tag 16: Hasta pronto!

After breakfast, it is time to say goodbye. A private transfer will pick you up and take you to the airport, where you could take your flight back to Barcelona or head directly back home. We hope you have enjoyed this trip on the Mediterranean coast of Spain and will come back to visit us soon.