THE BEST OF SPAIN in 13 days
My Best of Spain Tour connects the varied cultures and rich history of the largest nation on the Iberian Peninsula. You’ll experience the “drippy” architecture of Gáudi in Barcelona, the Royal Palace and Prado Museum in Madrid, the massive Alhambra in Granada, and the jaw-dropping Cathedrals in Toledo and Sevilla. Along the way, we’ll visit sleepy little towns, far off the beaten tourist path, to experience the diverse cultures of the country. This, coupled with authentic dining experiences and laid-back sightseeing strategies, makes this my best way to experience Spain in 13 days.
Your Adventure Starts Here!
| PRICE FROM | DATES | |
|---|---|---|
| $5089 + air | Sep 7-19, 2025 |  |
Barcelona – 2 nights
Madrid – 2 nights
Segovia – 1 night
Toledo – 1 night
Granada – 2 nights
Nerja – 1 night
Arcos – 1 night
Sevilla – 2 nights
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Single Room Additional Cost ~$960
ITINERARY
DAY 1: BARCELONA – Let’s plan to gather at our Barcelona hotel at 5:00 p.m. for introductions and a welcome drink. Then we will set off on an orientation paseo, including the modernista architectural style of Antonio Gaudí’s “Block of Discord.” We will finish up with a typical tapas dinner at a favorite restaurant. Sleep for 2 nights in Barcelona. Dinner.
DAY 2: BARCELONA – We will begin the day with a stroll through Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, pedestrian-friendly streets and markets, and the grand harbor promenade. Later, visit Gaudí’s architectural masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia. You’ll have the remainder of the day to explore more of the city on your own.
DAY 3: FAST TRAIN TO MADRID – Enjoy a ride on the high-speed AVE train to Madrid. After checking into our hotel, we will join a local guide for a tour of the massive Palacio Real, the royal palace of Spain. Then, let’s top off the day with dinner at a favorite restaurant. Sleep for 2 nights in Madrid. Dinner.
DAY 4: MADRID – Today, we will meet our local guide at the Museo del Prado for a personal tour of the museum’s most important works of art. Then, enjoy a stroll through the massive El Retiro Park and a break for lunch. The remainder of the day and evening is free for you to discover more of Madrid on your own.
DAY 5: EL ESCORIAL AND SEGOVIA – After breakfast, we will head to the hills, making a stop in El Escorial, home of the impressive 16th-century palace of King Phillip II. Later, in Segovia, enjoy a walking tour of the compact town center and a tasty dinner together. Sleep for 1 night in Segovia. Dinner.
DAY 6: TOLEDO – You’ll have a good deal of free time in Segovia this morning. Later, travel to the medieval fortress city of Toledo. Once the capital of Spain, it is now a tourist’s delight. During the day, enjoy the impressive cathedral, shopping streets, and of course, some of El Greco’s most famous works. Sleep 1 night in Toledo.
Day 7: LA MANCHA TO GRANDA – Driving through La Mancha, we’ll get a glimpse of whitewashed windmills, saffron-selling vendors, and stories of Don Quixote. In Granada, we will visit the lavish tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella, who took Spain into the age of exploration of the Americas. Sleep for 2 nights in Granada. Dinner.
DAY 8: THE ALHAMBRA – Enjoy an informative visit to the massive Alhambra palace and gardens. Perhaps the greatest of all “Moorish” palaces, the Alhambra will wow you with its style and artistic flair. You’ll have the remainder of the day and evening to explore more of the Alhambra and back lanes of the old historic town.
DAY 9: THE MEDETERRAIN COAST – Today, we will head south to the sun-soaked Costa del Sol and set up in the pleasant town of Nerja. Perched on a cliff, it has a quiet old town, and pleasant sandy beaches and English is spoken everywhere. With no sightseeing plans, we’ll take an orientation walk around the small little town and have the whole day and evening to rest, relax, and enjoy. Sleep 1 night in Nerja.
DAY 10: THE WHITEWASHED VILLAGES OF ANDALUCÍA – The mountains between Granada and Sevilla are loaded with whitewashed villages perched high in the hills. We’ll set up for the afternoon and evening in my favorite, Arcos de la Frontera. Enjoy a sky-high vista of the surrounding countryside and wander its well-worn cobbled lanes. Later, we will meet for dinner at the top of the hill in the old town. Sleep 1 night in Arcos. Dinner.
DAY 11: SEVILLA – We will head directly to Sevilla to make the most of the day ahead. Join a walk through the whitewashed lanes of the Barrio Santa Cruz, with a glimpse at the “weeping Madonna” and the largest gothic-era church in the Christian world. We will meet later tonight for a flamenco music and dance performance. Sleep in Sevilla for 2 nights.
DAY 12: THE ROYAL ALCÁRZAR – Today, enjoy a tour of the Moorish-influenced Alcárzar Palace, home of Spain’s royalty, for more than half a century. You’ll have the remainder of the day to poke around Sevilla on your own. We will meet tonight for a grand farewell dinner toasting our adventure in Spain. Dinner.
DAY 13: TOUR OVER AFTER BREAKFAST – Your tour guide will be happy to assist in making transportation connections to the airport or train station. Enjoy your journey!
Itinerary specifics are subject to change.
INCLUSIONS
Transportation is provided by coach, minivan, and train from your Barcelona hotel to your hotel in Sevilla.
12 nights accommodation in centrally located hotels, guesthouses, and B&B’s. All rooms have private en-suite baths.
All tips and gratuities to guides, drivers, restaurant, and hotel staff.
Guaranteed Small Group consisting of 6-18 travelers.
All breakfasts and six of your dinners.
Traditional and gourmet dining experiences at some of David’s personal favorite restaurants. Eating well is a priority and you’ll enjoy fine regional fare featuring the best the locale has to offer.
Water is included with all group meals. Sodas, wine, beer, and other drinks are your responsibility.
Tours and admissions to the following attractions, experiences, and sights: Guided orientation walking tours in Barcelona, Madrid, Segovia, Toledo, Granada, Nerja, Arcos and Sevilla ▪ Entrance and/or local guided tour of the following sites: La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Palacio Real and Prado Museum in Madrid, the Cathedral of Toledo, the Alhambra in Granada, and the Alcázar and Cathedral in Sevilla, and much more.
A full-time Exploring Europe guide and local experts dedicated to bringing to life the art, history, and culture of the tour destinations.
David’s tour handouts are delivered electronically and detail each day’s historical and cultural experiences.
Free luggage tags and David’s custom-designed drawstring backpacks.
Our Unconditional Tour Price Guarantee, once locked in, will never change.
$50 Tour Alumni discount for each David McGuffin tour you’ve taken prior to this travel year.
EXCLUSIONS
Comprehensive Trip insurance. We strongly recommend comprehensive insurance for tour.
Fee for passports.
Beer, wine, spirits, and soda during the tour.
Laundry, phone, internet, and personal items
Extras and optional activities.
Anything not mentioned in the itinerary.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
CANCELLATION POLICY
CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS:
Deposits- Deposits for tours are fully refundable for 30 days from your initial application and deposit date, unless otherwise noted. If you book a tour less than 90 days before its departure date, full payment is due immediately, and the entire tour cost becomes non-refundable after seven days. After these dates, deposits are not refundable and will be forfeited if you cancel your tour reservation.
Payments- Tour payments are due in full 90 days before your tour departure date. If you find you must cancel between 90-0 days before your tour departure, please contact us immediately. We will work with you to transfer your payments to another tour departing within 18 months. We strongly recommend that everyone purchase comprehensive travel insurance that covers tour cancellations, emergency medical, and other unexpected events.
Cancellations will be effective when the written notification is received at David McGuffin›s Exploring Europe by mail, e-mail, or fax.
SIGN UP BY EMAIL OR POST
If you do not want to sign up online:
You may download a tour application and send it to us with payment.
-OR-
You may return it by:
- FAX 1-800-570-1351
- Email – info@davidmcguffin.com
- email – take a photo of the form with your smartphone and attach it to an email
- TXT – take a photo with your smartphone and TXT to 904-612-8149
KEY TO WALKING & ACTIVITY
Walking and Physical Activity: We have planned this trip to provide maximum tour experiences. The basic nature of Europe does require some degree of physical activity to get out and see the sights, especially in the big cities. To help you plan, we’ve included a daily projection of physical activity. Here is the key for our walking activity ratings:
Light – Walking done on level surfaces with some hills and elevation gains. Two miles or less of required walking during the day.
Moderate – Walking done on paved and gravel paths and cobbled city sidewalks. To enjoy the full tour experience, some uphill and downhill walking is expected, as is standing while viewing sights or museums. Four to six miles of walking per day.
Strenuous – Walking done on rugged and rocky paths and city-cobbled sidewalks. There will be steps and stairs. Up to three hours standing in museums or experience sites. Up to eight miles of walking per day.
Your Choice – No matter what your walking ability, we will help you find alternative ways to enjoy and experience all Europe has to offer. To get the most out of our tours, you should be able to operate at the light level every day with spurts of moderate and strenuous.
PRE-TOUR RESOURCES
Now that you’ve decided to join this tour, we are sure you’ll have some questions. Don’t worry. We are here to help you through each aspect of your tour from start to finish.
DAVID’S 60 SECONDS DESTINATION VIDEOS
Join David as he shares impromptu moments from his travels in the United Kingdom. Watching these short 60-second segments are a great way to experience David’s travel style and adventures. Watch David Explores Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
David’s TRAVEL TALK TUESDAY almost-weekly broadcast and Video Series Blog.
Every week, when David is not traveling in Europe, he presents a LIVE broadcast on Zoom and Facebook. Check it out on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM Eastern Time.
Each Travel Talk Tuesday session is recorded. Watch them here.
DAVID’S BLOG ARTICLES
David and his team have answered many travel-related questions, and they are all tucked away on his blog. But, no need to go there. Just type in a keyword in the search box at the top or bottom of this page (it’s the gray rectangle with a small magnifying glass icon), and you will get results for your query.
PLEASE SEND US AN EMAIL OR GIVE US A CALL.
We are happy to answer your travel questions and give advice and suggestions. tours@davidmcguffin.com or 800-570-1351.
Testimonials & Reviews of our Tours
My best friend and I just returned from the Best of Greece + Santorini tour in October 2024. First, it was the perfect time to go--much less crowed and we had perfect weather! Charlotte, our guide, was so kind and fun to travel with. We loved all the historical sites (and the site licensed guides were all phenomenal! We learned so much and they told great stories), and all the beaches/towns we went to were gorgeous. Delphi was unbelievable, I never would have thought to go to Nafplio on my own but it was a gem, and Hydra was adorable. The catamaran trip at the end in Santorini had to be postponed one day due to winds but when we went the next day, it was an unforgettable experience. From the local places for dinners to cute hotels, we wouldn't have wanted to travel any other way!
Best of Italy 15 days for our 50th wedding anniversary ! Our first McGuffin tour. More to plan next trip. ! We were well taken care of and teamed up with 5 folks from the Denver area, Great small group.
Our guide Ilaria was excellent, well organized and detailed. Great personality and took extra good care of us by avoiding the tourist traps, selecting great restaurants off the beaten path.
Rome was overwhelming and breathtaking, hard to comprehend the history, we were glad to get out of the city and tour the smaller towns.
The hotels were first class and close enough to transportation but off the beaten path. Group dining was fun and educational as Ilaria explained the local cuisine and customs.
The wow moment was the Vatican and Basilica and seeing The David. So much to take in.
David's tour information prepared us well and by the time we departed we felt confident and well informed. We also had many daily PDF downloads to brief us on the days activities.
It was a lot of walking but we came home in great shape, exhausted but in a good way. Did not get to hear a lot of music which we wanted , there were opportunities on our free days but i did not plan ahead well for that,. We did find a couple of laundries which helped.
All in all we would go again in a heartbeat ! The preparation, the planning, guides, hotels, were well worth the cost and a trip of a lifetime. Booking and finding the flights was a bit challenging but we minimized our hops and traveled well with Delta. Security lines and checkpoints were numerous and lengthy at times.
One night we were booked into a penthouse suite in the LIDO ! overlooking Venice ! Many thanks for a wonderful trip and making new friends along the way. Thank you David,. ! Germany is next !
Castles, Trefriw mill, slate mine, ferries, trains, wine & cheese bar Scotland & Wales had it all and did not disappoint, plus we made a friend - Shout out to Evelyn. We had David all to ourselves for this trip, lucky us! Lets start.......
Edinburgh is a city but small and quite in the area we stayed in, loved the atmosphere of the restaurants and shops plus how many people can say the have been to a still lived in Royal Castle - Holyrood Palace.
Seeing my husbands face as he gazed upon St Andrews golf course in all it's beauty made me so happy for him, along with the cathedral to visit St Andrews is a quaint little town with very friendly people.
This tour is not only fun and entertaining but also a history lesson for all.
The little town of Pitlochery was one of my favorites, so clean, friendly, great shopping! Culloden Battlefield is historically haunting as you walk the grounds and visit the museum you get a true sense of how loyal the Jacobites were to their cause.
I never thought a giant catapult (Urquhart Castle) would hold my attention for so long but the thought of how genius it was to have built such a massive structure the way they did back in the day truly had me in awe, not to mention the castle is still so intact for the time period.
We unfortunately didn't see Nessie while on Loch Ness either but we ate and drank some fabulous seafood.
How many people can say they have walked in an 800 yr old Abbey, as a Christian I felt honored to see where the Book of Kells was written and speak with a nun who still lives in Iona. Iona was breath taking it it's self, I could have easily retreated to this island for a couple of weeks, I feel like to have to have visited here to know what that means. So remote and removed from today's world.
Our last few nights we stayed at Groes Inn in Northern Wales, while remote it doesn't disappoint in any way. Great wine selection and beautiful rooms help make this small inn fell homey and welcoming.
My husband and I both were extremely fascinated with visiting the Trefriw woolen mill seeing how they step by step make blankets, pillow covers etc....I truly appreciate the hard work that goes into making these now.
We got to travel on a steam engine train, first time for both of us and visit a slate mine. When you think your job is hard just research working in a slate mine and you will understand the hard dangerous work men put into their jobs trying to support their families.
Our last night with David we ate at an old church that had been renovated into a restuarant but they had left the pipe organs hanging, so beautiful and the food was great too. I could continue and go on and on about more but really you need to book this trip for yourself to see exactly what Scotland and Wales have to offer you. Stop hesitating and do it.
Saint Johns Festival Band UK tour, 30 June - 8 July 2024.
From Glasgow to Edinburgh, the Scottish Highlands to the Lake District, and onto Liverpool (and Wales!) for our performance, this was an absolute grand tour of the UK. With a group of 51 students, parents, and band leadership, this was by all means a major event. David and his team executed with flawless precision! If you are thinking about a custom event, David McGuffin's Exploring Europe is your solution!! David puts you where you want to be, coordinates movement, lodging, food, experiences, and even schedules private events; this was an absolutely amazing turnkey experience that will never be forgotten!
Thank you to David and all the Exploring Europe staff who made this happen!!
Charlie, Carly, Grant, and Reid
Our whole family went on the trip including four of us who had never been before. We are planning another trip soon.
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