• Day 1: Fly overnight to Portugal

• Day 2: Lisbon

  Meet your Field Director at the airport

  Take a walking tour of the age-old Islamic Alfama district of Lisbon, which includes includes 16th century aristocratic palaces and churches

  Enjoy dinner in Lisbon

• Day 3: Lisbon

  🔹 Guided learning: Take a guided tour of Lisbon

  With your expert local guide you will see:

  • Tower of Belém, from which many navigators set sail
  • Monument to the Discoveries, a series of statues commemorating the many explorers of Portugal

  Visit the Jerónimos Monastery, a monastery built by King Manuel to honor the country’s great voyagers

  Add this in-depth excursion:

  Sintra and Cascais

  Enjoy a half-day excursion to the hillside town of Sintra, referred to by Lord Byron as “glorious Eden”. Here, you’ll visit the National Palace of Sintra, whose two conical chimneys reign as the town’s most recognizable landmarks. Continue to the charming beach town of Cascais. Due to Portugal’s neutrality in World War II, Cascais became home to many of the exiled royal families of Europe, including those of Spain, Italy and Bulgaria. 

• Day 4: Lisbon • Seville

  Travel via Évora, a Roman town lined with whitewashed houses and colorful azulejos, on your way to Seville

  🔹 Guided learning: Take a guided tour of Évora, a walled town that is home to the Praca de Giraldo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site 

  Visit the Chapel of Bones, a 16th century place of worship decorated with bones and skulls

  Take a walking tour of Seville

  With your Field Director you will see:

  • Giralda Tower, part of the Great Mosque of Seville and transformed with Renaissance stylings by the Catholic Church
  • Torre de Oro, an Islamic watchtower
  • Plaza de Toros de Maestranza, Seville's famous bullring

  Enjoy dinner in Seville

• Day 5: Seville

  Visit Seville Cathedral, the third-largest church in the world that took more than a century to build 

  Visit the Seville Alcázar, an architectural wonder originally founded as a fort for the governors of Seville in 913 

  Take a tour of Seville

  With an expert local guide you will see:

  • Barrio de Santa Cruz's narrow, twisting alleys
  • Maria Luisa Park, and its mosaics and fountains of Plaza de España
  • Plaza de Toros to learn about the tradition of Spanish bullfighting

  🔹 Independent exploration: Spend a half day exploring Seville on your own

• Day 6: Seville • Madrid

  Travel by the high speed, energy efficient AVE train to Madrid 

  Take a walking tour of Madrid, Spain’s capital and largest city

  Visit the Prado, Madrid's famed art museum where you can behold Velázquez’s Las Meninas and Goya’s paired canvases

• Day 7: Madrid

   🔹 Independent exploration: Spend a half day exploring Madrid on your own

  Take a guided tour of Madrid

  With your expert local guide you will see:

  • Puerta del Sol, one of the city’s busiest squares
  • Plaza Mayor, the center of old Madrid where you’ll learn about the grand square’s history of bullfights, royal weddings, and public executions
  • Plaza de Oriente, the Royal Palace square, located across from the Royal Palace

  Visit the Royal Palace and get a glimpse of regal Madrid, where you’ll wander the fabulous palace interior

• Day 8: Madrid

  Add this in-depth excursion:

  Toledo

  This half-day excursion will take you to the former Spanish capital of Toledo. Known as the “city of the three cultures,” this was a place of peaceful coexistence of, Jews, Christians and Muslims. Toledo preserves an artistic and cultural legacy in the form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques and synagogues. Enjoy a panoramic drive around the city and visit the cathedral that dominates Toledo’s skyline. Then continue on to the Church of Santo Tomé where you’ll view The Burial of Count Orgaz, one of El Greco’s most famous works. Step inside one of Toledo's synagogues and finish off your excursion with a stop at a local sword-making workshop. 

  Enjoy a tapas dinner in Madrid, consisting of many small plates of local culinary favorites

• Day 9: Depart for home

Add more days

• Day 9: Madrid • Barcelona

  Travel by AVE train to Barcelona 

  Take a walking tour of Las Ramblas, a pedestrian mall where you’ll find endless entertainment, restaurants, markets, monuments and shopping

  Enjoy dinner in Barcelona

• Day 10: Barcelona

  Take a guided tour of Barcelona

  With your expert local guide you will see: 

  • La Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s masterpiece cathedral that is over 130 years in the making
  • From the top of Montjuïc, enjoy panoramic views of the harbor below
  • Gothic Quarter, a memory of the Roman Empire, now lined with shops and restaurants
  • Barcelona Cathedral, a Gothic Revival church known for its gargoyles and other mythical animals

  Visit Park Güell, a vast public park designed by Antoni Gaudí that features colorful mosaics and remarkable architecture

  Add this in-depth excursion:

  Barcelona by bike

  Feel the warm Mediterranean air breeze by as you explore Barcelona on a guided bicycle tour. This bicycle-friendly city has more than 75 miles of lanes for cyclists, providing a safe, fun and fast way to gain a deeper understanding of Barcelona’s richly diverse streets and neighborhoods. Stop along the way to learn historical details about the city’s famous sites before pedaling on to your next destination.  

• Day 11: Depart for home