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(13 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, Seville, Lisbon & Sintra
This private, luxurious tour features the very best of Spain and Portugal: dynamic cities, beautiful landscapes, impressive UNESCO World Heritage sites, delicious food and wine, and rich cultural traditions. The tour includes acclaimed luxury hotels and private touring with sophisticated local experts.
Begin in Barcelona, one of Europe's most dynamic centers of modern design and cutting-edge cuisine. Discover Gaudi’s fantastical structures such as Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, Casa Batllo and the hillside Parc Guell. Visit some of the city’s excellent museums, such as the Picasso Museum or Miro Museum. Stroll along Las Ramblas—Barcelona’s most famous boulevard—and explore the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter and La Ribera. If desired, explore the city’s shopping districts, stopping at upscale boutiques along the broad Passeig de Gracia and design shops in the stylish Born and Raval neighborhoods. Also visit the city’s leading food markets, including the Santa Caterina Market and La Boqueria Market. Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can also arrange a wide range of other activities in Barcelona, such as cooking lessons, excursions to Montserrat or the Costa Brava, private yacht charters, Jewish touring, tickets to soccer matches, hiking or biking in the nearby mountains, visiting favorite family attractions such as the Magic Fountain or Poble Espanyol, and wine tasting in the Penedes wine region.
Next, visit Madrid, the Spanish capital known for its elegant squares, stately Habsburg architecture, leafy boulevards and superb museums. With your expert private guide, explore the highlights of the city. See world-renowned museums such as the Prado Museum, Reina Sofia, CaixaForum and/or the Thyssen-Bornemisza. Tour the majestic Royal Palace. Stroll through the exclusive shopping and residential districts. Also visit historic squares and lively markets, including the gourmet San Miguel Market. One evening, enjoy a private tasting tour of some of Madrid’s most beloved tapas bars. Upon request, additional experiences can be arranged such as tickets to soccer games and bullfights, preferred seats at Zarzuela performances, cooking lessons, touring with an art expert, visits to house-museums like Museo Cerralbo or Museo Sorolla, garden tours, shopping excursions, and touring of contemporary art and architecture sites.
Continue Granada, one of the richest and most populated cities in Europe during Moorish rule and still one of Spain's most breathtaking cities. With your expert private guide, tour the extraordinary Alhambra—one of the highlights of Spain—a stunning Moorish castle, palace and garden complex on a hillside overlooking the town. Visit the Generalife, the summer palace and gardens of Moorish royalty. Also tour the labyrinthine streets of the Albaicin—the old Arab Quarter—and discover a world full of winding streets, Moorish fountains and teterias (Arabic tearooms).
Spend two nights in Seville, the capital of Andalusia and a city flavored as much by the sounds of flamenco and the smell of orange blossoms as by its 500-year domination by the Moors. Take an insider’s tour of this beautiful city. Explore the charming Santa Cruz neighborhood, tour the gardens and mosaic tile-covered rooms of the Reales Alcazares (a spectacular Moorish palace), see the world's largest Gothic cathedral (which contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus), browse specialty boutiques and markets, and visit other cultural highlights. One evening, you may wish to attend a local flamenco performance or a bullfight at the famed bullring. If desired, additional activities can be arranged, including visits to ceramics workshops in the Triana neighborhood, carriage rides through Plaza de Espana and Maria Luisa Park, seeing contemporary architecture such as Metropol Parasol, private flamenco dance or guitar lessons, architecture tours of World Expo buildings, visits to royal horse farms and excursions to Roman ruins or pueblos blancos (whitewashed villages).
Next, you will be driven to Portugal. Stop in Evora, a beautiful city and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Alentejo region. Explore narrow streets lined with whitewashed houses, and see ancient Roman ruins and Moorish architecture.
Next, experience Lisbon as an insider during private touring with an expert local guide. Tour the historic Alfama district, the sophisticated Bairro Alto and Lapa districts and the riverside Belem district. See St. George’s Castle, Mosteiro dos Jeronimos monastery, Belem Tower and other impressive monuments of Moorish and Manueline architecture. Browse select shops offering Portuguese specialties such as azulejo tiles, embroidered linens, Indo-Portuguese furniture, gold jewelry, Portuguese design products and antiques. Sample local food specialties such as pasteis de nata custard tarts. Also tour museums according to your interests, including options such as the National Tile Museum or the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum. Other touring options include vibrant food markets, a tour of a historic tile factory, visits to beautiful gardens, stops at scenic viewpoints overlooking the city, and a private appointment to visit the Ricardo do Spirito Santo Silva Foundation, which is dedicated to the preservation and reproduction of traditional Portuguese design and decorative art. One evening, enjoy a memorable fado music performance at a local club.
One day, enjoy a private excursion to Sintra, an aristocratic town of fairy-tale palaces and gardens among forested hills. During private touring in this UNESCO World Heritage Site, visit highlights including the romantic National Palace of Pena, the spectacular National Palace of Sintra and the narrow streets in the historic center of the town, including the former Jewish quarter. If desired, also visit the upscale seaside town of Cascais.
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