Spectacular Spain:  Madrid, Barcelona and Costa del Sol 2025

Madrid, in the heart of the Iberian Peninsula, is truly one of the great cities of Europe.  The museums alone warrant paying a visit to this remarkable Spanish capital.  The Prado, for instance, contains over 4000 masterpieces by such artists as Goya, El Greco, Boticelli, Velazquez and others, ranking it among some of the most magnificent European museums, including the Louvre in Paris and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.  If museums are not your thing, have no fear, for there is much else to see and do in Madrid.  A visit to the Royal Palace, which contains over 2000 rooms, makes for a fun way to experience the opulence of the world of Spanish kings and queens.  You can follow up your tour of the royal residence by participating in a Spanish version of a pub crawl, called a tapeo, which involves visiting tascas (tapas bars) in order to sample the vast array of delicious bite-sized portions of food called tapas, which are normally washed down with wine, beer or sherry. 

After a few days of exploring Madrid's fascinating culture, why now take day trip to one the several historic towns that are in close proximity to the city?  Two fantastic towns worth visiting include Segovia, whose El Alcazar is one of the most photographed fortresses in the world, and Toledo, which in addition to its own impressive Alcazar, is home to one of the greatest Gothic cathedral's in the world.  The Roman Aqueduct, also located in Segovia, was built during the 1st century under the Roman Emperor Trajan, and was still functioning until just a few years ago.  In addition to Segovia and Toledo, other options outside of the city include San Lorenzo de El Escorial, El Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen), and Avila.  

Following four nights in Madrid, we will travel eastward to Catalonia to spend three nights in the amazing city of Barcelona, a city with a unique and irresistible allure.  From its Catalonian dialect, which Franco tried to stamp out, to its avant-garde architecture, such as Antonio Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, Barcelona reflects an independence of character that is linked to a proud past but is always poised to anticipate and embrace the future.  It is no wonder that the surrealist painter, Pablo Picasso, found the city of his youth a delight and in 1970 donated 2500 of his paintings and other works to what is now the Picasso Museum of Barcelona, one of the largest collections of Picasso's works in the world.  Home to the 1992 Olympic Games, Barcelona has quickly become one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Europe.  Its location on the Costa Brava astride the Mediterranean has for centuries made it an important commercial center and springboard to the Balearic Islands of Ibiza, Majorca and Minorca.  To stroll along the promenade Les Rambles, to explore the medieval Gothic Quarter, to eat tapas at one of the innumerable restaurants that line the busy streets is to feel the pulse of this cosmopolitan city. (The nightlife of Barcelona is especially legendary.)

Our third stop on our ArawjoTours Spectacular Spain Tour will be to Andalusia.  Located in beautiful southern Spain, Andalusia is bordered by the Costa del Sol (Coast of the Sun), a long stretch of Mediterranean coastline famous the world over for its resort towns, golf courses and relative proximity to popular sightseeing destinations like Granada and Seville.  After flying into Malaga, we will head for the jewel of the Costa del Sol at the foot of the Sierra Blanca, the exclusive town of Marbella, where we will spend three nights in a luxurious seaside resort, and from which we will enjoy the local sights and flavors of Andalusia.  Marbella is a charming place, with a magnificent old quarter replete with cobblestone streets, medieval ruins, Moorish walls and tapas bars and restaurants, all situated around the lovely Plaza de los Naranjos.  During our stay in Marbella, we will include a full day tour Granada, the former stronghold of Moorish Spain, to visit the amazing Alhambra Palace.  We will also include an evening Flamenco show, without which no visit to Andalusia is complete.  Apart from these organized activities, you will have time to lounge by the beach and/or pool, bask in the sun, tee up for a round of golf, or book one of any number of optional sightseeing tours through the concierge to such attractions as Morocco, Seville, Torremolinos and more. 

The Spectacular Spain 2025 Tour is a wonderfully relaxed way to spend eleven days in Spain. Our minimum stay of three nights in each city (four in Madrid) gives you the opportunity to enjoy Madrid, Barcelona and Marbella without the feeling of being rushed from place to place and consequently enables you to appreciate the pulse of Spanish life in a less superficial way.  If visiting Spain has been your dream, then this tour is for you.  Sign up now to be sure to secure spaces on what promises to be a popular package.

TOUR FEATURES:  Round trip air transportation to Madrid with a return from Malaga, Spain; all private motor coach transportation between the hotels and the airports and train stations in Spain; four nights in a four star hotel with buffet breakfasts daily; a half day guided sightseeing tour of Madrid; a full day guided sightseeing tour of Segovia, including visits to the Roman aqueduct, the medieval castle known as the Alcazar, and the Valley of the Fallen; non-stop one way train transportation from Madrid to Barcelona; three nights in a four star hotel with breakfasts daily; a half day guided sightseeing tour of Barcelona, including visits to Gaudi’s Park Guell and the world-famous La Sagrada Familia; an optional half day tour to Montserrat; a domestic flight from Barcelona to Malaga; three nights in the four star Andalusia Plaza resort hotel with breakfasts daily; a morning walking tour of charming Marbella; the services for a full-time tour manager/escort, Lucy Rapoport, along with a full-time tour representative from ArawjoTours, LLC.