Best of Spain

Hola! Welcome to Spain. Your adventure begins in the capital of Madrid, beloved for its elegant boulevards and parks. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at either 6 or 7 pm tonight. If you arrive early, maybe wander through the gardens of Real Jardin Botanico and visit one of the many art museums. After the meeting, maybe head out for dinner with your group and indulge in some tapas and Rioja, or head to the Gran Via hotspots to dance the night away with your new friends.

Take a bus to Granada today. Located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Granada is packed with Moorish architecture, great tapas bars and natural beauty. Take a walk around the old Arab quarter of the Albaicin – a labyrinth of crooked alleys, fountains, plazas and whitewashed houses – or the Alcaiceria (old silk market area) to see the craftworks on sale. If you’re feeling energetic, climb the steep streets up to the Mirador de San Nicolas for sunset views over the famous Alhambra. If you have time, perhaps check out the historic Renaissance Cathedral and Capilla Real.

Visit Granada's impressive Alhambra Palace and its gardens. Wander the dominating red fortress towers of this 11th-century complex set against the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The palace is made up of the Alcazaba – the 11th century Muslum wing, which has great views from the towers – and the Palacio Nazaries and Generalife, the summer palace of the sultans. After, maybe head deeper into Granada’s Moorish Albaicin quarter and check out some of the traditional tea houses. Tonight, maybe meet up again with the group for dinner.

Leave Granada behind today and travel by train and private transport to the Andalucian hills and the whitewashed town of Ronda. A landscape of green forests and white limestone mountains, Ronda is the birthplace of bullfighting in Spain and was a favourite of Hemingway and Orson Welles. The highlight of the town is the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) – one of the most photographed structures in the country. Built in 1751, it spans the 100m (328 ft) gorge that splits the town in two. You can walk across it, stopping to peer over a drop from one of its balconies. Check out the old Moorish town on one side, home to many historic buildings, including the House of the Moorish King, and the newer El Mercadillo on the other side. East of the town are well-preserved Arab baths and, of course, the famous Plaza de Toros. Tonight, maybe watch the sunset over the city.

Today you’ll take a walk through Los Molinos – Ronda’s surrounding valley. You can head down into El Tajo, the gorge that separates the old and new town, and get a view of the bridge and town from below. The rest of the day is free to explore. Maybe check out the Plaza de Toros, one of the oldest bullfighting rings in the country, and the adjoining Bullfighting Museum. The gardens behind offer panoramic views over the surrounding mountains, which have a long history of sheltering bandits and smugglers. Visit the Museum of Bandits for an entertaining insight into their history or check out the prize-winning wineries and beautiful national parks that surround the town.

Today you’ll travel southwest to Tarifa along the coastline. This western Andalusian coast faces the Mediterranean and North Africa. Your base for the next two nights is a laid-back beach town with spectacular rocky scenery, a sea fortress and a lighthouse. The afternoon is free to relax. Maybe catch a bus to the 10 km (6.2 mi) of sand along the Playa de Los Lances – a haven for kite surfers – or hole up at a beach bar on Playa de Valde Vaqueros. You could also just wander along the promenade under the old castle, past restaurants boasting fresh seafood. The surfers lend the Old Town a laid-back, international vibe, along with hints of North Africa, which lies just across the water. In the evening, why not grab some dinner in town and join in Tarifa’s vibrant nightlife.

Choose from plenty of optional activities today. Perhaps head out on a whale- and dolphin-watching expedition on the Iberian Peninsula or take a daytrip to the town of Tangier in Morocco, just 45 minutes away by ferry! The city’s medina and kasbah are well worth exploring, as are the cafes and patisseries around the Place de la France in the Ville Nouvelle. You can unwind and take in the charms of the city on the recently reconstructed beach promenade or take a daytrip across the border to the British territory of Gibraltar – home to the famous Rock of Gibraltar. Here you can take a cable car up to the rock’s peak, explore the caves, visit a Moorish castle and wander the main street, discovering the interesting blend of old British life and Spanish flavours.