Destination Inspiration

With years in the hospitality industry and top-level connections throughout Spain, the Best of Spain Travel Planners team understands what it takes to create the perfect trip for you. Working with you one on one, we create an itinerary that’s tailored to your personal needs – nothing with us is ever cooker-cutter. Unique sights and experiences await you from hiking in the Pyrenees Mountains and exploring hidden caves in Cádiz to taking a culinary trip through Andalusia. Here we have a bit of inspiration for some of Spain’s most popular regions to get you started. Salud!

BARCELONA & CATALUNYA ITINERARY IDEAS

Fly in and out of Barcelona. Take trains to visit neighboring towns of Girona, Sitges and Figueres. See Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia or Casa Vicens, explore museums showcasing the works of Salvador Dali and Picasso or enjoy a wonderful concert in the Palau de la Musica. Take a unique food tour where you’ll visit a market to buy all your ingredients and then have a cooking class to learn how to make the perfect paella. Go for a bike ride through centuries-old vineyards that ends with a tasting of cava – our famous sparkling wine. Explore the winding streets of the medieval village of Besalú, take a hot air balloon ride over the Catalan countryside and enjoy an evening on the Mediterranean in your private sailboat as you savor a glass of wine and a beautiful sunset.

MADRID & CASTILLE y LEON ITINERARY IDEAS

Fly in and out of Madrid. See the Prado, Reina Sofia, & Thyssen Museums and do a city walking tour. Visit the Royal Palace and check out the El Rastro flea market. Pick up a rental car and drive to Segovia. See the magnificent Roman Aqueduct and the most spectacular castle in Spain – the Alcazar fortress. Enjoy the beautiful landscape in the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park. Go on an olive oil tour in Toledo. Visit Spain’s oldest university in Salamanca and experience the famous dish of Castille y Leon – cochinillo (roast suckling pig). See the windmills in Consuegra that inspired Cervantes’ Don Quixote. On your way back to Madrid, stop at some of the surrounding villages such as Avilá to see its old surrounding wall from medieval times, hike in Cercedilla’s mountains and swim in its natural pools, and marvel at the famous hanging houses of Cuenca.

ANDALUSIA | SEVILLE, GRANADA, MALAGA ITINERARY IDEAS

Fly into Seville and out of Granada. In Seville, see the Cathedral and the Alcazar. Stop for a glass of wine and people watch at a cafe in the Santa Cruz district. Enjoy a fantastic flamenco performance. Hire a bike to explore the Parque de Maria Luisa. Pick up a rental car in Seville and travel to the coastal city of Cadiz. Enjoy a nice lunch there before heading to Jerez to have a sherry tasting and walk around its vibrant old town before a tapas dinner. Take a drive to visit the nearby “Pueblos Blancos” or White Villages of Arcos de la Frontera or Vejer de la Frontera. Take a walking tour in Ronda to see the New Bridge over the Guadalevin River, the bullring, the Palace of Mondragon and the Arab baths . End your trip in Granada discovering the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the city – the quarter of El Albayzin, the majestic Alhambra and the gardens of el Generalife.

BILBAO & BASQUE COUNTRY ITINERARY IDEAS

Fly in and out of Bilbao. Take a walk along the river before heading to the Guggenheim Museum. Enjoy pintxos and a glass of wine in the town center. Visit La Ribera, the largest indoor food market in Europe. Have dinner in one of the many Michelin star restaurants. Rent a car in Bilbao and head towards San Sebastian for a private culinary tour through the lively streets and a stroll along the seashore. Enjoy a cider tasting and don’t forget to shout out the traditional drinking call “txotx!” (pronounced ‘choch!’) when getting refills. Continue on to Pamplona and walk the route of the famous San Fermin Festival held in July – better known as the “Running of the Bulls”. Take a tour to learn more about Idiazabal – the Basque Country’s famous (and delicious) hard sheep’s milk cheese. Visit vineyards and bodegas in the Rioja wine region and get lost in time in the ancient walls and rolling landscapes of LaGuardia. Head back towards Bilbao and stop off to explore Gaztelugatxe, the incredible filming location for the Game of Thrones’ Dragonstone Island.