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14-Nights Best of Spain & Portugal - End Madrid, Small Group

Spain/Portugal
14-Nights Best of Spain & Portugal - End Madrid, Small Group
Spain/Portugal
Insight Vacations
Vacation Offer ID 1517231
Reference this number when contacting our travel specialist.
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Overview

Insight Vacations

Best Of Spain & Portugal - End Madrid, Small Group, Summer
See the masterpieces of Spain and Portugal on this 15-day guided tour. In Madrid, an art historian will walk you through the Prado Museum, where Spain's most impressive paintings hang. Navigate Segovia’s medieval streets alongside a Local Expert. Journeying to Granada, visit the region’s oldest olive grove, before dining in the home of a local family, sampling local produce and wine. At the Alhambra, explore the palace's lace-like stone walls and wander its manicured gardens. In Seville, stomp to the sounds of an acoustic guitar during a private flamenco dance lesson. In Porto, sip port during a wine tasting, and in Lisbon, see an architectural masterpiece - the Gothic-style Jerónimos Monastery.


Dining Summary
  • 5 Dinner with Wine (DW)
  • 14 Breakfast (B)
  • 2 Lunch with Wine (LW)
Choice Highlights
  • Choose between two carefully selected activities
  • Seville: Stroll through Barrio de Santa Cruz with a Local Expert and hear how the Jewish community has shaped the city's history.
  • Seville: See the city's top sights on a panoramic tour with your Local Expert.
Additional Included Highlights
  • Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
  • Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
  • We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
  • From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
  • Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
  • If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Authentic Dining
  • Madrid: Join your Travel Director at 18:00 for a Welcome Dinner in a local restaurant and get to know your fellow travelers over a beautiful evening of delicious food and wine.
  • Vila Nova de Gaia: Sample a selection of world renowned Port wines during a tour and tasting in the city's historic wine cellars.
  • Lisbon: Delight in a taste of the famous Portuguese custard tart, Pastéis de Belém, made in a 19th century bakery with the original secret recipe.
  • Torremolinos: Taste a selection of freshly pressed olive oils with locally made farmer bread when you stop at Almazara, the oldest olive grove in the region.
  • Alfarnatejo: Join a local family for a Dine-at-Home lunch featuring traditional recipes. Learn about regional customs and culture through your hosts' warm hospitality and lively conversation.
  • Valencia: Learn the authentic recipe of paella when you join a local chef for a Cooking Demonstration. Savor the flavors of this classic dish for dinner, washed down with a glass of Sangria, during dinner.
  • Barcelona: Join a wine expert when you visit Cava Dorada. Enjoy a tasting at the great Cava vineyards during your delicious Highlight Lunch.
  • Barcelona: At a typical Catalan restaurant, savor a delicious Celebration Dinner that incorporates classic cooking with the freshest produce.
Insight Choice
  • Seville: Stroll through Barrio de Santa Cruz with a Local Expert and hear how the Jewish community has shaped the city's history.
  • Seville: See the city's top sights on a panoramic tour with your Local Expert.
Insight Experiences
  • Madrid: Witness the world's finest collection of Spanish paintings, plus an impressive international collection, as you tour the Prado Museum with an art historian.
  • Granada: Visit the famous Alhambra Palace and Generalife Gardens. While others wait in line, you'll be exploring accompanied by a Local Expert, keen to share insights into this Moorish landmark.
Make Travel Matter
  • Seville: The Cristina Heeren Foundation aims to promote the teaching and conservation of flamenco and is a beneficiary of a TreadRight Foundation grant. Meet the students of the foundation, learn some basic flamenco steps, and then feel the passion as they perform an emotional show. The school enables students access to cultural education that otherwise may not have occurred. TreadRights sponsorship has helped students to complete their studies in advanced guitar, singing and dance. As students complete their training, they will carry on and safeguard the traditional flamenco dance, contributing to the protection of Andalusia and Spain’s cultural heritage. The Cristina Heeren Foundation advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education and UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Top Rated Highlights
  • Madrid: See the highlights of the city with your Local Expert. Visit the Old Town, traveling along the elegant Paseo de la Castellana, past the fountain in the Plaza de Cibeles, the Cervantes Monument and Royal Palace, before crossing the Puerta del Sol.
  • Segovia: Visit the medieval streets of this fortified city to see the 14th-century Alcazar Palace and extensive Roman aqueduct.
  • Salamanca: See the handsome arcaded Plaza Mayor, the honey-colored cathedral and the 16th century university buildings as you explore the city with your Local Expert.
  • Porto: See the iconic bridges and buildings decorated in tiles.
  • Obidos: Lead by your Travel Director, walk through the picturesque narrow streets up to t

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    Salamanca

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    The ancient city of Salamanca, famous for its university founded by Alfonso IX in the early 1200s, is well preserved, with turreted palaces, faded convents, Romanesque churches, and colleges that have attracted scholars from all over Europe. Nearly all the attractions are within walking distance of the Plaza Mayor. In its day, Salamanca was ranked with Oxford, Paris, and Bologna as one of "the four leading lights of the medieval world." The intellectual life continues to this day, and a large invasion of American students brings added life to the town in summer. Still a youthful, spirited place because of the venerable Salamanca University, the city has been named a "World Heritage City" by UNESCO, one of six such cities in Spain.
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    Barcelona

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    Barcelona, the self-confident and progressive capital of Spain, is a tremendous place to be. Though it boasts outstanding Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings, and some great museums – most notably those dedicated to Picasso and Catalan art – it is above all a place where there's enjoyment simply in walking the streets, stopping in at bars and cafés, drinking in the atmosphere. A thriving port and the most prosperous commercial centre in Spain, it has a sophistication and cultural dynamism way ahead of the rest of the country. In part this reflects the city's proximity to France, whose influence is apparent in the elegant boulevards and imaginative cooking. But Barcelona has also evolved an individual and eclectic cultural identity, most perfectly and eccentrically expressed in the architecture of Antoni Gaudí. Scattered as Barcelona's main sights may be, the greatest concentration of interest is around the old town (La Ciutat Vella). These cramped streets above the harbor are easily manageable, and far more enjoyable, on foot. Start, as everyone else does, with the Ramblas.
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    Valencia

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    Granada

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    Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Andalusia, Spain. Granada has been inhabited by many empires for 2,500 years from the Greeks, Romans, Visigoths and the Moors. Remainder of each reigning era is prominent in Granada’s cultural and architectural influences. Imprints of the past can be found in Albaicin, an old Arabic quarter paved with cobble stoned streets, ogee arches, voussoirs, and decorative tile work. When the sun sets, Alhambra is at its most beautiful and radiant complimenting Byzantine courtyards and muqarna details. Homes also reflect the Mediterranean and Renaissance elegance long past. Present-day Granada attracts visitors by recapturing the past and evoking the co-existence of different cultures.
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    Seville

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    Lisbon

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    Porto (Oporto)

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    Madrid

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    The capital of Spain since 1562, Madrid is located on the geographic center of the Iberian Peninsula. Because of its central location and high altitude, the climate of Madrid is characterized by warm dry summers and cool winters. Madrid is a city of great monuments. Among its highlights are the medieval center dating back to the Habsburg Empire and the Prado Museum. Madrid is not just a cultural destination. It is also a lively metropolis with many pubs, cafes, discotheques and nightclubs open late into the night.
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    Valid Date Ranges

    April 2025
    04/19/2025 05/03/2025 $6,068 per person
    May 2025
    05/03/2025 05/17/2025 $6,244 per person
    June 2025
    06/28/2025 07/12/2025 $6,675 per person
    July 2025
    07/13/2025 07/27/2025 $5,478 per person
    August 2025
    08/03/2025 08/17/2025 $5,452 per person
    08/17/2025 08/31/2025 $6,195 per person
    08/23/2025 09/06/2025 $5,786 per person
    October 2025
    10/03/2025 10/17/2025 $6,925 per person
    Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discounts. Trip prices and discounts are subject to change. Airfare is additional. Tour prices, dates and itineraries are correct at the time of the website going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. Other restrictions may apply.

    All fares are quoted in US Dollars.