Portugal & Spain

Explorica Educational Travel - Spain & Portugal
This tour features one of Spain’s hidden gems: the remote, forested area of Extremadura, which hosts incredible ancient Roman bridges and theaters. You’ll also experience some of Spain and Portugal’s most treasured attractions: Walk through the packed cobblestone streets of Lisbon, dance the flamenco in Seville, and take a tour of Madrid’s massive Royal Palace.
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Day 1 Overnight Flight to Portugal (Lisbon)
Day 2 Olá Lisbon
Lisbon city walk
Alfama quarterPombal StatuePresidential Palace
Details: Meet your tour director and check into hotel
Your 24-hour Tour Director will meet you at the airport and remain with your group until your final airport departure. You’ll also have a private coach and driver while touring .
Details: Lisbon city walk
This port city was once the entrance point for exotic wares from the far-flung corners of Asia, Africa and the Americas. Get lost in the Alfama, a maze of streets where houses are so close together, you can spread your arms and touch the buildings on both sides of the street! Stroll along the cobblestone pedestrian malls and Lisbon's main street, the Avenida da Liberdade.
Day 3 Lisbon landmarks
Lisbon guided sightseeing tour
Mirador de Santa JustaMonument to the DiscoveriesMosteiro dos Jerónimos visitBelém Tower
Details: Lisbon guided sightseeing tour
See the Castelo de São Jorge, a castle dating back to the Middle Ages, which sits formidably overlooking the city and its port. The Monument to the Navigators, dedicated to various important figures in Portugal’s history, depicts Henry the Navigator, and other explorers on top of a caravel, the standard Portuguese ship used for sailing expeditions. Take an elevator to the top of the monument for an impressive view of the city. Finally, travel to the vast Jerónimos Monastery, an awe-inspiring structure that is considered to be one of the most prominent monuments in Lisbon.
Details: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos visit
Tour the Jerónimos Monastery, a monastery ordered by Manuel the Fortunate to commemorate Vasco da Gama's voyage to India. The monastery is one of Portugal’s finest examples of Manueline architecture that combines flamboyant Gothic and Moorish influences with elements of the nascent Renaissance. The church features tombs of many of the great figures in Portuguese history, including Vasco da Gama.
Details: Fado evening
Portugal's version of the Blues, Fado means "fate" or "destiny," and its songs generally tell the tale of lost love or glory. Head to a Fado house in the Bairro Alto and see the singers swathed in black, accompanied by 12-stringed guitars, crooning their hearts out.
Day 4 Sintra, Cabo da Roca & Cascais
Details: Sintra, Cape Roca & Cascais guided excursion
Enjoy a full day excursion outside of Lisbon to explore the natural beauty and royal buildings of Sintra, the westernmost point of continental Europe at Cabo da Roca and the picturesque seaside town of Cascais.
Details: National Palace visit
The National Palace of Sintra, often referred to as the Town Palace (Palácio da Vila), is a historic royal residence situated in Sintra, Portugal. It stands out as the most well-preserved medieval royal palace in the country, having been continuously occupied from the early 1400s until the late 1800s.
Details: Cape Roca (Europe’s most westerly point)
Enjoy the stunning views and capture the moment with a photo at Cape Roca, Europe’s most westerly point.
Details: beaches of Cascais & Estoril
Take some time to relax and enjoy two of Portugal's most beautiful beaches. Visit Cascais and Estoril to take in some rays and meet the locals.
Details: Citadel of Cascais
Visit the luxury resort town of Cascais and see the citadel that once served as a summer home for the King of Spain in the 16th century.
Day 5 Lisbon--Extremadura
Travel to Extremadura via Evora and Jerez de los Caballeros
Evora City Walk
Templo de DianaIgreja de Sao Joao EvangelistaCapela dos Ossos
Jerez de los Caballeros city walk
Fortress visitSan Bartolome churchSan Miguel church
Details: Evora City Walk
Hit the ruins. One of the grandest cities in Portugal, Évora shows off the country's best-preserved Roman temple as well as an imposing city filled with medieval churches, convents, and palaces.
Details: Jerez de los Caballeros city walk
Rising in the hills of the Extremedura, the white-washed village of Jerez de los Caballeros where artistic and architectural heritage meet.
Day 6 Extremadura--Seville
Roman theater visit
Travel to Seville
Details: Artisanal cheese workshop
Take a tour of a traditional goats cheese farm in the Extremadura and learn about the distinctive quality of the local cheeses and of course, sample a few along the way.
Day 7 Seville landmarks
Seville guided sightseeing tour
Plaza de EspañaOld Jewish Quarter (Santa Cruz and San Bartolomé)Casa de Pilatos visitSeville Cathedral visitGiralda Tower ascentColumbus’ gravesite
Details: Seville guided sightseeing tour
See the twisted alleyways and cobbled streets of this flamboyant Spanish city with a local guide. Discover the enchanting Plaza de España, the Giralda Tower, within the largest gothic cathedral in the world, and explore the Casa de Pilatos considered the prototype of the Andalusian palace.
Day 8 Seville--Madrid
Mezquita guided visit
Details: Travel to Madrid via Córdoba
Stop at Córdoba to visit one of Spain’s most impressive monuments, the Moorish Mezquita, which dates from the 8th to the 10th centuries. Walk through narrow white-washed alleys, passing tile covered patios, dotted with vibrant colored flowers. Don’t miss the beautiful back quarters.
Details: Travel to Madrid by AVE train
Race across the country in Spain’s fastest train, the high-tech AVE, which can reach speeds of over 180 miles per hour.
Details: Madrid city walk
Life in Madrid is centered around talking, toasting and tapas-eating. In a walk through this crowded and social city, your Tour Director will help you get to know the lay of the land. Then stroll over to the Puerta del Sol, the bustling city center. Next, you'll relax at the Plaza Mayor, a grand square where every sort of human drama has taken place—trials of faith, public burnings of heretics, royal marriages, the canonization of saints, and countless balls and bullfights. End at the Plaza de España for a stop at an outdoor café.
Details: Puerta del Sol
Explore the Puerta del Sol, one of Madrid's busiest and most historic squares. While here we will view the Kilometre Zero marker, from which all distances in Spain are measured, and Madrid’s symbol, the Madrono.
Details: Plaza Mayor
Spend time in the Plaza Mayor, Madrid's most famous square. Throughout its long history the square has hosted markets, bullfights, soccer games, public executions, and the Spanish Inquisition. It is now ringed by shops and cafés and is often filled with artists and musicians.
Details: Plaza de España
The Plaza de España is a popular place to gather in Central Madrid. It features a large monument to Miguel de Cervante, author of Don Quixote.
Day 9 Madrid landmarks
Tapas dinner
Details: Madrid guided sightseeing tour
Get a taste of Spain's cultural, political and economic center with a tour led by a licensed local guide. See Madrid's mix of traditional and modern as you visit the Royal Palace, an 18th-century masterpiece. The enormous Baroque palace currently has more rooms (2,800) than any other European palace, but it was originally supposed to be four times as large. The palace is dripping with porcelain, jeweled clocks, amazing ceiling frescoes—the most magnificent, in the Throne Room, was done by the Venetian artist Tiepolo when he was in his seventies. Next take a look at the Neoclassical architecture of the Prado Museum and the Puerta de Alcalá triumphal arch, built to honor Carlos III’s entry into Spain.
Details: Gran Vía
Stroll down the Gran Via, Madrid’s lively signature boulevard featuring magnificent shopping and cafés.
Details: Cibeles Fountain
The Fountain of Cybele, one of the most recognizable fountains in Madrid, depicts Cybele, a Phrygian earth and fertility deity.
Details: Puerta de Alcalá
See the Puerta de Alcalá, the ceremonial gateway to Madrid commissioned by Carlos III. The Neo-classical structure is located in the Plaza de Independencia and is named for the old path leading from Madrid to nearby Alcalá de Henares.
Details: Royal Palace visit
Browse through the 3,418 rooms in the largest palace in Europe. Art lovers will marvel at the walls lined with priceless paintings, but don’t expect to catch a glimpse of the Spanish royal family—they reside elsewhere.
Details: Reina Sofia Museum visit
Officially recognized as Spain’s National Museum of 20th Century Art, The Sofia—as it is more commonly known—is home to an impressive collection from Spain’s two greatest 20th century masters. Hosting works of both Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí, it’s no wonder that The Sofia has risen to such a prominent place in the world of art. Certainly the most famous piece in the museum is Picasso’s Guernica, but in addition to this wonderful masterpiece, you’ll also find a vast library, archive, bookstore and restaurant.
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Day 10 Flight home from Madrid

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    Day 10 Start extension to Barcelona
    Travel to Barcelona via high-speed AVE train
    Details: Las Ramblas treasure hunt
    Take interactive learning to another level with a Tour Director-led treasure hunt of Las Ramblas, the most famous pedestrian street of Barcelona! Complete exciting activities and solve fun clues. Each clue and every activity is built to maximize on-tour experiential learning.
    Day 11 Barcelona landmarks
    Details: Barcelona guided sightseeing tour
    See brilliant Barcelona, a city of graceful Gothic churches, wrought-iron balconies and wide, grand avenues filled with outdoor cafés. Throughout the city, daringly innovative buildings sit side-by-side with the medieval past. A licensed, local guide will show you some of the high points of this architectural showcase. First stop, the pointy spires of the La Sagrada Familia (Church of the Holy Family), a half-finished church complex that became the obsession of Barcelona's famously eccentric architectural genius, Antoni Gaudí. At the top of Güell Park, another of Gaudí's masterpieces, is a terraced area where you get a wonderful view of the park and Barcelona City. The vibrant colors of the tiles are breathtaking. Then step back to the past with a journey up to Montjuïc (Hill of the Jews), a fortress built atop an ancient Jewish cemetery. This was the site of numerous battles to control Barcelona, and also the location of the 1992 Olympics.
    Details: Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia
    This breathtaking church, said to be the master-work of architect Antoni Gaudí, has been under construction since 1882 and is not expected to be completed until 2026!
    Details: Montjuïc Hill
    Travel to Barcelona’s mountain of Montjuïc, the focal point of two of the city’s key international events: the World’s Fair of 1929, of which many structures still remain; and the 1992 Olympic Games. Montjuïc features the largest "green zone" in the city with miles of forests and parks.
    Details: Park Güell visit
    Spend time in Parc Güell, part of the UN ESCO World Heritage Site, 'Works of Antoni Gaudi'. Designed primarily by Gaudí, particularly interesting areas of the park include a mosaic pagoda, a lizard fountain spitting water, an undulating bench decorated with ceramic fragments, and an array of unique Doric columns, which are hollow and serve as part of Gaudí's drainage system.
    Details: Paella dinner
    Paella is a Valencian rice dish with ancient roots that originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century near Albufera lagoon on the east coast of Spain.
    Day 12 Flight home from Barcelona
    Explorica Educational Travel - Portugal & Spain
    Tour Includes:
    • Round-trip airfare
    • 8 overnight stays (10 with extension) in hotels with private bathrooms
    • Full European breakfast daily
    • Dinner daily
    • Full-time services of a professional tour director
    • Guided sightseeing tours and city walks as per itinerary
    • Visits to select attractions as per itinerary
    • High-speed AVE train to Madrid
    • Tour Diary™
    • Local Guide and Local Bus Driver tips; see note regarding other important tips
    • Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
    • Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, or fees for any required passport or visa. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid Tour Director and multi-day bus driver tipping, among other individual and group customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.
    We are better able to assist you with a quote for your selected departure date and city over the phone. Please call 1.888.310.7120 to price this tour with your requested options.
    Please select a postal code
    3932.00 total fee
    Basic Options


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