Spanish Paradores

We recommend a morning arrival at the Madrid airport, where you’ll be met by your private driver and transferred to your hotel. After checking in and freshening up, familiarize yourself with Madrid’s historic center.

Highlights (optional): Panoramic GoCar tour, Spanish walking markets and taverns tour

Overnight in Madrid
Tenon Recommends: Catalonia Plaza Mayor

Start your scenic drive to Toledo. Toledo is known as the “City of Three Cultures” because Christian, Jewish and Muslim people lived there together in peace for centuries. Behind its walls, Toledo preserves its artistic and cultural legacy in the form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques and synagogues. The whole city is an incredible museum.

Overnight in Toledo
Tenon Recommends: Parador de Toledo
(Breakfast included)

Enjoy a privately guided walking tour with your very own local guide with a special visit to the synagogue and cathedral, where you can see works of art by El Greco and Francisco de Goya. Alternately, you can take a day trip on your own to Ávila to see its intact medieval walls, and from there you can continue north to Segovia to see its iconic ancient Roman aqueduct.

Highlights (included): Synagogue and cathedral
Highlights (optional): Roman aqueduct in Segovia

Overnight in Toledo
Tenon Recommends: Parador de Toledo
(Breakfast included)

After breakfast, head to Granada. Check-in at your Parador, a state-run hotel, which is located in the Alhambra complex. In the afternoon, wander around the old town or explore one of the many plazas and markets. In the evening, you will have a unique experience of Flamenco in Sacromonte, the Romani district. Savor a delicious tapas dinner while you enjoy the energetic show.

Highlights (included): Flamenco performance with a tapas dinner in the local caves of Sacromonte mountain near Granada

Overnight in Granada
Tenon Recommends: Parador de Granada
(Breakfast and dinner included)

Start your morning with a guided visit to the Alhambra palace and Generalife gardens. Granada has an unmistakable Arab flavor. Its culture is a result of the city’s glorious history. Alhambra is a palatine city built around courtyards of flowering trees, reflection pools and fountains. In the evening, relax and enjoy dinner on your own.

Highlights (included): Alhambra Palace and Generalife gardens

Overnight in Granada
Tenon Recommends: Parador de Granada
(Breakfast included)

From Granada, head to Ronda, one of the famous white villages of Andalusia. Ronda stands on an enormous outcrop of rock and features a dramatic bridge built in the 18th century that splits the center of town. You also have the option of visiting the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain.

Highlights (optional): Bullfighting ring

Overnight in Ronda
Tenon Recommends: Parador de Ronda
(Breakfast included)

On your way to Carmona, near Seville, stop at a local hacienda to learn about the olive oil making process, taste samples, and tour the mill, cellar and family museum. After the tour, keep heading north to Carmona and check into your parador for the night.

Highlights (included): Local hacienda tour

Overnight in Carmona
Tenon Recommends: Parador de Carmona
(Breakfast included)

In the morning, drive to Seville, the capital of Andalusia. Its city center is a compact maze of narrow streets with a plethora of fascinating places to visit. The Jewish Quarter and the Barrio Santa Cruz are buzzing with activity day and night. In the afternoon, drive to Extremadura. On the way, stop in Zafra, located on the strategic “Via de la Plata,” or the Silver Route, in Roman Hispania. The 15th-century Alcazar, or fortress, dominates the town. Check into your hotel in Mérida and then explore this magnificent Roman city. The theatre, the Roman amphitheatre and the Temple of Diana among other remains make this city the ancient capital of Roman Lusitania, one of the best-preserved archaeological sites in Spain and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Highlights (optional): Temple of Diana

Overnight in Mérida
Tenon Recommends: Parador de Mérida
(Breakfast)

Begin your return journey to Madrid. After you check into your Madrid hotel, you may opt to pack and relax at the hotel. If you have the energy and feel like stretching your legs, we recommend taking a stroll to people-watch at the Buen Retiro Park, or “El Retiro,” as the locals call it. You can also head to the Prado Museum to check out some of the most famous works of Spanish art.

Highlights (optional): Buen Retiro Park, Prado Museum

Overnight in Madrid
Tenon Recommends: Catalonia Plaza Mayor
(Breakfast included)

Head to the Madrid Barajas airport to being your journey home or continue onward to more Spanish adventures!
(Breakfast included)