Overview
In Portugal, visit Lisbon with a Local Guide and see the Belem Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built to commemorate the expedition of Vasco de Gama, and Porto’s cathedral, built on a panoramic terrace overlooking the port wine cellars on the banks of the Douro River. Enjoy guided sightseeing in the cities of Toledo, Granada, Seville, Madrid, Cordoba, Lisbon, and Porto. Our Local Guides - experts in the cities’ histories and cultures - will highlight the unique sights and tell you about local culture and history. All of this and more—including an olive oil farm visit with tastings—await you on this fabulous and affordable Spain and Portugal tour designed for value-minded travel lovers.
Itinerary
Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is for you to relax or start exploring Madrid, taking advantage of the CosmosGO app. Tonight, meet your Tour Director and travel companions. (D)
Drive south to Toledo. Spectacularly situated on a granite hill surrounded by a loop of the Tagus River, the ancient Castilian capital is a treasure-chest of masterpieces. Visit the walled Old Town with a Local Guide and marvel at the 12th-century Church of St. Tomé, known for its large painting by El Greco of The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. Later, cross the Guadalquivir River and head for the olive and orange groves that dot the rolling Andalusian hills. Overnight in history-steeped Granada at the foot of the Sierra Nevada. Today's Distance: 298 mi/ 480 km (B/D)
Granada was the Moors' most treasured city, and they still mourn its loss in their prayers. With a Local Guide, visit the Alhambra Complex*, built by Moorish kings. On the way to Cordoba, enjoy more idyllic scenery as we reach an olive farm, to learn about olives and enjoy a local olive oil tasting. Today's Distance: 143 mi/ 230 km (B) *Alhambra complex: Entrance to Nasrid Palace is not guaranteed.
With a Local Guide visit the magnificent Mezquita, famous for its 850 pillars of porphyry, marble, and jasper. The Mosque-Cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage site since 1984), is arguably the most significant monument in the western Muslim world and an amazing building in its own right. The complete evolution of the Omeyan style in Spain can be seen in different sections, alongside the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles of the Christian part. On to vibrant, festive Seville. Today's Distance: 93 mi/ 150 km (B/D)
Get to know Seville on the included city tour. The capital of Andalusia, vibrant Seville has much to offer: the cathedral, the beautiful La Giralda minaret tower, a symbol of Seville; and the Real Alcázar palace, with its extravagant Moorish architecture and opulent gardens. Fun fact: the Palace of the Kingdom of Naboo, from Star Wars, and the Palace of the Kingdom of Dorne, from Game of Thrones, were filmed in Plaza de Espana and the Royal Alcazar of Seville. (B)
Enjoy the scenery of the Sierra de Aracena before crossing into Portugal and the fertile plains of the Alentejo. Admire the forest of cork trees and make a stop to visit Evora, a delightfully attractive city. Among the highlights are the architecture of the white houses, the tiles and the balconies. The city, designated UNESCO World Heritage site, inspired the style in which some Brazilian cities, such as Salvador de Bahia, were built, Continue to Lisbon.
Today's Distance: 267 mi/ 430 km (B)
Henry the Navigator made Lisbon the 15th-century “Mistress of the Seas.” You'll see his monument, the Belem Tower, the Moorish Citadel, the impressive Black Horse Square, and other highlights on the guided sightseeing tour. Spend the afternoon at leisure in the Alfama's tile-decorated streets or take an optional excursion to the scenic Portuguese Riviera. (B)
Stop in Fatima to visit its world-famous Sanctuary, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Continue to Coimbra, known for its university, one of the oldest in Europe, and to Porto on the northern bank of the Douro River. For the perfect way to round out your day, why not join an optional Douro River cruise and dinner? Today's Distance: 224 mi/ 360 km (B)
Discover Porto's highlights on the guided city tour. See its historical cathedral and visit a Port wine cellar along the banks of the Douro River. This afternoon, consider an optional excursion to Guimaraes, called the “cradle” of Portugal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tonight, enjoy an included dinner at a local restaurant. (B/D)
Enjoy the plentiful woodlands and mountains on your return to Spain via the scenic Douro Valley. Reach the ancient and beautiful university town of Salamanca in the early evening, the best time to take a stroll in the Plaza Mayor. Today's Distance: 267 mi/ 430 km (B)
Journey to fortified Avila with its many towers and visit St. Theresa's Convent before continuing to Segovia, a medieval town picturesquely set on a rocky hill. Some say that the beautiful castle inspired Disney's “Cinderella.” Spend some time in Segovia before crossing the boundary between new and old Castile to arrive in Madrid. Today's Distance: 168 mi/ 270 km (B)
Built 2180 feet above sea level, Madrid, capital of Spain, is the nearest thing to Heaven, according to Spaniards. Discover the main highlights of this aristocratic city on the included guided tour. (B)
Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
Trip Inclusions
- 12 Breakfasts
- 4 Dinners
- Madrid Praga (Superior Tourist-Class)
- Granada Gran Hotel Luna de Granada (First-Class)
- Cordoba Exe Las Adelfas (Moderate First-Class)
- Seville Don Paco (Superior Tourist-Class)
- Lisbon Roma (Superior Tourist-Class)
- Porto Portus Cale (Superior Tourist-Class)
- Salamanca Sercotel Artheus Carmelitas Salamanca (Superior Tourist-Class)
- Airport transfers at your arrival and departure destination are not included in the price of the tour.
- Itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
- Price is for land, cruise and specified internal flights. International flights not included.
- Entrance to the Nasrid Palace is not guaranteed
- (2024) March 26 Departure – Easter
- (2024) April 16 Departure – Feria in Seville
Enjoy inside visits to Europe's the must-see sites with a great mix of included excursions, free time and affordable value. Read more
Cosmos build free time into every one of their holidays, so you can eat, shop, and explore the way you want. Read more
Cosmos' easy going, fun-filled and multilingual Tour Directors and Local Guides love exploring as much as you do. Read more
Trip Reviews (15) View All Most Recent 'The Best of Spain & Portugal' Reviews
Being a solo traveller I chose to pay the single supplement. With the exception of one hotel, I was very happy that I wasn't given a tiny room every night. The hotels were of a good standard and the included breakfasts were varied and plentiful. It was nice porterage was included at the hotels. The hotels were all quite well situated, except for two, but they were very close to public transport. The included dinners were reasonably good but the one in Porto was excellent.
I chose two optional tours , Cascais and Sintra, which was good as you got to see something more than the city. The other was the Douro River cruise. This was a nice way to end the day and the meal was quite good also. Other travellers really enjoyed the Flamenco Show and the Fado night. If you take the Madrid optional tour it doesn't leave you any free time to explore the city unless you stay on after the tour ends. Some travellers complained of this. On the whole the the included excursions were very good however the Generalife Gardens at the Alhambra were quite rushed. I would have liked more time here as, to me, it was the highlight of the tour. I didn't really like the city tour of Lisbon or Madrid as you mainly just drove around looking out the window of the bus. You could go back but there wasn't really enough time.
Our tour group were a great mix of Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Americans and a few Indians. Everyone got on fantastically and it made it a wonderful and memorable holiday. Many thanks to Hannah at Global Journeys for all her help and organisation. I will definitely use Global Journeys and Cosmos again when I travel.
The tour group were almost all retirees aged 65 plus. This meant that walking tours were slow going. Something to keep in mind for younger travellers. All the local experts we had on our walking/city tours and the bus driver were fantastic. However, the tour director could have been more informative of the towns we were visiting by giving us more detailed and accurate information, providing recommendations on restaurants and memorable or unique experiences we could have. I was also concerned by the fact that the tour director wrote our names on the gratuities envelope we gave her at the end of the tour.
I enjoyed all the stops at the towns in Spain and Portugal but found we had to choose between seeing the town and having a relaxing lunch. There wasn’t time to do both - only 1.5-2 hours at each town we visited. My biggest disappointment of the tour was that the included visit to Alhambra did not in fact include seeing the Palaces which are the main part of Alhambra. We were simply taken around the Alhambra grounds and gardens and I felt this was highly misleading of Cosmos to claim this as an included visit. I would have preferred to pay to experience Alhambra the way it should be.
The towns of Cordoba and Seville were lovely with a good amount of free time. The optional Flamenco show in Seville was also amazing. In Lisbon, the guided tour was mostly on the bus with two small photo stops at Belem Tower and another monument. The optional dinner and Fado show was average. For almost $90 (57 euro) whilst the music was beautiful the dinner was average - vegetable soup, cod, and only a slice of pineapple for dessert. Not worth the money paid.
Also the optional excursion to Sintra meant that we had very little time to see Lisbon properly. And this brings me to the second biggest disappointment of the tour - the excursion to Cascais and Sintra. Sintra is a picturesque town but with only two hours in the town we did a guided tour of the medieval palace and had a small amount of free time. We were not taken to Pena Palace which is supposed to be the most beautiful palace in Portugal and the one on all the postcards for Sintra. There is also a Forest in Sintra which has the ruins of a Moorish castle, something the tour guide did not explain at all. We had stopped at Cascais for lunch but with very little to see and do here, this time could have been better spent at Sintra.
In Porto, the guided walk and included Porto tastings was great. I skipped the optional tour to Guimareas to spend more time in Porto and I’m glad I did. Porto is a beautiful little town. The optional river cruise and dinner were also exceptional and a definite highlight of the tour. Overall, I will not choose Cosmos again. I have done five budget coach tours before with other companies and this was disappointing in comparison.
Availability
A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you enquire. Additional savings may apply. We guarantee the lowest price in Australia. T&C’s apply.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by Cosmos. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from Cosmos. These should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
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