Spain & Portugal,
gaudí, andalusia, and the algarve sea caves.
Most Spain itineraries run Barcelona to Madrid. This one skips Madrid entirely and spends three nights in Málaga instead, which is what buys you Ronda, Setenil de las Bodegas and the Alhambra as separate, unhurried days rather than one exhausting sweep. Barcelona opens it with Gaudí and Montserrat; Seville sits in the middle; and the last four days cross into Portugal for the Algarve sea caves and Lisbon.
Most Spain itineraries run Barcelona to Madrid. This one skips Madrid entirely and spends three nights in Málaga instead, which is what buys you Ronda, Setenil de las Bodegas and the Alhambra as separate, unhurried days rather than one exhausting sweep. Barcelona opens it with Gaudí and Montserrat; Seville sits in the middle; and the last four days cross into Portugal for the Algarve sea caves and Lisbon.
- ● Sagrada Família from the inside
- ● Montserrat monastery and the Montjuïc cable car
- ● Ronda and Setenil de las Bodegas
- ● The Alhambra at Granada, with a guide
- ● Benagil sea cave and Praia da Marinha
- ● Sintra, Pena Palace and Cabo da Roca
“The Andalusian villages are the part people remember, and they are the part most itineraries compress into a single coach day. Three nights in Málaga is the whole design.”
Rohan Mehta
Europe & Mediterranean Designer · 180+ journeys designed
Sample journeys to Spain & Portugal
Every sample is fully customisable — yours will be unique.
Often paired with
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Turkey & Greece — Cappadocia, Istanbul & the Islands
15 Nights / 16 DaysAmsterdam · Köln · Brussels · Paris · Interlaken · Zurich · Milan
The Grand European Tour — Six Countries by Rail
When to visit
Our pick — Andalusia warm rather than punishing, and the Algarve already swimmable
The other good window. Sea still warm, inland heat broken.
Andalusia regularly passes 40°C. We shift days earlier but it is hard work.
Mild and very quiet, but the Algarve beach days lose their point
Things to do in Spain & Portugal
Sagrada Família, late in the day
Gaudí designed the windows for the light. Go inside in the evening rather than the morning and you will see why.
Montserrat
The monastery in the serrated mountains an hour from Barcelona, done as a half day with the Montjuïc cable car afterwards.
Ronda and Setenil de las Bodegas
One town split by a gorge with a bridge across it; the other built into an overhanging rock. A full day in the Andalusian countryside.
The Alhambra
A guided tour of the palace at Granada, as a full day from Málaga. Tickets are capped daily and go early.
Benagil sea cave
One of the great limestone caves anywhere, with Praia da Marinha and the arches along the same stretch of Algarve coast.
Sintra and Cabo da Roca
The Pena Palace on its hill, the Sintra palaces below it, and the westernmost point of mainland Europe, with Cascais on the way back.
Why travel Spain & Portugal with AVR
Designed for you
No fixed packages. Every itinerary is built around your family, your pace, and your preferences — from flights to floor of the hotel.
Planned by experts
Trip designers who have personally travelled where they plan. Twenty hand-selected hotels per destination, not two thousand search results.
With you every step
From the first call until you are home, your dedicated coordinator is one WhatsApp message away. Real humans, twenty-four hours.
What families say about Spain & Portugal
“Honeymoon, Lisbon to Madeira. Rohan added the Madeira leg and it was the highlight — canyoning, Pico de Arieiro sunrise, and a hotel terrace where we watched the Atlantic for hours.”
Spain & Portugal — frequently asked
Your Spain & Portugal journey starts here
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