The Big Tour of Spain, Morocco and Portugal (without Alhambra)

Welcome to Europamundo! Transfer to the hotel and free time. You will be provided with the information required for the beginning of the trip in the afternoon; otherwise, the information will appear on the information panels at the hotel reception area.

IMPORTANT:- Remember that hotels check-in time is usually at 14:00 hrs. If you require more hours of room availability, consider booking an additional night at the beginning of your trip.
- IF YOU REQUESTED ADDITIONAL NIGHTS upon arrival at the hotel, you would have your room booked, but your trip guide would normally contact you at the beginning of the included activities. At the reception you can also find an informative sign, indicating the telephone number and hours of assistance of our staff. YOUR TIME THEREFORE BEFORE THIS MOMENT IS FREE. The hotel staff can help you with all the information you need.


Note: The schedules that you will find in this itinerary are indicative. The guide, depending on the situation and in order to improve the development of the trip, may adjust the schedules.

09:00 h. - City tour with our guide or the local guide of Barcelona, famous for Gaudí and its modernist architecture. We will see the Columbus monument, Plaza de Cataluña, Paseo de Gracia, Diagonal, Sagrada Familia, Montjuich with the Olympic facilities and Plaza de España. We finish at the Ramblas area. You can have a walk in the historic center - Gothic quarter. After the city tour our guide will offer you optionally the visit to the Gaudí´s masterpiece and emblem of the city, the Sagrada Familia. Free time in the afternoon.

18.30 hrs- In the evening we include a transfer to the Maremagnum, a modern leisure center and restaurants facing the sea, next to Plaza Colón, where you can stroll through this lively area and dine.
20.30 hrs- Return to hotel.

Total distance covered: 725 km.
Scenery: We follow the Levantine coast between the Mediterranean Sea and landscapes dotted with orchards, citrus trees and rice fields, arriving in Valencia. Arid lands of the peninsular interior.


08:00 hrs. - Barcelona - departure. We travel to the Valencian Community.
10:45 hrs. - Peñíscola - arrival. Dominating the sea with its powerful walls, its historic center with steep streets, white houses and medieval castle. The history tells us about popes and pirates. Peñíscola is one of the most beautiful villages of the Spanish Mediterranean. Time for a walk.

12:30 hrs. - Peñíscola - departure.
14:30 hrs. - Valencia - arrival. Free time in the center for lunch. Why not trying an authentic Valencian Paella? We suggest visiting the Lonja and the Cathedral.

16:30 hrs. - Valencia - departure. After passing through the avant-garde city of Arts and Sciences, we continue towards Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid.
21:00 hrs. - Madrid - arrival and transfer to the Plaza Mayor to welcome the city. Our guide will accompany you to the area so that you know where the main mesons are located.

Note: Sometimes the transfer to the Plaza Mayor can be provided the next day after the city tour.
Note: In some cases the journey from Valencia to Madrid might be carried out by train.

The day starts around 08.30 hrs with a city tour through the centre of Madrid, including Paseo del Prado, Cibeles, Neptuno, the Gate of Alcalá, Plaza de Colón and Plaza Mayor.

We will visit Retiro Park, an oasis in the city centre, where we will see the lake and the Glass Palace. Entrance to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the football stadium of Real Madrid. We get to know the areas reserved for the players as well as the public areas and the small museum about this team, considered by some as the best in the world.

Enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

At the end of the evening, we will return to the hotel.

Total distance: 450 km

Landscapes: The plains of La Mancha with the shadow of some mills and the great extensions of olive groves in the province of Jaén.


07:45 hrs. - Madrid – departure (the schedule may vary slightly depending on the pickup points).We will make a stop at Puerto Lápice, a beautiful town in La Mancha with memories of Don Quixote de la Mancha.
13:30 hrs. - Granada – Arrival at the hotel. Lunch included. Free time in the afternoon. We recommend visiting the Cathedral, which houses the tomb of the Catholic Monarchs, or strolling through the Albaicín neighbourhood and enjoying the beautiful views of the Alhambra from the Mirador de San Nicolás.


Note: We remind you that the tour you have purchased does not include the entrance to the Alhambra in Granada. If you are interested in purchasing a ticket, we suggest to do it through their official website: https://tickets.alhambra-patronato.es or through companies that organise visits to the city.

Distance travelled: 530 km.
Scenery: We follow the Costa del Sol with views over the Mediterranean Sea and cross the Strait of Gibraltar. Our trip continues along areas next the Moroccan coast.

INSTRUCTIONS: Do not forget your passport, you will need it at the border. When in Spain the clock strikes 12 o´clock, in Morocco it is 10 or 11 o´clock depending on the time of year. Your guide will tell you, when you have to change the time and also the time difference.
Note: During the crossing between Spain and Morocco you must carry your own luggage.


07:30 hrs. - Granada - Departure. Stunning views over the Mediterranean.
11:45 hrs. - Algeciras-Tarifa - Arrival. We take a ferry and cross the Strait of Gibraltar, crossing to Africa on a modern boat. The crossing takes approximately 1.5 hours (we suggest that you have lunch on board). Arrival in the port of Tangiers. Customs and border procedures (there are sometimes delays). We continue to Asilah, a small walled city facing the sea. Time for lunch and a walk through its beautiful walled medina.

16:30 hrs. - Departure - Asilah. We continue along the motorway to Rabat, the diplomatic capital of the city, with its special charm.
19:30 hrs. - Rabat - Arrival, dinner and accommodation.

Total distance travelled: 350 km.
Scenery: As we continue inland, the landscapes become progressively drier, and are almost desert upon reaching Marrakech.


08:00 hrs. - We start the city tour of the Kingdom´s capital. This city is one of the most beautiful in the country. We visit the imposing Oudaia Fort, the Hassan Tower, where the mausoleum of King Mohammed V is located, the Andalusian walls, the outside of the Royal Palace and the modern neighborhoods where the embassies are situated. Free time after that.

11:00 hrs. - Rabat - Departure.
12:15 hrs. - Casablanca - Arrival. Brief introductory tour of this modern city with a local guide. We visit the exterior of the immense Mosque of Hassan II; the second largest mosque in the Muslim world (after Mecca). We will make a short stop at the Corniche for lunch.


14:30 hrs. - Casablanca, departure towards Marrakech.
17:45 hrs. - Marrakech - Arrival. Upon arrival we include a 40 minute tour in Kalesas (horse drawn carriages) to visit the famous Djemaa El Fna market square, which is brimming with activity at this time of the day. We continue to the hotel. Dinner and accommodation.

08:15 hrs. - We will have the city tour. Located among hundreds of palm trees and surrounded by ochre walls, this exotic city brims with activity and life. We will get to know the great walls, the Jemaa Square, we will walk through the colorful Medina, see the Koutoubia Tower, as well as visit the Bahia Palace (ticket included). Lunch at the hotel and free time in the afternoon.


In the evening we recommend you the Fantasy dinner show, where you can experience the rich and varied Moroccan folklore.

Total distance covered: 300 km. Scenery: Incredibly beautiful. We cross the Atlas mountains and pass by beautiful villages perched on the mountainsides.
Please note: Do not forget to keep your camera close. We also recommend warm clothes for the mountains.


08:00 hrs. - Marrakech - Departure. We begin a beautiful part of the journey, crossing the high mountains of the Atlas, a natural barrier of the Sahara desert. En route we will make a stop at a high mountain village.
13:30 hrs. - Ait Benhaddou - Arrival in this fortified adobe-built town, which is a World Heritage Site, where many movies have been shot due to its incredible landscape backdrop. Time for lunch and a walk among its mud houses.

15:00 hrs. - Ait Benhadou - Departure.
15:30 hrs. - Ouarzazate A desert city with an imposing fortress, whose oldest part is also a World Heritage Site.

16:30 hrs. - Ouarzazate - Departure. We continue through desert plains and valley oases.
18:00 hrs. - Boumalne Dades. You can enjoy the facilities at our hotel. Dinner and accommodation.


Please note: In very exceptional cases, it may happen that, due to bad weather, the road through the Atlas is cut off (with snow or flash floods). In this is the case, Europamundo will arrange the following alternative route: FRIDAY: Marrakech-Essaouira / SATURDAY: Essaouira-Safi-El Jadida-Meknes / SUNDAY: Meknes-Fez.

Distance traveled: 280 km.
Scenery: Extremely beautiful, following the so-called "Valley of the Kasbahs"; and an area with biblical landscapes.
Suggestion: Wear comfortable footwear. Are you carrying a book you have finished reading? Maybe you would consider donating it to the library that we are creating in Tinejad?


07:15 hrs. - Boumalne Dades - Departure. We follow the Valley of the Kasbahs; adobe fortresses that protected the crops and villages from attacks from other nomadic tribes. Breathtaking oases and palm groves, where we glimpse delightful adobe-built villages.
09:00 hrs - Todgha Gorge. A deep canyon cuts through the Atlas Mountains amidst one of the most beautiful areas of Morocco. You will have free time to enjoy this beautiful landscape (sometimes, following intense rain, we cannot access the gorges due to flooding of the rivers).

09:45 hrs. - Todgha Gorge - Departure. The predominance of the desert becomes ever more markable, as we progress along this part of our journey.
10:45 hrs. - Ksar el Khorbat - If the weather does not prevent it (access road), we will make a stop at this adobe/oasis town, which is supported by the Europamundo Foundation. You will be able to learn about the lives of the desert peoples in these impressive fortified villages.

11:45 hrs. - Ksar el Khorbat - Departure.
14:00 hrs. - Erfoud - Arrival. Lunch at the hotel. Relax in the gardens and pool at this desert hotel. Our tour guide will propose an optional excursion in off-road across the Merzouga sand dunes, with dinner included on the dunes: an unforgettable landscape and experience.

Total distance covered: 430 km.
Scenery: Very beautiful scenery of the Atlas, passing into more verdant areas covered by forests.

Note: at this stage we will climb to high areas of the Atlas, where it might be cold. Remember to bring some warm clothes.


08:00hrs. - We will leave Erfoud early, we cross the Atlas between powerful gorges and stunning landscapes. Then we cross a high and cold plateau area inhabited by nomadic pastoralists.
11:30 hrs. - Stop in Midelt, in the center of this region, which is mantained mainly by agriculture, especially apples, and by stone, fossil and mineral crafts. Time for a walk and lunch.
13:00 hrs. - Midelt - Departure. We continue our route to the Middle Atlas observing the complete changes of the landscape. We are in a region with abundant forests, where it snows frequently in winter.
14:45 hrs. - Azrou. We will make a stop in this National Park to visit "the house of the cedars", a small museum that tells us about the region. We will be amused by the colonies of monkeys that inhabit this area.

15:30 hrs. - Azrou departure.
16:45 hrs. - Bhalil, arrival in a small and quiet town inhabited by Berbers of the Middle Atlas with a very picturesque historic center of colorful streets. Traditionally the population in this city lived in caves, today these caves have been integrated into the houses.

17:45 hrs. - Bhalil - departure.
18:15 hrs. - Fez. Arrival in the spiritual heart city of Morocco, a labyrinth of alleys and souks, doors and smells. Before going to the hotel, we will admire the view of the city from the Saadian tombs. Dinner included.

Total distance: 395km.


08:00 hrs. - We leave the hotel to discover Fez on an informative city tour with a local guide.
During the visit we will get to know the most interesting part of the city, with its emblematic architecture and its lively souks with ancient atmosphere that will not leave us indifferent. We will enter through the Bronze Gates of the Royal Palace and get to know the Jewish quarter, its lively souks, the tanners´ quarter. The cultural capital of the country is known for its impressive Medina that preserves the traditional Arabian atmosphere. After the visit we include a typical Moroccan lunch in a beautiful old Palace of the Medina.

15:00 hrs. – Departure from Fez. We take the modern highway to the north of Morocco through olive and wheat fields in the Rif valleys. Fertile areas of sugar cane and fruit trees.
20:00 hrs. - Tangier. Arrival. Dinner included.

Total distance covered: 280 km.
Scenery: Amazing views over the cliffs and Strait. Pleasant scenery of white villages in Andalusia.

WARNING: Remember to keep your passport close.
PLEASE NOTE: The departure time of the ferry varies depending on the season. Border formalities may involve delays. Returning to Spain, you will have to put your clocks forward by 1 or 2 hours (depending on the time of the year). Your guide will advise you about the change.

At about 11:00 hrs. (variable) we shall depart from the port of Tangier. Boarding formalities. Each traveller must carry their bags and hand luggage, as required by the Spanish national security authorities. Crossing of approximately one hour. We suggest having lunch on the ferry.

Arrival in Algeciras/Tarifa. Our journey continues through beautiful white villages.

20:30 hrs. Seville. - Arrival.

Our visit to Seville will be very special, we combine a part by bus and on foot with a boat ride along the Guadalquivir River that will allow us to appreciate the best views of the monuments and places that the city offers.


A local guide will explain the history and culture of the capital of Andalusia and show us its most beautiful corners. We will begin with the visit around nine in the morning. We passes by the Cathedral-Giralda, Santa Cruz neighborhood, Banks of the Guadalquivir River, Torre del Oro, Maestranza Bullring, Cartuja Island, where the Expo took place and which currently houses the "Isla Mágica" amusement park, María Luisa Park with the beautiful Plaza de España. Total duration of the visit is about 3 hours (including the boat ride). Free time in the afternoon. The guide will offer you optionally the possibility to visit the cathedral and in the evening to attend a popular flamenco tablao.

Total distance: 490 km
Scenery: Attractive landscapes of white-painted villages, mountain ranges and castles.

Note: In Portugal we must set our watches back one hour.


09:00 hrs. - Seville - Departure. We travel through pleasant landscapes of soft mountains and large pasture lands towards Extremadura.
11:30 hrs. - Mérida. Arrival in the capital of Extremadura. Admission included to the archaeological complex of the Roman Theater and Amphitheater, the largest in the Iberian Peninsula, a World Heritage Site, recognized not only for its good state of conservation, but also as an example of the importance that spectacle and entertainment had the ancient Rome in all of its provinces. Mérida has a pleasant pedestrian historic center with a lot of life and places, where you can have lunch.


15:30 hrs. - Mérida - departure. Beautiful landscapes of large meadows. We pass to Portugal. We enter the Alentejo region.
16:30 hrs. (Portuguese time) - Évora - Arrival. The capital of Alentejo, one of the oldest cities in Portugal that has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Time to walk through the historic center with its white streets, its cathedral, its old churches, a taste of southern Portugal.


18:30 hrs. - Évora - Departure.
20:00 hrs. - LISBON - Arrival and accommodation.

City tour of Lisbon. In the morning city tour with a local guide lasting approximately 2 hours. During this visit we will pass through the following points: Eduardo VII park, Baixa Pombalina (Marqués de Pombal square, Rossío square with views of the San Jorge castle, Alfama), Estrela
neighborhood, Estrela Basilica, Monument to the Discoveries, Belém Tower, Jerónimos Monastery. The visit will finish in the city center. Free time in the afternoon to continue exploring the city. We suggest you taking the Elevator da Gloria to visit Bairro Alto and the viewpoint São Pedro. Our guide will optionally offer you to visit the beautiful towns of Sintra with its castle and Cascais and Estoril by the sea.



20:30 hrs. - We return from the Restauradores Square, an area with numerous restaurants and cafes, to the hotel.

Total distance covered: 320 km.

Scenery: Pleasant green landscapes, hills, historic cities.


08.00 hrs. - Lisbon - Departure.
09:45 hrs. - Fatima - Arrival. Time to visit the Sanctuary, a place of pilgrimage that reminds us of the apparitions of Our Lady to the three Little Shepherds. The chapel was built in 1919 in the place where the apparitions of 1917 took place in Cova de Iria and, since then, the space of the Sanctuary continued to be built in response to the influx of pilgrims.

11:30 hrs. - Fatima - Departure.
14.00 hrs - Porto - Arrival. Time for lunch. In the afternoon we will have the city tour of approximately two hours with a local guide: the river Douro, its historic center declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Iron Bridge. At the end of the tour we will also visit one of its centenary wineries, where the famous "Port Wine” is made. Free time.

Total distance covered: 270 km.
Scenery: Beautiful green countryside and views over the Rías Bajas.
NB: Remember that we will have a boat trip. Have you got warm clothes for it?


08:00 hrs. - Oporto - departure.
09:00 hrs. - in the city of Braga we will visit the sanctuary of Bom Jesus; we include a trip on the oldest cable car in the world operated only by water. After visiting the sanctuary we suggest walking down the beautiful stairway, admiring the views and the sanctuary gardens.

10:15 hrs. - Bom Jesus - departure. We go to Galicia with views over the Galician estuaries. We will see the Ría de Arosa.
13:00 hrs. (12:00 hrs. in Portugal) - Cambados - Arrival. A historic maritime town. We include a glass bottomed boat trip along the Ría de Arosa estuary. We will learn how mussels are grown. On the boat we include wine mussels tasting. Afterwards free time to stroll in Cambados and have lunch.

16:00 hrs. - Cambados - Departure.
16:45 hrs. - Santiago de Compostela - Arrival. We include the city tour with a local guide. We will discover, how St. James brought pilgrims over the centuries, and stroll through the medieval streets in the center, admiring the cathedral.


Note: On some dates (celebration of Santiago´s day especially) our groups may be accommodated in a city near Santiago.

Total distance covered: 475 km.

Scenery: Attractive green scenery, villages. Way of St. James. Spectacular mountain scenery crossing the Cantabrian mountain range.


08:00 hrs. - Santiago - departure. Following the ancient way of St. James, amidst picturesque scenery, we travel to Lugo.
09:30 hrs. - Lugo - Free time, you can stroll around its walls, built more than 2000 years ago by the Romans, declared UNESCO World Heritage.

11:00 hrs. - Lugo - departure. We travel to Castile and on our way we make a stop in O´Cebreiro, a small Galician stone village that shows us this region’s traditional way of life.
14:15 hrs. - Leon - Time for lunch and stroll in this historic Leonese capital which stands on the Way of St James. Its Gothic cathedral stands out with magnificent stained glass windows.

16:45 hrs. - Leon - Departure.
18:30 hrs. - Oviedo - Arrival. We include (sometimes the next morning) an hour-and-a-half city tour with a local guide. We will see the ninth century cathedral, the Calatrava Palace, the Campoamor Theatre, and the Calle de la Rua. A night in the capital of the Principality of Asturias. A city with a great atmosphere.

Total distance covered: 260 km.

Scenery: Very beautiful scenery: mountains, views of the sea, little villages scattered along the way.


08:30 hrs. - Oviedo - departure from the capital of Asturias.
09:45 hrs.- Covadonga - Time to see the sanctuary nestled among the mountains, the place where the Reconquista of Spain began.

10:45 hrs. - Covadonga - departure. The green mountains blend with the sea. Beautiful scenery along the way.
12:30 hrs. - Santillana - Arrival. Time in this beautiful medieval village, its stone streets, its blazoned houses, the Collegiate. Time to have a stroll and lunch. In the vicinity of the town we will see (tickets included) the Museum of the Altamira Caves, a reproduction of the fantastic rock paintings preserved here.

16:00 hrs. - Santillana/Altamira - departure.
16:30 hrs. - Santander – Arrival in the regional capital, a maritime city with impressive views between mountains and beaches. We include the city tour of a little over 2 hours with a local guide to discover this elegant coastal city and its beautiful bay. During the tour we will stroll around the Pereda Gardens, we will climb to the Centro Botín and reach the Cathedral Square. Then, in the bus, we will continue to the Magdalena Peninsular, the Sardinero Beaches, the Grand Casino, Piquío Gardens and Cabo Mayor Lighthouse with the beautiful views of the city and its spectacular cliffs.
Arrival at a hotel at around 18:45 hrs.

Total distance covered: 410 km.

Scenery: Great sea views, beautiful mountains and green landscapes.


09:00 hrs. - Santander - departure. Magnificent scenery. We will travel to the Basque Country.
10:30 hrs. - Bilbao - Arrival in the Basque Country´s largest city. We will have the city tour with a local guide, visiting places such as: the Guggenheim area, the Old Quarter, the Cathedral etc. At the end of the city tour there will be some free time to taste the famous “pintxos” and have lunch.
14:15 hrs. – Bilbao - Departure. We will then travel to la Rioja, a region famous for its excellent wine.
15:45 hrs. - Wine Culture Winery Museum. - Located in the small town of Briones we will visit this fantastic museum/winery where we can discover the rich historic legacy and craft of winemaking, from the vine cultivation to the manufacture of the wine itself. Visit and a wine tasting included.

17:15 hrs. - Wine Museum - Departure.
19:45 hrs. - Zaragoza - Arrival and accommodation. We recommend you to take a walk through its old town.

Total distance covered: 325 km.

Scenery: Semi-desert land in Aragon. Pleasant scenery in Catalonia.


After breakfast we make a city tour of Zaragoza with a local guide, lasting approx. two hours. During our visit we will see the Cathedral-Basilica of Pilar; we will talk about the painter Goya and see some of his works and will also visit a Roman theatre, Renaissance palace and have a walk by the Arab palace of the Aljafería. After this free time to stroll and have lunch.

14:30 hrs. - Zaragoza - Departure.
17:00 hrs. - Monastery of Poblet - Entrance included to this walled monastery, surrounded by the very beautiful scenery. This is one of the best-preserved mediaeval monasteries in the world.

18:15 hrs. - Monastery of Poblet - departure, we cross rich agricultural regions of central Catalonia.
20:00 hrs. - Barcelona - Arrival.

After breakfast, end of our services.

Note: Remember that hotels check-out time is usually at 10.00 hrs. In most cases, you can leave your luggage at the hotel reception at check-out time, so you can enjoy the city and pick it up at the time you require that same day. If you need more time to use your room, please consider booking an additional night at the end of your tour.