Unexpected Andalucia An interesting addition to the usual Cordoba-Seville-Granada route, this itinerary takes in the Cortes de la Frontera, a base for you to explore the Andalucian 'white villages', ancient cave paintings and a world famous bullring. With scenic drives connecting the cities, this itinerary is ideal for both the first timer looking to get beyond the typical tourist itinerary or for those looking to experience Andalucia differently.

 

Madrid Day 1-3 : Arrival in Madrid. You will go on a private tour of Madrid, visiting its museums accompanied by a professor, with an optional tapas tour on the second evening of your stay. Based at the Hotel Silken Puerta America, a design hotel conceived as an architectural showcase, with individual floors fitted-out by different world-renowned architects, including Foster and Partners, Zaha Hadid, John Pawson, and Ushida Findlay.

Cordoba Day 3-5: Transfer today to Cordoba, a city with fascinating history and charming whitewashed streets. Built in the 10th century by an Umayyad Caliph, Cordoba is the largest city built from scratch in Western Europe, housing a series of palaces, which were described by travelers of the time to have contained an assortment of treasures never seen before.

Setting a precedence and defining a new identity in Andalusian Islamic architecture, the architectural features of the Madinat Al Zahra (which facilitates basilical as opposed to domed reception halls, for example) set the tone for subsequent Andalusian architectural expressions, the Alhambra included. What we see of the city today is a mere 10% of the original.

Seville Day 5-6: The Moorish influence is apparent in Seville- from the spectacular Moorish palace to the architecture of the Reales Alcazares.

Cortes de la Frontera Day 6-9: Experience picturesque Andalucian 'white villages',  with possible day trips to Ronda, one of the oldest towns in Spain, where you can find, en route, ancient caves with paintings and stalactites and stalagmite formations or natural pools with icy cold water flowing from a nearby mountain.

Granada Day 9-11: Probably the town most associated with an Andalucian experience, the Andalucian town of Granada, with the iconic Alhambra deserves at least two nights. Private tours of the Alhambra and the Albaicin.

Barcelona Day 11-14:  In the design capital of Barcelona, you'll find plenty of design hotels, hip F&B joints and shopping opportunities. We can customize a walking tour of Barcelona, a personal shopper or various active pursuits.

This itinerary can be combined with a trip to Morocco, where the theme of Moorish influence continues in lavish, palatial recreations of a Moorish water palace in Marrakech or staying on the Atlas Mountains- the same ones you'd first cast your sights on from the pretty 'white village' in Andalucia.