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Whether you’re approaching CARTAGENA from one of the numerous resorts along Mar Menor, inland from Murcia, or from Almería to the south, it’s not a pretty sight, even if the rusting mineworks that scar the landscape have their own austere appeal. It’s only when you reach the old part of town down by the port, with its narrow medieval streets, packed with bars and restaurants, that the city’s real character emerges.
Cartagena was Hannibal’s capital city on the Iberian Peninsula, named after his Carthage in North Africa, and a strategic port and administrative center for the Romans. International Nautical Week is celebrated here in June. In July, the Mar de Músicas festival presents some of the best in world music, and in November the city hosts both a nationally famous jazz festival and an International Festival of Nautical Cinema. The fiestas of Semana Santa are among the most elaborate in Spain, with processions leaving from the church of Santa María de Gracia in the early hours of Good Friday morning.
The best way to get a feel for the city’s rich past is to stroll the streets, where you’ll see a large number of modernista buildings. Most of these are the work of former Cartagenian and disciple of Gaudí, Víctor Beltrí (1865–1935). In particular, look for Casa Maestre in Plaza San Francisco, Casa Cervantes at Calle Mayor 15, and the old Hotel Zapata in Plaza de España. 10-day Spain trips can use Cartagena as a layered Mediterranean port stop, bringing Hannibal, Rome, modernista architecture, festivals, and Semana Santa into a southeastern route that reaches beyond Valencia or Murcia.
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9 days
Spain luxury tour
Step into a Spain that most travelers never see, where living history, soulful plazas, and late-night conversations unfold over unforgettable food and wine. This Spain luxury tour invites you to move beyond the checklist and feel the country through its neighborhoods, artisans, and age-old traditions.Lose track of time in sunlit courtyards, follow the sounds of guitar from tucked-away bars, and discover how locals truly live, eat, and celebrate. Curated for travelers who value authenticity and tailor-made Spain trips, this journey turns every stroll, shared meal, and encounter into a story that is distinctly your own.
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8 days
Luxury Castile castles road trip
A luxury Castile castles road trip takes you into a storybook Spain of honey stone fortresses, open horizons, and sun-soaked vineyards. Travel at your own pace, from Rioja Alavesa’s intimate bodegas to hilltop strongholds that glow at sunset.This journey is shaped around your tastes. Enjoy private tastings at family-run wineries, quiet mornings in medieval Albarracín and Alarcón, and scenic drives through landscapes rich in history.Among our Spain trips, this one is made for travelers who want freedom, comfort, and a route that feels handcrafted rather than packaged. Every stop can be tailored to your style, with each detour revealing another village, viewpoint, or castle worth lingering over.
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18 days
Tailor-made northern Spain self-drive tour
Answer the call of Spain’s rugged north on a self-drive tour shaped entirely around you. Follow winding coastal roads, pause in quiet fishing villages, and taste your way through family-run vineyards and celebrated kitchens.Travel at your own pace, with room for the detours that make a trip feel personal. Stop where the light, the landscape, or the menu makes you want to stay a little longer.From soulful cities to misty green valleys, this is one of our Spain trips designed for freedom, flavor, and local connection. With insider tips, handpicked stays, and carefully chosen reservations, every mile brings you closer to the traditions and daily life of Northern Spain.
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4 days
La Rioja luxury wine tour
Surrender to the rhythm of Spanish wine country on this La Rioja luxury wine tour. Created for travelers who value depth, character, and exceptional wine, it brings you closer to the region’s vineyards, bodegas, and winemaking traditions.Feel the sun on ancient terraces, meet passionate producers, and taste bold reds and elegant whites in atmospheric cellar rooms. From boutique bodegas to family estates, each experience is shaped around your tastes and curiosity.Among our Spain trips, this journey reveals La Rioja through slow travel, local insight, and unforgettable wine moments.
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10 days
Barcelona, Seville, and Madrid tour
Step into a more authentic Spain on this Barcelona, Seville, and Madrid tour. Crafted for curious travelers, it combines expert local guiding, personal freedom, and boutique stays chosen for character and location.Wander medieval lanes, vibrant neighborhoods, hidden plazas, and late-night tapas bars. From Gaudí’s bold creations to Moorish courtyards and flamenco after dark, each day reveals Spain at your own pace.Among our Spain trips, this journey is ideal for travelers who want style, substance, and a richer way to explore.
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16 days
Tailor-made Andalusia cultural tour
Let your Andalusia cultural tour become a story you tell for years. Move through Seville at your own pace, then follow your curiosity into whitewashed villages, Moorish palaces, and sunlit coastal hideaways that many travelers miss.Linger over market-fresh tapas, listen to late-night guitar in tucked-away taverns, and stay in places that reflect the character of each town.This is one of our Spain trips created around you. Choose how you travel, where you stay, and how much time you spend in each place.Here, Spain is not a checklist. It is a collection of vivid, personal moments shaped around your style and sense of discovery.
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29 days
Tailor-made grand Spain immersion trip
A grand Spain immersion trip reveals the country in layers, from Seville’s sunset plazas and centuries-old lanes to quiet village squares, family-run bodegas, and tapas bars filled with local life.Move through changing regions at a pace that lets each place feel distinct. Meet chefs, artisans, guides, and hosts who bring Spain’s traditions into focus through food, craft, stories, and everyday rituals.Created for travelers seeking Spain trips with depth, this tailor-made journey goes beyond the highlights. It gives you time to linger, follow local recommendations, and experience Spain as a living culture rather than a checklist of places.
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12 days
Tailor‑made Spain iconic cities trip
The iconic cities of Spain trip brings together Madrid, Seville, Valencia, and Barcelona in one tailor-made journey shaped around culture, flavor, and local character.Move from grand plazas and hidden courtyards to lively neighborhoods, historic landmarks, and handpicked restaurants that reflect each city’s personality. Along the way, private guides share local stories, regional traditions, and the details that make every stop feel personal.Designed for travelers seeking Spain trips with depth and style, this journey combines intimate stays, memorable dining, and time to slow down and connect with the rhythm of each city.
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4 days
Tailor-made Valencia city break
A Valencia city break brings you into one of Spain’s most vibrant coastal cities, where sunlit plazas, historic streets, and Mediterranean flavors come together with ease.Explore the old quarter’s palaces, courtyards, and lively café terraces, then discover a creative side shaped by contemporary art, bold architecture, and inventive local cuisine. Fresh seafood, modern tapas, and regional wines from nearby Requena add depth to every day.For travelers seeking trips to Spain with a relaxed, local feel, Valencia offers the perfect balance of culture, flavor, and time by the sea.
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4 days
Tailor-made Málaga weekend getaway
A Málaga weekend getaway brings you into the golden heart of southern Spain, where historic streets, sea air, and Andalusian warmth come together with ease.Spend your days between art-filled museums, hidden plazas, local tapas bars, and coastal promenades glowing at sunset. Beyond the city, Ronda’s dramatic cliffs and Marbella’s Mediterranean charm add depth to a short escape.Designed for travelers seeking trips to Spain with culture, flavor, and a relaxed pace, this getaway turns a few days in Málaga into a richly personal journey.
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7 days
A tale of two cities: Madrid and Barcelona trip
A Madrid and Barcelona trip reveals two sides of Spain, from the capital’s grand plazas, hidden taverns, and local markets to Barcelona’s Mediterranean energy, bold architecture, and creative spirit.Travel beyond Madrid toward Toledo for medieval streets, dramatic views, and a sense of adventure. Then continue to Barcelona for coastal flavors, artistic neighborhoods, and a slower look at Catalonia’s culture.Designed for travelers seeking Spain trips with depth and personality, this handcrafted journey is shaped around your pace, interests, and ideal way to explore.
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13 days
Tailor-made Spanish cities cultural trip
Feel Spain come alive as you travel from Barcelona’s creative coast to soulful Granada and the historic heart of Andalusia.This Spanish cities cultural trip brings you closer to the country’s character through intimate tapas bars, hidden courtyards, artisan neighborhoods, and plazas that glow at sunset. Gaudí’s bold architecture, Moorish design, and royal landmarks set the scene, while local flavors and everyday encounters reveal the real spirit of each place.Created for travelers seeking authentic Spain trips, every experience is shaped around your style and curiosity. Step into Spain as a welcomed guest, not a spectator, and discover its music, history, and timeless streets in a more personal way.
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4 days
Private Seville tour: Culture, food and flamenco
Turn a private Seville tour into a slow, atmospheric journey through one of Spain’s most captivating cities. Wander hidden barrios scented with orange blossom, linger over tapas where locals gather, and feel the pull of live flamenco after dark.Seville reveals itself in layers, from its Gothic cathedral and tiled plazas to secret patios, intimate museums, artisan workshops, and contemporary galleries.Among our most characterful Spain trips, this experience is shaped around your pace, with long lunches, shaded gardens, and personal discoveries that make the city feel vivid, local, and entirely your own.
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9 days
Private northern Spain trip: cities, coast and mountains
Step beyond the crowded resorts of the south and discover Spain’s wilder northern edge. This private northern Spain trip takes you through dramatic cliffs, Atlantic beaches, emerald hills, and timeless villages where life still follows the rhythm of the sea and seasons.Travel at your own pace, from historic city streets at golden hour to quiet coves, mountain roads, and local restaurants rooted in regional tradition.Part of our collection of immersive Spain trips, this journey is designed for travelers who want authenticity, freedom, and a deeper sense of place, with each day shaped around your interests.
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5 days
Private Spain wine tour
On this private Spain wine tour, the country reveals itself through vineyards, cellars, and long conversations over a glass of red. Set out from Madrid and watch the landscape shift into Ribera del Duero and La Rioja, where the rhythm of the vines shapes each day.Historic estates, bold contemporary wineries, and honest local restaurants create space for encounters with winemakers, families, and traditions rooted in daily life.Among our most flavorful Spain trips, this journey is designed for travelers who want each glass to tell a story, with tailor-made moments, regional character, and Spain’s legendary wine country at the heart of the experience.
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8 days
Tailor-made Spain trip: Andalucia by car
Set your own pace on a self-drive journey through Andalusia, following sunlit roads from Málaga to Seville, Granada, and Ronda’s dramatic clifftops.Travel through olive groves, rugged sierras, and quiet lanes leading to whitewashed villages where local cafés and evening plazas still shape daily life. This is a road trip built around characterful stays, scenic detours, and time to slow down.Among our most atmospheric Spain trips, this route reveals Andalusia through local encounters, orange blossom, Moorish architecture, and the changing light over Ronda’s unforgettable gorge.
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18 days
Tailor-made Spain trip: Barcelona to Basque Country
Ready to experience Spain beyond the usual hotspots? This Barcelona to Basque Country trip takes you from the city’s creative neighborhoods to vineyards, mountain valleys, and coastal villages shaped by local life.Travel at your own pace, with scenic drives along lesser-known routes, tastings in family-run bodegas, hikes to quiet viewpoints, and time in stone-built villages where traditions still guide the day.Part of our collection of immersive Spain trips, this journey is crafted for travelers who value authenticity, personal freedom, and a deeper connection to the places they visit.
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4 days
Tailor-made Madrid city break in Spain
A tailor-made Madrid city break in Spain invites you to feel the city rather than see it. Let intimate plazas, late-night tapas bars, and sunlit terraces become your daily rhythm as you follow a privately shaped journey through Spain’s capital.Stand before world-class art, sip vermouth where locals gather, and wander side streets full of local character. This is travel shaped around your pace, your passions, and your curiosity.Among our most immersive trips to Spain, this Madrid escape brings together flamenco beats, centuries-old architecture, and creative energy. Come ready to be surprised, inspired, and swept into the authentic soul of the city.
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5 days
Tailor-made Madrid tour
This Madrid Spain tour invites you to live the capital as Madrileños do, drawn into a world of palaces, plazas, and storied avenues. Feel the city reveal itself as you pause beneath ornate facades, follow quiet alleyways into local taverns, and linger in grand salons where history still feels close at hand.Let each day unfold at your own pace, guided by personal tastes rather than a fixed script, from courtyard cafés to moonlit palace squares.Among our most atmospheric Spain trips, this is Madrid shaped around you, crafted for travelers who crave authenticity, intimate detail, and the feeling of slipping behind the scenes into the city’s most elegant secrets.
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10 days
Tailor-Made Spain honeymoon tour
Turn your Spain honeymoon tour into a story you will tell for years, shaped by the romance and rhythm of Andalusia. Seville’s flamenco nights, Córdoba’s hidden patios, and Granada’s Moorish palaces create the backdrop for a journey designed around the two of you.Among our Spain trips, this romantic itinerary blends culture, beauty, and indulgence with time to slow down together. Rise above olive groves at sunrise, toast each other on a private Mediterranean boat, and follow handpicked streets, terraces, and viewpoints that feel intimate, cinematic, and entirely your own.
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4 days
Tailor-made Seville culinary tour
A Seville culinary tour invites you to taste Spain through its most authentic flavors. Arrive in Andalusia and step into a world of sunlit plazas, jasmine-scented evenings, hidden taverns, and tables filled with regional specialties.Follow the aroma of acorn-fed Iberian ham, sip amber sherry, and uncover the traditions behind olive oil at family-owned estates. As part of our Spain trips collection, this journey can be shaped around your pace and appetite.Choose a rental car for spontaneous detours through whitewashed villages, or relax with a chauffeur while you focus on savoring every moment.
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9 days
Tailor-made Andalusia tour
On this Andalusia tour, every turn reveals another side of southern Spain. Follow rugged mountain roads to whitewashed villages, pause among vine-covered hillsides, and step into palace courtyards scented with orange blossom.As part of our Spain trips collection, this journey is designed for travelers who want culture, flavor, and time to explore deeply. Wander candlelit churches, linger in intimate tapas bars, and take in hidden viewpoints above Ronda’s soaring gorge.With each day shaped around your interests, Andalusia becomes a journey of textures, colors, local encounters, and slow discovery.
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8 days
Tailor-made Tenerife Island tour
Mount Teide rises above the clouds, shaping Tenerife with volcanic slopes, lava fields, pine forests, and misty laurel woods. On this Tenerife Island tour, every road brings a new view, from black-sand coves and whitewashed villages to cliffside miradors where the Atlantic seems endless.Among our Spain trips, this journey is made for travelers who want raw landscapes, local flavor, and freedom. Share a guachinche lunch, watch sunrise near Teide, and spend evenings in small guesthouses where island stories come with the wine. Tenerife feels less like a place to tick off and more like an island to explore slowly, shaped by fire, sea, and tradition.
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13 days
Tailor-made Andalusia road trip
Picture yourself tracing mountain roads into Ronda, a whitewashed town perched above a dramatic gorge, with guitar music drifting from hidden patios and orange blossom in the air. This Andalusia road trip captures the Spain that many travelers dream about, but with the freedom to move at your own pace.As part of our Spain trips collection, this journey leads you through olive groves, Moorish palaces, local vineyards, and villages where life still gathers in the plaza. Pause for long lunches in family-run taverns, linger after the day-trippers leave, and follow insider tips while leaving space for your own discoveries.Andalucía becomes more than a destination. It becomes your story, unfolding turn by turn.
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5 days
Mallorca nature and culture tour
Let the rhythm of the Mediterranean guide you into the real Mallorca, away from the crowds and clichés. This Mallorca nature and culture tour leads you along rugged coastlines, quiet coves, and limestone cliffs, then inland to stone villages, olive groves, and timeless plazas.Wake to sea-scented mornings, linger over long lunches in family-run restaurants, and end your days with golden sunsets over the horizon. As part of our Spain trips collection, this self-drive journey gives you the freedom to explore at your own pace, follow coastal paths, meet local people, and discover corners of Mallorca that many visitors miss.
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19 days
Northern Spain tour from Barcelona to Madrid
Let the rhythm of Spain lead you on a journey that feels made for you. This northern Spain tour from Barcelona to Madrid trades generic sightseeing for tucked-away tapas bars, family-run wineries, seaside sunsets, and stays chosen for character.Wake to church bells and market chatter, taste recipes passed down through generations, and explore each stop at your own pace. Among our Spain trips, this route reveals a different side of the country with every destination, shaped around your passions, curiosity, and style of travel.
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8 days
Tailor-made southern Spain tour
Turn your southern Spain tour into a journey shaped around the way you like to travel. Instead of generic sightseeing, expect handpicked moments in whitewashed quarters, hidden tapas bars, and sunlit plazas where daily life unfolds.Our Spain trips are built around personal travel styles, and this route brings you closer to Andalusia’s culture, food, and rhythm. Your travel specialist can shape each day around your interests, from intimate food experiences and flamenco evenings to characterful hotels that place you in the heart of the city.
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Rough Guides combines destination expertise with tailor-made travel planned by vetted Spain local experts. You can use our city and regional guides as a starting point, then receive up to 3 personalized trip plans created from scratch around your preferred pace, experiences, and route through the country. The final itinerary is refined directly with the local travel agent instead of being selected from a fixed package.
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Rough Guides Editors
For over 40 years, Rough Guides has been a trusted name in travel, offering expert-curated guides, inspiring articles, and tailor-made trips. Our passionate team of writers and local travel specialists provide in-depth insights into destinations worldwide, from iconic landmarks to hidden gems. We help you travel smarter and experience the world authentically.
