Spain Tour From Barcelona 13D/12N

Day 1: Istanbul – Barcelona

Arrival at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport. Welcome. Transfer to the hotel and check in. Tour briefing. 

Lunch in a typical restaurant. Rest of the day free for walking and shopping in the city. Dinner in a typical Catalan restaurant.

Night in Barcelona.

Day 2: Barcelona

Morning: Visit from the outside of Gaudi's famous Sagrada Familia and the main monuments of the city - Bus tour. Lunch in a typical Catalan restaurant.

Afternoon: Stroll along the Ramblas, Gothic Quarter, Boqueria market, Plaza Real, etc.

Evening: Dinner in a local restaurant, enjoying Catalan cuisine.

Night in Barcelona. 

Day 3: Barcelona - Zaragoza

Travel to Zaragoza - Check-in at the hotel. Lunch in a typical restaurant.

Afternoon: Free to stroll around and get to know the city, an ancient medina from the Muslim period.

Dinner in a tapas restaurant, to enjoy the delicious gastronomy of the city. Night in Zaragoza.

Day 4: Zaragoza - Madrid

Breakfast at the hotel and journey to Madrid. Check-in at the hotel. Lunch at restaurant.

Free afternoon. Dinner in a restaurant near the hotel. Rest and departure to al-Andalus the next day.

Day 5: Madrid - Cordoba

Early breakfast at the hotel.Departure to Cordoba: Seat of the Umayyad Caliphate (duration 4h. approximately). Intermediate stop to have a break. 

Arrival Cordoba. Check in hotel. Lunch in a typical Cordoban restaurant - Halal menu.

In the afternoon, a guided visit to the most famous monument of Cordoba the Great Mosque Cathedral, the old Aljama. Mosque built between the eighth and the tenth centuries by the Cordoban Umayyads and converted into a cathedral in 1236, World Heritage since 1984. The Great Mosque of Cordoba represents a unique artistic achievement due to its size and the sheer boldness of the height of its ceilings. It is an irreplaceable testimony of the Caliphate of Cordoba and it is the most emblematic monument of Islamic religious architecture. It was a very unusual type of mosque that bears witness to the presence of Islam in the West. The Great Mosque of Cordoba was also very influential on Western Islamic art since the 8th century just as in the neo-Moorish style in the 19th century (duration 2 h. approximtely).

Visit of the Jewih Quarter (Unesco Heritage since 1992) with Las Flores street, embossed leather craftwork workshop from the Moorish era, labyrinthine and white streets, craft Bazaar (ideal for souvenir shopping) and the Jewish Street.

We will end the visit taking a walk around the Historic Centre and see (depending on the hotel chosen) the Puerta del Puente (Bridge Gate), Puente Romano (Roman Bridge) and the Calahorra tower (Qala’at al-hurriya) which is a fortress conceived as an entrance and as a protection of the Roman Bridge of Cordoba.

Dinner: typical tapas in a Muslim-Friendly restaurant. 

Overnight in Cordoba.

Day 6: Cordoba - Sevilla

Breakfast at the hotel - Trip to seville. Guided visit of the Real Alcázar part of a remarkable monumental complex declared World Heritage by the Unesco in 1987 .

Lunch in a Muslim-Friendly restaurant.

In the afternoon we will begin the visit with a panoramic sightseeing of the city in a horse-drawn carriage, we will stop at some strategic points. We will come by the highlights of Seville, Plaza España, Santa Cruz District, Giralda and Torre del Oro by the river Guadalquivir. We will visit the historic centre, the Barrio de Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz District) the most picturesque and delightful part of the city, with narrow winding cobbled streets and whitewashed houses.

We will pass by and admire the magnificent Giralda Tower, formerly a minaret, a masterpiece of Almohad architecture (the lower two thirds of this tower belong to the minaret of the old Mosque of Seville, the upper third is a construction added in Christian times to house the bells), it stands next to the cathedral “Santa María de la Sede” the largest Gothic building in Europe, it houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus.

Return to Cordoba.

Day 7: Cordoba - Granada

Breakfast at the hotel. Check out. Visit to the archaeological site of the Caliphate City of Medina Azahara. Back to Cordoba and lunch at a Muslim Friendly restaurant. In the afternoon departure to Granada. Check-in.

In the afternoon we will walk around and visit the Albayzin (a rich repository of Moorich vernacular architecture) and Sacromonte, with exceptional views of the Alhambra. Possible prayer stop at the Greater Mosque of Granada (Mezquita mayor, modern) located in the Albayzin a few meters from the emblematic viewpoint of San Nicolás.The Mosque is composed of three distinct elements: the garden, the Mosque: its mihrab is a replica of that of the Great Mosque of Cordoba and the Center of Islamic Studies with its library. Dinner in a Muslim-Friendly restaurant. 

Overnight in Granada.

Day 8: Granada - Malaga

Breakfast at the hotel.  Granada is one of the most charming cities in Spain, we start with a guided visit to the main jewel of this city: the Alhambra. Lunch in a Muslim-Friendly restaurant. In the afternoon trip to Malaga – Afternoon free.

Dinner in a restaurant with typical food from Malaga – (Menú Halal). Overnight in Malaga

Day 9: Malaga - Ronda

Breakfast and check out. Trip to Ronda (2h. and a half approx.).

Ronda is one of the most beautiful (and visited!) villages in Andalusia. The Puente Nuevo (New Bridge), the main attraction of Ronda and the emblem of the city on all the postcards! You should definitely cross the bridge for a picture stop at the Aldehuela viewpoint. 

In Muslim times, the Puerta de Almocabar was the main entrance to the city and the largest gate. It is surrounded by two semicircular towers for defensive purpose. Because of its geographical location, and thanks to its high walls and gates built during the Islamic period, Ronda was one of the impregnable cities of Andalusia.

The Casa del Rey Moro (House of the Moorish King) this palace was built by the Moors in the 14th century, who installed an ingenious water pumping system.

In the afternoon return to Malaga and rest of the day free. Malaga is also a shoppers paradise. There are shops catering for those who want to purchase the latest fashion trends, as well as those who want to bring home some Andalusian olive oil from their holiday. You can go shopping at the Larios Shopping Centre it is one of the largest and most popular shopping centres in Malaga, it is located between El Corte Inglés (it is a household name in Spain, it is a department store that has withstood the test of time throughout Spanish retail history. 

Day 10: Malaga - Madrid

Breakfast at the hotel. Malaga, the largest city of the Costa del Sol in Andalusia, is not only leisure, sun and beach, this historic city is home to architectural sites, art museums, delicious cuisine and is the birthplace of the great Spanish painter Pablo Picasso.

The monuments we will visit (guided visit) include the Alcazaba and the Castillo de Gibralfaro (castle) with their fantastic views of the town and bay. We will also visit (prayer stop) the Al-Andalus Mosque (modern), the temple is the largest mosque of the Costa del Sol, it has 4,000 square meters and a 25-meter minaret and two entrances: one for men and one for women. It has a nursery, an auditorium for 200 people, three prayer rooms, a library and provides Arabic classes, among other services. It has a capacity for 1,000 people which makes it one of the largest mosques in Europe.

Lunch in a Muslim-Friendly restaurant. Travel back to Madrid (5 hours). Check in hotel in Madrid. Dinner in a Muslim Friendly restaurant. Overnight in Madrid.

Day 11: Madrid - Toledo

Breakfast at the Hotel. Barely 70 kilometres from Madrid. Guided visit of the City of The Three Cultures TOLEDO and of its main monuments (whole day). Historic City of Toledo repository of more than 2000 years of History, World Heritage Site by the Unesco (1986).Toledo is an outstanding museum city whose rich heritage owes almost everything to the Jews,

Muslims and Christians who lived there, working and observing their religion side by side. Each and every one of the cultures and peoples who’ve passed through Toledo gave the city a present made up of a rich architectural and artistic heritage.

Visit of Cristo de la Luz Mosque (Bab Al Bardoum Mosque), it is the only surviving mosque of its style from the nearly ten that originally existed in the city, the horseshoe arches extend in a way reminiscent of the Grand Mosque in Cordoba.

Lunch in a Muslim-Friendly restaurant. Afternoon at leisure, to enjoy the Historic Centre. Back to Madrid. Dinner in a Muslim-Friendly restaurant. Overnight in Madrid.

Day 12: Madrid

Breakfast at the hotel. Guided Tour "Following the Traces of Muslim and Mudejar Madrid". Enjoy a journey through time to discover the most magical, mysterious and Muslim Madrid. The route go all over the oldest monuments in Madrid, both Islamic and Mudejar, often on the sidelines of the main tourist circuits. On our guided tour we will walk around the current Latina (old Morería) as if we were in a Medina and tour the Austrias Quarter with a new historical vision. You will be surprised to learn that the most traditional symbols of Madrid have an Islamic past. Lunch in a Muslim-Friendly restaurant.

In the afternoon, Madrid Panoramic City Tour. We will sightsee in this tour the Puerta del sol, Plaza Mayor square, Casa de la Panadería, Palacio Real (Royal Palace), Plaza de España, Gran Vía, Plaza de Cibeles, Puerta de Alcalá, Plaza del Emperador Carlos V, Plaza de Castilla...

But first of all we will make a prayer stop at the Centro cultural Islámico. Visit to the Centro Cultural Islámico

Dinner in a Muslim-Friendly restaurant. Farewell. Overnight in Madrid.

Day 13: Madrid - Istanbul

Breakfast in the hotel and get ready for your return flight. Check out and transfer to Madrid Barajas Airport.