Spain & Portugal Travel Itinerary
+ Top Attractions (By Train)

Barcelona is a massive city and the capital of Catalonia and is best known for its many wondrous and highly intricate structures designed by the famous Antoni Gaudi, which comprise many of Barcelona's top attractions. Be sure to make advanced reservations for Gaudi's most popular attractions, including La Sagrada Familia, Casa Battlo, Casa Mila (or La Pedrera) and Parc Guell.

The fairytale-like Casa Batllo is a highly eccentric building featuring many fantasy-like elements, with very trippy and colorful rooms. Nearby is Casa Mila (or La Pedrera), a tall building known for its fantastical spire-covered roof, which features winding walkways and terraces set amongst surreal architectural features.

La Sagrada Familia is a towering basilica that's nearly 560 feet (170 m) tall and has been under construction for nearly 140 years. The basilica's exterior showcases a hyper-complex mix of gothic and art nouveau architecture, with multiple giant towers. This basilica's interior is breathtakingly aesthetic, with vibrant rainbow-colored stained glass windows, and massive white columns that support highly intricate geometric flower-like patterns on the ceiling.

In the foothills of Barcelona is Gaudi's iconic Parc Guell, a fantasy-like park with many amazing and colorful unique structures, including the famous mosaic tile terrace overlooking Barcelona. The park also hosts oddities such as it gingerbread-like houses, Doric column rooms, and palm tree-like colonnaded footpaths.

Valencia is Spain's third largest city and is located on the country's eastern coast, along the Mediterranean Sea.

Within Valencia's Ciutat Vella Old Town is the picturesque Plaza de la Virgen, which features a brilliant fountain and the stunning 13th century Valencia Cathedral, with its unique Colosseum-like arcade arches. This incredible cathedral also hosts an ancient relic which is claimed to be the actual Holy Grail. Climb the cathedral's Torre del Micalet tower for spectacular views overlooking the Old Town.

Popular attractions near the Plaza de la Virgen include the Archaeological Center of Almoina, which hosts the ruins of an ancient Roman bath complex, and the UNESCO listed La Lonja de la Seda, a lavish and highly elaborate medieval building. Also nearby is the beautiful art-nouveau style Central Market of Valencia, one of the largest public markets in Europe. Be sure to also see the iconic Torres de Serranos, a towering and imposing medieval gate to the Old Town.

Spain's incredibly scenic Costa Blanca (White Coast) is a popular vacation destination lined with gorgeous beaches and amazing resort towns, including Alicante, La Villajoyosa, Benidorm, and Calpe. Additional popular towns are Altea, Moraira, Denia, and more.

Towering over the coastal city of Alicante is the 9th century Santa Barbara Castle, a massive hilltop fortification surrounded by expansive medieval walls, which offers majestic panoramic views over the scenic coastline. Just below the castle is the sandy El Postiguet Beach, which features a long promenade and fantastic views looking up at the castle.

Further up the coast is the picturesque town of Villajoysa (or La Vila Joiosa), which is best known for the vibrant colorful homes which line the Paseo de Sant Pere boardwalk behind its beautiful sandy beach.

Spain's capital city is located in the center of the country and acts as a transportation hub to many other destinations within Spain. Among Madrid's top attractions is the massive Royal Palace of Madrid, an ultra-lavish and highly embellished baroque palace which also hosts the Royal Armoury of Madird, as well as the lovely Sabatini Gardens and Campo del Moro garden.

Directly across from the palace is the majestic Almudena Cathedral with its romanesque crypt, and nearby you can admire intricate frescoes painted by Goya at the royal San Francisco el Grande basilica.

Located northwest of Madrid is the walled city of Segovia, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. The incredible Aqueduct of Segovia is among the best-preserved ancient Roman aqueducts in the world, towering above the entrance to the walled historic city center. Adjacent to the aqueduct you can even walk along part of Segovia's walls while enjoying excellent views.

Toledo is a picturesque medieval city built atop a hill, which is surrounded on three sides by a giant bend in the Tagus River. The old town of Toledo is located within this river bend and is surrounded by impressive fortified walls, which contain many charming rustic buildings. Consider the short hike to the Mirador del Valle viewpoint, which provides the iconic views overlooking Toledo from behind the river featured in many postcards.

The stunning Alcantara Bridge is one of the historic city entrances, which offers views looking up at the Alcazar palace and the city's walls. The massive 16th century Alcazar de Toledo is a former royal palace which now serves as an Army Museum of historic weaponry and armors.

On the opposite side of Toledo is the picturesque San Martin's Bridge leading out of the city, which features an exciting zipline over the Tagus River. It's also possible to take an extremely scenic walk along the river below Toledo between the two bridges.

Cordoba is a beautiful ancient city of Arab and Roman influences. The city's most iconic sight is the UNESCO listed Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, a massive religious structure originally built as a grand mosque by Moorish rulers in the Middle Ages. Later this incredible site was expanded into a Christian cathedral, retaining many features including its iconic series of Moorish arches and beautiful giant courtyard.

Nearby you can admire the stunning UNESCO listed Roman Bridge of Cordoba, which features both ancient Roman and medieval Moorish elements.

The city of Granada is known for its incredible medieval Arabic architecture, which stems from the city's historic Moorish occupation. Granada's most famous attraction is the UNESCO listed Alhambra, a massive hilltop complex constructed in the 13th century which contains several sprawling palaces. The iconic Alhambra showcases breathtaking and highly intricate Islamic architecture, with brilliant mosaics and elaborate designs throughout its many ornate patios and palaces.

The Alhambra complex is surrounded by imposing medieval walls which contain many beautiful gardens, as well as the ruins of an Alcazaba fortress. From the Alhambra's Torre de la Vela tower you can enjoy sweeping panoramic views over Granada. Adjacent to the Alhambra are the gorgeous Generalife Gardens and lavish Generalife Villa hosting more elegant patios.

Below the Alhambra is the Paseo de los Tristes promenade, which offers views of the Alhambra and hosts the 11th century El Banuelo Arab bath complex. For stunning views of the Alhambra you can walk up to the Mirador San Nicolas viewpoint.

Seville is among the largest cities in Southern Spain and is the capital of the Andalusia region. The city's most iconic sight is the breathtakingly gorgeous Plaza de España, which is so massive that it hosts a canal you can paddleboat in. Spanning the plaza's canal are several highly ornate and colorful bridges, and towering above the plaza is a mesmerizing colossal structure lined with columns and arches.

The Algarve Coast region is located along Portugal's picturesque southern coast and is known for its many captivatingly beautiful sandy beaches and vibrant blue-green waters. The main beach cities along the coast from west to east to include Lagos, Portimão, Carvoeiro, Lagoa, and Albufeira. Albufeira is home to the Falesia Beach, a long beach which sits below stunning red and white cliffs with golden sand.

Portugal's charming seaside capital is quite picturesque and offers an amazing cuisine. The Baixa neighborhood hosts several marvelous historic squares, including the vast waterfront Comercio Plaza surrounded by lavish buildings, as well as the Praca Luis de Camoes and Rossio Square. Baixa also hosts the stunning freso-covered Church of Sao Roque, and the mesmerizing ruins of the 14th century Carmo Convent.

You'll find several brilliant fairytale-like castles and palaces within the UNESCO listed Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, which is located in the forest-covered hills west of Lisbon.

The most popular and impressive palace within the park is the colorful and breathtaking Romanticist-style National Palace of Pena, which sits atop a mountain surrounded by vast lush gardens. This fantastical multi-colored palace looks like a giant fortified castle and features many intricate lavish rooms with historic furnishings, as well as a lovely cloister.

Porto is Portugal's second largest city and located in the northern part of the country. The city's historic centre is a UNESCO world heritage and hosts most of Porto's main attractions. One of the city's most famous attractions is the highly intricate and gorgeous Livraria Lello, a bookstore which inspired settings for the Harry Potter movies.

Nearby you can admire the lovely Square Carlos Alberto, and the beautiful baroque Clerigos Church, with its grandiose interiors and Clerigos Tower (one of the symbols of Porto).