Moorish-to-Modern Spain.
This is a 14-day sample itinerary. Remember that R. Crusoe can create a Spain journey of any length to meet your exact specifications.
Europe's New Renaissance. You can’t understand it until you’ve visited the Iberian Peninsula. Franco’s gone, the European Union’s arrived. So has Frank Gehry and his postmodern Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
But make no mistake. The Spaniards hold their past in the highest esteem.
Experience Spain on a custom holiday with R. Crusoe & Son to understand its past and its present. The Moors, the Crusaders, the great masters (El Greco and Goya, to name just two), the navigators and explorers who set sail in search of new turf. But also the Guggenheim, Bilbao’s monument to contemporary art (Rauschenberg, Serra, Basquiat, as well as Barcélo, Kiefer, Pérez, and others you may not have heard of—yet).
Begin your holiday in Madrid. Get your bearings on a private city tour, then indulge in (some of the 8,600) master paintings at the recently-renovated Prado. Pick up the rhythm of the city smack in the middle at Plaza Mayor. See Picasso's masterpiece, "Guernica," at the Reina Sofia.
On a day trip, head for Toledo, a mishmash of Moorish, Jewish, and Christian influences remarkably united. Narrow, medieval streets link 15th- and 16th-century squares. At the Gothic Cathedral, see El Greco’s genius; there’s more at the Church of Santo Tomé. Walk the Jewish Quarter, a powerful neighborhood settled between the 11th and 13th centuries.
Then passion, drama, and the restless beat of authentic flamenco in Seville. Explore Reales Alcázares, home to kings for 700 years or so.
On to Córdoba, religious melting pot. Then Granada. If you choose, take lunch at the beautiful, historic La Bobadilla Hotel en route.
Granada, founded by the Moors in the eighth century, benefitted from Nasrid Dynasty rule from the 1200s to the 1400s. The city took it up a notch during the ensuing Catholic Monarchs’ rule, which marked the arrival of the Renaissance in Spain. Need proof? Spend time in the Royal Gothic Chapel. And don’t forget the Alhambra and its gardens while we’re in town—paradise on Earth. Tour the Albaicin, the city's Muslim Quarter.
Touch down in Barcelona, where favorite son Antoni Gaudí, the architect who took nature as his inspiration, added outrageous flourishes. Will you love them or hate them? Either way, your reaction is guaranteed to be strong. Old meets new in this wonderful city. Trace Picasso on a private tour through the Gothic Quarter. Check out Las Ramblas.
Head for the country and Montserrat, where there's an opportunity to hear the resident boys' choir sing on Sundays. Sip decorously at a top cava vineyard for your introduction to Spain’s version of champagne.
Fall in love with Bilbao and Gehry’s cutting-edge titanium work of art in the Basque country. It's rare that a museum overshadows the art it was built to show off.
Then back to Madrid and adios, España.
If you've got more time to spare, we urge you to head across the Strait of Gibraltar for some quality time in Morocco. Interested? See our Essential Morocco. From Fez to Marrakech.
To request a detailed itinerary for this journey (and others), click here.