Spain · Private and tailor-made
The Prado Before Opening, Then the Alhambra
See Titian's Charles V at Mühlberg with an art historian before the Prado opens.
By arrangement · How private access worksSuggested length
7 days
Price guide
From $6,188 per person, excl. flights, based on two sharing
Includes hotels, private guiding, experiences and transfers
When
Spring and autumn, especially April and October
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American precision with local expertise · Planned from Europe since 2002 · Nearly 17,000 American travelers · Never cancelled a journey
The armor Charles V wore at Mühlberg still stands in Madrid’s Royal Armory, and the Prado holds Titian’s portrait of him wearing it. By arrangement, you see that painting with an art historian before the museum opens to the public. This 7-day private tour of Spain from Madrid follows the palaces of Castile and Al-Andalus south to Granada, where the Albaicín looks across to the Alhambra’s Nasrid Palaces. Seville closes the week with the Real Alcázar, Casa de Pilatos and the Santa Cruz quarter, and with espinacas con garbanzos, spinach and chickpeas spiced with cumin, at a tapas bar. Private guides and drivers look after you. Your planner in Madrid fits each day to the way you like to travel.
Study Titian’s portrait of Charles V at the Prado with Ana, an art historian, where your dates allow, Madrid.
See the armor Charles V wore at the Battle of Mühlberg in the Royal Armory, Madrid.
Look across the Darro valley to the Alhambra from the Mirador de San Nicolás, Granada.
Walk the Court of the Lions in the Nasrid Palaces with Israel, where your dates allow, Granada.
Visit the Mudéjar palace Peter I built inside the Real Alcázar, Seville.
Taste espinacas con garbanzos, spinach and chickpeas with cumin, at a tapas bar, Seville.
“We love to tailor-make trips you’ll talk about for years, built on our local relationships & story-worthy experiences.” – Magical’s American founder, in Europe since 1998, culinary enthusiast & world traveler.
A Journey Designed Just for You
Our resident experts wrote this itinerary as a starting point, and your planner shapes every day around your interests, pace and travel style.
What do our American travelers say?
The 7-day Madrid, Granada and Seville itinerary at a glance
The route uses three bases and six nights: two in Madrid, two in Granada and two in Seville. You change hotels twice in seven days, and each city gives you one full day with no transfer ahead of you. The travel days carry guided visits too, so each afternoon after a train goes to a neighborhood or a palace.
Two high-speed trains link the bases. On day three the train from Madrid Atocha to Granada runs about 3 hours 30 minutes, by way of Córdoba and Antequera. On day five a direct train covers Granada to Seville in about 2 hours 30 minutes. A licensed driver takes you to each departure station and a second licensed driver meets you on arrival, so the bags never leave the car until the hotel door.
Spring and autumn suit the route best. Spain’s state weather agency, AEMET, records average daily highs in Madrid of about 18°C (65°F) in April and 19°C (67°F) in October, against 32°C (90°F) in July. Granada averages about 21°C (69°F) in April and 23°C (74°F) in October, and Seville about 23°C (74°F) and 26°C (79°F), against 36°C (97°F) in July. Summer and winter departures both work with a different daily rhythm, and our team plans the hours around the season.
Licensed guides we work with on this route include Ana and Alicia in Madrid, Israel and Rafael in Granada, and Andrés and Rosario in Seville. Each is a highly educated local expert who cares about the people in their group. We request your guides by name, and your planner confirms who leads each day once your dates are set.
Why the route runs from Madrid to Seville
The journey follows three royal courts. It starts in Madrid, where the Habsburg and Bourbon kings gathered the paintings of the Prado and the armor of the Royal Armory. It continues to Granada, where the Nasrid emirs built the Alhambra from 1238 until Muhammad XI handed the city to Ferdinand and Isabella in January 1492. It ends in Seville, where Peter I of Castile built a Mudéjar palace inside the Alcázar and where, in the Admirals’ Hall, the Casa de Contratación ran the crown’s trade with the Americas.
The order also saves time. The rail line runs south from Madrid, so the route never doubles back, and Seville makes an easy last stop. Seville airport lies about 10 kilometers east of the city, and the high-speed train returns to Madrid in about 2 hours 30 minutes for travelers who fly home from Barajas. Our guide to Madrid’s Atocha station explains the departure point for both trains.
Journey at a glance
Length
7 days
From
$6,188 per person, double occupancy
Route
Madrid, Granada, Seville
Your planner adjusts every day to your dates.
Day One
Arrival in Madrid and Plaza Mayor
Your licensed driver meets you at Madrid-Barajas airport, about 13 kilometers northeast of Puerta del Sol, and brings you to a hotel in the historic center for two nights, where a welcome gift from our team waits in your room. Where it suits your party, the afternoon brings a first walk through the Madrid of the Austrias, the Habsburg quarter of the old city. Plaza Mayor, completed in 1619 under Philip III, frames an arcaded square with 237 balconies, and the bronze horseman at its center, Philip III himself, came from the workshops of Giambologna and Pietro Tacca in 1616. The bars around the square serve the bocadillo de calamares, fried squid rings in a crusty roll, and locals pair this Madrid classic with a cold caña of beer. Our team reserves lunch or dinner on request. Logistics: Madrid-Barajas airport to central Madrid by road, licensed driver, then an optional walk on foot in the old center.
Day Two
The Prado and the Royal Armory
The Prado opened to the public in November 1819, in a building Juan de Villanueva designed in 1785 for Charles III, and the royal collection forms its core. Where your dates allow, Ana, an art historian, leads the morning. You start with Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights, painted between 1490 and 1510, which Philip II bought at auction in 1591 and sent to El Escorial, and which reached the Prado in 1939. The visit moves on through El Greco, Velázquez's Las Meninas of 1656 and Rubens's The Three Graces, and stops at Titian's Equestrian Portrait of Charles V, painted in 1548 after the emperor's victory at Mühlberg the year before. Notice the red of the sash and the helmet plume. In the afternoon your licensed guide takes you to the Royal Palace, which rose after fire destroyed the old Alcázar on Christmas Eve 1734 and holds 3,418 rooms. In its Royal Armory you stand before the same armor Titian painted, the suit Charles V wore at Mühlberg. Our team books both timed entries. Logistics: the Prado to the Royal Palace by road with your licensed driver, with your licensed guide at both sites.
Day Three
High-Speed Train South to Granada and the Albaicín
Your licensed driver takes you to Madrid Atocha for the high-speed train south through Córdoba and Antequera, and a second licensed driver meets you in Granada and brings you to a hotel near the old center for two nights. In the afternoon your licensed guide leads you up into the Albaicín, the hillside quarter north of the Darro river where the Zirid dynasty built its citadel long before the Alhambra rose across the valley. UNESCO added the Albaicín in 1994 to the Alhambra and Generalife listing of 1984. The lanes climb past cármenes, whitewashed houses with walled gardens, a word from the Arabic karm, vineyard, and reach the Mirador de San Nicolás, where the whole length of the Alhambra faces you across the valley. In the evening Granada keeps its own custom: in most bars a free tapa arrives with each drink. Logistics: Madrid to Granada by high-speed train, about 3 hours 30 minutes, and a licensed driver meets you at Granada station.
Day Four
The Alhambra: Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife
Muhammad I, founder of the Nasrid emirate, began building the Alhambra in 1238, and his successors turned the hill into a palace city. Our team books the timed entry to the Nasrid Palaces, and the Alhambra asks each visitor to carry an original passport. Where your dates allow, Israel, one of our licensed guides in Granada, leads the morning. You pass the long reflecting pool and myrtle hedges of the Court of the Myrtles to the Hall of the Ambassadors inside the Comares Tower, the sultan's throne room, then enter the Court of the Lions, built under Muhammad V, where twelve marble lions carry the basin of the fountain. The visit ends in the Generalife, the summer palace and country estate of the Nasrid rulers, where a water channel runs the length of the Patio de la Acequia between beds of flowers and you hear the fountains before you see them. Washington Irving brought the Alhambra to readers abroad with Tales of the Alhambra in 1832. The afternoon stays free. Logistics: the hotel to the Alhambra by road, a short drive up the hill, licensed driver, with your licensed guide inside the complex.
Day Five
Train to Seville: the Real Alcázar and Casa de Pilatos
A direct high-speed train has linked Granada and Seville since 2020, and a licensed driver meets you at Santa Justa and brings you to a hotel in the old city for two nights. Your licensed guide then leads you into the Real Alcázar. The Almohads expanded an older citadel here in the 12th century, and Peter I of Castile built his Mudéjar palace inside it around 1364 to 1366, with carved stucco and tiled courtyards. The royal family still uses the upper floors when it visits Seville, and in the Admirals' Hall the Casa de Contratación once ran the crown's trade with the Americas. Bitter orange trees shade the gardens, and the Alcázar's own oranges still go to make marmalade. The walk continues to Plaza del Salvador, where the Baroque Church of the Divine Saviour, built between 1674 and 1712, stands on the site of Ibn Adabbas, the great mosque of early Islamic Seville. It ends at Casa de Pilatos, begun in 1483, where Fadrique Enríquez de Ribera added Renaissance forms after his pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1519, and where the brothers Diego and Juan Pulido tiled the walls in the 1530s. Logistics: Granada to Seville by direct high-speed train, about 2 hours 30 minutes, and a licensed driver meets you at Santa Justa.
Day Six
Seville Cathedral, the Giralda and Santa Cruz
Your licensed guide meets you in the hotel lobby for a morning on foot in old Seville. The cathedral rose from 1402 on the site of the Almohad great mosque, and its builders kept the mosque's ablutions courtyard, today the Patio de los Naranjos, with its fountain and orange trees. UNESCO inscribed the cathedral, the Alcázar and the Archivo de Indias together in 1987, and Christopher Columbus lies inside. The Giralda, the mosque's minaret, reached completion on 10 March 1198. Instead of stairs, 35 ramps wind up inside it, and where it suits your party you climb them to the bell chamber Hernán Ruiz added between 1558 and 1568. Next door, the Archivo de Indias occupies the merchants' exchange Juan de Herrera designed in 1585. You end in Santa Cruz, the old Jewish quarter, where the painter Murillo lived, and in spring the scent of orange blossom fills its small squares. In the evening, a tapas bar serves espinacas con garbanzos, spinach and chickpeas with cumin and paprika, and our team reserves Michelin-starred dining on request. Logistics: a walking day in old Seville with your licensed guide, and your licensed driver handles any transfers.
Day Seven
Departure from Seville
The morning stays free for a last coffee in a shaded square or a final walk along the Guadalquivir. At the agreed time your licensed driver meets you at the hotel entrance, takes care of the luggage and brings you to Seville airport, about 10 kilometers east of the city, or to Santa Justa for the high-speed train back to Madrid, about 2 hours 30 minutes. Our team arranges VIP airport assistance on request. Travelers with more time often continue to Portugal, northern Spain or Morocco, and our team plans those extensions on the same private basis. Logistics: hotel to Seville airport by road, about 10 kilometers, or to Santa Justa station, licensed driver.
Is 7 days enough for Madrid, Granada and Seville?
Yes, seven days gives Madrid, Granada and Seville two nights each, enough for the Prado, the Alhambra and the Alcázar with one guided outing a day. In Madrid the week covers the Prado, the Royal Palace and the Royal Armory. In Granada it covers the Albaicín and a full morning in the Alhambra. In Seville it covers the Alcázar, Casa de Pilatos, the cathedral and Santa Cruz. It leaves out Córdoba, Toledo and Barcelona, and it leaves each city one free afternoon or evening. If your list also holds Córdoba’s Mezquita or Gaudí’s Barcelona, ten days or more serves you better.
How do you get from Madrid to Granada and on to Seville?
By high-speed train on both legs, with a licensed driver at each station. Madrid Atocha to Granada takes about 3 hours 30 minutes on direct trains, with stops at Córdoba and Antequera. Granada to Seville takes about 2 hours 30 minutes on the direct train Renfe introduced in 2020, and the line ends at Santa Justa in Seville. A licensed driver handles the station transfers at both ends, so you never carry bags across a platform alone. Our note on Spain’s train types explains the services, and our article on driving from Madrid to Seville sets out why the train suits this route.
Which order works best for Madrid, Granada and Seville?
Madrid, then Granada, then Seville suits most travelers flying in from abroad, because Madrid-Barajas, the country’s busiest airport, carries flights from across the Atlantic and the route then runs south without doubling back. Granada sits in the middle, so the Alhambra falls on day four, after the jet lag fades. Seville comes last, with its own airport about 10 kilometers from the center and a high-speed train back to Madrid in about 2 hours 30 minutes. The route also runs in reverse, from Seville to Madrid, if your flights fit it better, and our team adjusts the train days to match.
This 7-day route or another Madrid and Andalusia journey?
Choose this route if the royal palaces and collections matter most to you: the Prado and the Royal Armory on one day, a full Alhambra morning, and both the Alcázar and Casa de Pilatos in Seville. Two sister pages follow the same three cities with the same nights. Madrid and Andalusia in 7 days leaves the Madrid day open and gives the Seville evenings to tapas and flamenco, for travelers who want a looser plan.
If you want all seven days in the south, the 7-day Andalusia journey with Seville, Córdoba and Granada adds the Mezquita, a day in the Sierra de Aracena and a private cooking demonstration. If Barcelona matters more than the Alhambra, the 7-day Madrid, Segovia and Barcelona journey trades Granada and Seville for Gaudí. With ten days, the 10-day Highlights of Spain journey joins Madrid, Andalusia and Barcelona in one route. All of them start from the Spain destination page, and our team adjusts any of them to your dates.
Who this journey suits
Couples on a first trip to Spain with one week to spend. American travelers who come for art and architecture, from Titian and Velázquez to Nasrid stucco and Sevillian tiles. Families with teenage or adult children, who share a guide and a driver and set their own hours. Friends traveling together as a private party, who want one plan and one point of contact. Visitors adding Spain to a European trip, who want three cities with a train between each rather than a week of road days. Your guide is glad to advise on suitability before booking for anyone who prefers shorter walking days.
The people behind the route
Our team selects top guides based on their experience, knowledge and engaging personalities, not egos. In Madrid, where your dates allow, Ana, an art historian, leads our Prado visits. On this route she builds the morning toward Titian’s Charles V, so the armor in the Royal Armory later the same day reads as the second half of one story. Our guide to highlights of the Prado gives a sense of the collection before you go.
In Granada, where your dates allow, Israel, one of our licensed guides, leads our Alhambra days. He paces the Nasrid Palaces around your timed entry and keeps the Generalife for the end of the morning, when the gardens fill with the sound of water.
What the 7-day journey costs and what it includes
The 7-day route starts from $6,188 per person, double occupancy. The from-price covers six nights in deluxe four-star properties selected for comfort, location and service. Five-star luxury properties are available by request. It includes licensed guides for the visits described and a licensed driver for airport, station and road transfers.
Four things move the price: the season, the hotel category, the size of your private party, and added experiences such as a climb of the Giralda, Michelin-starred dinners or an extra day for Córdoba or Toledo. Magical Private Travel maintains excellent ratings on Trustpilot and Google’s independent review platforms.
To shape this route around your dates and your party, speak with our team about your week in Madrid, Granada and Seville.
Frequently asked questions about the 7-day Madrid, Granada and Seville tour
How much does the 7-day private tour of Madrid, Granada and Seville cost?
This 7-day route starts from $6,188 per person, based on two people sharing a room. The from-price covers the route as written: six hotel nights, licensed guides for the visits described and a licensed driver for airport, station and road transfers, with the full list of inclusions set out in your written quote. Four things move the price. The season matters most, since hotel rates rise and fall through the year. Five-star hotels raise it. Party size changes it, because the guide and driver serve the whole party, so larger private parties pay less per person. Added experiences, such as a climb of the Giralda, Michelin-starred dinners or an extra day for Córdoba, add to it. Our team sends a written quote for your dates and party before you commit.
When is the best time to visit Madrid, Granada and Seville?
Spring and autumn suit this route best, with April and October the strongest months. Spain’s weather agency, AEMET, records average daily highs in Madrid of about 18°C (65°F) in April and 19°C (67°F) in October. Granada averages about 21°C (69°F) in April and 23°C (74°F) in October, and Seville about 23°C (74°F) and 26°C (79°F). July brings the hottest stretch, with average highs of about 35°C (95°F) in Granada and 36°C (97°F) in Seville, and summer departures work well with early starts, long lunches indoors and evening walks. In March and April, orange blossom scents Seville’s streets. Winter brings cooler days and the quietest hotels of the year, a good fit for a week built around museums and palaces. Our team plans each day around the season you choose.
Do we need to book the Alhambra in advance?
Yes, and our team handles it. Every Alhambra ticket with the Nasrid Palaces carries an assigned entry time, and the monument asks visitors to arrive punctually for it. For this reason our team books your timed entry to the Nasrid Palaces as soon as you confirm your dates, and your licensed guide plans day four around it. The Alhambra also asks each visitor to show an original passport or ID card at the entrance, so bring the passports you travel on, and children under 12 need their own free ticket. The same approach applies in Madrid and Seville, where booked entries to the Prado, the Royal Palace and the Real Alcázar keep each morning on schedule. Where your dates allow, Israel, one of our licensed guides in Granada, leads the visit.
Are the guide and the driver the same person?
In Spain they are two different people. A licensed guide leads the visits, and a licensed driver handles the vehicle and the road transfers. Your licensed guide changes from city to city, so your guide in Madrid differs from your guide in Granada and in Seville, and each knows their own city in depth. On the two train days one licensed driver takes you to the station and a second meets you at the other end. This split lets your guide focus on the site and your driver focus on the road and the luggage. Where your dates allow, Ana, an art historian, leads the Prado visit, and Israel, one of our licensed guides, leads the Alhambra.
Which airports should we fly into and out of?
Fly into Madrid-Barajas, about 13 kilometers northeast of Puerta del Sol, and leave from Seville or from Madrid. Seville airport lies about 10 kilometers east of the city and suits travelers connecting through another European city. Travelers who prefer a long-haul flight from Madrid take the high-speed train from Santa Justa back to Atocha on day seven, about 2 hours 30 minutes, and a licensed driver meets the train for the airport transfer or a final night in Madrid. Your licensed driver meets you at arrivals on day one. Our team arranges VIP airport assistance in Madrid on request, covering meet-and-greet and help through the terminal, and aligns the itinerary with your flight times once you have them.
Is there room for Córdoba or Toledo with an extra day?
Yes. An eighth day fits either one without changing the shape of the route. Toledo sits about an hour from Madrid by road, and UNESCO inscribed the historic city in 1986 for the way Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities shaped it, so it works as a day trip from your Madrid hotel. Córdoba lies on the rail line between Madrid and Andalusia, and its Mezquita-Cathedral and old Jewish quarter make a natural stop on the way south. Our article on Córdoba or Ronda between Granada and Seville compares the two stops for travelers who prefer the road. Both additions run with a licensed guide and a licensed driver, and your planner prices the extra day alongside the 7-day route so you see the full cost at once.
What should we eat in Madrid, Granada and Seville?
Each city on the route has its own table. In Madrid, the bars around Plaza Mayor serve the bocadillo de calamares, fried squid in a crusty roll, the city’s classic snack with a small cold beer. In Granada, most bars bring a free tapa with each drink, so an evening of two or three bars becomes dinner without a menu. In Seville, espinacas con garbanzos, spinach and chickpeas spiced with cumin and paprika, appears on tapas lists across the old city. Where it suits your party, our team reserves Michelin-starred dinners or a table at a traditional tapas bar each evening. Our guide to tapas culture in Spain has more ideas, and our list of things to do in Seville after the Alcázar covers free afternoons.
Does this journey suit families or travelers with limited mobility?
Families travel this route often, because a private guide and driver set the pace around the youngest and the oldest in the party. Teenagers tend to respond to the armor in the Royal Armory, the lions of the Alhambra and the ramps of the Giralda, and the two-night bases leave room for a slow morning. Several days involve walking on cobbled streets and slopes, especially in the Albaicín and across the Alhambra hill. Your guide is glad to advise on suitability before booking, and our team adjusts walking routes, adds vehicle time between sites, or shortens days where it helps. Our page on accessible travel in Spain sets out how our team plans for travelers who need step-free routes or extra support.
Does the route extend to Portugal or Morocco?
Yes. Seville sits close to both. Travelers who add Portugal often continue to Lisbon and Sintra for three or four nights, the shape of our 10-day Madrid, Seville and Lisbon journey. Where your dates allow, Luisa, one of our licensed guides in Lisbon and Sintra, leads those days alongside a licensed driver. Travelers who add Morocco usually cross from Andalusia to Tangier, Fez or Marrakech, and our Spain and Morocco private journey shows one way to combine the two. In Morocco our team works with private drivers and licensed guides as separate roles. Our multi-country journeys page collects the other combinations, and your planner prices the extension alongside the 7-day route.
We keep a list of vetted four- and five-star hotels, well located and enjoyed by our past travelers and by our own team.
Examples for each overnight stop on this route. Choose a deluxe boutique hotel or a five-star stay, and your travel advisor matches each night to your wishes, the season and availability.
Madrid
Boutique: Tótem Madrid. A restored 19th-century building on Calle Hermosilla, steps from Serrano’s shops in the Salamanca district.
Five-star: Rosewood Villa Magna. Reopened by Rosewood in 2021 on the Paseo de la Castellana, with a leafy front garden.
Granada
Boutique: Parador de Granada. A 15th-century Franciscan convent inside the Alhambra precinct, with gardens facing the Generalife.
Five-star: Hospes Palacio de los Patos. A 19th-century palace beside a contemporary wing, linked by gardens, with a spa below.
Seville
Boutique: Hotel Casa 1800 Sevilla. A 19th-century mansion with a patio and a rooftop pool facing the cathedral and Giralda.
Five-star: Hotel Alfonso XIII. Built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition, a neo-Mudéjar palace of tiles and arches near the Alcázar.
What's Included
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Hi from Europe,
Along with our local partners across Portugal, Spain, Morocco and beyond we believe that our clients deserve the truly tailor-made private luxury trips, not generic "one-size-fits-all" plans.
Get inspired with our sample trips then get in touch about an expert-made personalized custom luxury itinerary, just for you.
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Dan O'Beirne & the MPT team
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