The Alhambra and Spain’s Three Royal Courts

Getting around

• Day 1: Madrid-Barajas airport to central Madrid with your licensed driver.
• Day 2: The Prado to the Royal Palace with your licensed driver.
• Day 3: Madrid to Granada by high-speed train, about 3 hours 30 minutes, met by a licensed driver.
• Day 4: A short drive up the hill to the Alhambra.
• Day 5: Granada to Seville by direct high-speed train, about 2 hours 30 minutes, met at Santa Justa.
• Day 6: A walking day in old Seville.
• Day 7: Hotel to Seville airport, about 20 minutes, or to Santa Justa for the train to Madrid, about 2 hours 30 minutes.
• In Spain, a licensed guide leads each visit and a licensed driver handles every transfer.

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. For travelers who want a looser plan, our team leaves a Madrid day open on request and gives the Seville evenings to tapas and flamenco.

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, lunch 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. Our note on starting in Seville or Granada explains how we choose the order. Our article on flying into Madrid or Barcelona compares the two airports in more detail.

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.

Who do we contact if something goes wrong or we want a change?

Your planner designs your journey with you and stays in touch after you land. For the fastest response at any hour, message your private WhatsApp group, where our 24/7 support team works alongside Rachel or Dan. Because we begin no more than five journeys per country each week, peak spring and fall dates fill early, and that limit is what lets us stay this close to every trip.