Multi-Country · Private and tailor-made
Barcelona to Lisbon, by Way of Marrakech
Stand on the rooftop of Gaudí's La Pedrera after closing, among the warrior chimneys.
By arrangement · How private access worksSuggested length
16 days
Price guide
From $15,968 per person, excl. flights, based on two sharing
Includes hotels, private guiding, experiences and transfers
When
April to June and September to October
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American precision with local expertise · Planned from Europe since 2002 · Nearly 17,000 American travelers · Never cancelled a journey
Gaudí’s chimneys stand on the roof of La Pedrera like warriors, and by arrangement you have that rooftop to yourselves after closing. This 16-day private tour of Spain, Portugal and Morocco runs from Barcelona to Lisbon, with Marrakech at its center. After the Sagrada Família, Granada has the Alhambra, then Seville and Madrid’s Prado. In Marrakech you walk into Jemaa el-Fnaa at dusk, when Gnaoua dancers fill the square, and ride a camel across the Agafay desert with the High Atlas on the horizon. Lisbon closes with Belém, Évora and Sintra. Top guides chosen for their experience, knowledge and engaging personalities, not egos, lead every visit. Reorder or skip any stop, and you pay only for what you want.
Visit the Sagrada Família and Park Güell with a licensed guide, Barcelona.
Walk the Alhambra’s Nasrid Palaces with Israel, Granada.
Visit the Prado with Ana, an art historian, Madrid.
Walk into Jemaa el-Fnaa at dusk, when storytellers, musicians and Gnaoua dancers fill the square, Marrakech.
Ride a camel across the stony Agafay desert, with the High Atlas on the horizon, near Marrakech.
Walk Sintra’s Pena Palace and its hilltop park with Luisa, Sintra.
“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 16-day Spain, Portugal and Morocco itinerary at a glance
The route spends eight nights in Spain, four in Morocco and three in Portugal. In Spain you sleep two nights each in Barcelona, Granada, Seville and Madrid. In Morocco you sleep four nights in Marrakech, with day trips to the Agafay desert and to the Ourika Valley in the High Atlas. In Portugal you sleep three nights in Lisbon, with day trips to Évora in the Alentejo and to Sintra.
Three flights, one high-speed train and one road transfer link the six bases. A direct flight of about 1 hour 30 minutes links Barcelona to Granada. The road from Granada to Seville takes about 2 hours 30 minutes with a licensed driver. The AVE high-speed train covers Seville to Madrid in about 2 hours 30 minutes. A direct flight of about 2 hours links Madrid to Marrakech, and a direct flight of about 1 hour 40 minutes links Marrakech to Lisbon. Nine of the 16 days carry no hotel change.
April to June and September to October suit the route best. AEMET’s 1981 to 2010 averages give Seville a mean daily high of 23.4°C (about 74°F) in April and 26.0°C (about 79°F) in October, against 36.0°C (about 97°F) in July. IPMA’s averages for Lisbon over the same period show 19.8°C (about 68°F) in April and 22.5°C (about 73°F) in October.
Licensed guides we work with on this route include Irma and Mariona in Barcelona, Israel and Rafael in Granada, Andrés and Rosario in Seville, Ana and Alicia in Madrid, Amine and Youssef in Morocco, Luisa and Anabela in Lisbon, Elsa and Nuno in Évora, and Isabel in Sintra. 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 Barcelona to Lisbon through Marrakech
The route opens in Barcelona, in the northeast of Spain, and works south. A direct flight to Granada replaces the long drive down the Mediterranean, the road links Granada and Seville across Andalusia, and the AVE line, which opened in 1992 for Expo ’92 in Seville, carries you north to Madrid.
Madrid is the hinge between the two continents. Direct flights reach Marrakech in about 2 hours, and the city sits west of the Atlas foothills, in the south of Morocco. The ferry from Tarifa to Tangier crosses the Strait of Gibraltar in about an hour and suits a route through northern Morocco, with Tangier, Chefchaouen and Fez. For a journey built around Marrakech, the Agafay and the Atlas, the direct flight from Madrid is the straight line.
From Marrakech, a direct flight of about 1 hour 40 minutes lands you in Lisbon, so the route returns to Europe on the Atlantic side without retracing Spain. Lisbon closes the journey because Évora and Sintra both sit within about 1 hour 35 minutes by road, and the airport lies about 7 kilometers from the historic center for the flight home.
The angle is balance. Four nights in Marrakech give Morocco the weight of a stay, with three full days around the city, and every base in Spain and Portugal holds at least two nights. The history connects too: the Almohads raised the Koutoubia minaret in Marrakech and the Giralda in Seville within a few decades of each other, and you see both on the same trip. The route as written is a starting point, and our team shapes it around your dates and interests.
Journey at a glance
Length
16 days
From
$15,968 per person, double occupancy
Route
Barcelona, Granada, Seville, Madrid, Marrakech, Agafay Desert, Asni, Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais
Your planner adjusts every day to your dates.
Day One
Arrival in Barcelona and the Gothic Quarter
Barcelona's Gothic Quarter keeps stretches of the Roman wall, and much of its Gothic look comes from a restoration the city timed for the 1929 International Exhibition. In the late afternoon your licensed guide walks you through the lanes around the cathedral, whose cloister keeps 13 white geese, one for each year of Saint Eulalia's life, and you hear them before you see them. The walk ends in the Plaça del Rei, and where it suits your party, our team reserves a table for a first dinner of Catalan cooking nearby. Logistics: a licensed driver meets you at Barcelona El Prat, about 15 kilometers southwest of the center, for the private transfer to your hotel.
Day Two
Gaudí's Barcelona
Work on the Sagrada Família began in 1882, and Gaudí took charge of the design the following year. Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it as a basilica in 2010, and Gaudí lies in its crypt. With your licensed guide you stand inside the nave as colored light falls through the stained glass. In the afternoon, Park Güell, built from 1900 to 1914 on the Turó del Carmel and open to the public since 1926, leads up to the serpentine mosaic bench Josep Maria Jujol designed, with the city spread out below. Logistics: our team books the Sagrada Família and Park Güell entries in advance, licensed guide and licensed driver.
Day Three
Flight to Granada and the Albaicín
UNESCO added the Albaicín to the Alhambra listing in 1994, citing its narrow streets and small squares as one of the best examples of Moorish town planning. Your licensed guide walks you past cármenes, whitewashed houses with walled gardens whose name comes from the Arabic word for vineyard, and up to the Mirador de San Nicolás toward sunset, with the Alhambra across the valley and the Sierra Nevada behind it. Above the quarter, Romani families settled Sacromonte after 1492 and made its cave houses their home. Logistics: Barcelona to Granada by direct flight, about 1 hour 30 minutes, and a licensed driver meets you at Granada airport, about 15 kilometers west of the city.
Day Four
The Alhambra with Israel
Where your dates allow, Israel, one of our licensed guides in Granada, leads the day. UNESCO calls the Alhambra the only preserved palatine city of the Islamic period and the best example of Nasrid art. You walk the Generalife gardens to the sound of running water, then enter the Nasrid Palaces at the time printed on your ticket, under carved stucco and wooden ceilings. Logistics: our team books named Alhambra tickets with a fixed Nasrid Palaces slot, the monument checks each passport at the gate, and your licensed driver brings you up the hill. No hotel change today.
Day Five
Road to Seville, the Alcázar and Santa Cruz
King Pedro I rebuilt Seville's royal palace in the Mudéjar style in the 1360s, and an Arabic inscription in the Hall of Ambassadors dates the work to 1366. The royal family still uses the upper floors on visits to the city. In the late afternoon your licensed guide leads you through the Alcázar and into the lanes of Santa Cruz, where orange trees shade the small squares. The Giralda rises above them: the Almohads completed it in 1198 as the minaret of the great mosque, and 35 ramps lead to the top. Logistics: Granada to Seville by road, about 2 hours 30 minutes, licensed driver.
Day Six
Casa de Pilatos, Plaza de España and Triana
Pedro Enríquez and Catalina de Rivera began the Casa de Pilatos in 1483, and the house blends Italian Renaissance design with Mudéjar rooms. The Dukes of Medinaceli still keep it as a residence, and its walls carry about 150 tile designs the Pulido brothers made in the 1530s. Your licensed guide continues to Plaza de España, which Aníbal González designed for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition, with a tiled alcove for each Spanish province, then crosses the river to Triana past the Torre del Oro, which the Almohads raised in 1220 and 1221. Evening tapas follow the picks of our local friends, from salmorejo to fried fish. Logistics: a day on foot in Seville with your licensed guide, licensed driver on hand, no hotel change.
Day Seven
High-Speed Train to Madrid
Madrid's Royal Palace rose from the 1730s on the site of the old Alcázar, which burned on Christmas Eve 1734, and it holds 3,418 rooms. In the afternoon your licensed guide takes you from the palace to the Plaza Mayor, which Juan Gómez de Mora completed in 1619, where 237 balconies look over the square. Toward sunset the Temple of Debod, a gift from Egypt in 1968 for Spain's help in saving the Abu Simbel temples, catches the last light in the Parque del Oeste. Logistics: Seville to Madrid by high-speed train, about 2 hours 30 minutes, and a licensed driver meets you at Atocha.
Day Eight
The Prado with Ana and the Retiro
Where your dates allow, Ana, an art historian, leads your morning at the Prado. The museum opened in 1819 in a building Juan de Villanueva designed in 1785, and it holds Velázquez's Las Meninas of 1656 alongside Goya, El Greco, Titian and Bosch. The Retiro belonged to the Spanish crown until 1868, and UNESCO listed it with the Paseo del Prado in 2021. Its 120 hectares lead to the large pond and the glass Palacio de Cristal of 1887. In the evening, where it suits your party, a flamenco performance brings song, guitar, dance and handclaps, an art UNESCO recognized in 2010. Logistics: a day in Madrid on foot and by car, with Ana at the Prado and a licensed driver on hand, no hotel change.
Day Nine
Flight to Marrakech and Jemaa el-Fnaa
The Almoravids founded Marrakech in 1070 to 1072, and UNESCO inscribed its medina in 1985. The Koutoubia minaret rises about 77 meters over the red walls, and its name comes from the booksellers who once worked at its base. Toward dusk your licensed guide walks you into Jemaa el-Fnaa, where storytellers, Gnaoua dancers and musicians gather in a cultural space UNESCO proclaimed in 2001, then into the souks, with spices and dried rose petals piled high in the stalls. Logistics: Madrid to Marrakech by direct flight, about 2 hours, and a private driver meets you at Marrakech Menara airport.
Day Ten
Majorelle, Bahia and the Saadian Tombs
Jacques Majorelle began his garden in 1923 and painted its villa in the cobalt blue now named for him. Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought the property in the 1980s, and the villa holds the Berber Museum. Your licensed guide continues to the Bahia Palace, which two grand viziers built from the 1860s to 1900, with painted cedar ceilings around a marble courtyard 50 by 30 meters, then to the ruins of El Badi, which Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur began in 1578, and his Saadian Tombs nearby. Lunch is a slow-cooked tagine in a riad courtyard. Logistics: a day in the medina and the new town with your licensed guide, private driver on hand, no hotel change.
Day Eleven
The Agafay Desert
The Agafay is a stone desert about 40 kilometers from Marrakech, a plateau of rocky hills with no dunes, and on clear days the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas fill the horizon. Your licensed guide and private driver take you out for a camel ride across the stony ground, with a quad bike route as an option for anyone who wants more pace. Lunch follows at a desert camp, with music and mint tea poured from a height. Logistics: Marrakech to the Agafay by road, about 45 minutes to an hour each way, private driver and licensed guide, no hotel change.
Day Twelve
The Atlas Foothills and the Ourika Valley
The Ourika Valley runs into the High Atlas south of Marrakech, home to Berber villages where families speak Shilha. At Setti Fatma, the last village on the paved road, a trail follows a mountain stream to the first of seven waterfalls, about 20 to 30 minutes on foot, with the river loud beside you. Where your day lines up with it, your licensed guide adds a weekly village souk, with mint, tagine pots and argan oil on the tables. Logistics: Marrakech to Setti Fatma by road, about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes each way, private driver and licensed guide, no hotel change.
Day Thirteen
Flight to Lisbon, the Castle and Belém
Afonso Henriques took São Jorge Castle from the Moors in 1147, and its walls still look out over Lisbon and the Tagus. Where your dates allow, Luisa, one of our licensed guides in Lisbon and Sintra, leads the afternoon with a licensed driver: the castle and Alfama first, then west to Belém, where UNESCO listed the Jerónimos Monastery, begun in 1502, and the Belém Tower in 1983. Nearby, the Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém has baked custard tarts from the monks' recipe since 1837. In the evening, where it suits your party, a fado house fills with the twelve-string Portuguese guitar, an art UNESCO inscribed in 2011. Logistics: Marrakech to Lisbon by direct flight, about 1 hour 40 minutes, and a licensed driver meets you at Lisbon airport.
Day Fourteen
Évora and the Alentejo
UNESCO inscribed Évora's historic center in 1986. The Roman Temple of Diana stands at the top of town, and Portuguese kings lived here often in the fifteenth century. Your licensed driver-guide walks you through lanes of low, whitewashed houses with tiles and wrought-iron balconies, most of them from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Around the town, cork oaks cover the plains, Portugal produces about half the world's cork, and growers strip each tree about every nine years. A winery or olive oil estate visit is an option on request, with Alentejo bread, olive oil and red wine at lunch. Logistics: Lisbon to Évora by road, about 1 hour 35 minutes each way, licensed driver-guide, back to Lisbon in the evening.
Day Fifteen
Sintra and the Atlantic Coast with Luisa
Where your dates allow, Luisa leads the day with a licensed driver. UNESCO listed Sintra in 1995 and describes it as the first center of European Romantic architecture. King Ferdinand II rebuilt a ruined monastery on the summit as the Pena Palace from 1842 to 1854 and planted the park below with sequoias, ginkgoes and Japanese cedars. In the afternoon the road runs to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe, where cliffs drop more than 100 meters and the wind comes straight off the Atlantic. Logistics: Lisbon to Sintra by road, about 30 minutes, with Luisa and a licensed driver, then along the coast and back to your hotel in Lisbon.
Day Sixteen
Departure from Lisbon
Lisbon's Humberto Delgado airport lies about 7 kilometers northeast of the historic center, so a late-morning flight still leaves time for a last coffee and a warm pastel de nata. If you have more time, our team extends the route north to Porto and the Douro Valley. Logistics: hotel to Lisbon airport by private vehicle with your licensed driver.
How do you combine Spain, Portugal and Morocco in one trip?
Combine the three countries by flying into Morocco from Madrid and out of Morocco to Lisbon: Madrid to Marrakech takes about 2 hours, and Marrakech to Lisbon about 1 hour 40 minutes. This order keeps the route moving in one direction. Spain comes first, from Barcelona south through Granada and Seville and north again to Madrid by high-speed train. Morocco sits in the middle, with four nights in Marrakech. Portugal closes the trip, with Lisbon as the base for Évora and Sintra. Starting in Barcelona and ending in Lisbon also means no return to your first city for the flight home.
Spain to Morocco: ferry or flight?
On this route a direct flight from Madrid to Marrakech, about 2 hours, beats the ferry, because Marrakech lies in the south of Morocco. The fast ferry from Tarifa to Tangier crosses the Strait of Gibraltar in about an hour, and it suits journeys through northern Morocco, where Tangier, Chefchaouen and Fez sit close to the coast. Our Spain and Morocco private tour crosses by sea for this reason. For Marrakech, the Agafay and the Atlas foothills, the flight from Madrid saves the long road south from the Strait.
Is 16 days enough for Spain, Portugal and Morocco?
Sixteen days covers the three countries at two nights or more per base: eight nights in Spain, four in Marrakech and three in Lisbon. Each leg runs about two and a half hours or less, and nine of the 16 days carry no hotel change. What 16 days leaves out is the far side of each country: the Sahara dunes and Fez in Morocco, Porto and the Douro in Portugal, and the Basque coast in Spain. Adding three or four days brings one of those in without rushing the rest.
Three countries in 16 days, or a two-country trip?
This route suits American travelers who want three countries and two continents in one trip, with Morocco as a true stay of four nights. A two-country route serves you better when one part of the world matters more, or when you have two weeks or less.
The 16-day Spain and Morocco private tour drops Portugal and gives Morocco eight days. It runs from Madrid through Toledo, Seville, Granada, Marbella and Ronda, crosses the Strait by ferry to Tangier, then continues to Chefchaouen, Fez, the Middle Atlas and Marrakech. Choose it if the blue lanes of Chefchaouen and the medina of Fez matter more to you than Lisbon and Sintra.
The Barcelona to Lisbon private tour follows the same start and finish over 14 days without Morocco, adding a third Madrid day and the Algarve coast. It fits a first visit to Iberia when the flights in and out of Morocco feel like one step too many. For the Sahara dunes, the 15-day private Morocco tour reaches Erg Chebbi near Merzouga, while this route’s desert day stays in the Agafay, about 40 kilometers from Marrakech. Every multi-country route sits on our multi-country trips page.
Who this journey suits
First-time visitors to Spain and Portugal who want Morocco on the same trip, without a second long-haul journey later.
Couples and friends traveling together who like a change of rhythm halfway through: eight nights of Spanish cities, then four in Marrakech, then Lisbon.
Families with teenagers or adult children, since the route mixes Gaudí and the Alhambra with a camel ride, a quad bike option and a waterfall walk in the Atlas foothills.
Architecture and history travelers, because the Almohad minarets of Marrakech and Seville, the Nasrid Palaces and the Jerónimos Monastery at Belém all sit on one route.
Travelers with about two and a half weeks of leave, who want each base to hold at least two nights.
The people behind the route
Three people carry the days where depth matters most, each where your dates allow.
Israel, one of our licensed guides in Granada, leads Alhambra days. He builds the visit around the Nasrid Palaces time slot, so the Generalife and the Alcazaba fit around it at an easy pace.
Ana, an art historian, leads our Prado visits in Madrid. She shapes the morning around the painters you care about, from Velázquez and Goya to El Greco and Bosch.
Luisa, one of our licensed guides in Lisbon and Sintra, leads the Lisbon and Sintra days with a licensed driver alongside her, and knows the order of palaces and gardens to suit the day.
What the 16-day journey costs and what it includes
This 16-day journey starts from $15,968 per person, double occupancy. The from-price covers 15 nights in deluxe four-star properties selected for comfort, location and service. Five-star luxury properties are available by request. It also covers licensed guides on touring days, licensed drivers in Spain and Portugal, a private driver in Morocco, private vehicles for every transfer and excursion, and the planning and in-country support of our team.
What moves the price: travel dates and season, hotel category, the number of travelers sharing vehicles and guides, single rooms, and added private experiences such as a flamenco evening in Madrid, a quad bike route in the Agafay or a fado dinner in Lisbon. Our team prices each journey to your dates and party.
When three countries in one journey sound right for your party, speak with our team about your dates and the pace you want.
Questions about the 16-day Spain, Portugal and Morocco tour
How many days do you need for Spain, Portugal and Morocco?
Sixteen days covers six bases across the three countries with at least two nights in each: Barcelona, Granada, Seville and Madrid in Spain, four nights in Marrakech, and three in Lisbon. The route uses three short flights, one high-speed train and one road transfer, and no leg runs longer than about two and a half hours. With fewer than two weeks, most travelers do better with two countries, for example Spain and Portugal or Spain and Morocco, because each border adds a travel day. With three weeks, the same route takes in more of each country, such as Porto and the Douro Valley after Lisbon, or a night near the Sahara dunes in Morocco. A good rule for any length is no more than one hotel change for every two or three days.
How do you travel from Spain to Morocco on this route?
The route flies. On Day 9 a direct flight links Madrid to Marrakech in about 2 hours, and a private driver meets you at Marrakech Menara airport. The ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar, about an hour from Tarifa to Tangier, suits routes through northern Morocco, where Tangier, Chefchaouen and Fez lie close to the coast. Marrakech sits in the south of the country, west of the Atlas foothills, so the direct flight from Madrid is the shorter way in. On Day 13 a second direct flight, about 1 hour 40 minutes, links Marrakech to Lisbon. Our team sends the full schedule, with every time and contact, before you leave home.
Do US citizens need a visa for Morocco?
Morocco requires no visa for tourist visits of 90 days or less, according to the US State Department. Your passport needs at least six months of validity at the time of entry and one blank page for each entry stamp. Spain and Portugal belong to the Schengen area and Morocco does not, so you pass passport control when you leave Madrid for Marrakech and again when you land in Lisbon. Our team sends a document checklist with your final schedule and stays in touch if anything changes before departure. Travelers holding other passports receive advice on their own entry rules during planning.
What is the best time of year for this route?
April to June and September to October suit the route best, because it spans the inland heat of Andalusia and Madrid, the dry plains around Marrakech and the Atlantic air of Lisbon. AEMET’s 1981 to 2010 averages give Seville a mean daily high of 23.4°C (about 74°F) in April and 26.0°C (about 79°F) in October, against 36.0°C (about 97°F) in July. IPMA’s figures for Lisbon over the same period show 19.8°C (about 68°F) in April and 22.5°C (about 73°F) in October. For a summer departure, our team plans early starts and long midday breaks in Seville, Madrid and Marrakech.
Who guides and drives us in each country?
In Spain, a licensed guide leads each touring day and a licensed driver handles the vehicle, always two separate people. In Morocco, a licensed guide leads the touring days in Marrakech, the Agafay and the Ourika Valley, and a private driver handles the vehicle, again two separate people. In Lisbon and Sintra, where your dates allow, Luisa, one of our licensed guides, works alongside a licensed driver. On the Évora day, a licensed driver-guide, one person holding both licenses, looks after you. Where your dates allow, Israel leads the Alhambra day in Granada and Ana, an art historian, leads the Prado visit in Madrid. Our team in Madrid plans the whole route and stays in contact through the trip.
Is the Agafay desert the Sahara?
The Agafay is a stone desert of rocky hills about 40 kilometers from Marrakech, without sand dunes, and the drive takes about 45 minutes to an hour. It gives you the open desert, a camel ride, lunch at a camp and, on clear days, the snow-capped High Atlas on the horizon, all within a day trip from your Marrakech hotel. The Sahara’s dunes at Erg Chebbi, near Merzouga, lie on the far side of the Atlas and need several days of travel there and back. If the dunes matter to you, our 15-day private Morocco tour includes them, or our team adds days to this route and trades the Agafay for a desert camp near Merzouga.
Do we need to book the Alhambra in advance?
Yes. Alhambra tickets are personal, and the Nasrid Palaces admit each visitor only during the time slot printed on the ticket. Visitors show an original ID card or passport at the entrance, and children aged 3 to 11 enter free but need a reservation alongside the adult tickets. Our team books your tickets as soon as you confirm your dates and builds the Granada days around the Nasrid Palaces slot, with the Albaicín on the arrival afternoon and the full Alhambra day after it. Where your dates allow, Israel, one of our licensed guides in Granada, leads the visit.
How much walking does the itinerary involve?
Several old quarters on this route sit on hills with cobbled lanes and steps, including the Albaicín in Granada and Alfama below São Jorge Castle in Lisbon. The Alhambra covers a large site on foot, and you explore the souks of Marrakech on foot through narrow lanes. Your driver drops you at the top of a quarter where roads allow, so the walk runs downhill, and your guide sets the pace to your party. The waterfall trail at Setti Fatma, about 20 to 30 minutes to the first fall, is optional, and the camel ride and quad bike route in the Agafay are options too. Your guide is glad to advise on suitability before booking.
Is the 16-day route fixed?
No. The route as written shows one balanced order of bases, and our team shortens, extends or reorders it around your dates, interests and pace. Typical changes include a third night in Granada or Seville, a fifth night in Marrakech for Essaouira on the Atlantic coast, or two extra days after Lisbon for Porto and the Douro Valley. Some travelers reverse the route and start in Lisbon, which works the same way in the other direction. Travel days, guides, drivers and timed entries all move with the change, so you receive a revised day-by-day plan and price.
Are there free days on the itinerary?
The route as written plans every day, including a guided Gaudí day in Barcelona on Day 2, so you never spend the first full day on your own. Nine of the 16 days carry no hotel change: Day 2 in Barcelona, Day 4 in Granada, Day 6 in Seville, Day 8 in Madrid, Days 10 to 12 in Marrakech and Days 14 and 15 in Lisbon. Any of these turns into a free day on request, and in Marrakech many travelers keep one afternoon for the hammam or the riad pool. Our team keeps the driver on call, so a free morning still includes a lift to lunch or a spa.
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.
Barcelona
Boutique: H10 Casa Mimosa. A listed 19th-century Modernista building on Pau Claris, on the same block as Gaudí’s La Pedrera.
Five-star: Mandarin Oriental Barcelona. A former bank on Passeig de Gràcia turned into a calm, pale-toned hotel with a rooftop pool.
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.
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.
Marrakech
Boutique: El Fenn. A color-filled medina hotel near Bab Ksour, with a large rooftop terrace and bar facing the Atlas.
Five-star: Royal Mansour Marrakech. A walled estate of 53 private riads by the medina ramparts, each with a rooftop terrace.
Lisbon
Boutique: Memmo Alfama. A design hotel on an Alfama lane, with a pool beside its wine-bar terrace over the Tagus.
Five-star: Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon. A 1959 landmark beside Eduardo VII Park, filled with mid-century Portuguese art and tapestries.
What's Included
A Very Personalized Itinerary, Just For You and Your Schedule
Hand-Picked Ultra-Luxury & Boutique Hotel Options
Insider Experiences + Inspiring Sightseeing + Magical Upgrades
Private Touring with Your Own Personal Expert Guide
Private Airport & Train Station Luxury Transfers
Full Breakfasts + Food & Wine Tasting Options
Your Choice of Activities on “Design Your Days”®
Expert Advice, Restaurant Ideas & Reservations
24/7 Support & Concierge Service from Spain, Portugal & Morocco
Magical is an award-winning luxury travel agency
Private journeys with soul & stories
Excellent independent reviews
Only five journeys per country, per week
Hidden gems, insider fun & vetted hotels
Your private guide, deluxe vehicle & flexible pace
24/7 concierge-style support
We handle everything — you live the dream
American Precision, Local Soul
Our Unforgettable Trips Are Tailored Just For You
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.
Kind regards,
Dan O'Beirne & the MPT team
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