Best Spain & Portugal Highlights for Seniors

Zicasso's travel specialist and his team were awesome! All we knew was that we wanted to go to Lisbon and Barcelona, and see some local culture in Spain. He designed a trip from Lisbon to Sevilla to Córdoba (day trip) to Grenada (with a stop in Ronda) to Barcelona. The guides and tours were all excellent, and his hotel and travel choices were spot-on. Our guide in Grenada (our travel specialist himself!) was awesome. I can't recommend more highly.

The trip was lovely, but our itinerary was too busy. We’re seniors and enjoy downtime each day. Some of the trips with drivers were too long. Our hotel in Barcelona was very nice with great food. The hotel in Seville was disappointing. The concept of Zicasso is good, but age-appropriate planning would be an improvement.

Zicasso’s travel company did a fabulous job preparing our itinerary and working with us to customize it as necessary. When we finally arrived in Portugal and Spain for our trip, everything went smoothly and as described in our itinerary. We had zero issues with any part of it and people always showed up (guides/drivers) exactly when we were expecting them.

The guides the travel company picked were also very good and knowledgeable. What I really appreciated was the hotel selection, as in every case we were in the best location in each city, whether that was Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, or Barcelona. This made a massive difference when it came to sightseeing because most things were walkable or very close by. Also, the nearby restaurants and shops were great.

Overall, I think this was one of my family's favorite trips and I highly recommend this travel company if you're thinking of doing something similar.

I'd make this 4.5 stars if I could. We had a five-star experience with a few glitches, but they were addressed quickly and kindly.

Zicasso’s travel specialist is a gem. She goes out of her way to clearly communicate what to expect, who you'll be with, and the times for meets and activities. She made us feel special, as though we were her personal guests rather than just clients. We had a luggage issue that she went out of her way to help resolve.

We asked to stay in nice places with AC and king-size beds, and she delivered. All places were great and a bit different from what we're used to and from each other. Most of the drivers were also a lot of fun to be with and spoke at least reasonably good English.

I offer two suggestions for those who use this service. One, always verify meet times and contact info that you receive. Two, don't pre-book two meals in a day if you're staying at a place that offers breakfast. It's just too much food too close together.

We had an 11-day vacation. We chose variety rather than immersion, so went from Porto to Douro Valley to Alentejo to Lisbon to Lagos in the Algarve area, with some stops in between and drivers who brought us everywhere. Next time, we'd likely choose two or three places for a more immersive experience.

I highly recommend this travel company and the travel specialist in particular.

The travel agent from Zicasso's tour company planned for my family of four the most spectacular and luxurious two-week trip around Portugal. We traveled to and enjoyed the highlights of Lisbon, the romantic architecture in Sintra, the incredible history of Évora, the beautiful coastline of the Algarve, the laid-back atmosphere and gorgeous scenery of Madeira, the beautiful, historical, bustling city of Porto, and the stunning scenery of the Douro Valley. 

The travel agent's suggestions and bookings were all perfectly aligned with what we envisioned and the accommodations booked were all beautifully appointed and family-oriented – five-star hotels that catered to the entire family, with indoor pools and kids greeted with backpacks and toys at the door, and nightly treats on pillows.

The tour guides booked were all very knowledgeable and kind. They were patient with my two- and four-year-olds, and taught us all so many new, amazing things.

Every day was a highlight, but I would say my girls really enjoyed the tile painting as well as the pastel de nata-making workshops.

My husband and I really enjoyed Évora and Sintra, and truly seeing the beauty and history of it all.

We absolutely fell in love with Portugal, the culture, and the food. My only regret is not having more time so we could’ve seen the Azores as well and stayed even longer. 

We so look forward to this travel agent planning us another perfect vacation in the near future!

My husband and I had a wonderful week touring central and northern Portugal with this Zicasso travel company. The itinerary developed by our travel specialist was excellent, as were the hotels she selected.

Above all, we appreciated our driver. He was kind, patient, and full of knowledge. He guided us through many sites and provided a history of each place we visited. He answered all our questions. We would never have had the depth of understanding on our own. He was also flexible if we needed to make changes and had the patience of Job driving through the busy streets of Lisbon and Porto, and through winding roads of the medieval towns... again, something we could not have done on our own.

Our entire trip was very personalized to our interests. We have already recommended the travel company to our friends. We look forward to coming back because we had such a beautiful trip.