Intimate Exploration of Spain: Couples Autumn Vacation

Gaztelugatxe in Basque, Spain.

What to expect on this itinerary

Fall in love with the charms of Spain this October with an epic 7-day journey through this illustrious country. Vineyards line the rolling plains of the illustrious Basque Country, the sea sparkles in the sunshine, and the cobbled streets of small villages and major cities still hold the secrets of centuries' past. Experience the fervor of local festivals and internationally acclaimed landmarks when immersed in the vivacious energy of Spain.

Countries Visited

Spain

Places Visited

Barcelona, Girona, San Sebastian, Basque Country, Valencia

Suggested Duration

7 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

Barcelona – Barcelona’s Jazz Festival

When you land in Barcelona, you will meet your guide and transfer to your luxurious accommodation. After settling into your new surroundings, you can begin to explore the city at your own pace. First, you should check out the city's vibrant Jazz Festival, which takes place each October throughout the city. Then, you can amble through the Raval neighborhood before settling in for a luxurious dinner along Barcelona's port.

What's Included:

Tour
Accommodation
Transfer
Day 2

Barcelona – Wine Tasting in the Countryside

Day 3

Girona – Traditional Music and Dance

Day 4

San Sebastian – Evening Film Festival

Day 5

San Sebastian – Basque Country & Pinchos Tasting Bar Crawl

Day 6

Valencia – Valencia Day and Beach Outing

Day 7

Valencia – Departure

Trip Highlights

  • Touch down in Barcelona and dance the night away during the city's annual jazz festival
  • Amble along the illustrious cobblestone streets of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter and sip red wines in the Catalan countryside
  • Join in on the fun during Girona's Fires de Sant Narcis festival and tour the city's Arab baths
  • Travel to the shimmering coastline of San Sebastian to relax on the beach before attending an annual film festival
  • Hike through the lush Basque Country landscape and follow your guide on an eclectic pinchos crawl
  • Step inside the vivacious markets of Valencia and sample authentic paella by moonlight
  • Stroll through Barcelona's Park Guell and shop along the city's bustling Las Ramblas boulevard

Detailed Description

Beautiful beaches, ornate architecture, tantalizing cuisine, and a vibrant culture draw travelers to Spain throughout the year. From big city life in Madrid and Barcelona to the quaint villages of Andalucia and Catalonia, there is an infectious energy and hospitality for all to enjoy. Spain boasts a variety of festivals during the month of October, making a visit during this month especially enticing.

As you land at Barcelona's International Airport, you will catch glimpses of the Mediterranean Sea. Soon, you will arrive in the downtown area, where you will have a guided city tour before dancing the night away during the annual Jazz Festival. On your second day in Barcelona, you will marvel at the whimsical architecture of Antoni Gaudi at La Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, and Casa Batllo. Later that afternoon, you will venture to the rolling plains of rural Catalonia to partake in a delightful wine tasting.

Over the next few days, you will break away from the non-stop action of Catalonia's capital city to appreciate the mesmerizing landscapes of Girona, Basque Country, and Valencia. In Girona, you will stroll through the downtown streets, where stoic examples of Moorish, Jewish, and Christian architecture converge. The same day, you can attend the vivacious Fires de Sant Narcis Festival, during which local performers demonstrate the human tower event. The following day, you will continue to the Basque city of San Sebastian, which is best known for its Michelin-starred restaurants and ideal surf conditions. Here, you will explore the city by day and attend a film festival at night. To experience the true beauty of Basque Country, you will embark on a hike above San Sebastian before returning to the city in the evening for a pinchos tasting event at several local eateries.

Finally, you will fall in love with city life after boarding a short flight to Valencia. Here, you will visit the pristine beaches of the Mediterranean and sample the region's revered paella dish. Then, you and your partner can link hands and return to the downtown area for live music and dance as part of the annual Valencia Day. When you return to Barcelona, you will stroll through Park Guell, which is one of Gaudi's most impressive masterpieces, before transferring to the airport for your flight home.

Starting Price

$2,800 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

The starting price is based on travel during the low season for a minimum of two travelers staying in shared 3-star accommodations. Please inquire for a custom trip quote based on your travel preferences and travel dates.

4.9

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 2720 reviews

Mark J.
Spain Travel Review: Seville, Granada, Madrid, Barcelona, Alpujarra, 2 Weeks

Zicasso’s travel specialist and her team were fantastic. They were very responsive and quick to make changes when our arrival flight was delayed a day. The experiences were tremendous and the meeting times and contact points with various guides and drivers in several cities were well organized and seamless.

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Amy W.
Spain Trip Review: 10 Days

It was the first time we’ve used a travel company and there’s no going back to doing the planning ourselves! Zicasso’s travel specialist designed a trip around our needs and preferences. We enjoyed excellent private tours, wonderful boutique and unique hotels, and many of his recommendations for restaurants and other things to explore. He went above and beyond to check in with us on how it was going, even arranging a takeaway breakfast for our early-morning flight!

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Dina T.
Spain Tour Review: 11-Day Trip

Zicasso’s travel partner created a beautiful trip for our family. It was a last-minute international trip and they planned everything for us, and responded to all our specific requests and changes with grace and patience. They pulled everything together so quickly. Their local knowledge and connections to the people and places that we wanted to go were incredible.

All our accommodations were incredible and the tours and tour guides were interesting and custom-built for our needs. The communication with them was clear, fast, and responsive. They were a great travel company and I highly recommend them.

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Pamela S.
Spain Vacation Review: Madrid, Granada, Seville, Barcelona, Costa Brava, Toledo, Cordoba, Flamenco, Sailing, Museums, Cathedrals, 11-Day Trip

My husband, our two adult sons, and myself had the pleasure of going to Spain for 11 nights. We didn’t know much about the country, so we relied on Zicasso’s travel specialist to guide us. From the start, she explained the history, culture, food, etc.

We traveled to Madrid, Granada, Seville, Barcelona, and Costa Brava! We also took day trips to Toledo and Córdoba. We had excellent tour guides and drivers. Our trip flowed nicely, as we were on the go a lot of the time.

It was a trip of a lifetime for our family. We looked forward to the tapas, paellas, Jamón Ibérico, gazpacho, empanadas, rabo de toro, and, of course, the seafood every evening. The Spanish people were great and some we’ll never forget!

We learned so much about the ancient and early history, including the Roman conquest through the Medieval and early modern history. We were taking in this information all week, including the Prado Museum, the Picasso Museum, and the Dalí Theatre-Museum!

A simple family moment was sitting on our rooftop in Seville by the pool looking out at this beautiful city, which was difficult to leave!

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Lynne R.
Spain, France Travel Review: Madrid, Toledo, San Sebastian, Bayonne, Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Hondarribia, La Rioja, Barcelona, Montserrat, Penedes, Private Guide, Wine Tasting, 10 Nights

We visited Madrid, Toledo, San Sebastián, Bayonne, Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Hondarribia, La Rioja, Barcelona, Montserrat, and the Penedes (Cava) region.

We loved our private guides, private wine tastings, and day trips outside of the big cities.

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Sam K.
Spain Tour Review: Barcelona, Granada, Cordoba, Seville, Ronda, Madrid, Toledo, Local Cuisine, Wine, 2-Week Trip

We had been planning a two-week trip to Spain for most of 2024, researching the different regions, the available transportation options, and the logistics of trying to fit everything we wanted to do and see into two weeks. Once we felt comfortable having an informed conversation, we contacted Zicasso. We had used them for a prior trip to Italy in 2021. We were provided with two quality companies to assist us with planning our trip. Both companies provided us with proposals and itineraries based on our interests.

We chose this Zicasso travel company and could not have been happier with their attention to detail, communication, and customer service. We originally were working with one representative and, over the summer, we received an email introducing our new travel consultant. She immediately contacted us to introduce herself and to let us know that she was there should we need anything before, during, or after the trip. We had a pre-trip video meeting with her to answer some minor logistics questions. Two weeks later, we landed in Spain.

All of the companies selected for our trip, from drivers, guides, and cooking instructors to wineries were fantastic! Travel is more than the things you see and do; it's also about the people you meet while traveling. We thoroughly enjoyed everyone we met. They made us feel welcome and tailored each experience to what we were interested in.

Since our travel consultant lives in Madrid and our final stop was there, we made plans to get together for a drink to discuss our experiences. As we were discussing the trip with her, we realized we were having a hard time picking just one experience, one guide, or one place that was our favorite in each city.

We had a pretty good idea of what we wanted from this trip to Barcelona, Granada, Córdoba, Seville, Ronda, Madrid, and Toledo. The travel company listened to our interests and took to heart what we hoped to get from the trip. They designed and executed a fantastic two-week itinerary based on our budget. We are already thinking about a trip to Northern Spain in the future and our first call will be to the same travel company.

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

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