Barcelona to Madrid Tours

tour company. I usually plan the vacations for my family: Deciding to instead go with a travel agent for this trip was the best decision I could have made. We had an ambitious itinerary (visiting Madrid, Seville, Barcelona and Menorca in less than 2 weeks.) It was a joy not to have to worry about researching accommodations, transportation, and excursions with the added challenge of dealing with August crowds and heat. With the help of this company our days were planned perfectly and everything went smoothly. The suggested excursions and guides were all top notch. Our family of five had a fabulous time and really felt like we experienced the uniqueness and flavor of each destination. It was the perfect tour of Spain that we were looking for. We had a couple of hiccups during our trip as everyone does. This tour company was very reachable and responsive and helped us out tremendously.

trip in mainland Spain, visiting Barcelona and Madrid, with a day trip to Toledo. We worked with our agent to develop an itinerary that provided us with a good overview of these three cities during our short timeframe. They arranged our hotels, transfers, train transportation, guided tours, and tickets to several museums/sights we toured on our own. Because of the team’s extensive plan, we were able to visit museums, cathedrals, and other sights without waiting in lines and on days when these venues were open. The travel team also arranged personal guides to take us through busier, harder to navigate sights, such as The Prado Museum, La Sagrada Familia, and Toledo. The guides were excellent communicators, providing entertaining and informative talks on history and culture. We initially thought about planning this week ourselves but were overwhelmed by the many choices and logistics of selecting hotels and deciding what to do when. This self-guided, customized itinerary allowed us to maximize our time while touring the highlights for each location. We also had “peace of mind” knowing that we had experts to consult if problems arose. For instance, the Barcelona demonstrations were active during our visit; this travel team kept us informed and were ready to offer alternatives if necessary. Luckily, none were needed. We would definitely use this travel team on future trips to Spain, and Zicasso to help plan self-guided tours to other places around the world.

at this travel team could not been better to work with.  He was always quick to respond both during the planning phase of our trip, and as well as while we were in Spain.  If we showed up a few minutes late to meet a driver, we would receive a call or text to make sure everything was ok.  During our family sailing day, I left my purse on the boat and he kindly contacted our captain and set up a meeting time to retrieve it. I cannot express how wonderful it was to have a local travel agent to contact.  He also provided a WiFi hotspot to use which was key since we have 3 teenage children!  Our trip planner also met our family for a drink while we were in Madrid.  It was so nice to put a face to his name.  Meeting us in person was above and beyond good service.As for the actual vacation part:  We flew in and out of Madrid as it was the only direct flight from our area (DFW).  Once we arrived at the airport we had a driver take us to the high speed train to Barcelona.  We had a bike tour and tapas our first night in Barcelona which was a lot of fun and a great way to see the city.  We also toured La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, and other Gaudi sites.  We had a great time at the Barcelona Cooking class making paella.  After Madrid we visited Seville first to the Triana area with an awesome local guide enjoying tapas and learning to appreciate sherry and Tinto de verano.  Of course we visited the Cathedral and Real Alcazar as well.  Then we had a day trip to the amazing Cordoba where we visited the Mezquita (Mosque Cathedral).  We took a break from touring and relaxed in the Axarquia region in Nerja.  The Nerja hotel was a beautifully situated hotel with amazing views. While in Nerja we had a fun family sailing day with our awesome captain.  We took a day trip to the incomparable Alhambra which is not to be missed!  Finally, we travelled to Madrid where we enjoyed a walking tour and the highlights of the Prado museum.  Our family enjoyed a day trip to Toledo and then took in a fabulous Flamenco show and dinner on our return to Madrid. We had time to explore Madrid on our own.  Our kids were done with tours by then, but my husband and I visited the Royal Palace (Wow!!!) and the Reina Sofia museum.  Then we ended with a stroll at Retiro Park. It was a full but wonderful vacation! 

is difficult.   This tour company was patient and provided an enormous amount of time and support to recommend and find the best hotels and tours for a fantastic vacation.  We were constantly updated with tour and transport times.  There were demonstrations in Barcelona during our trip and they modified the tours to ensure our trip was seamless.  Never felt alone while in Spain. 

to Barcelona, Granada & Madrid. We were not disappointed with whole booking process that went so smoothly and the trip itself was fantastic. Our travel consultant was very prompt and courteous with his response to my e-mails/questions with the time zone difference and provided detailed information. I appreciate his professionalism very much. 

I will surely book with this company again for our next trip to this part of the world and would certainly recommend them to my friends.

 

 We traveled to Madrid, Palma, and Barcelona.  This travel team did a fantastic job from beginning (planning) to end.  It was easy to develop the itinerary we wanted.  They did a great job scheduling transportation and all of the hotels were fantastic!   Our tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and helped make our experience there even better.  The travel team was also very responsive and checked on us frequently while we were in the country.   I would highly recommend them for your trip to Spain.  

and Valencia in the past, I was looking for a trip focused on the southern region of Andalusia. This trip was very well organized including the cities visited, the transportation from city to city, the tours offered and the hotels. The private tours were excellent and comprehensive. The hotels were also of the highest quality and the combination of activities throughout the trip were perfect for me. My travel designer was also available 24/7 by email or phone.

She put together a great trip according to what we wanted to do / see with the limited time we had for vacation. She always answered our emails and calls and everything went well according to plan. We loved all our hotels she booked us on and our individual tour guides in Madrid and Barcelona were great. While in Spain we had a few questions and our travel specialist was always there to address our concerns and made sure everything went well accordingly and on time. Our drivers were all great and never late! We loved that! Just a great trip overall. We’ll be recommending our travel specialist to our friends and family for sure! We had a truly great time. Thank you! 

job of our travel specialist and her colleagues at the travel company!  Spent two weeks dining on amazing feed, drinking incredible wine and finding the best spots in each location (Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastian and Majorca). Our travel specialist and her team are the best travel agents I have ever worked with and took the time to truly understand our wants and needs and made our trip one to remember.  When I return to Spain (or decide to visit Portugal and Morocco) there is no one else I would call.  

and we were extremely well pleased with the concept, and with the company we selected. Our planning for this trip of 17 days in October began in January, when we first selected them among the companies we were referred to, and outlined our plans, desired itinerary, and interests in an extensive telephone conversation with the rep.He and we were in frequent touch by email and phone over the next two months to refine our program. We decided to drop one city from our itinerary; we altered our original flight plans for arriving/departing Spain, added/subtracted some activities; approved places where we might want a guided tour and those where we would not. Throughout, the rep was an effective and capable advisor, offering suggestions (include a visit to Toledo), using his expertise to recommend the best itinerary for the trip based on train/air times and choke points (how to include a stop in Ronda); taking local holidays into account, even quickly preparing an alternate itinerary at one point when it appeared our party would have to be just 2 rather than 4.We signed a contract and paid a deposit in March to finalize our plans. In ensuing months, the company worked to nail down the details: train and air travel within country; pickups/drop-offs at hotels/airports; car service for excursions by road; reservations at hotels we had chosen based on the rep's recommendations; tickets for museums or events, especially those that often need to be obtained in advance. We had chosen from the start to do our own research and selection of restaurants, but the company also offered an extensive list of possibilities in the various places were visiting; and once we made our decisions, the company kindly made all the reservations for us, fitting the exact times in with our schedule of other things. All this was magically and effectively done for us without a lot of effort or time on our part, so by October 1, there was little to worry about except boarding the plane.From the moment we landed at Barcelona, to the date we departed sixteen (actually seventeen) days later, everything went like clockwork. It became clear that the rep and his team were personally committed to ensure that things would proceed without a hitch. By reports from drivers and guides, they often knew before we did that we might be running a little late somewhere, and made small adjustments accordingly.  Of course, there were minor snags - in one case, due to a miscommunication between a guide and a driver, we couldn't find our driver, and he couldn't find us; and in the jammed ancient streets of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, we were surprised to find a vehicle could only get as close as two blocks from the front door of our hotel -- but those were rare exceptions.  In addition, we and the rep communicated as needed by phone and text, for example when we decided to cancel a reservation at one restaurant. More important, when our airline cancelled our departure flight with one day's notice, we of course had to work out our alternate flight with the airlines directly, but the company took some pressure off by getting our stay at our hotel extended (and of course adjusting our transport to the airport).Hotels: In the four places where we had set up overnight stays (Barcelona, Granada, Sevilla, and Madrid), for which the company had recommended the hotels, we were very happy with their choices. We had expressed a preference for smaller hotels  in a historic building, and the rep's recommendations did not disappoint - everywhere, we found wonderful accommodation with friendly, helpful staff (most also had their own restaurant). After the trip, we tried to agree on a favorite - but all were favorites, albeit with different features.Guides: Last, but most important, was the rep's success in selecting such excellent guides for our city, museum, and food/wine tours. In each case, our guide was a native of the city we were in; in each case, they were not only expert in their fields but had a lot of great, interesting information to impart about local customs and legends, shopping, and institutions. Our guides added immensely to our enjoyment and learning from the trip – they made a world of difference.The "bottom line" is that if/when we plan more travel in Spain, we will definitely work with Zicasso, and hope to have the chance to work again with this company and their rep.

weeks trip to Spain.  We spent two nights in Madrid, two nights in Seville and three nights in Barcelona.  Our travel planner arranged all transportation to and from the airports and to and from the trains.  The planner booked us into lovely, moderate priced hotels (as we requested) that were just right for us.  In two of the hotels, we had terraces.  She also booked us several tours:  a tapas and tavern tour in Madrid and Barcelona, and tapas and flamenco tour in Seville. A cooking  class in a mercado and a historic tour of the Alcazar in Seville (my favorite city) We did a winery tour in Barcelona, a tour of Park Guell and Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.  Rosa recommended excellent restaurants and even made the reservations for us.  I asked a lot of questions and she was endlessly patient. In short, she made this trip for two old friends into a lovely vacation we will always remember.  If you go to Spain, you must use this travel company (and the travel planner!)

Their trip recommendations were responsive to our suggestions and desires, and we had a wonderful trip to Spain. However, after booking the trip I had asked about birding opportunities somewhere between Barcelona and Madrid and never received a reply (we found a great half-day guided birding trip through Googling).