Exploring Iberia: Southern Spain to Coastal Portugal

Málaga
The birthplace of Picasso, Málaga is a vibrant port city radiating with energy, passion and culture. The city has gone through somewhat of a transformation, and now this little metropolis is thriving with new art galleries, Michelin-star restaurants and high fashion boutiques. And, when you explore the compact streets, you’ll see how architecture blends old and new as you venture from the Pompidou Centre to a Moorish fortress.

Choice on Tour: Málaga Alcazaba or Picasso Museum
While in Málaga, you will have the choice between two activities. First, you can choose to do a difficult, but immersive walk as you venture into the Málaga Alcazaba. The fortified palace is perfectly adapted to the contours of the land, and takes maximum advantage of the elevation of a hill. For your second choice, you can decide to end your morning with entry to the Picasso Museum. You’ll see more than 200 works highlighting the different styles, materials, and techniques used by the artist who called Málaga his first home.Málaga Alcazaba - NEO Day 2Activity Level: 3Led by a local guide. This option requires walking 2 miles including big, steep hills and walking on cobblestone and uneven streets.Picasso Museum - NEO Day 2Activity Level: 1Travelers will have their own audio-guided visit, at their own pace.

White Villages of Andalusia


The Alhambra
The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. The first palace on the site was built in the 11th century and in the 12th and 13th century a fortress-complex palace was built. It is a vast complex, comprised of many structures. The Alhambra is part fortress, part palace, part garden and part government city. Many visitors come to Grenada specifically just to visit and see the Alhambra.

Ronda
Ronda is considered to be one of the oldest kept cities in Spain dating back to the Neolithic period. Two pieces of architecture represent the history of Ronda perfectly; the New Bridge and the bullring of the Royal Cavalry Order of Ronda. The New Bridge built in the mid 1700s allowed for the development of the city as it linked the old city with the new neighborhoods, providing the capability for Ronda to sustain itself and grow, as its location a little less than 2,500 feet above sea level made this a little more difficult in previous times. The Plaza de Toros, bullfighting ring, was inaugurated in 1785 and is considered to be one of the oldest throughout Spain. Some of the greatest matadors (bullfighters) of Spain were a product of the school of bullfighting, including Pedro Romero and Antonio Ordóñez.

Córdoba
Córdoba is located in Andalucía, southern Spain, and is the capital of the province of Córdoba. This city has an interesting history full of many diverse cultures and was the capital of a Roman province, the capital of an Arab State and a form of an Islamic government. It has the second largest old town in Europe, featuring Roman architecture, including a Roman bridge, as well as several Islamic and Jewish mosques.

La Mezquita


Home Hosted Lunch


Seville Cathedral


Choice on Tour: Santa Cruz Walking Tour or Seville Horse & Carriage Ride
Today in Seville, you have the choice between two activities. Your first option is to join a local expert and take a walking tour of the quaint Santa Cruz Quarter with its cascading bright flowers, whitewashed buildings and winding streets. Your second option is to take a horse and carriage ride to see Plaza de España and Maria Luisa Park, one of the loveliest parks in all of Europe.Historic Santa Cruz Walking Tour - NEO Day 8Activity Level: 3Travelers must be able to walk for approximately 2 hours and should be able to walk on cobblestone.Seville Horse & Carriage RideActivity Level: 1

Estremoz


Portuguese Riviera
The Riviera stretches from Lisbon and Cascais. The coastline has become a place where the elite vacation between September and October, and a popular tourist destination for its chic look. Removed from the city, the Lisbon coastline is easy access to all the culture that Lisbon offers. It has become a major hotspot for major international celebrities from the world of fashion, sport, and entertainment. The Riviera is also known for is world class conditions for surfing.

Lisbon
Spread across steep hillsides that overlook the Rio Tejo, Lisbon offers all the delights you’d expect of Portugal’s star attraction, yet with half the fuss of other European capitals. Gothic cathedrals, majestic monasteries and quaint museums are all part of the colorful cityscape, but the real delights of discovery lie in wandering the narrow lanes of Lisbon’s lovely backstreets. The Lisbon experience encompasses so many things, from enjoying a fresh pastry and bica (espresso) on a petite leafy plaza to window-shopping in elegant Chiado. It’s mingling with Lisboêtas at a neighborhood festival or watching the sunset from the old Moorish castle.

Sintra
With its rippling mountains, dewy forests thick with ferns and lichen, exotic gardens and glittering palaces, Sintra is like a page torn from a fairy tale. Its Unesco World Heritage–listed centre, Sintra-Vila, is dotted with pastel-hued manors folded into luxuriant hills that roll down to the blue Atlantic. The jewel on the crown lording ominously over the picturesque town center is the National Palace, once the summer retreat of the Portuguese monarchy.

Quinta da Regaleira

Exploring Iberia: Southern Spain to Coastal Portugal

NH Hotel
Calle San Jacinto 2, Malaga, Spain


H10 Palacio Colomera
Plaza de las Tendillas, 3,, Cordoba, Spain


H10 Casa de la Plata
Calle Lagar, 2, 4, Seville, Spain


Vila Gale Collection Palácio Dos Arcos, Oeiras, Portuguese Riviera
Largo Conde das Alcacovas 3, Lisbon, Portugal