Spain’s Andalucía: The Alhambra and Cordoba’s Patio Festival

Day 1, Wednesday, May 7: ARRIVAL

Tour members arrange their own transportation to Seville and to the Exe Sevilla Palmera hotel, where a reservation has been made for them. We will gather for a welcome dinner this evening (included in tour price).

Day 2, Thursday, May 8: SEVILLE ARCHITECTURE AND GARDENS

Our first stop with our local guide is the Casa de Pilatos, a palace that combines the beauty of the Italian renaissance with traditional Moorish design. The courtyard garden, with its clipped hedges, greenery, and fountains, is an oasis of peace in a bustling city.

The second stop, the Real (Royal) Alcazar, boasts some of the most beautiful tilework and stonework in the world. Learn how the buildings have been changed and adapted over the centuries, from their beginnings in the 15th century through the splendors of the Bourbon kings in the 19th century. At the heart of the palace is the Patio de las Doncellas, a large courtyard with a reflecting pool in the center. Then explore the rest of the gardens, bright with flowers and citrus trees, and dotted with water features and sculptures.

At midday, you'll have a chance to find lunch on your own. Afterward we will reconvene and head for San Salvador Church. Built in the Baroque style, the current building began in 1671 and was finished in 1712. Marvel at the gilded woodwork and the elaborate main altar, then take a moment to relax in the Patio de Naranjos (Patio of the Orange Trees), a remainder of the Muslim mosque that originally stood on the site.

The next stop is the elaborate City Hall, constructed in the 1500s. This beautiful building is an example of Plateresque architecture, an artistic movement that developed in Spain in the late 15th century, characterized by ornate facades.

We will finish the afternoon with a visit to the Setas de Sevilla (the Mushrooms of Seville!), the largest wooden structure in the world. Originally a plaza with a market building in the 19th century, the area had been a disused parking lot since 1990, when the city opened an international competition for bids to redevelop the area. Underneath the “mushrooms,” you’ll find a market with many different kinds of food, and best of all, you can take an elevator to the top to enjoy a breathtaking view over the city of Seville. Pause to read the plaques throughout the structure that show fascinating details of its construction.

We’ll enjoy dinner together tonight (included).

Day 3, Friday, May 9: ALHAMBRA, GENERALIFE GARDENS

In the morning, we'll travel to Granada, where we will meet a local guide who will introduce you to the famous Alhambra Palace. This beautiful building is one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in the world. You’ll admire the elaborate stucco and stonework carvings, as well as the beautiful tilework and the intricately pieced wooden ceilings. The Alhambra is built around a series of peaceful courtyards, often featuring water. These include the Fountain of the Lions and the Court of the Myrtles. Be sure to look out the windows in the outer walls for beautifully framed views of the surrounding city.

Adjoining the Alhambra are the Generalife Gardens. These gardens were intended to portray an earthly idea of paradise. Experience a feast for your senses: Exquisitely clipped hedges surround colorful beds of roses and perennials, fragrant herbs, and water features and fountains. We’ll have time to wander through the gardens on our own before returning to the hotel for dinner together (included).

Day 4, Saturday, May 10: PRIVATE GARDENS & FREE TIME IN GRANADA

Today, we’ll tour the Realejo, the town’s old Jewish quarter, as well as the Albacin neighborhood. Among cobbled squares with fountains and monuments, we will visit “carmenes,” from the Arabic word “karm,” meaning “vine.” These traditional homes are set in secluded gardens that are a beautiful combination of practical and beautiful. They often contain fruit trees, such as lemon, apple, orange, and pomegranate, grape vines, fragrant roses, lush containers and more.

After lunch on your own, you’ll have the afternoon free to do some more exploring in Granada. You might visit the Carmen de los Martires, a palace with adjoining gardens which include an English-style garden and a lake with a statue of Neptune. On the edge of the old town, still within easy walking distance, you can also visit a park that houses rose gardens, leafy walks, and the summer house of the Spanish poet Frederico Garcia Lorca. Head back to the Albacin neighborhood for tapas and wine, and then visit the San Miguel Alto church, the highest point in the city, to see Granada at dusk. Or make your way to the San Nicolas viewpoint to enjoy one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world.

Today we’ll enjoy a local wine tasting and have dinner together this evening (included).

Day 5, Sunday, May 11: ALCAZAR DE LOS REYES CRISTIANOS, CORDOBA PATIO FESTIVAL

This morning, we will travel to Cordoba, where we will visit the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos. This fortress was one of the primary residences of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, who sponsored the first voyage of Christopher Columbus. It also played a major role in the Spanish inquisition. The main hall showcases Roman mosaics from the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

The enormous gardens of the Alcazar are on three levels. You’ll see many species of trees, including palm, cypress, and lemon and orange trees. Several large pools channel water from the mountains down through the gardens, where you’ll find clipped boxwood hedges, rose gardens, and fountains. The Paseo de los Reyes, or King’s Avenue, in the lower garden, features an avenue of pruned cypress trees and statues of various kings of the Alcazar.

Our visit will coincide with La Fiesta de los Patios de Cordoba, or Patio Festival, held since 1921. As you’ll have noticed throughout the trip, homes in Spain are often built around a central courtyard garden that provides shade and greenery in a hot and arid climate. In the afternoon, a local guide will lead you through the most historic patios of the city. Everyone will get a map of the patios that are open for visits, and in the evening, you can visit more of them on your own. (Many are closed from 2 to 6 p.m. for siesta.)

Be prepared for explosions of color as you visit the patios, particularly from the thousands of pelargoniums that thrive here. Containers of bright annuals and vines trail from walls and stairways. Garden art is often on display, and some patios may even feature music. The owners of the patios often greet visitors and enjoy talking about their gardens’ history, design, and plants. You’ll take home amazing ideas to decorate your own garden areas.

Tonight you’ll have dinner on your own.

Day 6, Monday, May 12: JARDIN BOTANICO DE CORDOBA, FREE TIME IN CORDOBA

Begin the day with a guided tour of the Jardin Botanico de Cordoba. Located just outside the city center, along the Guadalquivir River, the gardens were opened in 1987. An arboretum imitates a natural forest, different greenhouses showcase a range of plant varieties, and the rose garden and main gardens overflow with color and scent. The Museum of Paleobotany lets you explore different species of plants and their uses throughout history, while the Museum of Water shows how water use has contributed to the local culture over the centuries.

In the afternoon, visit more patios, or use your free time for some shopping. You’ll find a wide array of galleries, stores and gift shops in the old town, where you can get handmade ceramics, jewelry, traditional leatherwork and more.

Dinner on your own.

Day 7, Tuesday, May 13: CORDOBA

Visit some of the historical and architectural highlights in Cordoba, beginning with the famous Mezquita-Cathedral of Cordoba. Originally the site of the Great Mosque, constructed in 785, it was converted to a cathedral in 1236 when Cordoba was captured by Christian forces. The hypostyle hall, the central hall of the building, is constructed with more than 120 columns, some of them reused from ancient Roman buildings.

We will also stop at the Palacio de Viana, a Renaissance palace with 12 courtyards filled with beautiful plants and fountains. You’ll learn more about the history of the courtyard patios of Cordoba, and how over the centuries, they have provided a peaceful retreat from a bustling city.

After our day of touring these sites and others in Cordoba, we’ll have free time this evening to find dinner on our own.

Day 8, Wednesday, May 14: PALACIO DE LAS DUENAS, FREE TIME IN SEVILLE

This morning we’ll drive back to Seville. On the way, we’ll stop at the Palacio de las Duenas, built in the 15th century. It houses an amazing collection of art, totaling more than 1,400 pieces that include paintings, sculpture and tapestries. When it was the home of the Duchess of Alba, visitors included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Grace of Monaco. The palace also has a traditional courtyard garden, although its most noted horticultural feature is the façade covered in bougainvillea.

Take some time to explore the city on your own in the afternoon, then we’ll gather for a farewell dinner (included).

Day 9, Thursday, May 15: DEPARTURE

Our time together has ended, but garden lovers always find fresh inspiration wherever they are. Tour members can choose to return home or carry on the adventure on their own.