16-Day Rhythms and Flavours of Portugal & Spain
5 Good Reasons To Do This Trip!
You could just watch flamenco from the sidelines. Or you could stamp, clap and hip-flick your way through a real studio session, led by someone who’s been dancing since they could walk. Which sounds better?
Make your own messy little masterpiece in the Algarve using the same techniques that cover Portugal’s prettiest buildings.
Two languages, two cuisines, two passport stamps… this adventure is basically a two-for-one. You’ll start with wine in Portugal and finish with vermouth in Spain, collecting plenty of pinch-me moments along the way.
Eat your way through Spain’s best markets and bars: anchovies, manchego, croquetas, repeat, and become emotionally dependent on pan con tomate.
Pastel de nata hits different when you’ve got a table full of new besties beside you. Laughs, late-night chats, inside jokes – this crew turns every dinner into a party and every moment into a memory.
Trip Details
| Dates | Price AUD (per person twin share) |
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$2,711 AUD
Private Supplement: +$723
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Price
- 2 week cooling off period applies.
- Lifetime Deposit. If you need to cancel, your deposit is transferable to other trips.
- Twin Share: we’ll match you with a roomie if you’re travelling solo.
- Private supplement available: max 6 spots.
Please refer to our payment terms in the FAQs.
Trip length
16 days, 15 nights
Meeting point
Moon & Sun Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
Ending point
Hotel Astoria, Barcelona, Spain
Group size
Maximum 14
Participation requirements
Please see our “Is this trip right for you?” section under the Participation Tab.
Included
- Arrival and departure transfer
- Meals: 15 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 10 dinners
- Private vehicle transportation & trains
- 15 nights of boutique and premium accommodation
- TukTuk tour of Lisbon
- Pasteis de Nata cooking class in Belem
- Cork farm visit in Alentejo
- Amphora wine tasting
- Culatra Island visit and seafood lunch in Algarve
- Flamenco class and show in Seville
- Sherry wine tasting in Jerez de la Frontera
- Visits to Sierra de Grazalema and Ronda
- Private tour of the Alhambra in Granada
- Guided tour of Madrid – Focused on women history
- Guided tour of Barcelona, including Sagrada Familia
- Food market + tapas tour in Barcelona
- Guided tour of the Prado Museum in Madrid
- A top-rated and English-speaking Tour Leader
- All listed activities and more!
Not included
- International Flights
- Travel insurance (mandatory)
- Additional hotel nights & late checkouts
- Drinks and other personal expenses
- Tip kitty (See FAQs for more information)
Click the tabs to find out more
Day 1 – Olá Lisboa!
Touch down in Lisbon and breathe it in – arrival day is finally here! One of our team members will meet you at the airport and get you straight to the hotel, so you can ditch the arrival stress and start soaking it up as soon as possible. From the pastel-hued buildings to the smell of custard tarts wafting down the street, Portugal doesn’t waste time making a first impression, and we bet you’ll fall head-over-suitcase for it in no time.
Tonight, after a quick break to refresh and recharge, you’ll head out with your fellow Patchies for a welcome dinner full of seafood that sizzles, vinho verde that flows, and enough laughter to forget you’ve just flown halfway across the world. And if someone ends up belting fado over dessert? Well, we’re not stopping them!
Accommodation: Moon & Sun Lisboa (or similar), Lisbon, Portugal
Included: Dinner
Day 2 – Lisbon
Lisbon doesn’t ease you in – it grabs your hand and drags you up the hill. This morning, you’ll hop in a tuk-tuk and zigzag through the city’s steep backstreets, past fluttering laundry, screeching trams and sunlit tiles so pretty they make you forget to blink.
Then it’s time for a different kind of Lisbon legend: custard. You’ll head into the kitchen for a hands-on workshop in pastel de nata perfection, and you’re gonna love it! Roll your sleeves up, and get ready for an afternoon of whisking, rolling and a little powdered sugar in your hair by the end, and hey, no shame if you lick the spoon.
As night falls, your first full day wraps with a candlelit dinner and a live fado performance, you lucky thing. The music cuts deep: sorrow, longing, joy, all wrapped up in a single voice. You don’t need to understand the lyrics to feel every note.
Accommodation: Moon & Sun Lisboa (or similar), Lisbon, Portugal
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3 – Alentejo & Evora
Lisbon, it’s been a whirlwind, but all good things must come to an end, and it’s time to head inland to a slower rhythm and even warmer temperatures. Welcome to Alentejo: Portugal’s golden heartland, where the pace slows, the air smells like warm stone and olives and the scenery rolls on for days.
First stop: a working cork farm, where you’ll see how this surprisingly chic bark is harvested, stripped and transformed – and no, not just into wine stoppers. Turns out, you can make almost anything out of cork. Then it’s on to an olive estate for a tasting that’ll ruin supermarket olive oil for you forever, complete with a fresh picnic style lunch under the trees.
This evening, you’ll arrive in Evora. After a quick rest at the hotel, you’ll head out for a gentle wander to take a good look at the sun-washed squares that seem to glow at golden hour and, of course, the city’s famous Roman ruins.
Accommodation: Evora Olive Hotel (or similar), Evora, Portugal
Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4 – Olhão
You’re heading south today to the Algarve, Portugal’s sunniest spot on the southern coast, jam-packed full of glorious beaches, fishing boats bobbing in the harbour, and seafood so fresh it basically introduces itself. But first? Wine.
You’ll kick things off at a local winery where you’ll sip your way through a lazy lunch among the vines, swirling glasses and possibly forgetting what day it is (a sign of a good wine, if you ask us).
From there, it’s on to Lagos – a no-frills sea-side town with salt-stained walls and buckets of charm. It’s been a busy start to the trip, so we’re counteracting that with some much-needed free time tonight to unwind, get lost in the old town – or just order the octopus and call it a night.
Accommodation: Pure Formosa Hotel (or similar), Olhao, Portugal
Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 5 – Algarve
By mid-morning, Lagos is already humming. Down at the market, you’ll hear the fishermen shouting the catch of the day like town criers and inhale the scent of salt and citrus drifting through the air. There’s octopus glistening on ice, wheels of cheese stacked neck-craningly high, and baskets of piri-piri peppers daring you to touch them. So, it’s only natural that we’ve blocked off a good chunk of time this morning for you to shop ‘til you drop!
After a hearty seafood lunch (when in Rome…) let’s balance that out with a little sailing time. What better way to see the Algarve coast up close than from a traditional sailing boat? You and your fellow Patchies get well-acquainted with the Ponta da Piedade caves. Also, we hope you remembered to pack your bathing suit. Snorkelling in Portugal, anyone?
Accommodation: Pure Formosa Hotel (or similar), Olhao, Portugal
Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 6 – Hola Spain!
One country down, one to go. You’ve dipped bread in olive oil straight from the grove, ferried to island tavernas, and maybe even picked up a few Portuguese phrases along the way. Now it’s time to cross into southern Spain. This is the birthplace of flamenco. The raw and real kind, carried through generations of Roma families and so clearly overflowing with pride, resilience and heartbreak. If you’ve never seen it live before, you’re in for a treat. It’s crazy just how transformative these stomps and yells can feel.
It’d be rude not to spend your first day getting to grips with this art form, so warm up – it’s dancing time! Under the careful eye of your local tutor, you’ll come together this afternoon for a crash course in stamping, clapping and letting loose. ¡Olé!
Accommodation: Hotel Itaca (or similar), Seville, Spain
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7 – Seville
Seville might feel different to anywhere else you’ve been. Maybe it’s the way everyone seems to be mid-laugh as they stroll past sun-bleached palaces, or perhaps it’s the flamenco rhythms echoing down alleys, or the clatter of hooves and café chairs scraping on cobbled streets, or, or, or… who knows! But you’ll see exactly what we mean on this morning’s guided walk through the city.
Tonight, your Patchie crew hits the streets on a tapas crawl, because no one comes to Spain and skips the small plates. Your guide knows exactly where to go (and where to avoid the tourist traps), so you can focus on more important things like chasing down the best chorizo, accidentally falling in love with anchovies, or debating over which dish was actually the best. One plate turns into three, and before you know it, you’re toasting vermouth with your new favourite people.
Accommodation: Hotel Itaca (or similar), Seville, Spain
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8 – Jerez de la Frontera
You’ve danced, you’ve devoured tapas, and now it’s time to swap Seville for something a little more slow-paced (but no less fascinating).
Today’s first stop is Jerez de la Frontera. The name’s a mouthful, but the good news is, so is the wine. This sunbaked Andalusian town is the birthplace of sherry and a flamenco stronghold to boot, so you may even be able to sneak in an opportunity to try out your new moves. You’ll stop in for a tasting and find out what all the fuss is about before moving on to Sierra de Grazalema, your new home for the night. Check into your hotel, kick back and soak up the mountain air before enjoying a chilled-out dinner at the hotel. Sleep tight!
Accommodation: Hotel El Horcajo (or similar), Sierra de Grazalema, Spain
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9 – Grazalema
Today’s all about slowing things down. You’ll visit the tiny mountaintop village of Zahara de la Sierra, full of crumbling watchtowers and buildings that haven’t changed in centuries. It’s just the breather you need after a week of seemingly non-stop travels.
This afternoon is yours to do as you please. Climb to the castle ruins, sip a café con leche in the square with a good book in hand, or just sit still and watch the clouds drift past the mountains. Isn’t it lovely to have no agenda? Tonight… let’s just say the drinks are flowing, but there’s a little twist waiting in the wings. Lips sealed for now.
Accommodation: Hotel El Horcajo (or similar), Sierra de Grazalema, Spain
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10 – Granada
Two fabulous towns in one day? Don’t mind if we do. First stop: the all-white, gorge-top town of Ronda. Stretch your legs, grab a coffee and take it all in. But the day’s not done yet. By afternoon you’ll be rolling into Granada, where old-school tapas bars rub shoulders with Arabic teahouses and students spill out of jazz clubs long after dark. Bags down, shoes on – there’s exploring to do.
Accommodation: Hotel Monasterio de los Basilios (or similar), Granada, Spain
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 11 – Granada
Granada doesn’t do subtle, and neither does today’s agenda. This morning is totally dedicated to the Alhambra part-palace, part-fortress, part-fever dream of geometric precision. Built by Nasrid sultans in the 13th century, it’s a masterclass in Moorish architecture, covered with intricate carvings, tiled courtyards and fountains – all with the Sierra Nevada mountains watching on.
This evening, you’ll swap the palace for hillside caves as you head into Sacromonte, where you’ll find strange-looking cave houses clinging to the slopes. It’s one of flamenco’s sacred homes, especially the Zambra style, a form that traces its roots to Moorish wedding dances. Developed by the Roma community of Granada, it blends sensual footwork, undulating movements and finger cymbals, often performed barefoot in intimate spaces. Can you spot the difference between this and the other styles you’ve seen so far?
Accommodation: Hotel Monasterio de los Basilios (or similar), Granada, Spain
Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 12 – Madrid
Adiós, Granada. Your stay here has been short and sweet, but you’ve got places to see and places to be! Once your bags are all packed up, hop aboard a train bound for Madrid. A few hours later, you’ll be stepping out into the country’s capital city, where you’ll find plenty of grand boulevards, paprika-scented markets and chic locals who somehow make walking fast look stylish.
Once you’ve dropped your bags, stretch your legs on an orientation walk to get your bearings… and more importantly, get your hands on some churros. Golden, crunchy and dipped in thick hot chocolate, devouring a few of these in Spain’s capital is basically a rite of passage. Welcome to Madrid.
Accommodation: Hotel Soho Boutique Congreso (or similar), Madrid, Spain
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 13 – Prado Museum
Today, Madrid’s leading ladies take centre stage. On a guided wander focused on women’s history, you’ll uncover the stories of Madrid’s most famous females, including queens, rebels, writers and revolutionaries, all who helped shape the city. After a siesta (because this is Spain, after all), you’ll swing by the world-renowned Prado Museum. Masterpieces line every wall, but your guide will help you zero in on the most noteworthy pieces, including a few surprises from artists you definitely didn’t learn about in school.
Accommodation: Hotel Soho Boutique Congreso (or similar), Madrid, Spain
Included: Breakfast
Day 14 – Barcelona
It’ll feel near-impossible to tear yourself away from Madrid, but alas, the next stop is just as good! So, all aboard a train to your final destination: Barcelona.
Grab your seat, crack open your favourite snack (jamón-flavoured anything is always a win), and settle in for a breezy ride to Barcelona, taking just under three hours. Between snack swaps, nap rotations and dramatic re-tellings of that time someone (you?) tried to flamenco with a waiter… the journey will fly by.
By late afternoon, you’ll be soaking in Gaudí’s greatest hits, including, of course, the soaring, otherworldly Sagrada Família. Bienvenido a Barcelona!
Accommodation: Hotel Astoria (or similar), Barcelona, Spain
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 15 – Tapas Tour
You’ve spent the past two weeks indulging, feasting, nibbling, sampling and moaning, mouth-full, “this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted” at least once per day – so what’s one more round? Hit the markets with a local guide and spend your final day of the trip eating your way through Barcelona. Briny olives you’ll dream about later, crisp pan con tomate, juicy jamón sliced before your eyes, silky anchovies, manchego so good you’ll wonder how you’ll ever go back to supermarket cheese… basically, if it fits on a toothpick or in a tiny dish, it’s fair game.
The afternoon’s yours to explore (or simply recover) at your own pace. Then, tonight, it’s time to toast to the journey with one last dinner as a Patchie crew. Expect lots of laughter, some of your favourite Spanish tunes from the last few weeks, and maybe a misty eye or two over sangria. What a night!
Accommodation: Hotel Astoria (or similar), Barcelona, Spain
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 16 – Farewell Friends!
And just like that, it’s time to say goodbye. After one final breakfast together, and maybe one last swipe of olive oil on crusty bread, it’s time for hugs, photos, and that bittersweet moment where you all promise “let’s keep in touch”.
Your driver will get you to the airport with time to spare, but don’t be surprised if your mind’s already plotting a return. Spain and Portugal have a way of pulling you back. Hasta pronto, Patchies. We’ll see you next time.
Included: Breakfast
Trip Map
Is This Trip Right For You?
You love travel but don’t like being herded around B-grade attractions… just the mere idea of joining a ‘big bus’ tour makes you want to run for the hills.
You also know, however, that some places are worth the wait.
You’re open-minded and open-hearted. You try to embrace the little things. You understand that even in the best vehicles, the air-con sometimes breaks. This is just part of the adventure, and you choose to be gracious.
You also love the idea of living a day fully, and then returning to unique, interesting accommodation!
You enjoy trying new food, visiting new places, and making new friends. You make a great travel buddy and you love to share experiences with others. You understand that to fit in with local cultures, sometimes that could involve trying something you haven’t tried before, or sitting on the floor to eat with a nomad family.
If that sounds like you, you’d make a great Patchie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Prior to the payment of your full balance, the final price may change if there is significant variation in the AUD:EUR exchange rate. Our trip pricing is determined by what the exchange rates are at the time of publishing the trip.
The pricing on this trip is based on an exchange rate of 1 AUD: 0.56 EUR
A deposit is required to hold your spot. Payment can be made by credit card (fees apply) or bank deposit.
There is a cooling-off period of 2 weeks. (Applicable to all bookings made at least 120 days before trip departure.)
We have implemented a ‘lifetime deposit’ guarantee. Deposits are not refundable, but they are transferable at any time, right up until the first day of the trip.
The final balance of the trip is required 120 days in advance of the departure date. Our suppliers require upfront payment well in advance to guarantee availability.
Please refer to the full terms and conditions for further information.
This is the most frequently asked question we get!
Nearly everyone is in their 50s and 60s, with some people above and below (but of course, everyone is welcome!)
Most Patchies come alone and are matched with a room-mate. Remember, you don’t need to pay for a single supplement if you come solo. We will place you with a similarly-aged roommate.
The typical Patchie has travelled a LOT, is a well-seasoned adventurer, and is not easily thrown by small things. However, many Patchies tell us that this is their first ever group tour. Many of our guests have avoided tours to this point as they’re not attracted to being herded around in large groups.
Oh, and one last thing:
Patchies are warm, generous, and kind. We knew it would be like this, but we weren’t expecting it to be *quite* like this. We’re so blessed as a business to have the customers we do; we consider ourselves to be some of the luckiest people in the world.
So long as you have a general level of health and fitness, you’ll be fine. However, to enjoy this trip, you’ll need to be able to spend time on your feet and regularly walk for 2-3 hours. Daily activities might include walking on uneven and hilly ground, getting on and off various forms of transportation and occasionally climbing some stairs. You may also encounter over-the-bath showers in some of the accommodations.
All activities are optional, meaning that if you don’t feel like it, you can skip it, but it will be impossible to enjoy your trip if you’re not able to do a walking tour for a full afternoon. Unfortunately, this tour cannot accommodate people requiring walking aids.
Australian and New Zealand citizens don’t need a visa to visit Portugal and Spain.
Most of our trips have a tip kitty because many cultures have diverse rules when it comes to tips. We’ve found it to be the easiest way to combat over-tipping, under-tipping or having the tip fall into the wrong hands. Our goal is for guests to relax and know that the complexities of tipping are taken care of, on their behalf.
We’ll be updating this section with the tipping amount and how it’s distributed, soon.
This trip begins in Lisbon, Portugal, and ends in Barcelona, Spain. We recommend that you fly into Lisbon Humberto Delgado International Airport, as that is where your hotel transfer will be waiting for you. The most convenient departure airport is El Prat Airport, Barcelona. Both transfers – on arrival and on departure are included in your price.
Try to arrive before midday on the start day, although earlier is recommended. If possible, come one day early to settle in. We can organise additional hotel nights for you at cost.
The opportunity to do laundry during your trip is possible and best left for stays that are for more than one night. Your guide will be able to assist with recommendations during your trip.
In the unlikely event of a health or security related incident during a trip, we’ve engaged a local partner to assist. From our experience, there is not one framework that fits all, and every incident is unique and requires a different approach. With all trips, your guides are your day-to-day support. While behind the scenes, there is an active line of communication – between your guide, the on-ground support team, and Australian Ops.
