Iberian Cultures

Visit the Palácio Nacional de Sintra, a royal residence which dates back to the Middle Ages. It is recognizable by its two conical kitchen chimneys.

Enjoy a sightseeing stop in a fishing village that became a fashionable resort in the 19th century. Nowadays, tourists still come for its sand beaches and marina, as well as its Manueline church with Baroque paintings by the artist Josefa de Óbidos (1630-1684), one of the rare female painters of her time.

Less than two miles from downtown Cascais, you'll come across the spectacular Boca do Inferno, a grotto carved by the surf in the rugged coastline, best seen at high tide when thundering waves crash against the rock.

A visit is included to the great Gothic cathedral, where you will see the flamboyant monument to Columbus, and the tomb of Ferdinand III: its trilingual inscription in Arabic, Hebrew and Castilian symbolizes this 13th-century king's vision of his kingdom as the home of all three faiths.

Then, climb the Giralda, a former minaret that stands near the cathedral. Instead of stairs, this tower was designed with an interior ramp which makes the climb almost effortless. From the top, visitors have a great overview of the cathedral's roof and buttresses.

Enjoy a visit to this UNESCO World Heritage Site over a thousand years old that's a stunning blend of Mudéjar and Christian architecture. Regarded as the most beautiful palace in Spain, El Real Alcázar de Sevilla was a residence of Spanish kings for nearly seven centuries after the Reconquista.

Travel to Córdoba, which was once as prominent as Baghdad in the Islamic world. At that time, Córdoba's cultural life was centered around its 70 libraries, with the Caliph's library alone holding 400,000 volumes! Throughout the ages exceptional scholars have blossomed here, including Seneca, the Roman author/statesman, and the medieval philosophers Maimónides and Averroës.

Discover the historic center, with the Jewish Quarter(Judería). See the statue of Maimónides, Calle Judíos, and the Sinagoga that dates back to 1315,: it's the only Andalusian synagogue to have survived the 1492 eExpulsion of the Jews.

Cross the Patio de los Naranjos, where orange blossoms bloom in the spring. Enter the Great Mosque, in the heart of which a large Roman Catholic Cathedral was built after the Reconquest by the Christian Kings.

Marvel at the Mezquita's forest of "candy cane" arches adorned with precious stones, at its ceiling of carved cedar and 4,000 bronze and copper lamps. View the Mihrab shrine, where the Koran was kept.

There's excitement aboard an Alta Velocidad train ride (no clickety-clacks on these smooth rails), all the way to Madrid. Time flies aboard the streamlined train which, inside, looks and feels like an airplane. En poco tiempo, you're in the bustling capital of Spain.

View world-famous paintings by El Greco, Goya, and Velázquez, and much. much more, at the magnificent Museo del Prado.