Madrid to Gibraltar

ITINERARY

Day 1 - To Madrid (see rail option below)

Morning flight from London Heathrow to Madrid. Check into the Hotel Ritz Madrid for a 2-night stay.

Day 2 - Explore Madrid

Time to explore majestic Madrid and soak up the architecture, royal art collection, take the metro Sol to Sorolla's house and of course sample the tapas and cafes.

Day 3 - AVE to Cordoba

Morning train from Madrid to Cordoba in Andalusia - a journey time of around 1 hour 45 minutes. A 2-night stay in Cordoba gives you plenty of time to explore the second largest 'Old' town in Europe and the largest urban area in the world declared World Heritage by UNESCO.

Day 4 - Cordoba and the Royal Stables

A day of sightseeing in Cordoba, visiting the most important building and symbol of the city, the Great Mosque of Cordoba as well as the Roman bridge, Catholic Cathedral and Royal Stables.

Day 5 - Seville

Take a 45 minute morning train journey to Seville. Free afternoon to wander around this beautiful city famous for flamenco and tapas. Its medieval architecture is spectacular. Overnight stay in Seville.

Day 6 - Jerez de la Frontera

Spend the morning enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of Seville before a 1-hour rail journey to Jerez de la Frontera. Don't forget to admire the architecture of Jerez station when you arrive. Spend the afternoon visiting the tobacco factory like Michael Portillo, which is free of charge. Overnight stay in Jerez de la Frontera.

Day 7 - Ronda

The journey from Jerez to Ronda is not as easy as Michael Portillo made it appear. Your journey will require changes of trains in Dos Hermanas and Bobadilla, with time for lunch in Bobadilla. Overnight stay in Ronda.

Day 8 - Gibraltar Railway Company

Be sure to have churros with chocolate for breakfast before admiring the bridge over the deep El Tajo canyon. Take an afternoon train to Algeciras on the line built by the Gibraltar Railway Company to enable British military officers to escape the summer heat of Gibraltar. Admire the scenic dramatic terrain and gorges, switchbacks, bridges and tunnels along the way. A 2-night stay at the Reina Cristina.

Day 9 - Gibraltar

Take the bus from Algeciras to La Linea and walk across the border into Gibraltar. A day here provides plenty of time to ride the cable car and visit the museum.

Day 10 - Journey Home

Morning train from Algeciras to Madrid and afternoon flight back to Heathrow, arriving mid-evening.

For those preferring to travel by rail:

Day 1

Morning Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris Nord. Cross Paris by metro to Gare de Lyon and then travel to Barcelona Sants by double-deck high-speed TGV Duplex.

Day 2

Morning train from Barcelona Sants to Madrid arriving at lunchtime. Continue as Days 3 -9 above.

Day 10

Morning train from Algeciras to Madrid, and continue to Barcelona Sants. Overnight in Barcelona.

Day 11

Return to Paris on a TGV, and back to London on Eurostar arriving early evening.