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Portugal/Spain

Tales of Portugal and Spain: A Historic Journey Through Iberia

Program No. 21925RJ
Enjoy the opulence and history of grand hotels as you discover UNESCO Heritage Sites, Gothic cathedrals, Moorish palaces and picturesque villages in this unique educational adventure.

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Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
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Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
May 20 - Jun 3, 2023
Starting at
4,449
Jun 3 - Jun 17, 2023
Starting at
4,399
Jun 10 - Jun 24, 2023
Starting at
4,399
Sep 2 - Sep 16, 2023
Starting at
4,399
Sep 9 - Sep 23, 2023
Starting at
4,399
Sep 16 - Sep 30, 2023
Starting at
4,399
Sep 30 - Oct 14, 2023
Starting at
4,449
Oct 7 - Oct 21, 2023
Starting at
4,449
Oct 14 - Oct 28, 2023
Starting at
4,449
Oct 28 - Nov 11, 2023
Starting at
4,299
Nov 4 - Nov 18, 2023
Starting at
4,149
Nov 11 - Nov 25, 2023
Starting at
4,149
Feb 24 - Mar 9, 2024
Starting at
4,199
Mar 2 - Mar 16, 2024
Starting at
4,199
Mar 9 - Mar 23, 2024
Starting at
4,199
Mar 30 - Apr 13, 2024
Starting at
4,399
Apr 20 - May 4, 2024
Starting at
4,399
May 4 - May 18, 2024
Starting at
4,449
May 11 - May 25, 2024
Starting at
4,449
Jun 1 - Jun 15, 2024
Starting at
4,399
Sep 14 - Sep 28, 2024
Starting at
4,399
Sep 21 - Oct 5, 2024
Starting at
4,399
Oct 5 - Oct 19, 2024
Starting at
4,449
Oct 12 - Oct 26, 2024
Starting at
4,449
Oct 19 - Nov 2, 2024
Starting at
4,449
Oct 26 - Nov 9, 2024
Starting at
4,399
Nov 2 - Nov 16, 2024
Starting at
4,149
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
May 20 - Jun 3, 2023
Starting at
5,249
Jun 3 - Jun 17, 2023
Starting at
5,179
Jun 10 - Jun 24, 2023
Starting at
5,179
Sep 2 - Sep 16, 2023
Starting at
5,179
Sep 9 - Sep 23, 2023
Starting at
5,179
Sep 16 - Sep 30, 2023
Starting at
5,179
Sep 30 - Oct 14, 2023
Starting at
5,249
Oct 7 - Oct 21, 2023
Starting at
5,249
Oct 14 - Oct 28, 2023
Starting at
5,249
Oct 28 - Nov 11, 2023
Starting at
5,019
Nov 4 - Nov 18, 2023
Starting at
4,849
Nov 11 - Nov 25, 2023
Starting at
4,849
Feb 24 - Mar 9, 2024
Starting at
4,869
Mar 2 - Mar 16, 2024
Starting at
4,869
Mar 9 - Mar 23, 2024
Starting at
4,869
Mar 30 - Apr 13, 2024
Starting at
5,179
Apr 20 - May 4, 2024
Starting at
5,179
May 4 - May 18, 2024
Starting at
5,249
May 11 - May 25, 2024
Starting at
5,249
Jun 1 - Jun 15, 2024
Starting at
5,179
Sep 14 - Sep 28, 2024
Starting at
5,179
Sep 21 - Oct 5, 2024
Starting at
5,179
Oct 5 - Oct 19, 2024
Starting at
5,249
Oct 12 - Oct 26, 2024
Starting at
5,249
Oct 19 - Nov 2, 2024
Starting at
5,249
Oct 26 - Nov 9, 2024
Starting at
5,179
Nov 2 - Nov 16, 2024
Starting at
4,849

At a Glance

Embark on a unique educational adventure in Portugal and Spain as you go off the beaten path to experience local life and stay in some of the region’s most unique hotels. With experts, explore the countryside as you enjoy field trips to a winery and olive grove, and enjoy lunch with a local Andalusian family. Take in a private fado performance and Spanish guitar concert, and delight in a Portuguese cookery demonstration. Along the way, you’ll stay in hotels that have their own stories to tell — a 15th-century converted convent near Evora, a hotel once the home of poet Rainer Maria Rilke and two former palaces are just a few of the accommodations that will delight and inspire you on this special journey through Iberia.
Activity Level
Let's Go!
Extensive walking, up to 3 miles per day, on winding, hilly roads and cobblestone streets. Stairs without railings. Comfortable footwear is essential.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Delve into the musical heritage of Portugal and Spain during a Fado performance and Spanish guitar concert.
  • Experience Andalusia and learn about Moorish rule at the Alhambra and the Mosque of Córdoba.
  • Stay at hotels in grand historic buildings including a palace and a convent.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Luisa Azevedo
For the past 15 years, Luisa Azevedo has led learning adventures throughout Portugal and Spain. Her vast travel experience and wealth of knowledge about the history and cultures of Iberia contribute tremendously to the content of the programs she leads and provides an excellent perspective on the region. Fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish, Luisa also lived for a few years in Brazil. She holds a degree in international relations from Minho University.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Luisa Azevedo
Luisa Azevedo View biography
For the past 15 years, Luisa Azevedo has led learning adventures throughout Portugal and Spain. Her vast travel experience and wealth of knowledge about the history and cultures of Iberia contribute tremendously to the content of the programs she leads and provides an excellent perspective on the region. Fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish, Luisa also lived for a few years in Brazil. She holds a degree in international relations from Minho University.
Profile Image of Luisa Azevedo
Luisa Azevedo View biography
Luisa Azevedo has led learning adventures throughout Portugal and Spain, as well as through the Iberian Peninsula for the past 15 years. Her vast travel experience and wealth of knowledge about the history and cultures of Iberia have contributed tremendously to the content of the programs she leads and provided an excellent perspective on the region. Fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, Luisa also lived for a few years in Brazil. She holds a degree in international relations from Minho University.
Profile Image of Mayra Noguerales
Mayra Noguerales View biography
Mayra Noguerales was born on the Canary Islands and moved to mainland Spain as a teenager. At 16, she moved to the US, and after four years in several states, headed to the UK to finish her university degree. Returning home, she moved to beautiful, historic El Escorial and became an educational Group Leader. Mayra enjoys time in her workshop creating all types of arts and crafts. Her passion and most rewarding experiences come from meeting people and sharing her knowledge of Spain and Portugal.
Profile Image of Mariola Alonso
Mariola Alonso View biography
Mariola Alonso has been leading educational programs in Spain and Portugal since 2002. A native of Valladolid, Spain, she currently divides her time between her home and her adopted city of Granada, where she is a licensed exploration leader. She has previously lived and worked in the UK, and holds degrees from the prestigious universities of Salamanca and Valladolid. Mariola is an enthusiastic group leader, who is passionate about sharing her love of art, history, and culture with Road Scholar participants.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Spain, A Traveler's Literary Companion
by Peter R. Bush, Lisa Dillman
Eyewitness Guide Seville and Andalusia
by Eyewitness Guides
This wonderfully organized and visually rich guide features excellent maps and essays on the culture, history and geography of the region. With a pullout city map of Seville.
Tales of the Alhambra
by Washington Irving
Tales of the Alhambra is a collection of essays, verbal sketches, and stories by Washington Irving, chronicling his journey to Granada in the 1800s.
The New Spaniards
by John Hooper
John Hooper's fascinating study brings to life the new Spain of the 21st century
The First Global Village: How Portugal Changed the World
by Martin Page
Spain: The Root and the Flower
by John A. Crow
Take this book with you to Spain; it's an absorbing, well-written account of Spanish cultural history from prehistory to the Romans, Jews, Moors, Golden Age, and on to Franco and his legacy in modern Spain.
A Traveller's History of Portugal
by Ian Robertson
A lively, admirably concise survey from prehistory to the present, great for travelers to Portugal who would like an overview of the country's history and culture.
The Painter of Birds
by Lídia Jorge
Journey to Portugal, In Pursuit of Portugal's History and Culture
by Jose Saramago
Jose Saramago's richly detailed account of his journey across Portugal in 1979. He combines his vivid impressions of the Portuguese landscape and people with a dose of history, fiction and meditations.
Spain Revealed: Cordoba's Mezquita
by Raezer & Raezer
The definitive guide to the Great Mosque of Cordoba .
Driving over Lemons, An Optimist in Andalucia
by Chris Stewart
Stewart's memoir about moving with his wife to a farm in Alpujarras is charming and insightful. Unlike many expatriates, Stewart manages to ground himself far enough into the community to make lasting friends -- as well as a home for his young daughter.
Platero and I
by Juan Ramon Jimenez, Eloise Roach (Translator)
In this autobiographical tale, the Nobel Prize-winner chronicles the wanderings of a donkey and his meditative master through Andalusia, capturing the rhythms and traditions of village life.
A God Strolling in the Cool of the Evening
by Mário de Carvalho
Originally published in Portuguese in 1994, this historical novel follows its protagonist, Lucius Valerius Quintius, as he navigates civil unrest at the end of the Roman Empire, and the beginning of the Christian era.
The Alhambra
by Robert Irwin
Irwin's brief, indispensable guide introduces the stunning Moorish palace and fortress complex, revealing its mysteries, myths and significance with wit and insight.
Small Memories
by Jose Saramago
In this contemplative memoir, the Portuguese Nobel laureate recalls a childhood both dark and magical, split between the growing city of Lisbon and the tiny village of Azinhaga.
Duende
by Jason Webster
South from Granada; a Sojourn in Southern Spain
by Gerald Brenan
An amusing and insightful account of Spanish village life in the early 20th century from a brilliant interpreter of Spain and Spanish culture.
Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree
by Tariq Ali
The Story of the Moors in Spain
by Stanley Lane-Poole
A wonderfully readable, sweeping tale of splendor and tragedy, first published in 1866.
Ghosts of Spain
by Giles Tremlett
Tremlett captures the Spanish character, history and modern politics in this masterful portrait, interweaving the story of his love for the country (where he has lived for 20 years) with interviews, anecdotes and observation.
Spain & Portugal Adventure Map
by National Geographic
A double-sided full color map of Spain and Portugal at a scale of 1:1,000,000 with good shaded relief, topographic detail, roads, and waterways.
Food and Wines of Spain
by Penelope Casas
A classic collection of 400 recipes, interwoven with cultural commentary and the culinary history of Spain





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