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Spain

Southern Spain Yesterday & Today: Madrid, Granada & Seville

Program No. 22175RJ
From olive groves to world-renowned cathedrals, Southern Spain is a diverse region just waiting to be explored. Discover the very best of Madrid, Granada and Seville!

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Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
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Feb 26 - Mar 9, 2024
Starting at
5,049
Mar 10 - Mar 22, 2024
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5,049
Apr 15 - Apr 27, 2024
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5,049
May 6 - May 18, 2024
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5,049
May 20 - Jun 1, 2024
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5,049
Sep 2 - Sep 14, 2024
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5,049
Sep 23 - Oct 5, 2024
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5,049
Oct 13 - Oct 25, 2024
Starting at
5,049
Mar 17 - Mar 29, 2025
Starting at
5,449
Mar 31 - Apr 12, 2025
Starting at
5,449
May 5 - May 17, 2025
Starting at
5,449
May 26 - Jun 7, 2025
Starting at
5,449
Sep 15 - Sep 27, 2025
Starting at
5,449
Sep 29 - Oct 11, 2025
Starting at
5,449
Oct 6 - Oct 18, 2025
Starting at
5,449
Oct 20 - Nov 1, 2025
Starting at
5,449
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Feb 26 - Mar 9, 2024
Starting at
5,949
Mar 10 - Mar 22, 2024
Starting at
5,949
Apr 15 - Apr 27, 2024
Starting at
5,949
May 6 - May 18, 2024
Starting at
5,949
May 20 - Jun 1, 2024
Starting at
5,949
Sep 2 - Sep 14, 2024
Starting at
5,949
Sep 23 - Oct 5, 2024
Starting at
5,949
Filling Fast!
Oct 13 - Oct 25, 2024
Starting at
5,949
Mar 17 - Mar 29, 2025
Starting at
6,499
Mar 31 - Apr 12, 2025
Starting at
6,499
May 5 - May 17, 2025
Starting at
6,499
May 26 - Jun 7, 2025
Starting at
6,499
Sep 15 - Sep 27, 2025
Starting at
6,499
Sep 29 - Oct 11, 2025
Starting at
6,499
Oct 6 - Oct 18, 2025
Starting at
6,499
Oct 20 - Nov 1, 2025
Starting at
6,499

At a Glance

Glorious Gothic cathedrals, intricately detailed synagogues, traditional Moorish neighborhoods and ancient Roman ruins: The icons of Southern Spain are a testament to its distinct history of conquest, culture and art. Discover the unique legacy and exuberant modern life in Madrid, Granada and Seville through expert-led walks, lectures and excursions. Join us to learn about some of the most diverse and exciting cities in all of Europe.
Activity Level
Let's Go!
Walking up to 3-4 miles per day, cobblestones and winding roads.
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…

  • Discover a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Alhambra Palace and Generalife gardens.
  • Explore the Museo Nacional del Prado, one of the world’s leading art museums.
  • Spend an exciting evening seeing Flamenco Dance in Seville. Meet a local expert for Alcázar Royal Palace visit.

General Notes

Program includes independent time to explore the city and several meals on your own. Group Leaders will provide directions for self-directed excursions. Suggestions for free-time activities provided in preparatory materials.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Francisco Garcia
Francisco “Paco” Garcia was born in Madrid and received his B.A. in history from The Complutense University in Madrid. He continued studies at the University of California/Berkeley, earning his M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval history, as well as lecturing. In 1997, he received a Fulbright Scholarship. In 2011, Paco journeyed to Japan as a visiting professor. He is presently a professor at the Madrid campus of St. Louis University. An expert on the history of Spain, he shares his passion and enthusiasm in his lectures.

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

Profile Image of Francisco Garcia
Francisco Garcia View biography
Francisco “Paco” Garcia was born in Madrid and received his B.A. in history from The Complutense University in Madrid. He continued studies at the University of California/Berkeley, earning his M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval history, as well as lecturing. In 1997, he received a Fulbright Scholarship. In 2011, Paco journeyed to Japan as a visiting professor. He is presently a professor at the Madrid campus of St. Louis University. An expert on the history of Spain, he shares his passion and enthusiasm in his lectures.
Profile Image of Covadonga Hortal
Covadonga Hortal View biography
Covadonga Hortal is passionate about education and traveling. After graduating from university with a degree in tourism, she led her first travel program in 1999 and continues leading groups, having worked as a cultural expert around Europe. She is a certified Andalusia guide and a Europe certified expert in cultural tourism with ample competency in Spanish culture. She’s ever continuing her education, having earned her post-graduate master's degree in teaching Spanish, studying French, and Chinese. She has led many Road Scholar groups in Spain.
Profile Image of Moorish Spain Lecturer
Moorish Spain Lecturer View biography
Deborah Cole Díaz has been teaching Spanish history and geography for more than 22 years, at both the university and high school levels. She has found that lecturing with Road Scholars is by far the most fulfilling and enjoyable. Road Scholars are special, not simply interested in passing exams or obtaining diplomas, but are here to learn. They ask the most pertinent and interesting questions, both in the classroom and during field trips. Indeed, they want to understand the connection of history to contemporary events.
Profile Image of Flamenco Lecturer
Flamenco Lecturer View biography
Elena Moro, born in Australia to an Andalusian family, is a professional Flamenco dancer. She began at the age of 5 and has toured all over Australia and parts of Asia with a Flamenco dance company. After many years traveling back and forth with dance scholarships, Elena now lives in Seville. She has worked with Road Scholar for almost ten years as a Group Leader and travelled to most parts of Spain.
Profile Image of Lucia Gonzalez
Lucia Gonzalez View biography
Lucía González has been leading groups since 2009, having worked in Norway and Scandinavia. Along with her travel leader studies, she took several languages, and has led groups around Europe in Spanish, English, French, German, and Italian. She is also a Spanish teacher, and is currently enrolled in an art history degree program. Lucía is passionate about traveling, both as a professional and as a free-spirited traveler.
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.
South From Granada: Seven Years in a Andalusian Village
by Gerald Brenan
Part autobiography, part travelogue, and wholly a tribute to the unspoilt beauty of southern Spain
For Whom the Bell Tolls
by Ernest Hemingway
Fiction
The Arts of Intimacy: Christian, Jews and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture
by Jerrilynn D. Dodds, Maria Rosa Menocal, Abigail Krasner Balbale
The authors paint a portrait of the culture through its arts, architecture, poetry and prose, uniquely combining literary and visual arts. Concentrating on the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the book reveals the extent to which Castilian identity is deeply rooted in the experience of confrontation, interaction, and at times union with Hebrew and Arabic cultures during the first centuries of its creation. Abundantly illustrated, the volume serves as a splendid souvenir of southern Spain; beautifully written, it illuminates a culture deeply enriched by others.
Moorish Architecture of Andalusia
by Marianne Barrucand and Achim Bednorz
Moorish-Andalusian art and architecture combine elements of various traditions into a new, autonomous style. Among the outstanding architectural witnesses to this achievement are the Great Mosque in Cordova and the Alhambra in Granada, recognized and admired as part of the world's heitage right up to the present day. They are described in detail in this book. The main centres of Hispano-Islamic art and architecture, the cities of Cordova, Seville and Granada, are discussed within the chronological framework of developments, both political and cultural, from 710 to 1492.
Mythology and History in the Great Paintings of the Prado
by Rosa Lopez Torrijos
This selection from the master paintings of the Prado provides an opportunity for the reader to explore two fascinating themes represented in the collection: mythology and history. In addition to enjoying the pictures for their aesthetic qualities, the reader is drawn into what lies behind them, and the context within which they were created
Travelers' Tales: Spain: True Stories of Life on the Road
by Lucy McCauley
Journey into Spain with some of the world’s best writers, and discover a country of heightened senses, bougainvillea blossoming in crimson and orange, and air pungent with sizzling olive oil. Readers travel the ancient road to Santiago, get a glimpse of Pamplona during the running of the bulls, walk in Don Quixote’s footsteps on a midlife quest, and follow a woman’s dream to study the “male” art of flamenco guitar. These soulful stories of travel in a land poised between the old world and new. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Barbara Kingsolver, Calvin Trillin, and Penelope Casas are among the authors featured.
Golden Age Spain
by Henry Kamen
For over a century Spain controlled the greatest empire the world had ever seen, and its collapse provoked, both then as it does now, a range of analyses over which there has been little agreement. In the second edition of this successful text, Henry Kamen asks: was the Golden Age of Spain in the sixteenth century actually an illusion? By examining some of the key issues involved, Kamen offers a balanced discussion of this fundamental question.
Tapas: The Lilttle Dishes of Spain
by Penelope Casas
Penelope Casas, who introduced the classic little dishes of Spain to American cooks more than twenty years ago, now gives us a splendid updated edition of that seminal book with fifty exciting new recipes and eight full pages of new color photographs showing tapas in all their glory.
The Train in Spain
by Cristopher Howse
The bestselling author Christopher Howse makes ten great railway journeys that explore the interior of the peninsula, its astonishing landscapes and ancient buildings.The focus is the way the Spanish live now.
The Spanish Civil War: A very short introduction
by Helen Graham
This Very Short Introduction offers a powerfully-written explanation of the war's complex origins and course, and explores its impact on a personal and international scale
Spain: What Everyone Needs to Know
by William Chislett
Spain has undergone significant transformations over the past three decades, from a dictatorship to a democracy and from a mostly local and agriculture-based economy to one of the biggest financial systems in the EU and internationally. Until 2008, it enjoyed a major influx of foreign investment and the most rapid economic growth of any of the countries in the EU, resulting in half of the new jobs created during the early days of the Union. Yet, it now faces the highest rate of unemployment in Europe and slow growth for the foreseeable future. Additionally, the country faces internal strife from the separatist Catalan region and stringent austerity measures.
Rivers of Gold. The Rise of the Spanish Empire
by Thomas Hugh
A history of Spain's first thirty years in the Americas traces Columbus's famous pioneering voyage through Magellan's first circumnavigation of the earth, in an account that offers insight into the period's political climate and profiles the era's monarchs and explorers.
If I lived in Spain
by Knorr, Rosanne and John
Verses describe family life, school, shopping, and other aspects of everyday life in Spain, and introduce some basic Spanish words and phrases
Tales of The Alhambra
by Washington Irvin
Fiction
The New Spain: A Complete Guide to Contemporary Spanish Wine
by John Radford





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