Gastronomic Spain & Portugal — Self-Launched (17 Days, Barcelona to Madrid)

Land in Barcelona and check into a hostel in El Born or Gràcia (dorms from ~£22, private twins ~£65). Ease in with a wander down La Rambla and into the Gothic Quarter, then replace the tour's welcome dinner with a self-booked tapas crawl — the 'Barcelona Tapas & Wine Evening' on GetYourGuide runs about £45-55, or simply graze bar to bar (pintxo + caña ~£4-5 each). Pick up a T-Casual 10-ride metro card (~£11) if you'll be riding around.

🚌Aerobus from El Prat airport to Plaça Catalunya ~£6, or Rodalies train ~£4.50

🛏Hostel in El Born or Gràcia (dorm ~£22/night, private twin ~£65)

• →Evening tapas and wine crawl in El Born or Gothic Quarter (GetYourGuide ~£48)

Book Sagrada Família tickets directly online in advance (~£23, timed entry — book weeks ahead in summer) and Casa Milà/La Pedrera (~£23). Skip the organised city tour and walk Montjuïc Park free, then take a public catamaran or the Transbordador cable car for harbour views. In the early evening join a budget sunset sailing trip from Port Vell via GetYourGuide (~£35, includes a drink) as the DIY stand-in for the tour's catamaran with tapas. Dinner in Gràcia, or hit Parc Güell in the morning free (paid monument zone ~£10).

🚌Metro and walking (T-Casual ~£1.10/ride)

🛏Hostel in El Born or Gràcia

• →Sagrada Família entry (book direct, ~£23)
• →Casa Milà / La Pedrera (~£23)
• →Montjuïc Park walk (free)
• →Sunset catamaran from Port Vell (~£35)

The tour coaches this in a day — you can do the same by rail, just with an earlier start. Take an AVE/ALVIA from Barcelona Sants to Zaragoza (~1h30, from ~£25 booked in advance), stop for a couple of hours at the Basílica del Pilar overlooking the Ebro, then continue by train or ALSA bus to Pamplona (~2h, ~£14) for a quick Old Town wander and pintxo, and finally bus on to Bilbao (~2h, ~£14). It's a long travel day; alternatively skip Pamplona and do Barcelona–Bilbao on a direct flight (~£45) if you're short on time. Check in to a hostel in Casco Viejo (~£20-30 dorm).

🚌Barcelona–Zaragoza train ~£25 + Zaragoza–Pamplona bus ~£14 + Pamplona–Bilbao bus ~£14 (book Renfe and ALSA online)

🛏Hostel in Bilbao Casco Viejo (dorm ~£24)

• →Basílica del Pilar, Zaragoza (free)
• →Pamplona Old Town wander
• →Pintxo stop in Pamplona (~£8)

Morning exploring Bilbao's Casco Viejo and the Guggenheim esplanade (the building's exterior and Puppy are free; interior ~£16 if you want it). Catch a PESA or ALSA bus to San Sebastián (~1h15, ~£8), walk La Concha beach and ride the Monte Igueldo funicular (~£4) for the bay panorama. Spend the evening doing a self-guided pintxos crawl in San Sebastián's Parte Vieja — three pintxos and a txakoli runs ~£15-20 — then bus back to Bilbao (~£8). If you'd rather be led, a Bilbao Old Town food tour on GetYourGuide is ~£55.

🚌Bilbao–San Sebastián return bus ~£16 total

🛏Hostel in Bilbao Casco Viejo

• →Guggenheim exterior/esplanade (free; museum ~£16)
• →Monte Igueldo funicular (~£4)
• →Self-guided pintxos crawl (~£18)

Take the FEVE narrow-gauge train or ALSA bus along the coast to Castro Urdiales (~45 min, ~£4) — a compact harbour town with a Gothic castle-church right on the water, an easy free morning wander. Continue by FEVE or bus to Santander (~1h30, ~£7), check into a budget pensión or hostel near the centre (~£25-35), and spend the afternoon on the sweeping Sardinero beach and the Magdalena Peninsula. Seafood dinner in the Barrio Pesquero — rabas and a menú del día ~£15.

🚌FEVE/ALSA Castro Urdiales–Santander ~£11 total

🛏Budget pensión/hostel in Santander (~£30)

• →Santa María Church and castle walk, Castro Urdiales (free)
• →Sardinero beach and Magdalena Peninsula
• →Barrio Pesquero seafood dinner (~£15)

The one day where a coach really does help — but it's doable by bus. Take an early ALSA to Santillana del Mar (~40 min, ~£4) for the medieval cobbles and the Colegiata de Santa Juliana (~£3 entry), then bus via Torrelavega to Cangas de Onís (~2h, ~£8) and a local bus or taxi up to the Covadonga Sanctuary (~£2-5). Continue by bus to Oviedo (~1h30, ~£7). In the evening book a cider house visit or simply order escanciado cider with cachopo in Oviedo's old town (~£15-20). Realistically this day works best with an early start; skipping Covadonga makes it relaxed.

🚌ALSA buses Santillana–Cangas de Onís–Covadonga–Oviedo ~£23 total

🛏Budget guesthouse in Oviedo old town (~£30)

• →Colegiata de Santa Juliana, Santillana del Mar (~£3)
• →Covadonga Sanctuary and lakes viewpoint
• →Traditional cider house dinner in Oviedo (~£18)

Long transfer day west. ALSA coach Oviedo to Mondoñedo (~2h15, ~£12) for the 13th-century cathedral and a stop for the local Mondoñedo cake, then onward to Lugo (~1h, ~£7) to walk the complete Roman city walls — free, and the full 2km circuit is a highlight. Final leg to Santiago de Compostela (~2h, ~£12). Hostels near the old town start ~£22 a dorm; a private twin ~£60. Refuel with pulpo a feira and a Ribeiro wine in the Rúa do Franco.

🚌ALSA buses Oviedo–Mondoñedo–Lugo–Santiago ~£31

🛏Hostel near Santiago old town (dorm ~£22)

• →Mondoñedo Cathedral (free)
• →Lugo Roman walls walk (free)
• →Pulpo a feira dinner on Rúa do Franco (~£14)

Free walking tour of the old town (tip-based, ~£10) covers Praza do Obradoiro, the Cathedral and the pilgrim finish line — or book a certified cathedral rooftop tour (~£12) instead of the tour's included city tour. Spend the afternoon in the market (Mercado de Abastos) picking up cheese, empanada and Albariño (~£10), and dip into the Museo do Pobo Galego (~£3). Join the free evening tapas culture in the old town — most bars give a free tapa with each drink.

🚌All on foot

🛏Hostel near Santiago old town

• →Free walking tour of Santiago (tip ~£10)
• →Cathedral rooftop tour (~£12)
• →Mercado de Abastos grazing (~£10)

Bus to O Grove or Cambados (~1h15, ~£8) and take a Rías Baixas boat trip with mussels and Albariño included — bookable on GetYourGuide/Klook for ~£20-25, much of it from the harbour itself. Afterwards, cross into Portugal: ALSA/Autna coach from Pontevedra or Vigo to Porto (~2h, ~£13). Check into a hostel in Ribeira or Baixa (dorm ~£22, private twin ~£60). Evening in the Ribeira riverside with a bifana and a glass of vinho verde (~£10).

🚌Bus to O Grove ~£8 + coach to Porto ~£13

🛏Hostel in Porto Ribeira/Baixa (dorm ~£22)

• →Rías Baixas fjord cruise with mussels and wine (~£22)
• →Ribeira waterfront evening walk

Do a free walking tour of Porto's centre (tip ~£10) taking in the Cathedral, São Bento station and the Ribeira, then cross the Luís I Bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia for self-booked port cellar tastings — most lodges charge ~£15-20 for a tour and three ports, or a combined multi-cellar tasting ~£30. In the afternoon walk the Douro waterfront or take a short six-bridges boat trip from Ribeira (~£15). Dinner at a tasca: francesinha or bacalhau with wine ~£12-15.

🚌Walking and metro (~£3)

🛏Hostel in Porto Ribeira/Baixa

• →Free walking tour of Porto (tip ~£10)
• →Port cellar tour and tasting in Gaia (~£18)
• →Douro river six-bridges boat trip (~£15)

Slow day: livraria Lello (~£5, book a slot online), Clérigos Tower (~£6) and the Bolsa Palace (~£10) to match the tour's Stock Exchange visit. In the evening replace the group fado dinner with a fado house or a Fado-and-dinner package booked via GetYourGuide (~£35-45) — traditional houses in Ribeira also do tapas-plus-fado from ~£25. It's authentic, intimate and about half the tour's equivalent.

🚌Walking; one metro or tram ride ~£2

🛏Hostel in Porto Ribeira/Baixa

• →Livraria Lello (~£5)
• →Palácio da Bolsa (~£10)
• →Clérigos Tower (~£6)
• →Fado show with dinner (~£40)

Morning train from Porto to Aveiro (~1h, ~£4) for the painted moliceiro boat trip through the canals (~£12 for 45 min) and an ovos moles pastry stop. In the afternoon take the regional train to Coimbra (~1h, ~£4) and check into a hostel near the old town (~£22 dorm). Climb to the University of Coimbra for the Joanina Library (~£13 combined ticket) and the Sé Velha, then find fado in the student quarter in the evening.

🚌CP trains Porto–Aveiro–Coimbra ~£8 total

🛏Hostel in Coimbra old town (dorm ~£22)

• →Moliceiro canal boat, Aveiro (~£12)
• →University of Coimbra and Biblioteca Joanina (~£13)
• →Fado in the student quarter (~£8)

Take the train to Leiria/Batalha or use the express buses; realistically combine Batalha Monastery (~£6) and Alcobaça Monastery (~£7) with local Rede Expressos buses (~£6-8 each leg), and squeeze in Nazaré for the clifftop viewpoint and giant waves (~1h from Alcobaça by bus, ~£4). Finish with a bus to Lisbon (~2h, ~£12). It's a busy day — a car share or BlaBlaCar for the Nazaré–Lisbon leg saves time. Check into a hostel in Alfama or Baixa (dorm ~£25, private twin ~£65).

🚌Trains and Rede Expressos buses Coimbra–Batalha–Alcobaça–Nazaré–Lisbon ~£30

🛏Hostel in Lisbon Alfama/Baixa (dorm ~£25)

• →Batalha Monastery (~£6)
• →Alcobaça Monastery (~£7)
• →Nazaré clifftop viewpoint (free)

Free walking tour of Baixa and Alfama in the morning (tip ~£10), then tram 15 out to Belém for the Tower exterior, the Monument to the Discoverers and Jerónimos Monastery (~£12 entry, closed Mondays) — with a mandatory stop at Pastéis de Belém (~£3). Skip São Jorge Castle's ~£13 entry if budget is tight; the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte gives the same views free. Evening in Alfama with grilled sardines and vinho verde (~£12).

🚌Tram 15 and metro, day pass ~£6

🛏Hostel in Lisbon Alfama/Baixa

• →Free walking tour of Lisbon (tip ~£10)
• →Jerónimos Monastery (~£12)
• →Pastéis de Belém (~£3)
• →Alfama evening wander

Long transfer day. Take an early Rede Expressos or FlixBus from Lisbon to Mérida (~4h, ~£15-20) and spend three or four hours at the Roman theatre and amphitheatre (~£13 combined) plus the free Roman bridge and aqueduct. Then continue by bus or train to Madrid (~3h, ~£20). Book your Madrid hostel in La Latina or Sol (dorm ~£25, private twin ~£65). If the connection feels tight, simply cut Mérida and take the direct Lisbon–Madrid coach (~6h, ~£25) or a cheap flight.

🚌Lisbon–Mérida coach ~£18 + Mérida–Madrid ~£20

🛏Hostel in Madrid La Latina/Sol (dorm ~£25)

• →Roman Theatre and Amphitheatre of Mérida (~£13)
• →Guadiana Roman bridge and aqueduct (free)

Free walking tour of Habsburg Madrid — Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, the Morería — in the morning (tip ~£10), with churros con chocolate at Chocolatería San Ginés (~£4). Afternoon in the Retiro and the Salamanca district, with an optional cheap Bernabéu exterior look. For the farewell dinner skip the set group meal and book a market-to-table food tour or a tapas crawl on Klook/GetYourGuide (~£40), or simply do a vermut-and-tapas route through La Latina for ~£20.

🚌Metro and walking (10-ride ticket ~£10)

🛏Hostel in Madrid La Latina/Sol

• →Free walking tour of Madrid (tip ~£10)
• →Churros at San Ginés (~£4)
• →Tapas or food tour farewell dinner (~£35)

Catch the airport metro (~£5) or the Cercanías to T4 and fly home. If your flight leaves late, squeeze in the Prado's free evening slot (last two hours free) or the Mercado de San Miguel for a final snack before heading out.

🚌Madrid metro/Cercanías to Barajas airport ~£5

🛏n/a — departure day

• →Prado Museum free evening slot (if time allows)