Iberian Capitals, Andalucia & Morocco — Self-Launched (17 Days)

Start early from Madrid. Take the Renfe Alvia or a Ryanair/Iberia hop to Porto — the train (Chamartín to Campanhã) takes around 5h30 and costs roughly £45-60 booked ahead; budget flights are often £25-40. Check into a hostel in the Ribeira or Aliados area and spend the evening wandering the riverside and crossing the Dom Luís I Bridge at sunset. Dinner of francesinha or a cheap tasca plate, £10-12.

🚌Renfe Alvia Madrid–Porto ~£50 (or budget flight ~£30)

🛏Hostel dorm in Ribeira/Aliados, £14-18

• →Evening walk along Ribeira waterfront
• →Dom Luís I Bridge sunset viewpoint

Self-guided walking day: Porto Cathedral (£3), the striking Palácio da Bolsa Stock Exchange with its Arab Room (~£11 guided slot), and the gilded Church of Santa Clara (£3.50). In the afternoon cross to Vila Nova de Gaia for a port cellar tour and tasting — book direct with Sandeman, Ramos Pinto or Burmester, roughly £15-20. Skip the coach panoramic tour; the historic tram No. 1 along the river is £3.

🚌Walking + tram £3

🛏Hostel dorm, £14-18

• →Porto Cathedral
• →Palácio da Bolsa
• →Church of Santa Clara
• →Port cellar tour & tasting in Gaia

Take the CP Alfa Pendular or Intercidades to Coimbra (~1h, £12-15), drop bags at the station lockers and climb to the UNESCO university to see the Joanina Library and Royal Palace (£12 combined ticket). Continue to Lisbon Santa Apolónia (~2h, £15-18) and check into a Baixa or Alfama hostel. Optional: detour by bus to Fátima on the way (Rede Expressos). In the evening catch an affordable fado performance in a small Alfama house — many charge £15-20 with a drink.

🚌CP trains Porto–Coimbra–Lisbon ~£30 total

🛏Hostel dorm in Baixa/Alfama, £16-20

• →Coimbra University & Joanina Library
• →Optional Fátima detour
• →Fado performance in Alfama

Do the classic Lisbon walk yourself: Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, Praça do Marquês de Pombal, Avenida da Liberdade, Rossio, the Madragoa lanes, then tram 15 to Belém for the Tower of Belém (exterior free), Monument to the Discoveries and Jerónimos Monastery (£10, closed Mondays). Eat pastéis de Belém fresh from the oven. Alternatively take a half-day GetYourGuide trip to Sintra, Cascais and Estoril (~£40-55 including transport) or the cheap CP train to Sintra (£3) and a bus up to Pena Palace (£16).

🚌Tram 15 + metro £5

🛏Hostel dorm, £16-20

• →Belém Tower & Monument to the Discoveries
• →Jerónimos Monastery
• →Rossio & Alfama walk
• →Optional Sintra day trip

This is the longest transfer day. Cheapest sensible option: Rede Expressos/Flixbus Lisbon to Mérida (~4h, £15-20), break for lunch and explore the Roman Theatre and Amphitheatre of Augusta Emerita (£13 combined), then a train or bus on to Seville (~2h30, £12-18). Book accommodation near the Cathedral/Alfalfa. Arrive tired — tapas dinner, £12.

🚌Bus Lisbon–Mérida ~£17 + train Mérida–Seville ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm in Alfalfa/Triana, £16-20

• →Roman Theatre & Amphitheatre of Mérida

Self-guided morning: Real Alcázar if you can get a slot (£16, book online), then María Luisa Park, Plaza de España, the Santa Cruz lanes and an exterior circuit of the Cathedral and Giralda (interior £12-16 if you want the climb). Afternoon options: a Guadalquivir river cruise (~£16 via GetYourGuide) or the Maestranza bullring (£10). Evening flamenco at Casa de la Memoria or La Casa del Flamenco, £18-22 — far better value than tourist tablaos.

🚌Walking + city bus £3

🛏Hostel dorm, £16-20

• →Real Alcázar
• →Plaza de España & María Luisa Park
• →Santa Cruz & Cathedral exterior
• →Flamenco show

Avant or Media Distancia train to Córdoba, 45 mins, £10-14. Self-guided walk: Puerta de Almodóvar, the Judería, the Roman Bridge and the Mosque-Cathedral (£15, book the early or late slot to dodge crowds). Add the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (£6) and the patios. Cheap patios-and-tapas evening in the Judería, £12. Overnight in a small guesthouse near the Mezquita.

🚌Renfe Seville–Córdoba ~£12

🛏Guesthouse double/dorm in Judería, £17-22

• →Mezquita-Catedral
• →Puerta de Almodóvar & Jewish Quarter
• →Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

Bus or train to Ronda via Antequera (~2h30, £12-16). Spend the afternoon on the Route of the White Villages vibe: the Puente Nuevo gorge, the old town and the Arab Baths (£5). Then take the local bus down to the coast (Ronda–Marbella, ~1h30, £6-8) and settle in Marbella, Fuengirola or Torremolinos. Cheap beach-town hostel, £18-24.

🚌Córdoba–Ronda ~£14 + Ronda–Marbella bus ~£7

🛏Beach-town hostel, £18-24

• →Ronda Puente Nuevo & old town
• →Arab Baths
• →White villages views

A proper slow day. Swim, walk the paseo, and eat a menú del día at a beachfront chiringuito (£10-12, espetos de sardinas if in season). Optional kayak or paddleboard hire £15-20, or the cable car up to Benalmádena's Mount Calamorro (£18).

🚌Cercanías local train £3

🛏Beach-town hostel, £18-24

• →Beach day
• →Chiringuito lunch
• →Optional kayak/SUP or Benalmádena cable car

Second beach day. Head to Mijas Pueblo by local bus (£3) for a whitewashed village afternoon, or take the Cercanías into Málaga for the Picasso Museum (£12) and the Alcazaba (£3.50). Get an early night — tomorrow is a big travel day to Morocco.

🚌Local bus/train £6

🛏Beach-town hostel, £18-24

• →Mijas Pueblo or Málaga old town
• →Picasso Museum or Alcazaba

Start early: Cercanías/train to Algeciras (~2h, £12), then the Algeciras–Tangier Ville ferry (FRS or Balearia, ~1h30, £30-40 return or ~£22 one-way booked online). In Tangier, wander the medina, the Petit Socco and the port, then take the ONCF train to Rabat (~3h30, £12-15). Evening in Rabat's medina; cheap tagine dinner £6-8. Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V are free to view from the esplanade — save them for the morning if you arrive late.

🚌Train to Algeciras ~£12 + ferry ~£25 + ONCF train ~£13

🛏Riad/guesthouse dorm in Rabat medina, £15-20

• →Tangier medina & Petit Socco
• →Ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar

Morning at the Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V (free), then the ONCF train to Casablanca (1h, £5). Views of the Hassan II Mosque exterior are free; the interior tour is £12 and genuinely worth it — book a slot on the mosque's own site. Take the afternoon/evening Al Boraq high-speed train to Marrakesh (2h20, £18-22) and drop into the medina. Jemaa el-Fna at dusk, then a rooftop dinner, £8.

🚌ONCF Rabat–Casa £5 + Al Boraq Casa–Marrakesh £20

🛏Riad dorm or budget riad room in the medina, £16-22

• →Hassan Tower & Mausoleum of Mohammed V
• →Hassan II Mosque interior tour
• →Jemaa el-Fna at dusk

Full medina day: Bahia Palace (£8), the Saadian Tombs (£8), Menara Gardens (free) and the Koutoubia exterior. Get lost in the souks and haggle for a lantern. A guided medina walking tour on GetYourGuide is roughly £20 if you'd rather have context. In the evening, a hammam or a rooftop dinner beats the pricey Fantasia show; if you do want Fantasia Chez Ali, book direct for ~£35-40.

🚌Walking + petit taxi £5

🛏Riad dorm/budget riad, £16-22

• →Bahia Palace
• →Saadian Tombs
• →Menara Gardens & Koutoubia
• →Souk browsing
• →Optional hammam

Long but easy rail day: Al Boraq back to Casablanca (£20), then the ONCF line north to Tangier (total ~7h, one ticket around £32-38 if booked as a through journey). Break the trip at Mohammedia or Rabat for lunch. Arrive in Tangier in the evening, check into a cheap hotel near the port or in the medina, and eat at a local grill for £7.

🚌ONCF Marrakesh–Tangier ~£35

🛏Budget hotel in Tangier medina, £16-22

• →Scenic rail journey with optional Mohammedia/Rabat break

Morning ferry back across the Strait from Tangier Ville to Tarifa or Algeciras (FRS/Balearia, £22-30). Buses run from Algeciras to Marbella/Málaga (£10-14, ~2h). Afternoon back on the beach; a cheap supermarket picnic if you're budgeting after Morocco. Evening paseo and tapas, £10.

🚌Ferry ~£25 + bus to coast ~£12

🛏Beach-town hostel, £18-24

• →Strait of Gibraltar crossing
• →Beach afternoon

Bus or train along the coast to Granada (Málaga–Granada bus ~2h, £10-13). The Alhambra is the whole point: book the Nasrid Palaces ticket the moment they release (roughly 3 months ahead, £17-20). If you couldn't get a day slot, take the night visit. Afternoon in the Albaicín and a stroll up to San Nicolás viewpoint. Evening: a Sacromonte cave flamenco show, £18-22, booked direct with Zambra or similar.

🚌Bus to Granada ~£12 + Alhambra city bus £3

🛏Hostel dorm in Albaicín/Centro, £17-22

• →Alhambra & Generalife
• →Albaicín & San Nicolás viewpoint
• →Sacromonte flamenco

Trenhotel or early AVE/Altaria bus to Madrid — the bus is the budget option at ~£15 for 4h30; the train via Antequera is ~£45-60 and faster. If time allows, hop the Avant from Madrid Atocha to Toledo (35 min, £10 return-ish) for the Mirador del Valle and the old-town lanes, then return to Madrid. The trip finishes at Atocha — book a late flight or one extra night.

🚌Granada–Madrid ~£45 (train) / ~£15 (bus) + Toledo Avant ~£10

🛏Not included (or final night hostel £18-22 if needed)

• →Optional Toledo day trip
• →Mirador del Valle & Toledo old town