Iconic Spain, Portugal & Morocco: Self-Launched Tapas & Medina Adventure

Land in Barcelona and check into a hostel dorm in El Raval or the Gothic Quarter (try Kabul Party Hostel or Sant Jordi). Spend the afternoon getting lost in the Gothic Quarter's maze of medieval streets around the Cathedral, then walk down to La Barceloneta for the boardwalk and a sunset beer by the water. Eat dinner at a cheap tapas bar — patatas bravas, pan con tomate and a caña should set you back £10-12. Book your Sagrada Família ticket online tonight for a slot in the next day or two, they sell out.

🚌Metro from airport to city centre, ~£5 (T-casual card is better value if you'll use 10 rides)

🛏Hostel dorm, El Raval or Gothic Quarter (~£22-30)

• →Gothic Quarter self-walk
• →La Barceloneta boardwalk
• →Tapas bar dinner

Book Sagrada Família online in advance (basic entry ~£23, tower access extra) for an early slot to beat crowds. Afterwards head up to Park Güell — the monumental zone is ticketed (~£9), the rest of the park is free. In the afternoon wander Passeig de Gràcia to see Casa Milà and Casa Batlló from outside (interiors are pricey, skip if budget-tight). Evening: cheap pintxos crawl in the Gothic Quarter or a supermarket picnic. Book your Barcelona-Lisbon transport tonight — flights are usually cheapest, but there are also long-distance coaches.

🚌Metro/bus around the city, ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm, El Raval or Gothic Quarter (~£22-30)

• →Sagrada Família entry (~£23 self-booked)
• →Park Güell monumental zone (~£9)
• →Passeig de Gràcia walk

Skip Madrid's Reina Sofía and use the day for Barcelona's own art: the Picasso Museum (free on Thursday evenings) or MACBA, plus Montjuïc hill and the free cable-car viewpoint. Many Barcelona museums are free on first Sundays or Sunday afternoons after 3pm — check schedules and plan around them. An easy, cheap day: picnic on Montjuïc, walk the gardens, watch the sunset over the port. Repack tonight for an early departure.

🚌Metro, ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm (~£22-30)

• →Picasso Museum or MACBA (free/cheap slots)
• →Montjuïc hill & gardens
• →Sunset viewpoint

Fly Barcelona-Lisbon (Ryanair/Vueling, book early for ~£25-45 one-way, ~2h) or take a 12-14h overnight coach (~£35-50). Check into a hostel in Alfama or Baixa (Home Lisbon Hostel and Yes! Lisbon are solid). Take the famous Tram 28 (buy a Viva Viagem card, ~£1.50 per ride) and wander the steep Alfama lanes. Dinner: a tasca for grilled sardines or bifana, ~£8-10, washed down with cheap vinho verde.

🚌Flight Barcelona-Lisbon ~£25-45 + airport metro ~£1.50

🛏Hostel dorm, Alfama or Baixa (~£20-28)

• →Tram 28 ride
• →Alfama walking
• →Tasca dinner

Take tram 15 to Belém: Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower are exterior-known but the monastery cloister is worth the ~£9 entry. Queue at Pastéis de Belém for the original custard tart (~£1.30 each — buy three). Return to the city and hit the miradouros (viewpoints) at Santa Catarina and Graça with a supermarket beer. Optional evening: a cheap fado bar in Alfama with a minimum drink, ~£10-15.

🚌Tram 15 + metro, ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm (~£20-28)

• →Belém & Jerónimos
• →Pastéis de Belém
• →Miradouro sunset
• →Optional fado bar

Take the train from Rossio to Sintra (~£2, 40min). Pena Palace entry is ~£17 and the Moorish Castle ~£9 — buy the combined ticket online to save queue time. Wander the town and the quirky Quinta da Regaleira if budget allows. Back in Lisbon by evening for a cheap petiscos dinner — the Portuguese answer to tapas.

🚌Rossio-Sintra train, ~£2 return

🛏Hostel dorm (~£20-28)

• →Pena Palace
• →Moorish Castle
• →Sintra old town
• →Petiscos dinner

Train to Cascais (~£2, 40min) for a relaxed beach-and-promenade day, or Carcavelos if you want proper surf. Swim, walk the Boca do Inferno cliffs, eat a cheap grilled-fish lunch. Evening back in Lisbon for a last wander and to prep the Morocco crossing. Book your Lisbon-Seville (or Lisbon-Faro-Seville) transport — the bus is the cheapest overland route.

🚌Train to Cascais, ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm (~£20-28)

• →Cascais beach
• →Boca do Inferno cliffs
• →Fish lunch

Take the bus (Rede Expressos/Flixbus) Lisbon-Seville, roughly 6-7h for ~£20-35, or a train via Faro. Check into a hostel in Seville's Santa Cruz quarter. Evening stroll along the Guadalquivir, see the Plaza de España at golden hour (free), and eat a cheap menú del día or tapas at a local bar. Seville is hot — pace yourself and hydrate.

🚌Bus Lisbon-Seville ~£20-35

🛏Hostel dorm, Santa Cruz (~£18-26)

• →Plaza de España
• →Guadalquivir riverside walk
• →Tapas dinner

Book the Real Alcázar online in advance (~£15) — Game of Thrones fans will recognise the courtyards. The Cathedral and Giralda are worth the ~£12 if you like rooftops. Spend the afternoon doing a self-guided tapas crawl through Triana across the river — bars charge per small plate, so you can eat well for £12-15 total. Flamenco: many bars offer free or cheap entry with a drink if you skip the big tourist tablaos.

🚌Walking city

🛏Hostel dorm (~£18-26)

• →Real Alcázar
• →Seville Cathedral (optional)
• →Triana tapas crawl
• →Optional flamenco bar

Bus Seville to Tarifa or Algeciras (~2.5-3h, ~£12-18). Tarifa is the windsurfing capital and a nicer base for a night. Take a walk to the beach, watch the kitesurfers, and get your bearings for the Morocco crossing. Check ferry and fast-boat timetables for the crossing to Tangier — FRS runs Tarifa-Tangier Ville in about an hour.

🚌Bus Seville-Tarifa ~£12-18

🛏Hostel or simple hotel, Tarifa (~£18-28)

• →Beach walk
• →Kitesurf watching
• →Plan Morocco crossing

Take the ferry Tarifa-Tangier Ville (~£30-40, 1h). Clear immigration, then grab a shared grand taxi or CTM bus from Tangier to Chefchaouen (~3h, ~£6-10). Check into a cheap riad or guesthouse in Chefchaouen's medina (~£12-20 a night). Spend the evening wandering the famous blue-washed lanes, drinking mint tea and eating a cheap tagine. Morocco is dramatically cheaper than Spain — budget £15-25 a day here.

🚌Ferry ~£30-40 + bus Tangier-Chefchaouen ~£6-10

🛏Guesthouse/riad, Chefchaouen medina (~£12-20)

• →Ferry crossing
• →Blue medina wander
• →Mint tea & tagine

Self-guided hike up the Rif foothills to the Spanish Mosque for the classic panoramic view back over the blue city — follow the well-worn trail, roughly 1-1.5h up, free. On the way you'll pass streams and small waterfalls. In the afternoon explore the kasbah museum (~£5) and the souks, and buy supplies for the next leg. Optional: a local guide for a longer Rif trek can be arranged in town for ~£15-20.

🚌Walking

🛏Guesthouse/riad (~£12-20)

• →Spanish Mosque viewpoint hike
• →Kasbah museum
• →Souk browsing

A slower day: a proper Moroccan hammam (steam bath + scrub) costs ~£8-12 and is a highlight. Explore the dye souks, the waterfall below the medina, and eat at a cheap local spot — a full tagine is ~£3-4. Pick up any trekking gear you need for the Atlas. Confirm onward transport to Fez for tomorrow (bus ~4h, ~£6).

🚌Walking

🛏Guesthouse/riad (~£12-20)

• →Hammam experience
• →Waterfall walk
• →Local tagine lunch

Bus or shared taxi Chefchaouen to Fez (~4h, ~£6-10). Check into a guesthouse in or near the medina. Hire a local guide for the labyrinth of Fes el-Bali — officially the world's largest car-free urban area, with thousands of winding lanes. The classic route includes the Chouara tannery seen from a leather-shop balcony, the Bou Inania Medersa and the souks. Guides cost ~£20-30 and are genuinely worth it to avoid getting hopelessly lost. Without a guide, expect to get lost (that's part of the fun, but budget extra time).

🚌Bus Chefchaouen-Fez ~£6-10

🛏Guesthouse in the medina (~£15-25)

• →Fez medina guided tour
• →Chouara tannery viewpoint
• →Bou Inania Medersa

A slower day soaking up Fez's crafts: zellige tile workshops, metalwork, and the pottery district. The Jardin Jnan Sbil gardens are free and peaceful. Eat a cheap sandwich from a street stall or a proper sit-down meal in a riad for £8-12. Organise your transport to Merzouga for the Sahara leg — either a bus to Rissani/Merzouga or a shared grand taxi, ~7-8h total so consider an overnight or an early start.

🚌Walking + local petit taxi ~£2-4

🛏Guesthouse (~£15-25)

• →Artisan workshops
• →Jnan Sbil gardens
• →Marche Central

Long transfer day: bus Fez to Merzouga via Rissani (~8h, ~£12-15) or join a shared minibus. Check into a cheap guesthouse or auberge on the edge of the dunes. In the late afternoon, walk out onto the Erg Chebbi dunes for sunset — free and unforgettable. Arrange your camel trek and desert camp for tomorrow with the guesthouse or a local operator (~£30-45 including dinner, Berber camp and camel ride).

🚌Bus Fez-Rissani-Merzouga ~£12-15

🛏Auberge/guesthouse, Merzouga (~£12-18)

• →Erg Chebbi dune sunset walk
• →Arrange desert camp

Head into the dunes by camel in the late afternoon, arriving at a Berber desert camp for dinner, drums, and a night under some of the darkest skies on earth. Most camps include dinner and breakfast; large-group tours charge more for the same thing via a land-cruiser excursion. Optional: a 4x4 excursion deeper into the dunes (~£40-60) or sandboarding. Sleep in a tent or a nomad-style bed under the stars.

🚌Camel trek into the dunes

🛏Berber desert camp, multi-share (~£30-45 incl. dinner, camel, night)

• →Camel trek
• →Desert camp dinner & music
• →Stargazing
• →Optional 4x4 dune excursion

Camel back to Merzouga, then travel west toward the Dades Valley via Tinghir and the Todra Gorge area (shared taxi/minibus, ~5-6h, ~£12-18). Hike into the Dades Gorge for the dramatic rock formations and monkey-finger cliffs. Stay in a cheap guesthouse in Boumalne Dades (~£12-18) with dinner included — valley views are spectacular and cheap.

🚌Shared taxi/minibus Merzouga-Boumalne Dades ~£12-18

🛏Guesthouse, Boumalne Dades (~£12-18)

• →Todra Gorge stop
• →Dades Gorge hike
• →Valley viewpoints

Travel the famous Route of a Thousand Kasbahs west toward Ouarzazate (shared taxi/minibus, ~4-5h, ~£10-15). Stop at Aït Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar in the Ounila Valley — the film-set backdrop to Gladiator, Babel and Game of Thrones. Stay overnight in Aït Ben Haddou village or Ouarzazate (~£12-18).

🚌Shared taxi/minibus ~£10-15

🛏Guesthouse, Aït Ben Haddou/Ouarzazate (~£12-18)

• →Route of a Thousand Kasbahs drive
• →Kasbah viewpoints

Morning guided or self-guided tour of the Aït Ben Haddou kasbah — cross the river, climb to the top for valley views. A local guide costs ~£8-12 for a group. Optional tagine cooking class in Ouarzazate (~£15-20) where you cook and eat your own lunch. Then take the bus or shared taxi over the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Marrakech (~4-5h, ~£10-15). Check into a cheap riad or hostel in the medina.

🚌Bus/shared taxi to Marrakech ~£10-15

🛏Riad/hostel, Marrakech medina (~£15-25)

• →Aït Ben Haddou kasbah tour
• →Optional tagine cooking class
• →High Atlas drive
• →Jemaa el-Fnaa at night

Spend the day in Marrakech's medina: the Bahia Palace (~£6), the Saadian Tombs (~£6), the souks for bargaining, and the Majorelle Garden (~£12) if you book ahead. In the evening Jemaa el-Fnaa square comes alive with food stalls and performers — eat at a stall (cheap tagines and skewers) for the classic experience. Optional hot-air balloon flight over Marrakech at sunrise can be booked via GetYourGuide for ~£180-200 if you want the splurge.

🚌Walking + petit taxi ~£2-4

🛏Riad/hostel, Marrakech (~£15-25)

• →Bahia Palace
• →Saadian Tombs
• →Majorelle Garden
• →Jemaa el-Fnaa food stalls
• →Optional hot-air balloon

Final morning for last souk shopping and a mint tea, then fly home from Marrakech Menara (RAC) or continue overland. If your flight is late, the Majorelle Garden, the Le Jardin or Ben Youssef Medersa (when reopened) make easy last stops. Get to the airport with a petit taxi (~£5-7) or the airport bus.

🚌Airport transfer petit taxi ~£5-7

🛏Departure day

• →Last-minute souk shopping
• →Mint tea in Jemaa el-Fnaa