Spain, Portugal & Morocco Adventure — Self-Launched

Land at Barajas (MAD) and take Metro Line 8 to Nuevos Ministerios (~£4.50) or the 203 bus to Atocha (~£4.50) — skip the €30 taxi. Check into a hostel around Sol/La Latina or Malasaña. Spend the afternoon on a free self-guided wander: Plaza Mayor, Gran Vía and the Retiro. Book Prado tickets online in advance (~£13) if you want to beat the queue, or use the free evening entry slot (Mon–Sat 18:00–20:00, Sun 17:00–19:00). Dinner is a tapas crawl in La Latina — bar-hopping with a caña and a plate at each stop is cheaper and more fun than one sit-down meal (~£15–20).

🚌Metro Line 8 from airport (~£4.50)

🛏Hostel dorm in Sol/La Latina (~£28)

• →Plaza Mayor & Gran Vía walk
• →Prado Museum (pre-book ~£13)
• →La Latina tapas crawl

Full travel day. Take an early Renfe/Alsa bus or train from Madrid to Salamanca (~2.5–3 hrs, ~£20–25), drop bags at the station lockers and spend 2–3 hours exploring the golden sandstone Plaza Mayor and the old university quarter over a quick lunch. Then continue by Alsa bus or Renfe train to Porto (~3.5–4.5 hrs, ~£20–28). Arrive early evening, check into a hostel in the Ribeira/Baixa area and grab a cheap francesinha or grilled sardines by the river.

🚌Bus/train Madrid–Salamanca (~£22) + Salamanca–Porto (~£24)

🛏Hostel dorm in Ribeira/Baixa (~£24)

• →Salamanca Plaza Mayor stopover
• →Evening walk along the Douro

Do your own orientation walk: São Bento station's azulejo tiles, the cathedral, and down through Ribeira's riverside lanes. Book a 50-minute Douro river cruise on the traditional rabelo boats via GetYourGuide (~£18) or take the cheap local ferry across to Vila Nova de Gaia (~£2). In the afternoon join a port cellar tour and tasting in Gaia — Sandeman, Graham's or a smaller lodge — booked direct or on GetYourGuide (~£16–22). Sunset from the Dom Luís I bridge upper deck is free and unbeatable.

🚌Walking + local ferry (~£2)

🛏Hostel dorm in Ribeira/Baixa (~£24)

• →São Bento & Ribeira orientation walk
• →Douro river cruise (~£18)
• →Port wine cellar tour & tasting (~£18)

Take the fast Alfa Pendular or Intercidades train from Porto Campanhã to Lisbon Oriente (~2h50, book on cp.pt, ~£25 if booked ahead). Check in to a hostel in Alfama, Baixa or Bairro Alto. Afternoon orientation walk on foot and by the famous Tram 28 (~£3): Praça do Comércio, Rossio, and up to a miradouro for sunset. Cheap dinner of bifanas or a prato do dia (~£9).

🚌CP train Porto–Lisbon (~£25) + Tram 28 (~£3)

🛏Hostel dorm in Alfama/Baixa (~£26)

• →Tram 28 ride
• →Miradouro sunset
• →Alfama wander

Morning train from Rossio to Sintra (~40 mins, ~£4 return with a Viva Viagem card, or ~£2.50 each way). Wander the old town and pick one or two palaces — Quinta da Regaleira (~£12) is the best value, or Pena Palace (~£17) if you pre-book a timed slot. Back in Lisbon for the afternoon: Belém Tower and Pastéis de Belém (~£1.30 a custard tart). In the evening book a small Fado house in Alfama or Mouraria direct or via GetYourGuide — the touristy dinner shows run £40+, but a entry-plus-drink fado bar is ~£15–20 with a simple petiscos dinner (~£12).

🚌Rossio–Sintra train (~£5) + metro/tram in city (~£4)

🛏Hostel dorm in Alfama/Baixa (~£26)

• →Sintra day trip (~£12 entry)
• →Belém & pastéis de nata
• →Fado night in Alfama (~£18)

Bus or train from Lisbon to Évora (~1h45, Rede Expressos/CP, ~£12). Check into a small pensão inside the old walls. Visit the Chapel of Bones at Igreja de São Francisco (~£6) — buy the ticket at the door, no tour needed. Then walk to Diana's Temple, the Roman temple, and the cathedral. Évora is compact and very walkable; finish with dinner in the arcaded Praça do Giraldo (~£13).

🚌Bus Lisbon–Évora (~£12)

🛏Family-run pensão in the old town (~£30)

• →Chapel of Bones (~£6)
• →Diana's Roman Temple
• →Évora old town walk

Bus from Évora to Olhão on the Algarve coast (~2h45, Rede Expressos, ~£14) — drop your bag and walk the whitewashed lanes down to the famous fish market and waterfront for a cheap grilled-fish lunch (~£10). Then take a bus Olhão–Seville via Faro (~3hrs, Alsa/Damas, ~£20). Arrive Seville in the evening, check into a hostel in the Centro/Santa Cruz area, and do a self-guided evening walk past the cathedral and Giralda.

🚌Bus Évora–Olhão (~£14) + Olhão–Seville (~£20)

🛏Hostel dorm in Centro/Santa Cruz (~£24)

• →Olhão fish market & waterfront
• →Evening Seville orientation walk

Pre-book Alcázar of Seville online (~£13.50) for an early slot — it's the showstopper of the Moorish-Iberian story, and the queues at peak season are brutal without it. Add the cathedral and Giralda (~£8). Lunch on tapas in Santa Cruz (~£12). For the evening flamenco, skip the group show and book a small tablao directly — Casa de la Memoria or La Carbonería (free entry bar with flamenco) — tickets ~£18–25.

🚌Walking

🛏Hostel dorm in Centro/Santa Cruz (~£24)

• →Alcázar of Seville (~£13.50)
• →Cathedral & Giralda (~£8)
• →Flamenco tablao (~£20)

Take a bus or train Seville–Algeciras (~2h45, ~£14), then the ferry from Algeciras to Tangier Med (~1.5 hrs, ~£30–35, book with FRS or AML direct). Note the ferry docks at Tanger Med, ~45 mins from the city — take the shuttle/CTM bus or a shared grand taxi into town (~£3–5). Settle into a guesthouse in the medina or Ville Nouvelle. Spend the late afternoon exploring the kasbah, the Petit Socco and the Café Hafa terraces over mint tea (~£4), and dinner at a local spot (~£8).

🚌Bus Seville–Algeciras (~£14) + ferry (~£32) + shuttle (~£4)

🛏Medina guesthouse, twin room (~£22)

• →Ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar
• →Tangier kasbah & Petit Socco walk
• →Café Hafa mint tea

Take a shared grand taxi or CTM bus to Tetouan (~1 hr, ~£4–6) and spend a couple of hours wandering the UNESCO-listed medina, El Feddan Square and the Mellah — all free to walk. Continue by bus or shared taxi to Chefchaouen (~1.5 hrs, ~£5). Check into a riad-style guesthouse in the medina (~£20–25). Explore the blue lanes on your own and climb to the Spanish Mosque for sunset views over the city.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Tangier–Tetouan (~£5) + Tetouan–Chefchaouen (~£5)

🛏Guesthouse/riad in Chefchaouen medina (~£24)

• →Tetouan medina walk
• →Chefchaouen blue streets
• →Spanish Mosque sunset

Book a half-day Rif Mountains hike with a local guide directly through your guesthouse or via GetYourGuide (~£22–28), often finishing with a farm visit for the goat-cheese making experience the tour includes — hand-press the curds, eat the fresh cheese with bread and olive oil. Afternoon: catch a shared taxi to Ouazzane to see its mint-green medina (~1 hr each way, ~£4 each way) or simply relax in Chefchaouen's squares. If heading on the same day you can push to Fès in the late afternoon by CTM bus (~3.5 hrs, ~£8).

🚌Shared taxi Ouazzane (~£8)

🛏Guesthouse/riad in Chefchaouen medina (~£24) — or Fès hostel (~£17) if you move on

• →Rif Mountains guided hike (~£25)
• →Goat cheese making with local family
• →Ouazzane medina

Morning bus or shared taxi to Fès (~3.5–4 hrs, ~£8–10). Check into a hostel or guesthouse near Bab Boujloud. Afternoon: hire a licensed local guide for the Fès medina (~£25–35 for 3–4 hrs, split with others found on hostel boards or booked through GetYourGuide/Klook) — the 9,000 lanes are genuinely impossible alone. See the Bou Inania madrasa, the souks and the famous tannery from a leather shop balcony. Dinner of pastilla and harira at a local restaurant (~£10).

🚌Bus/shared taxi Chefchaouen–Fès (~£9)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse near Bab Boujloud (~£18)

• →Fès medina guided tour (~£30)
• →Tannery viewpoint
• →Pastilla dinner (~£10)

Take a shared grand taxi or a CTM bus to Moulay Idriss/Volubilis (~1 hr, ~£4), and pay the ~£6 entry to wander the finest Roman ruins in Morocco — the mosaics and triumphal arch are extraordinary. Continue to Meknès for the afternoon (~30 mins, ~£3) — Bab Mansour gate and the granaries are free or very cheap to see — and take a bus back to Fès (~£4). Alternatively, join a direct day trip to Volubilis and Meknès booked through GetYourGuide (~£35–45 inc. transport). Evening free in Fès.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Volubilis & Meknès (~£11)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse near Bab Boujloud (~£18)

• →Volubilis Roman ruins (~£6)
• →Meknès Bab Mansour
• →Fès evening

Take the train from Fès to Marrakech (~7 hrs, ONCF first or second class, ~£18–24) — book online or at the station the day before for a seat. Alternatively fly if you'd rather trade money for time. Arrive in Marrakech in the afternoon, check into a hostel or riad near Jemaa el-Fnaa (~£20–25). Spend the evening in the main square — food stalls, musicians, snake charmers — and duck into the souks for a look at the artisans' work; dinner at a stall is ~£8.

🚌ONCF train Fès–Marrakech (~£21)

🛏Hostel/riad near Jemaa el-Fnaa (~£22)

• →Jemaa el-Fnaa square at dusk
• →Souk stroll

Last morning: visit the Jardin Majorelle or Bahia Palace (both ~£8–10, pre-book online), or simply drink a mint tea on a rooftop terrace off the square. Haggling for a piece of leather or a teapot in the souks is mandatory. Bags out and head to Marrakech Menara airport (bus #19, ~£3, or a grand taxi ~£8) — allow 3 hours before departure. The trip ends here, but there's no reason not to push on to the Atlas Mountains or Essaouira if you have time.

🚌Airport bus (~£3)

🛏—

• →Jardin Majorelle or Bahia Palace (~£8)
• →Rooftop tea