Spanish Experience — Self-Launched (Madrid to Madrid)

Land at Barajas (Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas) and take the Metro Line 8 + Line 10 into the centre (~£4.50, 45 mins) or the Airport Express bus to Atocha/Cibeles (~£4.50). Check into a hostel or guesthouse around Sol / La Latina / Huertas — central rather than the airport-side chain hotels the coach tour uses, so you can walk everywhere. Spend the late afternoon on a free self-guided loop: Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel and the Almudena Cathedral/Royal Palace exterior at golden hour. Book your Royal Palace timed ticket online tonight for tomorrow, and self-book a Prado Museum skip-the-line ticket via GetYourGuide (~£16). Evening: tapas crawl in La Latina — a few small plates and a drink at three bars costs ~£18–22.

🚌Airport Metro Line 8 + 10 (~£4.50) or Airport Express bus (~£4.50); everything else on foot

🛏Hostel or guesthouse double/private room in Sol–La Latina–Huertas area (e.g. dorm £18–25, private twin £45–65)

• →Self-guided walk: Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel
• →Royal Palace exterior & Almudena Cathedral at sunset
• →La Latina tapas crawl

Do the guided sightseeing day yourself: walk Gran Vía from Callao to Plaza de Cibeles (Cibeles Fountain, Palacio de Cibeles), then up Paseo de la Castellana past the fountains towards Santiago Bernabéu if you have energy. Enter the Royal Palace on your pre-booked timed ticket (~£13–15 direct via patrimonionacional.es, cheaper than resellers) and see the changing of the guard if your day lines up (Wed/Sat mornings). Afternoon: pick one of the Prado (~£16), Reina Sofía (~£10) or Thyssen (~£12) — the Prado is free 18:00–20:00 Mon–Sat and Sun afternoons if you want to save. Optional swap: instead of Madrid in the afternoon, take a half-day trip to Segovia by Avant train from Chamartín (~£12 each way, 27 mins) for the Roman aqueduct and Alcázar — book via Renfe or Omio.

🚌On foot + Metro single rides (~£1.50 each)

🛏Same Madrid hostel/guesthouse

• →Gran Vía & Cibeles Fountain self-guided walk
• →Royal Palace entry (timed ticket)
• →Prado Museum (skip-the-line or free evening slot)
• →Optional: Segovia day trip by Avant train (Alcázar ~£9 entry)

Leave your big bag in a Madrid locker or take it with you (Toledo's station has lockers, ~£4). Take the Avant/AVE from Madrid Atocha to Toledo (~£11–13, 33 mins) and walk 15 mins uphill into the old town. Self-book the Toledo Cathedral online (~£10–12) and wander the Jewish Quarter, Church of Santo Tomé (El Greco's Burial of the Count of Orgaz, ~£4) and the plazas. You'll pass the same sword/inlay-steel workshops the tour visits — they're free to browse. Mid-afternoon, train back to Atocha (~£11–13) and jump straight on the AVE Madrid–Seville (~£30–45 if booked 3+ weeks ahead via Renfe/Omio, 2h30). Check into a hostel or guesthouse in Seville's Centro or Triana. Evening: free flamenco at a bar in Triana, or a proper tablao show self-booked via GetYourGuide (~£22).

🚌Avant Madrid–Toledo return (~£24) + AVE Madrid–Seville (~£30–45) — book Renfe early for the cheap Promo fares

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Seville Centro/Triana (dorm £20–28, private £50–70)

• →Toledo old town self-guided walk with cathedral entry
• →Church of Santo Tomé & El Greco
• →Steel/inlay workshop browsing
• →Optional evening flamenco tablao (~£22)

Book the Real Alcázar online in advance (~£13–15 via alcazarsevilla.org — slots sell out) and go at opening time to beat the queues. Then climb the Giralda Tower via the Seville Cathedral ticket (~£10–11) — the 35 ramps are worth it. Walk the Old Quarter/Santa Cruz lanes for lunch (menu del día ~£11–13), then escape the heat in the shaded María Luisa Park and Plaza de España — both free. Sunset from Las Setas (Metropol Parasol) is ~£3–4, or from the free riverside at Triana Bridge. Late dinner of tapas in Triana.

🚌On foot; occasional city bus/tram (~£1.40)

🛏Same Seville hostel/guesthouse

• →Real Alcázar entry (self-booked)
• →Seville Cathedral & Giralda climb
• →Santa Cruz old quarter walk
• →María Luisa Park & Plaza de España
• →Optional Las Setas rooftop sunset (~£4)

Take the regional bus or train to Granada (ALSA bus ~£12–15, 3h; or Renfe Media Distancia ~£16, 2h45) — bus is usually cheaper and faster. Check into a guesthouse in the Albaicín or around Plaza Nueva; Granada is Spain's best-value city for a solo traveller (tapas often come free with a drink). Pre-book your Alhambra ticket NOW for tomorrow morning — this is the single most important booking of the trip (general ticket ~£17–19 via alhambra-patronato.es; they sell out weeks ahead). Afternoon: zig-zag the Albaicín's whitewashed alleys to Plaza San Nicolás for the classic Alhambra-at-sunset view, then walk up into Sacromonte's cave-house quarter. Optional: a small-scale zambra/gypsy flamenco show in a Sacromonte cave (~£18–22, book direct or via GetYourGuide).

🚌ALSA bus Seville–Granada (~£12–15, 3h); city walks + local bus C30/C31 up to Albaicín (~£1.40)

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Albaicín or Centro (dorm £18–24, private £45–60)

• →Albaicín & Plaza San Nicolás viewpoint
• →Sacromonte cave quarter walk
• →Optional Sacromonte cave zambra flamenco show (~£20)
• →Pre-book Alhambra ticket for Day 6

Get the early Alhambra slot (Nasrid Palaces are timed — arrive 30 mins before). Allow 3–4 hours for the Nasrid Palaces, Generalife gardens and Alcazaba. Note: the coach tour only views the Alhambra from the Albaicín — self-launching gets you inside, which is the biggest upgrade of this whole itinerary. Mid-afternoon take the regional train or bus to Guadix (~£7–9, 50–60 mins) and stroll the Barrio de Santiago cave-house district — free, and you can see people genuinely living in cave homes. From Guadix, continue by ALSA bus or Renfe to Valencia (~£18–24, 4–4.5h); arrive late evening. Alternatively skip Guadix and take the direct ALSA Granada–Valencia bus (~£22–26, 5h). Check into a hostel in El Carmen or Ruzafa.

🚌Alhambra on foot/bus; Granada–Guadix train or bus (~£8) + Guadix–Valencia bus (~£20); or direct Granada–Valencia (~£24)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Valencia El Carmen or Ruzafa (dorm £18–26, private £48–65)

• →Alhambra & Generalife gardens with Nasrid Palaces (pre-booked)
• →Guadix Barrio Troglodyte cave homes walk
• →Valencia evening wander in El Carmen

Morning Valencia orientation on foot: Estación del Norte (the orange-tiled station), Torres de Serranos and Torres de Quart, Mercado de Colón, and the City of Arts and Sciences (free to walk the exterior; enter the Oceanogràfic ~£28 or Hemisfèric ~£9 only if you want to). Do a paella cooking class self-booked via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£35–45) if you're a foodie — or just eat an authentic paella at a Ruzafa restaurant for ~£15. Around midday take the regional train or bus north to Peñíscola (~£7–9, 1h20 by Renfe Cercanías/Media Distancia from Valencia Nord). Climb to Peñíscola's Templar castle (~£5 entry) and wander the film-set old town and beach. Late afternoon continue to Barcelona by train (~£15–22, Peñíscola–Barcelona via Vinaròs/Castelló, ~2h15) or by direct bus. Arrive Barcelona and check into a hostel in Gràcia, El Born or Poble Sec — properly central, unlike the tour's Sant Just hotel.

🚌Valencia–Peñíscola train (~£8) + Peñíscola–Barcelona train or bus (~£18); Valencia city on foot/metro

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Gràcia, El Born or Poble Sec (dorm £25–35, private £65–90)

• →Valencia old town & City of Arts and Sciences self-guided walk
• →Optional paella cooking class (~£40)
• →Peñíscola Templar castle & old town (~£5)
• →Optional Oceanogràfic (~£28)

Book the Sagrada Família online in advance (~£22–26 via sagradafamilia.org — timed, sells out). Do the interior in the morning, then walk Passeig de Gràcia to see Casa Batlló and Casa Milà exteriors (interiors ~£25–30 each if you want one). Lunch in the Boqueria or Gràcia. Afternoon: free Gothic Quarter / El Born walk — Barcelona Cathedral, Plaça del Rei, the Roman walls, Santa Maria del Mar — and the Picasso Museum with a self-booked ticket (~£13) if it appeals. Alternative: take the FGC train from Plaça Espanya to Montserrat (~£10–12 return with the combined ticket) for the monastery and Black Madonna — the same optional the tour charges extra for. Evening: Montjuïc by bus/metro for the Magic Fountain area and city lights, or a seaside dinner in Barceloneta (~£18).

🚌Metro/T-casual 10-ride card (~£10); optional FGC to Montserrat (~£12 return)

🛏Same Barcelona hostel/guesthouse

• →Sagrada Família interior (pre-booked)
• →Passeig de Gràcia Gaudí exteriors
• →Gothic Quarter & El Born self-guided walk
• →Optional Montserrat by FGC train
• →Optional Picasso Museum (~£13)

Finish the loop the way the tour does: Barcelona to Madrid by AVE high-speed train (~£35–60 booked ahead, 2h30) from Sants to Atocha, or fly Barcelona–Madrid on a low-cost carrier (~£30–50) if you're connecting straight home. If you have time before your train/flight, spend a last morning in the Gràcia squares or on Barceloneta beach. If you're flying out of Barcelona instead, use the Aerobús to El Prat (~£6). Add an extra night in either city if you want a slower finish — Madrid and Barcelona both reward more time than a coach schedule allows.

🚌AVE Barcelona–Madrid (~£35–60 if booked 2–4 weeks ahead) or low-cost flight (~£30–50); Aerobús to El Prat (~£6)

🛏None included (optional extra night: £25–35 dorm / £60–90 private)

• →Gràcia squares or Barceloneta beach morning
• →Last-minute shopping: Boqueria, El Born boutiques