Barcelona, Seville and Madrid

Nine nights across Spain, from Gaudí's Barcelona to the Moorish courts of Seville and the great museums of Madrid, by a short flight south and the fast train north. The towers of the Sagrada Família, the boys' choir of Montserrat at midday, a Seville palace opened after closing for an art historian's tour, and, if the museum agrees, the Prado's galleries while it is closed.

Length: Nine nights
Pace: Three stays
Style: City, art, food, rail
Route: Barcelona to Seville to Madrid

BarcelonaThree nights
SevilleThree nights
MadridThree nights

Days 1 to 4 · three nights

Barcelona

A tapas walk through the Gothic Quarter and El Born, La Boqueria and the Columbus monument, Park Güell and La Pedrera. The Sagrada Família with a guide, a lift to the top of one of its towers and the walk down. A day at Montserrat to hike and see the basilica, timed for the Escolania singing the Salve and the Virolai at 1:00 p.m. on weekdays, by reservation, and a private cooking demonstration.

Where you stay

Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona

Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona stands on Passeig de Gràcia in the Golden Square, among the city's Gaudí buildings. Chef Carme Ruscalleda leads Moments and designed Blanc for all-day dining, Terrat serves Mediterranean food and cocktails on the roof, and there is a spa and the Mimosa Garden.

A long vaulted underground bath with a still pool reflecting warm orange light.

Days 4 to 7 · three nights

Seville

A flight of under two hours to Andalucía. Plaza de España, the Guadalquivir by boat or bicycle, the Alcázar with its Upper Royal Quarters, and the cathedral. Casa de Pilatos, the largest private residence in the city, opens after closing to small groups with an art historian.

Where you stay

Hotel Alfonso XIII, a Luxury Collection Hotel

Hotel Alfonso XIII opened in 1928, commissioned by the King of Spain to host guests of the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition, and stands beside the Alcázar and the cathedral. Moorish detailing runs through the building, and it has three restaurants and an outdoor pool in its gardens.

Days 7 to 10 · three nights

Madrid

Two and a half hours north by train. Plaza Mayor and the Puerta de Alcalá, the Royal Palace, the Prado, then the Thyssen-Bornemisza or the Reina Sofía and the Retiro. The Prado's private events office, which works mainly with companies, can be asked for a private visit to the permanent galleries while the museum is closed to the public, subject to its agreement, and a day trip to Toledo comes before the flight home.

Where you stay

Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid

Mandarin Oriental Ritz is a Belle Époque palace on Plaza de la Lealtad with over a century of history, set between the Prado and the Retiro in the Art Triangle. Deessa serves gastronomic Mediterranean cooking, with the Palm Court, El Jardín del Ritz terrace and a spa besides.

Arranged on request

The towers of the Sagrada Família

A guided tour of the basilica, then a lift to the top of one of the towers and the walk down.

The Escolania at Montserrat

The boys' choir sings the Salve and the Virolai in the basilica at 1:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, by reservation, except on the days the choir's own calendar marks as not singing.

Casa de Pilatos after closing

Once the doors close to the public, the palace can be visited by small groups with an art historian.

The Prado while it is closed

The museum's private events office organises private visits to the permanent galleries when the Prado is closed to the public; it works mainly with companies, so a visit for a private party is subject to the museum's agreement.

Subject to availability.

Ways to make it yours

A morning at the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre in Jerez, for its show of dancing Andalusian horses, the palace, the carriage museum and the stables.
The Cinco Jotas curing cellars in Jabugo, where the hams spend their final year in the south drying room, ending in a tasting.
A theatrical night visit to the Alcázar of Seville.

This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.

Made around you

Most travel is bought. This is designed.

Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.

The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.