Spain guide
Planning a luxury trip to Spain
How we design a trip, from the first conversation to the journey home.
By Ramin Jafari · Facts checked
Plan a trip to Spain in this order: decide which parts of the country, and in what order; then choose the hotels; and only then fill the days. That is how we work. You tell us your dates, your interests and your pace; we prepare a tailored proposal with a quoted trip price and clear inclusions, and refine it with you; once you approve it, we confirm everything and stay your contact while you travel. Every trip is planned from Málaga by Avelia’s founder, Ramin Jafari, from the starred tables of San Sebastián to the Alhambra with a licensed guide.
At a glance
- Your contact
- Ramin Jafari, from the first conversation until you are home
- Protection
- Package trips covered against our insolvency by a guarantee with AXA
- Recommended stay
- Ten days for one region; two to three weeks to cross the country
- Best seasons
- April to June and September to October, almost everywhere
How we plan
How a trip comes together
Every trip is designed with you, in three steps, by one person from the first conversation to the last day.
- Share your plans. Tell us your dates, interests, preferred pace and any practical requirements. Ramin reads your enquiry himself and arranges a call to understand what matters most to you.
- Shape your trip with us. We prepare a tailored proposal and refine it with you, with a quoted trip price and clear inclusions: where to go and in what order first, then the hotels, then the days.
- Travel with our support. Once you approve the proposal and complete the agreed booking requirements, we confirm your arrangements. We coordinate the details — the transfers, the tables, the guides — and support you while you travel.
A proposal commits you to nothing: we confirm your arrangements only once you have approved it. What protects a package trip with us is on our page plan with peace of mind.
What we arrange
The hotels, the transport, the guides and the tables, around the trip you want.
- Hotels matched to you — the city palaces, the houses on the sea and the estates in the wine country, from the ones on our luxury hotels in Spain to houses and fincas beyond them. In the journal: boutique hotels in Spain and five-star hotels in Spain.
- Private transport — chauffeur-driven transfers and drivers for the days out, the high-speed trains between the cities where they are the better choice, and the flights and ferries between the islands.
- Private guides — for the monuments, the museums and the towns between, and visits outside opening hours at some of them, on request and subject to what each allows; see our private architecture and cultural tours.
- Food and wine — cooking classes, the tables that need booking ahead, and tastings with the people who make the wine; see our culinary and wine tours and wine tasting in Rioja.
- Flamenco — a tablao or a private performance in Seville or Jerez; see our private flamenco in Seville.
- Days off — a hotel spa, or a boat with a skipper for a day of coves, on request.
- One point of contact — from the first conversation to the last day.
Where to go
Where to go, and for whom
Five parts of Spain and what we would arrange in each; then couples and families.
Barcelona and Catalonia. Gaudí with an architectural historian, then a half or a whole day along the coves of the Costa Brava by private boat, with a skipper. Our Barcelona guide.
Madrid. The Prado, the Thyssen and the Reina Sofía with an art historian, then the shops of the Golden Mile in the Salamanca district, with a personal stylist on request. Our Madrid guide.
Andalusia. A palace to stay in, in Seville, Córdoba or Granada; an intimate flamenco performance; and a drive through the white villages above Ronda. Our Andalusia page.
The Balearic Islands. A villa in the Tramuntana for more space, or a boat of your own across to Formentera and the white sand of S’Espalmador. Our Mallorca guide.
The Basque Country. A pintxo route through San Sebastián’s old town with a food guide, the starred tables reserved well ahead, and the Guggenheim in Bilbao. Our San Sebastián guide.
For two. A sunset sail off Mallorca, candlelit dinners in Seville: our honeymoon trips to Spain.
For a family. Days that hold every age, short drives and hotels that suit children: our luxury family trips to Spain.
When to go
Choosing the season for the places you have in mind is one of the first things we do.
Spring, March to May. Andalusia at its best: Seville, Granada, Córdoba and Ronda, with Holy Week and the ferias.
Summer, June to August. The north and the coasts: San Sebastián and its beaches, Bilbao, Santiago and the Atlantic. June still suits Ibiza; July and August are the islands’ busiest weeks.
Autumn, September to November. The cities again — Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Seville from October — and the harvest in La Rioja and the Duero in September and October.
Winter, December to February. The Canary Islands, mild all year, with the mildest winter in Spain; and Madrid’s museums without the queues.
Region by region, with the months for each, in our best time to visit Spain.
Questions
Questions we are asked
What is the best itinerary for a 10-day luxury trip to Spain?
For a first visit, Madrid, Seville and Barcelona: three nights, three and four, joined by high-speed train. That is Madrid, the hinge of the country, and two regions given time. For a return visit, one region in depth: Andalusia, or a food and wine journey through the Basque Country and La Rioja. Our sample itineraries show how the days fit together.
How much does a bespoke luxury vacation in Spain cost?
Every trip is priced individually. After discussing your plans, we prepare a tailored proposal with a quoted trip price and a clear outline of what is included.
Is Spain a good destination for a luxury family vacation?
Very. The days are long, the food is easy and the beaches are close to the cities, and there is a castle, a boat or a market for every age. We plan for who is travelling, keep the drives short, and say plainly when a hotel is adults only. On the coast, Marbella Club has villas with their own pools and a Kids Club for ages four to fourteen; see our Marbella hotels.
Can you plan a multi-country trip combining Spain with France or Italy?
Yes. We plan all three, and the journeys between them: Barcelona and then Provence, say, or a tour of Spain followed by the Amalfi Coast. See our destinations.
More Spain guides
- Luxury travel guide to Spain
When to go, our itineraries, and Spain's leading destinations and hotels.
- Spain's luxury destinations
The cities, coasts and islands we plan, region by region.
- The best luxury hotels in Barcelona
By kind and by neighbourhood, boutique to grand.
More city guides: Seville and Granada, or all our Spain guides.
Plan your Spain trip
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. Everything else we can work out together.
Plan your Spain trip Our Spain page
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