From
$4,100
NZ $3,660

Northern Spain Explorer

8 days
From Madrid to Barcelona
4.4
11 traveler reviews
From
$4,100
-11%
NZ $3,660
Find this price
Save and compare this adventure
Payment plan $377 now + easy payments of $1,131 Learn More

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Plan your adventure:
In-depth Cultural
Immerse yourself in rich history and local traditions
Fully Guided
An experienced guide will be with you for the entire tour
Guided in English
Group Size 10 - 16
Age range 16 to 85
Image of a map showing the route of the tour

Highlights

  • Explore Madrid's vibrant culture and architecture
  • Discover Bilbao's old quarter and Guggenheim Museum
  • Taste traditional Pintxos and Txakoli in San Sebastian
  • Tour La Rioja's famous vineyards and bodegas
  • Walk part of the Camino de Santiago in Navarra

Itinerary

Expand All
  1. Introduction
  1. Day 1 Trip starts in Bilbao
  2. Day 2 Drive to Getaria for anchovy experience, on to San Sebastian, walking tour of old town, free afternoon.
  3. Day 3 Rioja winetasting, Laguardia village, short walk on Camino de Santiago, bus to Pamplona
  4. Day 4 Free morning in Pamplona, Bus to Zaragoza via Olite for palace visit
  5. Day 5 Bus to Agramunt for chocolate maker visit, on to Monistrol for rack railway to Montserrat
  6. Day 6 Drive to Barcelona, city tour and free time
  7. Day 7 Guided Sagrada Familia visit, walking tour, funicular to Montjuic Hill, ending in La Rambla, free afternoon
  8. Day 8 Trip ends Barcelona
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What's Included

Expand All
  • Accommodation
  • Guide
  • Meals
  • Additional Services
  • Transport
  • Free eSIM
    TourRadar offers the lead traveler (the person who booked) a free 1GB eSIM for the trip. The eSIM is redeemable only through the TourRadar app 72 hours before departure.

What's Not Included

  • Flights
  • Insurance
  • Optional
  • Additional Services

Where You'll Stay

All accommodations are subject to change

Customer Photos

Operated by

Explore!

Number of tours

531

Age Range

16 to 85 years old

Response time

within 1 day

Response rate

92%

Explore is a global adventure travel company with 42 years’ experience in...

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Sustainability Initiatives

Reduce Carbon Emissions

Animal Welfare

Supporting Destinations

Sustainability Programs

Your Peace of Mind Options

Cancellation Policy

A transparent overview of applicable fees.

Travel Insurance

Be covered for any unforseen circumstances.

Customer Reviews

  • Overall Rating
    Excellent
    4.4
  • Itinerary
    Excellent
    4.2
  • Guide
    Excellent
    4.9
  • Transport
    Good
    3.9
  • Accommodation
    Excellent
    4.2
  • Food
    Excellent
    4.2
  • 4.5
  • Most Recent
  • Most Popular
  • Highest First
  • Lowest First
  • A
    · March 27th, 2023
    Barcelona was magical. I knew I'd be interested but I was blown over. La Sagrada Familia is like something out of a science fiction film. Although the hotel here is pretty ordinary, my room looked out on the Hospital de St Pau - a marvel, well worth visiting. Every walk took us somewhere special. We also saw an amazing local festival with 'giants'
    Show more
    Trip date: March 2023
    Review collected by Explore!
  • A
    · April 1st, 2023
    Visiting the Guggenheim Bilbao and exploring the tiny streets of LaGuardia
    Show more
    Trip date: March 2023
    Review collected by Explore!
  • A
    · May 7th, 2023
    I loved it all, especially Bilbao and secrada famillua in Barcelona!
    Show more
    Trip date: April 2023
    Review collected by Explore!
  • A
    · July 24th, 2023
    The talk about the church door in Laguardia. The amazing variety of pinches. The food in San Sebastian especially. The museums of Madrid.
    Show more
    Trip date: July 2023
    Review collected by Explore!
  • A
    · October 2nd, 2023
    Highlights were Madrid San Sebastian and Barcelona. Really enjoyed the town of Zaragoza and wished to have spent more time there.
    Show more
    Trip date: September 2023
    Review collected by Explore!
  • A
    · October 4th, 2023
    The full day of mini visits en-route to Zaragoza was great nd the town itself an absolute gem.
    Show more
    Trip date: September 2023
    Review collected by Explore!
  • A
    · November 9th, 2023
    The Sagrada Familia. We had an excellent guided tour of it.
    Show more
    Trip date: October 2023
    Review collected by Explore!
  • A
    · November 8th, 2023
    the people, tour guide and seeing areas that we do not normally see. Guide at Sagrada Familia very good.
    Show more
    Trip date: October 2023
    Review collected by Explore!
  • A
    · October 21st, 2023
    Beautiful Spain Great sights Excellent food to sample Wonderful guide Good pace each day We love Spain, a good sample of cities and small towns to experience the culture and history. Congenial group of travelers.
    Show more
    Northern Spain Explorer customer review photo 1Northern Spain Explorer customer review photo 2Northern Spain Explorer customer review photo 3Northern Spain Explorer customer review photo 4Northern Spain Explorer customer review photo 5Northern Spain Explorer customer review photo 6
    Trip date: September 2023
  • A
    · October 5th, 2023
    This tour is great for active people. It hits the highlights of these important and significant sights. Our host and guide was wonderful. Our favorite places on the tour were Madrid, Bilbao, San Sebastián, We would have like a bit more time in San Sebastián. The winery tour in Rioja gave us an insider view. LaGuradia was a calm spot after a few very active days. We enjoyed the Camino Santiago, Pamplona. The visit to the Olite castle was a bit of a let down. Zaragoza was lively. We would have preferred more time in Pamplona and Zaragoza. Barcelona is bustling , and has fantastic sights. The tour of the familia sag radar was great. We flew in 2 days early to take advantage of Madrid and Toledo and stayed a day longer in Barcelona to visit family. It’s a great option to travel in earlier to adjust to the time. The tour highlights wonderful sights. The guide is gracious and knowledgeable. Our fellow travelers were great.
    Show more
    Northern Spain Explorer customer review photo 1Northern Spain Explorer customer review photo 2Northern Spain Explorer customer review photo 3
    Trip date: October 2023

Dates & Availability

8 days
Northern Spain Explorer
From Madrid to Barcelona

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  • From Sunday
    22 Jun, 2025
    To Sunday
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    From Sunday
    5 Oct, 2025
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    3 May, 2026
    To Sunday
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    24 May, 2026
    To Sunday
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    From Sunday
    21 Jun, 2026
    To Sunday
    28 Jun, 2026
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    From Sunday
    6 Sep, 2026
    To Sunday
    13 Sep, 2026
    English
    This departure date is available and will 100% depart
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    From Sunday
    20 Sep, 2026
    To Sunday
    27 Sep, 2026
    English
    This departure date is available and will 100% depart
    Guaranteed departure
    Multiple Room Types
    From:
    $4,750
  • Instant Confirmation
    From Sunday
    4 Oct, 2026
    To Sunday
    11 Oct, 2026
    English
    This departure date is available and will 100% depart
    Guaranteed departure
    Multiple Room Types
    From:
    $4,750
From
$4,100
-11%
NZ $3,660
Find this price
Save and compare this adventure
Payment plan $377 now + easy payments of $1,131 Learn More

Best price guarantee Learn More

Plan your adventure:

What our customers ask about this tour

The content in our FAQ section is subject to change.
All questions
  • B

    Barry

    Asked on April 21st, 2025

    We were hoping to do a northern Spain tour for 9 or 10 days. There are 4 adults in our family and very keen to see all North of Madrid and down to Barcelona.

    Group size
    Tour Details
    • Explore!OperatorWritten April 2025

      Due to the size and the amount of cities to see in Spain, a 10 day tour would not cover all of Spain. However, we would have these tours here beginning in Madrid on August 10th.

  • J

    John

    Asked on December 2nd, 2024

    Do all of the hotels have working air conditioning? I must have AC for medical reasons.

    Accommodation
    • Explore!OperatorWritten December 2024

      During this tour, we spend four nights in comfortable-grade hotels and four nights in premium-grade hotels. Accommodation in Spain is generally good and you can expect to have all of the usual amenities. We stay in single and twin rooms equipped with air conditioning, WiFi and en-suite bathrooms. Some hotels will have extra amenities such as a restaurant or bar or a swimming pool.

  • D

    Dana

    Asked on April 20th, 2024

    Departure dates for April 2025? Solo traveller?

    Single supplement
    Tour Details
    • Explore!OperatorWritten April 2024

      We will have 2025 probably at the end of May. 13 Oct 2024 departure is available to book, single room is also available.

    • D

      Dana

      TravelerWritten April 2024

      Is this date Guaranteed to go?

    • Explore!OperatorWritten April 2024

      We don't have 2025 dates yet. And in most cases we start running this tour in May only so I'm afraid we won't have any early April departure.

    • D
      2 more answers
  • M

    Morgan

    Asked on January 4th, 2024

    Any late October or November dates for this tour?

    Tour Details
    • M

      Morgan

      TravelerWritten January 2024

      Do any other tours of northern Spain operate in November before 17 th or after 26th. Do any other tours of Spain operate from Barcelona round trip or Barcelona to Madrid in these date periods? I m particularly interested in slow pace tours.

    • Explore!OperatorWritten January 2024

      Our other Spain trip which covers Barcelona and Madrid is a trip combined with exploring Portugal. Again here the last departure date for this trip is 19 October 2024. This trip is called "Spain and Portugal Iberian Explorer".

    • 1 more answer
  • N

    Nancy

    Asked on February 20th, 2023

    is this tour confirmed to run on these dates Saturday, March 18th, 2023 to Sunday, March 26th, 2023?

    Tour Details
    • Explore!OperatorWritten February 2023

      The 18 March - 26 March - is a Guaranteed departure with 5 passengers confirmed.

  • B

    Ben

    Asked on July 10th, 2022

    Reviews mention hiking and cycling; neither seem to be the focus of this tour as described. How extensive is the walking/hiking? It does not list many optional excursions - are there any for budgeting purposes?

    Tour Details
    • Explore!OperatorWritten July 2022

      This trip isn't a walking/hiking trip. It's a discovery trip. Day 1: No walking/ hiking. Day 2: 9:30 Start town walk from the hotel - 14:00 End of walk and free time. Day 3: No walking, train ride. Day 4: Walk to bus station. Public bus to San Sebastian. Walking tour (2-3hrs) of San Sebastian. Day 5: Walk into town centre for lunch. Day 6: Walk 2-3km along Camino after bus ride and Zaragoza early evening stroll. Day 7: Afternoon orientation walk (2-3hrs) in old town. Day 8: Walking tour with Sagrada Familia visit (1.5hrs) then walk to Plaza España. Day 9: Tour ends after breakfast. You can opt out if any activity is not suitable for you.

Can’t find the answer to your question?
Reach out to the experts at Explore! with your enquiry, they usually respond within 1 day.

Good to Know

Tour ID: 229591

  • Currency
    Euro
    Spain
  • Plugs & Adapters

  • Vaccines
    • These are only indications, so please visit your doctor before you travel to be 100% sure.
    • Hepatitis B - Recommended for Spain. Ideally 2 months before travel.
  • Visa
    • Unfortunately we cannot offer you a visa application service. Whether you need a visa or not depends on your nationality and where you wish to travel. Assuming your home country does not have a visa agreement with the country you're planning to visit, you will need to apply for a visa in advance of your scheduled departure.
    • Here is an indication for which countries you might need a visa. Please contact the local embassy for help applying for visas to these places.
  • Payment information
    • For any tour departing before August 29th, 2025 a full payment is necessary. For tours departing after August 29th, 2025, a minimum payment of 10% is required to confirm your booking with Explore!. The final payment will be automatically charged to your credit card on the designated due date. The final payment of the remaining balance is required at least 75 days prior to the departure date of your tour. TourRadar never charges you a booking fee and will charge you in the stated currency.
    • Some departure dates and prices may vary and Explore! will contact you with any discrepancies before your booking is confirmed.
    • The following cards are accepted for "Explore!" tours: Visa, Maestro, Mastercard, American Express or PayPal. TourRadar does NOT charge you an extra fee for using any of these payment methods.
  • Cancellation Policy
  • Accessibility
    Some tours are not suitable for mobility-restricted traveler, however, some operators may be able to accommodate special requests. For any enquiries, you can contact our customer support team, who are ready and waiting to help you.