The best museums in Spain

Upon your arrival in Bilbao, one of our drivers will take you on a private transfer to your hotel. Once there, you'll receive a package with all the travel documents and information you may need during the trip. 
Lying on the mouth of the Nervión river, the larger city of the Basque Country is deeply connected to the seafaring life. Bilbao is currently an important center of economic and social development in the province. The Guggenheim Museum is nowadays the landmark of the city, having converted an industrial town into a cultural metropolis.
This afternoon, discover the dynamic city of Bilbao, beginning with the historic center, where you can visit the Santiago Cathedral, erected between the 14th and 15th centuries, and the Mercado de la Ribera. On the opposite side of the river estuary, you’ll reach the Ensanche-Abandoibarra area, developed in the late 19th century. Among other buildings of interest, here is where you’ll find Bilbao’s landmark, the Guggenheim Museum, an avant-garde building by architect Frank O. Gehry, displaying masterpieces of modern and contemporary art. Nearby, you can visit the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts, showing a collection of art from the 12th century to the present day.

You will collect your rental car this morning and then you can explore San Sebastián. On your way there, you can stop to visit Guernica and its Peace Museum, a theme museum setting out the culture of peace, inspired by the tragic bombing of Guernica in 1937. Proceeding to San Sebastián, you can still stop in Getaria village and visit the Balenciaga Museum, devoted to the professional career and personal profile of this famous local -and international- fashion designer.
Discover San Sebastián in the afternoon, walk through the historic center and visit the oldest building in the city, the Church of San Vicente. The Alameda Boulevard, with its characteristic French-style mansions, will lead you into the Romantic part of the city, where you’ll find the Victoria Eugenia Theatre or the Maria Cristina hotel. Upon leaving the city to return to Bilbao, you can still make a stop to visit the Chillida Leku Museum, truly unique and worthy of a visit. The museum is a work of art in itself, where Eduardo Chillida’s sculptures are displayed among nature, integrated into the landscape as though they had always been part of it.

Today you will leave the Basque Country and drive to the famous wine region of La Rioja. Visiting a local winery for a wine tasting is a must, but you can also stop by Briones and visit the Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture, devoted to valuing the relationship between man and wine over eight thousand years of history.

On this day, you’ll proceed to the Spanish capital, Madrid. Along the way, you can visit the historic town of Burgos. Having been the capital of the unified kingdoms of Castile and León in the Middle Ages, today it houses one of the most impressive examples of European Gothic architecture, the Cathedral of Burgos, declared a World Heritage Site.
Arriving in Madrid at the end of the day, you will be impressed by the monumentality and lifestyle of the cosmopolitan capital of Spain. From historical sites, such as the Royal Palace or the Plaza Mayor, to large boulevards such as Gran Vía or Paseo del Prado, this is a city that never ceases to amaze. Madrid offers the opportunity to enjoy its terraces and markets, tapas and restaurants, and even some of the most important museums in Europe such as the Prado or the Reina Sofía.

Explore Madrid and its many museums - the Prado Museum is one of the best in Europe; the Reina Sofía is a remarkable modern and contemporary art center; the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum displays one of the most notorious art collections in the world; the Sorolla Museum exhibits the charming works of the Spanish impressionist painter Joaquín Sorolla; and the National Museum of Archaeology presents vestiges of the different cultures that inhabited the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean region, from Antiquity to more recent periods.
Don’t miss a walk in Madrid’s main streets and squares - Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, La Gran Via, and Plaza de España, where you’ll feel the pulsing life of this city. Stop by San Miguel Market for lunch, you’ll probably have to wait for a while to get a seat, but it’ll surely be worth it!
In the evening, you could attend an authentic Flamenco show in one of the most famous tablaos in Madrid.

Today you will leave Madrid and drive to Valencia, known as the City of Light, and the third-largest city in Spain, after Madrid and Barcelona. Explore Valencia, beginning with the historic center, with the IVAM – Valencian Institute of Modern Art-, its unique Cathedral, the Lonja de la Seda building, and Valencia’s Food Market. The contemporary part of Valencia is also worth exploring, as you’ll be amazed by the architecture of the Palau de la Musica and the City of Arts and Sciences complex, where you’ll find the Prince Felipe Science Museum.

This will be the day when you reach Barcelona. Departing from Valencia in the morning, you can stop to visit Tarragona along the way, and discover the Roman and Medieval heritage of this historic seaside city. Visit the Roman ruins and stroll through the maze of narrow cobbled streets of Tarragona’s medieval heart.
Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and it boasts a wonderful location by the Mediterranean Sea. You’ll be amazed by architect Antoni Gaudí’s works, such as the Sagrada Familia basilica, but also by the creativity and unique energy of this city. 
Upon arrival in Barcelona, if you’re still up for it, take the cable car to the top of Montjuïc for a breathtaking view over Barcelona. The perfect introduction to this vibrant city! In Montjuïc, you can visit the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) and the Joan Miró Museum.

Explore Barcelona and discover the city’s Modernist architecture expressed in the works of Antoni Gaudí. As well, take a stroll through Barcelona’s Gothic quarter, full of narrow streets and alleyways, where you’ll find the Picasso Museum. Don’t forget to walk in La Rambla, a captivating pedestrian boulevard, and stop by the Boquería Market. Nearby, you can visit the Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona (MACBA). Further away from the center is also located CosmoCaixa Barcelona, a captivating Science Museum.

Take this day to discover Figueres and Girona. Figueres is known as the home of Salvador Dalí and a visit to the Dalí Museum-Theater will allow you to understand the different stages of this surrealist artist’s career. In Girona, you can wander through the historic center to find medieval buildings, along with Roman, Arabic, and Jewish reminiscences. A visit to the Cathedral is highly recommended, as well as to the Jewish quarter, one of the best-preserved in Europe.

Today, our driver will take you on a private transfer to Barcelona airport, where you’ll embark on a flight home.