Andalusí Jewish Heritage: Sepharad Tour

Day 1 – ANDALUSÍ HERITAGE: SEPHARAD SEVILLA

Start your tour discovering Andalusi Jewish heritage.

We’ll have a driver collect you from your hotel in Madrid for the ride to Atocha. Catch the AVE from here south to Andalucía, the land of flamenco.  Arrive in Sevilla, once the royal port for all ships arriving with riches from the Americas. Check in at your hotel. Your guide will be waiting after lunch to take you on a walking tour on Sepharad Sevilla. Begin at the city walls, passing the Murillo gardens and entering the small labyrinth of Barrio Santa Cruz – the Jewish Quarters.

Hotel Alfonso XIII 5*

Included: train station transfer, AVE tickets, guided tour, accommodation in double room

Day 2 – SEVILLA

Today visit the Cathedral, Alcazar and Church of San Salvador. These three monuments were the heart center of Almoravid and Almohad Sevilla.  See the foundation of the ancient mosques and Moorish castle.  Your guide will explain the difference between the two Arab sects and how they got along with the Christians and Jews. You will be able to see all Jewish heritage signs.

Included: breakfast, guided tour, cathedral, Alcazar and San Salvador tickets, accommodation

Day 3 – CÓRDOBA

Meet your driver for the ride to Córdoba. Check in at your hotel. Your guide will be waiting by the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos to begin your tour of what was once the most culturally advanced city in Europe.  Firstly, enter the mosque, converted into a cathedral after the Reconquest in 1236 and listen to the stories of sultans and commoners who built it together.  Secondly, wander the Jewish Quarters, strolling among the whitewashed houses and red gardenias.  Your guide will explain its heritage and why the Jews lived in such cramped quarters.  You’ll be able to visualize their customs at the Sephardic House. Visit a tiny and medieval synagogue. This place is where the physician and philosopher Maimonides once worshipped.

In the evening, walk over to the local Hammam for a real Arab bath. Don’t forget your swimsuit!

Hospes Palacio del Bailio 5*

Included: breakfast, driver to Córdoba, guided tour, mosque and synagogue tickets, hammam with massage, accommodation

Day 4 – LUCENA

Meet your driver for the short ride to Lucena, once known as the Pearl of Sepharad.  Your guide will take you on a tour of the small town, where many Jewish symbols still prevail. Discover the Jewish heritage in their food by trying some of the local pastries originated from a Sephardic recipe.  Visit the castle and Jewish necropolis.  Return to Córdoba in time for dinner.

Enjoy your meal at Casa Mazal, a restaurant that recovers both Sephardic and Arabic medieval recipes.

Included: breakfast, driver for the day, guided tour, castle and necropolis tickets, dinner, accommodation

Day 5 – GRANADA

Meet your driver in the hotel lobby for the ride to Granada. This is the last Moorish stronghold in Spain till 1492.  Check in at your hotel and meet your guide at the Alhambra.

Firstly, we’ll go back 900 years to visit the 11th wonder of the world.  The Gardens of Paradise, Alcazar Fortress and renowned Nasrid Palaces are just some parts of the Alhambra that you’ll visit on tour. Secondly, as you enter the Patio of the Lions, listen to the legend that these marble statues are actually of Jewish origin. Finally, descend through the Realejo Jewish Quarters. Visit the Palace of the Forgotten Sephardic Museum.

Hospes Palacio de los Patos 5*

Included: breakfast, driver to Granada, guided tour, Alhambra tickets, Sephardic Museum tour, accommodation

Day 6 – ALPUJARRA

Meet your driver for the ride to Alpujarra Mountains. Here you will discover its Jewish heritage.

This entire area was inhabited by the Moors until the mid-1500’s when they were expelled from Spain.  Meet your guide as you arrive in Lanjarón, is famous for its mountain springs and spa. Drink the thermal waters at the Lanjarón Spa. Continue your way through the Alpujarra with stops in Pampaneira, Bubion or Portugos. Finish your tour in Trevelez, the highest village in Spain, with a tasting of Iberian ham and wine. Take some free time through nature walks in these mountains. End the day at your hotel in Málaga in the evening.

Hotel Vincci Posada de los Patios 5*

Included: breakfast, driver for the day, guided tour, monument and tasting entry fees, accommodation

Day 7 – MÁLAGA

Your guide will meet you before lunch for a tour.  Join the locals on their stroll up Larios Street into the open air market.  See the local cheeses, produce, bread and wines on display.  Notice how differently Spaniards present their fish and meats!.

Your guide will explain a few basic ingredients for Spanish staples like paella and migas.  Continue into the Jewish Quarters to visit the Ben Gabirol Interpretation Center.

Finish the tour at the Picasso Museum where the great artist’s early works are on display.

Included: breakfast, guided tour, lunch, Picasso Museum tickets, accommodation

Day 8 – FREE DAY MÁLAGA

Included: breakfast, accommodation

Day 9 – GIBRALTAR

Meet your driver in the hotel lobby for the drive to Gibraltar. Even when it’s not a famous for its Jewish heritage, Gibraltar holds lots of signs.

A section of the Sephardic community chose to find safe haven here after the expulsion.  Even today, you can see many synagogues and a Jewish cemetery. Meet your guide just across the border and drive up steep lanes to the Nature Preserve.  Play with Barbary Apes, walk into War Tunnels and see the view of the Strait.  Take some time on your own on Main Street before returning with your driver Málaga.

Catch the AVE to Madrid, where you’ll spend one last night.

Hotel NH Collection Paseo del Prado 5*

Included: breakfast, driver for the day, guided tour, entry fees in Gibraltar, AVE tickets, transfer in Madrid, accommodation

^{Day 10} – DEPARTURE

Meet your driver for the ride to Madrid airport.