Discovery of Spain & Portugal — Self-Launched 15-Day Route

Fly into Madrid-Barajas and take the Metro Line 8 + Line 10 into the centre (~£5, 40 min) or the Airport Express bus to Cibeles/Atocha (~£4.50). Check into a hostel near Sol/La Latina. In the evening do your own 'illuminated Madrid' walk: Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, the Royal Palace's Plaza de Oriente and the Gran Vía lit up after dark. Skip the coach dinner and grab tapas in the La Latina or Cava Baja area — a few plates plus a drink is £12-18.

🚌Metro from airport ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm or private twin in Sol/La Latina (£20-28 pp per night)

• →Self-guided evening walk: Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Plaza de Oriente, Gran Vía
• →Tapas dinner in Cava Baja or La Latina

Morning free-walking-tour style loop of the centre (free tours run from Plaza Mayor daily, tip £5-10): Puerta del Sol, Neptune and Cibeles fountains, Alcalá Gate, Gran Vía, Plaza de España. Afternoon choose one: the Prado (€15, free 18:00-20:00 Mon-Sat) plus Reina Sofía, or — better value — a day trip to Toledo. Toledos are easy: take the ALSA/Avanza bus from Plaza Elíptica (~£6 each way, 1h) or the Avlo/Iryo train from Atocha (~£7-11, 33 min). Walk the medieval streets, visit the Gothic cathedral (€14) and Santo Tomé for El Greco's Burial of the Count of Orgaz (€4).

🚌Metro day card ~£8; optional Toledo train/bus ~£14 return

🛏Same Madrid hostel

• →Free walking tour of central Madrid (tip-based)
• →Optional: Prado Museum (€15) or Toledo day trip

Start early. Take the Avant train Madrid-Chamartín to Segovia (~30 min, £10-14) or the bus from Moncloa (~£7). Walk from the Roman aqueduct to the Alcázar (€10 entry, or just admire from outside), then take a regional train or bus Segovia to Ávila (~1h, £6-9). Walk the complete 11th-century city walls (walkway entry €5). Late afternoon, take the bus or regional train Ávila to Salamanca (~1h15, £8-10). Evening stroll of the golden-stone Plaza Mayor — one of the best in Spain.

🚌Trains/buses Madrid→Segovia→Ávila→Salamanca ~£30 total

🛏Guesthouse/hostel private twin in Salamanca old town (£22-30 pp)

• →Segovia Roman aqueduct and Alcázar (€10)
• →Ávila city walls walkway (€5)
• →Salamanca Plaza Mayor at night

Morning in Salamanca: the two cathedrals (combined ticket €10), the Universidad Civil building and the Roman bridge. There's no direct train, so take the ALSA bus Salamanca-Santiago (6-7h, ~£35-42) — book online in advance; the coach tour covers 434 km in a day too, so this is a long but scenic transfer day. Arrive in Santiago in the evening and walk into the floodlit Obradoiro square. If you'd rather break the journey, an overnight in Zamora or Ourense works well.

🚌ALSA coach Salamanca→Santiago ~£38 (6-7h)

🛏Albergue or pensión near the old town (£18-25 pp)

• →Salamanca cathedrals (€10) and university quarter
• →Evening Obradoiro square and old town

Morning: the Cathedral (included in the €12 cathedral museum/rooftop ticket — worth it), the Pilgrims' Office, and the market. Then take the bus or train south to Vigo/Valença (~£15, 2h), cross into Portugal, and stop in Viana do Castelo — the historic centre and the hilltop Santuário de Santa Luzia (funicular €2). Continue by regional train Viana do Castelo to Porto Campanhã (~1h15, £6-9). Evening in Porto: a Francesinha or a cheap tasca dinner in Ribeira.

🚌Santiago→Vigo/Valença ~£15; Viana do Castelo→Porto regional train ~£8

🛏Hostel in Ribeira/Bolhão (£15-22 pp)

• →Santiago cathedral rooftops (€12)
• →Viana do Castelo historic centre and Santa Luzia hill
• →Ribeira waterfront evening

Free walking tour of Porto (tip £8) covering São Bento station's azulejos, the cathedral, Clérigos Tower and the riverside. Cross the Luís I bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia and book a port lodge tour directly — Sandeman, Graham's or Ramos Pinto run tours with tastings from €15-22. Book ahead online, especially in summer. Afternoon: Livraria Lello (€8 ticket, redeemable against a book) and the Foz or the Crystal Palace gardens for sunset.

🚌Tram/metro day ticket ~£7

🛏Same Porto hostel

• →Free walking tour of Porto
• →Port wine lodge tour and tasting in Gaia (€15-22)
• →Livraria Lello (€8)

Take an early train Porto-Aveiro (~1h, £5-7) and spend a couple of hours in the 'Venice of Portugal' — the moliceiro boat rides cost €12-15, or just wander the canals and try ovos moles. Continue by bus Aveiro-Fátima (~1h30, £8-10) to see the basilica and sanctuary. Then bus or train Fátima-Lisbon (~1h45, £9-12). This is the same 341 km run the coach does, so expect a full day of travel. Evening: a cheap dinner in Alfama and, if the mood takes you, a fado bar in Mouraria (~£20 with a drink and cover).

🚌Porto→Aveiro train ~£6; Aveiro→Fátima bus ~£9; Fátima→Lisbon bus ~£11

🛏Hostel in Alfama/Baixa (£16-24 pp)

• →Aveiro canals (optional moliceiro boat €13)
• →Fátima basilica and sanctuary
• →Alfama/Mouraria evening walk

Morning free walking tour of Baixa and Alfama (tip £8), then tram 15 to Belém: Jerónimos Monastery (€12, closed Mondays) and the Tower of Belém (€8, or free exterior view from the waterfront), plus a pastel de nata at the original Pastéis de Belém. Afternoon alternative — and arguably the best day of the trip — take the suburban train Rossio-Sintra (~£4.50 return, 40 min) for the Pena Palace (€20, book timed entry online) and Quinta da Regaleira (€15). Cascais is a 20-minute coastal train from Sintra if you want a beach hour.

🚌Tram/train day ~£12

🛏Same Lisbon hostel

• →Jerónimos Monastery (€12) and Tower of Belém (€8)
• →Optional Sintra: Pena Palace (€20) and Quinta da Regaleira (€15)

Break the 648 km coach leg with a bus Lisbon-Mérida (~4h, £22-28) and visit the Roman theatre and amphitheatre site (€6, or free on Sundays). Then bus Mérida-Seville (~2h15, £12-15). If you'd rather go direct, Rede Expressos and Alsa run Lisbon-Seville in around 7 hours (~£35), and there's now a direct Lisbon-Seville train service too. Arrive in Seville and wander the Santa Cruz lanes; a caña and a tapa is £3-4.

🚌Lisbon→Mérida bus ~£26; Mérida→Seville bus ~£13

🛏Hostel in the Centro/Santa Cruz (£18-26 pp)

• →Mérida Roman theatre and amphitheatre (€6)
• →Santa Cruz neighbourhood evening walk

Book online in advance: Seville Cathedral and La Giralda (€12-15), and the Real Alcázar (€14.50, free on certain Mondays) — the Alcázar isn't even included on the packaged tour but is one of Spain's best sights. Afternoon: Torre del Oro (€3) and a stroll through María Luisa Park, plus the Plaza de España. Evening: flamenco at Casa de la Memoria or La Carbonería (€20-25) — far better than a coach-group show.

🚌Walkable centre; tram for tired legs ~£2

🛏Same Seville hostel

• →Real Alcázar (€14.50)
• →Seville Cathedral and Giralda (€12-15)
• →Torre del Oro and María Luisa Park
• →Flamenco show (€20-25)

Morning train Seville-Córdoba (~45 min, £10-14), drop bags at the station and hit the Mezquita-Catedral (€13, free 8:30-9:30 daily if you skip the guided taster — get there early). Wander the Judería and cross the Roman bridge. Mid-afternoon bus or train Córdoba-Granada (~2h, £10-14). In Granada, head up to the Mirador de San Nicolás for sunset over the Alhambra.

🚌Seville→Córdoba train ~£12; Córdoba→Granada bus ~£12

🛏Hostel or pensión in the Albaicín/Centro (£16-24 pp)

• →Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba (€13)
• →Judería and Roman bridge
• →Mirador de San Nicolás sunset

This is the day to plan furthest ahead: Alhambra tickets (€19.09, including the Nasrid Palaces and Generalife) sell out weeks — sometimes months — in advance in high season. Book on the official ticket website the moment your dates are fixed and take an early slot. Allow 4 hours. Afterwards, a slow afternoon in the Albaicín with free tapas culture — Granada gives you a free tapa with every drink, which makes lunch genuinely cheap. If you want to recoup the coach-tour leg count, note the original itinerary also does Granada-Valencia (450 km) today; I'd split it across two days as below.

🚌City bus to Alhambra ~£1.30

🛏Same Granada hostel

• →Alhambra: Nasrid Palaces and Generalife (€19)
• →Albaicín quarter and free-tapa bar crawl

Take the ALSA bus Granada-Valencia (~4h30-5h, £25-30); the train requires a change in Madrid and is far slower than you'd expect. Arrive early afternoon, drop bags, and explore the City of Arts and Sciences — the futuristic Calatrava complex is free to walk around, with the Oceanogràfic (€35) or the science museum (€8) if you want to go in. Evening in the Carmen district, or paella at a proper restaurant (lunch is the traditional paella meal — around £15-20).

🚌ALSA bus Granada→Valencia ~£27

🛏Hostel in El Carmen/Ruzafa (£15-22 pp)

• →City of Arts and Sciences exterior walk
• →Carmen and Ruzafa neighbourhoods
• →Optional Oceanogràfic (€35)

Morning: the Valencia Cathedral (€9, and purportedly the authentic Holy Grail) and the Central Market, then lunch at the market before the Euromed train Valencia-Barcelona (~3h, £30-40) or a cheap bus (~4h, £20-25). In Barcelona, do the Gothic Quarter and Barcelona Cathedral (free entry outside the €9 tourist visiting hours), then Montjuïc — take the cable car or bus 150 up for the Olympic Stadium and port views. Crucially: book Sagrada Família interior tickets online (€26) for tomorrow morning, timed entry only — the coach tour only shows you the exterior.

🚌Valencia→Barcelona train ~£35; metro ~£5

🛏Hostel in Gràcia or the Gothic Quarter (£22-30 pp)

• →Valencia Cathedral and Central Market
• →Barcelona Gothic Quarter
• →Montjuïc hill and Olympic Stadium views

Early timed entry to the Sagrada Família (€26 with tower, €26 basic — book weeks ahead and go for the 9:00 slot before the crowds). Wander to Park Güell afterwards if time allows (€18 monumental zone, or the free parts of the park). Then Aerobús from Plaça Catalunya to El Prat (~£6.50, 35 min) or the R2 Nord train from Passeig de Gràcia (~£5) to the airport. If your flight is late, book one extra night — hostels are cheap and Barcelona deserves more than a morning.

🚌Aerobús to airport ~£6.50

🛏Departure day — optional extra night ~£25 pp

• →Sagrada Família interior with tower (€26)
• →Optional Park Güell (€18)