Spain, Portugal & Morocco Adventure — Self-Launched

Land at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas and take the Metro Line 8 + Line 10 to central Madrid (~€5) or the airport bus to Cibeles (~€5). Check into a hostel or budget hotel around Sol/La Latina — the same central district the group tour uses. Spend the afternoon on a free self-guided loop: Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, the Royal Palace exterior and the Egyptian Temple of Debod at sunset. Grab a menú del día or a vermouth and tapas plate in La Latina. Optional: pre-book a free (tip-based) city walking tour via GetYourGuide or GuruWalk, ~£5–10 tip.

🚌Airport Metro/bus ~£4–5

🛏Hostel or 2-star hotel, Sol/La Latina (private twin ~£45–60/night, dorm ~£20/person)

• →Self-guided old-town walk (Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace exterior)
• →Temple of Debod sunset view (free)
• →Optional tip-based walking tour

Long travel day. Best value is the Alsa/FlixBus overnight-ish or daytime coach Madrid–Porto (~8–9 hrs, from €25–40 booked 2–4 weeks ahead); the alternative is Renfe to Vigo/Valença do Minho then a CP train down the coast, which is scenic but slower. Arrive into Porto, take the Metro (Line A/B/C/E) to Bolhão or São Bento (~€2), and settle into a guesthouse or hostel in the Baixa/Trindade area near São Bento — the same neighbourhood as the tour's curated hotel. Evening: cheap francesinha or a bifana and a glass of vinho verde on Rua de Santa Catarina.

🚌Coach Madrid–Porto ~£25–35; Metro ~£2

🛏Guesthouse/hostel Baixa or Trindade (private twin ~£40–55, dorm ~£18/person)

• →São Bento station azulejo panels (free)
• →Rua de Santa Catarina evening stroll

Do the orientation walk yourself: Clérigos Tower and its viewpoint, Bolhão Market, then down to the Ribeira riverfront and across the Luís I Bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia. Book a port cellar tour + tasting direct with the lodges (Sandeman, Graham's, Taylor's or the cheap-and-cheerful Burmester) — ~€15–25, bookable same-day or via GetYourGuide. Optionally buy a 6-bridge Douro river cruise ticket at the Ribeira kiosks (~€18–20). Also worth a look: São Francisco Church and the Palácio da Bolsa. Dinner at a tasca in Miragaia or a Time Out Market food stall.

🚌Walking; optional tram/bus ~£3

🛏Guesthouse/hostel Baixa or Trindade

• →Port wine cellar tour & tasting (~£15–22)
• →Ribeira & Gaia riverside walk (free)
• →Optional Douro six-bridges cruise (~£17)
• →Bolhão Market, Clérigos, São Francisco Church

Take a CP Alfa Pendular or Intercidades train from Porto Campanhã to Lisbon Oriente (~2h50, €25–35 if booked in advance on cp.pt; buses are cheaper at ~€10–20 but take 3h30). From Oriente, Metro to your hostel around Baixa-Chiado, Rossio or Anjos — the tour's Hotel Roma is out by Entrecampos, but central is more fun solo and only slightly pricier. Afternoon orientation walk: Praça do Comércio, Alfama's lanes, Portas do Sol viewpoint and a sunset beer at a miradouro. Book tomorrow's Sintra tickets tonight.

🚌CP train Porto–Lisbon ~£25–30; Metro ~£2

🛏Hostel or budget hotel Baixa/Alfama/Anjos (private twin ~£45–60, dorm ~£20/person)

• →Alfama & Baixa orientation walk (free)
• →Portas do Sol and Santa Luzia viewpoints (free)

Sintra is the standout day trip the group tour leaves optional: take the Rossio–Sintra CP train (~45 min, €5 return with a Viva Viagem card) and buy timed Pena Palace tickets online (~€20) plus Quinta da Regaleira (~€15) and the Moorish Castle (~€12) — or just wander the village and Monserrate. Alternatively join a small-group Lisbon food tour (bookable on GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£50–65) covering pastéis de nata, ginjinha and tinned fish. In the evening book an Alfama fado dinner direct with a small house (Clube de Fado, A Tasca do Chico or a smaller tasca) — €30–50 including a traditional Portuguese meal and a fado set.

🚌CP train Rossio–Sintra ~£5 return; tram/walk within Lisbon

🛏Hostel or budget hotel Baixa/Alfama/Anjos

• →Sintra day trip: Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, Moorish Castle (~£25–40 entry)
• →Fado dinner in Alfama (~£30–45)
• →Optional Lisbon food tour (~£50–65)

Take a Rede Expressos or FlixBus coach from Lisbon Sete Rios to Évora (~1h45, €10–15). Where the tour stops at the Chapel of Bones, buy your own ticket at the Igreja de São Francisco (~€8, skip-the-line not needed). Wander the Temple of Diana ruins (free), the aqueduct and the Praça do Giraldo, and climb Évora Cathedral's tower (~€5) for rooftop views. Sleep in a small pousada/guesthouse inside the walls. Note that the group-tour reviewer called Évora thin — if you agree, use the afternoon for a wine tasting at a nearby herdade instead.

🚌Coach Lisbon–Évora ~£10–13

🛏Guesthouse inside the old town (private twin ~£40–55, dorm ~£18/person)

• →Chapel of Bones (~£7)
• →Temple of Diana (free)
• →Évora Cathedral rooftop (~£4)

Bus or train Évora to Faro (~€15, 2h30), local train Faro–Olhão (~€2, 10 min) for the famous fish market and a grilled fish lunch by the quay, then the ALSA/DAMAS bus Olhão/Faro to Seville (~€20–30, 3h). Alternatively take the faster coach Faro–Seville direct. Arrive Seville and check into a hostel in the Arenal or Alameda area, then do your own orientation walk at dusk: Guadalquivir riverfront, Torre del Oro, Santa Cruz lanes and a tapas crawl (espinacas con garbanzos, salmorejo, jamón).

🚌Évora–Faro bus ~£13; Faro–Olhão train ~£2; Olhão–Seville bus ~£20–25

🛏Hostel/guesthouse Arenal or Alameda (private twin ~£45–60, dorm ~£20/person)

• →Olhão fish market (free)
• →Seville riverside & Santa Cruz orientation walk (free)

Book the Real Alcázar online in advance (~€15, timed entry) and Seville Cathedral + La Giralda (~€12) — going direct on the official sites is cheaper than any tour. Add the free Museo Arqueológico or Parque de María Luisa. In the evening see real flamenco at a small tablao — book direct with Casa de la Memoria (~€24), La Carbonería (free/cheap) or a GetYourGuide flamenco ticket (£20–30) rather than a dinner-show package. Late dinner at a tapas bar in Triana.

🚌Walking

🛏Hostel/guesthouse Arenal or Alameda

• →Real Alcázar (~£13)
• →Seville Cathedral & Giralda (~£10)
• →Flamenco show at a tablao (~£20–26)
• →Triana tapas crawl

A real travel day. Cheapest reliable route: ALSA/DAMAS coach Seville to Tarifa (~2h30–3h, €20–25), then the FRS or Inter Shipping ferry Tarifa–Tangier Ville (~1h, €35–45 one way, book online). Alternative: coach to Algeciras then ferry to Tanger Med plus a taxi in. Remember Morocco is 1 hour behind Spain (or 2 in summer — check). On arrival, taxi to your riad/hostel near the medina, then self-walk the Petit Socco, the Kasbah and the Café Hafa terraces above the bay. Get a Moroccan SIM from Orange/Inwi at the port or medina (~£8 for 10GB).

🚌Seville–Tarifa coach ~£20; Tarifa–Tangier ferry ~£35–40; local taxi ~£3

🛏Riad/guesthouse in the medina (private twin ~£35–50, dorm ~£15/person)

• →Ferry crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar
• →Tangier medina, Kasbah and Café Hafa walk (free)
• →Moroccan SIM card (~£8)

Take a CTM or local bus/grand taxi from Tangier to Tetouan (~1h, 25–40 MAD), spend a couple of hours in the UNESCO-listed medina — hire an official local guide at the medina gate for ~150–200 MAD, or use a GetYourGuide Tetouan walking tour (~£25). See El Feddan square and the Mellah. Then a shared grand taxi or local bus Tetouan–Chefchaouen (~1h, 30 MAD / ~£3). Check into a blue-town guesthouse and walk up to the Spanish Mosque for sunset over the Rif.

🚌Grand taxi/bus Tangier–Tetouan ~£4; Tetouan–Chefchaouen ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Chefchaouen medina (private twin ~£30–45, dorm ~£14/person)

• →Tetouan medina walk (free, guide ~£15)
• →Chefchaouen sunset at the Spanish Mosque (free)

Do the Rif foothills walk independently in the morning — a local guide from the Chefchaouen guides' office (~200–300 MAD, £16–24) will take you to Talassemtane viewpoints and a village for fresh goat cheese and mint tea. Then take a CTM/SUPRATOUR bus Chefchaouen–Fès (~4h, 70–90 MAD) or break the journey at Ouazzane to see the hilltop medina. Arrive Fès, taxi into the medina edge or Ville Nouvelle; stay in a riad or guesthouse near Bab Boujloud so you can walk into the medina on day one.

🚌Local guide ~£20; bus Chefchaouen–Fès ~£7

🛏Riad/guesthouse near Bab Boujloud (private twin ~£35–50, dorm ~£15/person)

• →Rif foothills hike with local guide (~£20)
• →Goat cheese & mint tea village stop
• →Optional Ouazzane medina stop

Hire an official Fès medina guide for a half day (~300–400 MAD, £24–32, arrange at Bab Boujloud or book via GetYourGuide, ~£30–40) — this is worth it far more than self-navigating the 9,000 alleys. Cover the Bou Inania madrasa (~70 MAD), the tanneries from a terrace (tip €2–3, skip the hard-sell shops), Al-Attarine and the souvenir souks. In the evening eat pastilla and harira at a cheap medina restaurant or take a Moroccan cooking class (GetYourGuide, ~£35–45) instead.

🚌Walking; petit taxi ~£1–2

🛏Riad/guesthouse near Bab Boujloud

• →Half-day guided Fès medina tour (~£30)
• →Bou Inania madrasa (~£6)
• →Tannery terrace view (tip)
• →Pastilla dinner (~£8)

Take an early train or bus Fès–Meknes (~1h, 30 MAD train). From Meknes, a shared grand taxi or the local bus to Volubilis (~30–40 min, ~50–100 MAD return) — pay entry ~70 MAD and either hire an on-site guide (~150 MAD) or use the info boards. Back in Meknes, see Bab Mansour, the Heri es-Souani granaries and the medina, then take the ONCF train Meknes–Casablanca (~3h15, 90–130 MAD). Land in Casablanca, stay near the centre or Ain Diab, and eat at a cheap seafood grill in the old medina.

🚌Fès–Meknes train ~£3; grand taxi Volubilis ~£8 return; Meknes–Casablanca train ~£9–12

🛏Budget hotel/hostel central Casablanca (private twin ~£35–50, dorm ~£15/person)

• →Volubilis Roman ruins entry (~£6) + optional guide (~£12)
• →Meknes: Bab Mansour, Heri es-Souani, medina (mostly free)

Book a Hassan II Mosque guided interior visit directly at the mosque ticket office (or online) — ~140 MAD, £11, fixed-time slots; it's the one Casablanca sight that genuinely delivers. Then walk the Corniche, the Habous quarter and the medina and grab a cheap fish lunch at a Marché Central stall (the tour includes lunch here — you can do the same for ~£5). If you're chasing Rick's Café, know its service windows are lunch and dinner. Evening: cheap tagine or a rooftop mint tea; sort your Marrakech train ticket for tomorrow.

🚌Walking/tram ~£1; petit taxi ~£2

🛏Budget hotel/hostel central Casablanca

• →Hassan II Mosque interior tour (~£11)
• →Habous quarter & Corniche walk (free)
• →Marché Central fish lunch (~£5)

ONCF train Casablanca–Marrakech (~3h, 90–140 MAD) — book the morning departure. Drop bags at a riad or hostel in the medina, then self-walk the souks, Bahia Palace (~70 MAD), the Ben Youssef madrasa (~50 MAD) and the Koutoubia gardens. Skip the pushy 'herb and perfume' sales pitches the group tour includes and instead have a hammam or a rooftop dinner. Finish at Djemaa el-Fna at dusk for the food stalls, storytellers and juice carts. If you're flying out, Marrakech Menara (RAK) is a £3–4 taxi ride from the medina.

🚌ONCF train Casablanca–Marrakech ~£9–12; local taxi ~£3

🛏Riad/hostel in the Marrakech medina (private twin ~£35–50, dorm ~£14/person)

• →Bahia Palace (~£6)
• →Ben Youssef madrasa (~£4)
• →Souks and Djemaa el-Fna (free)