Spain, Portugal & Morocco: Tapas, Medinas & Sunsets — Self-Launched

Land at BCN and take the Aerobús to Plaça Catalunya (~€7.25) or the L9 Sud metro if your hostel is out west. Check into a dorm in El Raval or El Born (£18-25/night in a good 8-bed dorm). No group welcome meeting needed — instead do a free self-guided walk: Gothic Quarter's cathedral, Plaça Reial, the Roman walls, then El Born's Santa Maria del Mar. Evening: pick a bar in El Raval or join a free 'Couchsurfing-style' hostel bar crawl if your hostel runs one, or book a GetYourGuide tapas-and-wine tasting (£30-40).

🚌Aerobús from BCN airport to Plaça Catalunya ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm, El Raval/El Born (~£20)

• →Self-guided Gothic Quarter walk (free)
• →Santa Maria del Mar & El Born
• →Optional GetYourGuide tapas & wine tasting (~£35)

Book La Sagrada Família online in advance (~€26) for the earliest slot — it sells out in peak season. Walk Las Ramblas and La Boqueria market for breakfast, then either Parque Güell (free public zone, ~€10 for the monumental zone) or Casa Batlló from outside if budget is tight. Grab lunch and take an afternoon Renfe AVE or, cheaper, an Ouigo/Avlo low-cost high-speed train from Barcelona Sants to Madrid Atocha (~£25-45 if booked ahead, 2h30). Check into a Madrid hostel dorm near Sol/La Latina and eat at a Mercado de San Miguel or a menú del día.

🚌Ouigo/Avlo or Renfe AVE Barcelona Sants → Madrid Atocha ~£30 (book 2-4 weeks ahead)

🛏Hostel dorm, Madrid centro (~£20)

• →La Sagrada Família (pre-booked, ~£22)
• →Las Ramblas & La Boqueria
• →Optional Parque Güell monumental zone (~£9)

Self-guided orientation on foot: Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace exterior, Almudena Cathedral, then the Retiro Park. Afternoon: pick one museum — Prado (~€15, free 6-8pm Mon-Sat), Reina Sofía (~€12, free evenings) or Thyssen (~€13) — don't try all three. Evening: tapeo along Calle Cava Baja in La Latina, ~£15-20 for a few plates and a drink each, then join Madrid's famously late nightlife in Malasaña.

🚌On foot / metro single ~£1.30

🛏Hostel dorm, Madrid centro (~£20)

• →Prado or Reina Sofía Museum (~£10-13)
• →Retiro Park & Royal Palace exterior (free)
• →Cava Baja tapas crawl (~£18)

Take an early Alsa or FlixBus from Madrid Estación Sur to Granada (~£18-25, 4h30-5h) — cheaper than the train and drops you in the centre. Check into a hostel in the Albaicín or near the cathedral. Afternoon self-guided walk through the Albayzín's whitewashed lanes, up to Mirador de San Nicolás for sunset views of the Alhambra (free). Evening: free-entry tapa with every drink in Granada — the city's famous ritual — so dinner can cost under £10.

🚌Alsa bus Madrid → Granada ~£20 (4h30)

🛏Hostel dorm, Albaicín/Granada centre (~£16)

• →Albaicín self-guided walk (free)
• →Mirador de San Nicolás sunset (free)
• →Granada free-tapa crawl (~£12)

The Alhambra is the big one: book tickets on the official Patronato site the moment they release (about 3 months ahead) — ~€19 general, Nasrid Palaces timed entry. Allow a full morning. Afternoon: Granada Cathedral (~€5) or simply nap. Evening: a traditional hammam (Hammam Al Ándalus, ~£30-40 with massage optional) then a self-led tapas crawl through the Realejo — the G Adventures 'first drink's on us' becomes your own round.

🚌On foot / city bus ~£1.30

🛏Hostel dorm, Granada (~£16)

• →Alhambra & Nasrid Palaces (~£16, pre-book months ahead)
• →Hammam Al Ándalus (~£32)
• →Self-led tapas crawl (~£15)

Bus to Seville (~£12-15, 3h) with Alsa. Drop bags at a hostel in the Centro or Triana. Self-guided walk: Catedral and La Giralda exterior, the Santa Cruz quarter's alleys, Plaza de España and María Luisa Park (free). Book the Real Alcázar online (~€14.50) for late afternoon, and a flamenco show — Casa de la Memoria (~£20) is the intimate, authentic pick. Dinner in Triana across the river, ~£12-15.

🚌Alsa bus Granada → Seville ~£13 (3h)

🛏Hostel dorm, Seville Centro/Triana (~£18)

• →Real Alcázar (~£12, pre-book)
• →Plaza de España & Santa Cruz walk (free)
• →Flamenco show Casa de la Memoria (~£20)

Take a morning bus from Seville to Faro (~£15, 2h45) then the regional train or Eva bus on to Lagos (~£6, 1h30). Alternatively a direct FlixBus Seville–Lagos if scheduled (~£18-22). Check into a surfer-friendly hostel in the old town (£15-22 dorm). Afternoon: wander the walled old town, Praia da Batata and Ponta da Bandeira. Cheap grilled fish dinner by the harbour, ~£12 — the Algarve on a budget means eating where the fishermen do.

🚌Bus Seville → Faro ~£15 + train/bus Faro → Lagos ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm, Lagos old town (~£18)

• →Lagos old town & harbour walk (free)
• →Praia da Batata beach (free)

Walk the clifftop trail from Praia da Luz or the Ponta da Piedade boardwalk (free, spectacular). For the Benagil sea caves, take the local bus to Lagoa/Benagil (~£3) and join a small-boat cave tour from Benagil beach (~£20-25) or kayak in from Praia de Benagil. Afternoon back in Lagos: surf lesson on Meia Praia (~£30) or just swim. Self-cater dinner from the Intermarché to keep costs down, or a £10 bifana and beer.

🚌Local bus Lagos → Lagoa/Benagil ~£3 each way

🛏Hostel dorm, Lagos (~£18)

• →Ponta da Piedade cliff walk (free)
• →Benagil caves boat tour (~£22)
• →Optional surf lesson (~£30)

Take the Comboios de Portugal (CP) Alfa Pendular or Intercidades from Lagos to Lisbon Oriente (~£20-25, 3h45) or a Rede Expressos bus (~£15, 4h30). Check into a hostel in Alfama, Bairro Alto or Baixa (£18-25). Self-guided orientation: Praça do Comércio, Alfama's lanes up to Castelo de São Jorge (~€15, or free viewpoints just below), then tram 15 to Belém for the tower and Jerónimos Monastery exteriors (free) and a pastel de nata at the original bakery (~£1.50). Evening: Bairro Alto bar-hopping — a beer is ~£2-3, so a big night out costs less than £25.

🚌CP train Lagos → Lisbon ~£22 (3h45)

🛏Hostel dorm, Lisbon Alfama/Baixa (~£20)

• →Alfama & Baixa self-guided walk (free)
• →Belém district & pastéis de nata (~£5)
• →Bairro Alto bar crawl (~£20)

Cheap morning flight Lisbon → Casablanca with Air Arabia Maroc, TAP or Ryanair (~£45-75 one way, book ahead; check which airport — Casablanca Mohammed V). From the airport take the train to Casa-Voyageurs or Casa-Port (~£2). Stay in a budget hotel or riad near the old medina (£20-28 twin share/dorm). Afternoon: visit the Hassan II Mosque (guided entry ~£11 / 130 MAD, timed tours) — one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslims, standing over the Atlantic. Evening: explore the Marché Central for cheap seafood and a mint tea on Place Mohammed V.

🚌Flight Lisbon → Casablanca ~£55 + airport train ~£2

🛏Budget hotel/riad near the medina (~£24)

• →Hassan II Mosque guided visit (~£11)
• →Old medina & Marché Central walk (free)

Take an early train from Casablanca to Rabat (~£3, 1h) — the ONCF trains are cheap and comfortable. Walk the Kasbah des Oudaias, the Oudaias ramparts and the medina of Rabat (all free), grab a kefta sandwich lunch (~£3). Then take a CTM or Supratours coach from Rabat to Chefchaouen (~£10-12, 4h30-5h) — book at the CTM office or online the day before. Arrive in the blue city, check into a cheap pension in the medina (£18-25) and wander the blue-washed lanes as the light goes soft. Cheap tagine dinner ~£5.

🚌Train Casablanca → Rabat ~£3 + CTM bus Rabat → Chefchaouen ~£11

🛏Pension in Chefchaouen medina (~£20)

• →Kasbah des Oudaias & Rabat medina (free)
• →Evening walk in the blue medina (free)

Options for the day: hike up to the Spanish Mosque for sunrise (free, 30 mins) and then a self-guided or locally guided day hike into the Rif foothills — ask your pension or a local guide at the medina entrance, ~£25-40 for a half-day guide (the operator's Rif Valley hike costs ~£85). Alternatively take a grand taxi to Akchour (~£8 shared) for the God's Bridge waterfall trail (free entry). Late afternoon: rooftop mint tea, then the classic sunset shot from the Spanish Mosque over the blue town. Optional hammam in the medina (~£6).

🚌Shared grand taxi to Akchour ~£8 (optional)

🛏Pension in Chefchaouen medina (~£20)

• →Spanish Mosque sunrise/sunset (free)
• →Rif foothills hike with local guide (~£30)
• →Optional Akchour waterfalls (shared taxi ~£8)

Take the CTM or Supratours bus Chefchaouen → Fès (~£8, 4h) — morning departure recommended. Check into a cheap riad or pension in or near the Fès el-Bali medina (£20-28). Afternoon: get deliberately lost in the medina with a map — Bab Boujloud, the Bou Inania Madrasa (~£5), the souks of the dyers and coppersmiths. Evening: eat pastilla and harira at a local restaurant (~£6-8) and watch the medina from a rooftop terrace.

🚌CTM bus Chefchaouen → Fès ~£8 (4h)

🛏Budget riad/pension, Fès medina (~£24)

• →Fès el-Bali medina wander (free)
• →Bou Inania Madrasa (~£5)

Book a half-day medina guide through GetYourGuide or directly with a licensed guide via your riad (~£20-25 for a small group, versus ~£20 equivalent on the operator tour at 250 MAD). Highlights: the Chouara tannery (view from a leather shop balcony — expect a mint sprig), the pottery and zellige workshops, the Nejjarine fountain, and the Kairaouine mosque courtyard (exterior for non-Muslims). Keep a firm 'no thank you' for unofficial 'guides' who attach themselves. Afternoon free for shopping or a rooftop rest; dinner ~£7.

🚌On foot

🛏Budget riad/pension, Fès medina (~£24)

• →Guided Fès medina half-day (~£22)
• →Chouara tannery visit (tip ~£2)
• →Artisan workshops & souks (free)

Long travel day: take the ONCF train Fès → Marrakech (~£18-22, 6h45) — comfortable, no need for a bus. Check into a budget hotel or riad near the medina (£24-30 for a twin or dorm). Evening: dive into Djemaa el Fna as the food stalls fire up — grilled skewers, snail broth, fresh orange juice (~£6 for a full feed). Optional: a rooftop at sunset over the Koutoubia.

🚌ONCF train Fès → Marrakech ~£20 (6h45)

🛏Budget hotel/riad, Marrakech medina (~£26)

• →Djemaa el Fna food stalls & square (~£6)
• →Koutoubia & medina evening walk (free)

Optional early hot-air balloon flight over the Atlas foothills — book via GetYourGuide (~£150-180, versus the operator's $225) including transfers. Otherwise: the Souk Semmarine and the spice square, the Bahia Palace (~£6), the Ben Youssef Madrasa (~£5) or the Majorelle Garden if pre-booked. Finish with a hammam (~£12) and a last tagine. Depart from Marrakech Menara airport (taxi ~£12) or take the train to Casablanca (~£10, 3h10) if your flight is from there — allow at least 3h before departure.

🚌Petit taxi to Marrakech airport ~£12, or train to Casablanca ~£10

🛏None (departure day)

• →Optional hot-air balloon (~£160, pre-book)
• →Bahia Palace & souks (~£10)
• →Hammam (~£12)