Best of Spain in 14 Days

Yes, definitely add an extra night prior to the tour starting. So much more relaxing than arriving the day it starts. Email the hotel; tell them you will be part of the Rick Steves tour and you would look to book a room for the night prior that will allow you to stay in that room for the duration of your time in the hotel. Sometimes I've had them say, "ok book such and such kind of room." I've also had, "well it's too far out, I can't tell you." What I would absolutely say is DON'T book the king premium deluxe type accommodations; book your most basic room and then you'll more than likely end up getting to remain in that room for the entire time. It's always worked for us on our RS tours.

Enjoy!

I always email the hotels. Check the itinerary section of your tour account to see if there are specific instructions.
One good reason for booking an extra night or 2 is in case there are flight issues.

Hi, we’re on our 9th Rick tour, and you should definitely add at least one, if not two days on the front end. Rick Steves tours hit the ground running, so you’ll want to be over your jet lag and ready to go on day 2 (day 1 is the meet up at the hotel in the afternoon, orientation, and usually an orientation walk on your way to dinner together. Day 2 is usually a full strength tour day!) We’ve always been able to reserve an extra day or two at the tour hotel on the front end on our own and just email them to let them know we’re part of the Rick Steves tour starting on xxx date. Our experience is that the hotels that Rick tours frequent are ready to go above and beyond to keep tour patrons squared away! Have an amazing time, what an amazing adventure you’re in for!

We did this tour last September and loved it!

We flew into Madrid and immediately took the high-speed train to Zaragoza for two nights. The high-speed train ticket includes a local train ticket (free) within a four hour window. We just asked directions from an agent on how to get from the airport to the high-speed station. Zaragoza is a lovely, walkable town just right for getting over jet-lag, and much cheaper than Barcelona. This could be a one-night stop.

We then took the high-speed train into Barcelona for two nights prior to the tour starting. This gave us time to see the sights the tour doesn't cover (Park Guell, Casa Bolta, Casa Mila, and we took a day trip to Girona.) We emailed the hotel in Barcelona and requested two nights additional stay, letting them know we were on the RS tour starting on the specific date (tours often overlap in hotels). We've done this on all our RS tours and they've always kept us in the same room. Makes it easier for them and us.

When the tour was over, we took the high-speed back to Madrid, stopping for the day in Cordoba to visit Mezquita-Catredal de Cordoba. We took a later high-speed train into Madrid for an additional two nights, again to see the sights the tour did not cover that we didn't have time for while the tour was in Madrid.

This was the first time we flew in and out of the same city. It just worked for this tour and our timing. Normally, we would arrive a day or two early to get over jet lag, staying at the RS. While it's tempting to fly out right after breakfast on the last day, it's nice to take the time to relax and be in the country almost as a local, without the tour! For the Spain tour, you'll probably find much better flight options out of Madrid than out of Sevilla.

All train tickets were booked separately. We had downloaded the Renfe app and all our train tickets were in our Apple wallet-it couldn't be easier.

Tips:

Instead of ordering Sangria (too sweet with added sugar), try Tinto de Verano instead. It's a mix of red wine and lemon soda water. Very tasty!

If you do arrive into Barcelona early enough for a day trip, the easiest choices are Monserrat or Girona. We chose not to go to Monserrat because we've been to Meteora in Greece and were looking for a city day trip.

Took this trip in the fall of 2023. Depending on your schedule, you might consider taking an extra day in Sevilla. There were limited flights out of Sevilla for us at that time. Had to take a short flight to Lisbon and then back to the US. Sevilla was a fun city and had a lot to offer. Easy to get acclimated there. Definitely take a day before as we did and had lots of fun exploring Gaudi’s La Pedrera (Casa Mila). At the time we went, RSE did not go to La Pedrera. We did walk outside and also outside of the other Gaudi properties along the same street.

I also agree with adding at least one day ahead in Barcelona, if not two, to give you some flexibility in case of travel drama but also to see things the tour does not cover. You can contact the property directly as noted by others, but I have often found less expensive options nearby to the tour hotel that saved me some money (RS has upgraded their hotel selections compared to my usual preference). I've done this tour and booked a property around the corner from the tour hotel - the morning the tour started I took my luggage to the tour hotel and left it with them (or checked in if my room was ready).

When I did this tour I took a train from Sevilla to Madrid, stayed one more night there, and then flew home. Much better flight options and you can see sights in Madrid you may have missed on your pass through there on the tour. Or in my case, get another helping of garlic shrimp from the yummy tapas place.

We're also taking this tour this fall, and will arrive in Barcelona 3 days early (Barcelona is one of my husband's favorite places) and are staying on in Sevilla another 2 or 3 nights after the tour. We like being able to relax before and after a tour, and love having the extra time to see things the tour doesn't visit, or to spend extra time at some of the sights.

I'm sending you a PM; we might be tour mates!

Thank you ALL so very much!

Your replies have all been very helpful. We've decided to add 2 nights in Barcelona before the tour begins. We do not want to rush from breakfast to the airport so we're adding 1 night at the end as well. Though, we're still undecided if we're leaving from Sevilla or Madrid, but we're adding an extra night either way.

Again, thanks for all of your tips!!