We’re considering the RS 14-day best of Spain tour in September / October. How does it compare to other RS tours? Recommend it? Highlights?
It is similar in some ways but different in others. Most people who have taken it enjoyed it. The highlights were their favorite parts.
We took the Best of Spain Tour last summer and enjoyed. Previously we’ve been on the 14 Day Best of Europe Tour and the Best of Central Europe Tour.
A main difference is that Best of Spain had less bus time as we were covering a smaller geographic area. Group dinners were, of course, Spanish in style. Lots of shared small plates, tapas, etc.
The hotels were what you’d expect of a RS Tour. All completely acceptable to us, a couple much nicer than the others.
Highlights (for me) would be Sagrada Família, the Alhambra and the Royal Alcazar in Sevilla. The itinerary in the online description was exactly what we did, so take a look and see if the anctivities interest you.
It was a good tour, and I was glad we went. No big surprises for in terms of how the tour worked or was organized, compared to the others I’ve been on. Feel free to message me if you have specific questions!
Definitely recommended. I haven't done a lot of RS tours but I like the way they're organized, with enough free time, no "shopping stops," a good mix of group and on-your-own dinners, excellent guides (Javier Menor and others), and always enjoyable companions. In those ways Spain was like the others. My own highlights would be the Prado, the aqueduct in Segovia, and looking down at the clouds and birds from Arcos.
I like to arrive a few days before a tour and spend a few days after. While the tour doesn't include Cordoba, it's an easy stop between Sevilla and Madrid (preferably overnight or longer), and the Mezquita there was a lifetime treat. Many people love Barcelona, and I did fine there, but somehow it didn't reach the top of my list. Hope that helps.
You can also go into the Best of Spain Reviews section to see previous participants’ comments.