A Royal Tour through the Golden Age of Spain

In some countries, they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In parts of Spain, breakfast is the most important time of the day. The streets are quiet and welcoming, nobody rushing as the smells of coffee and jamon cascade from the cafes. People are relaxed, lingering over their meal as the day starts as it should go on: slowly and serenely. So don't rush. Take your time, feel the rhythm slow you down; today's tour will start whenever you're ready.

Few cities rival Madrid's classical art scene. Three exceptional galleries span the work of Europe's great masters and Spain's golden age is your starting point. Morales, Nurillo, Zurbano; the El Prado Museum is Spain's Louvre, a vast gallery of masterpieces that take you through the centuries. Canvases fill entire walls, full of oily twirls and intricate detail. Slowly you move forward, heading through Valazquez and Goya as the art of old Europe evolves. Just across the street, the Reina Sophia is home to Spain's greatest collection of contemporary art. Fabulous collections of Picasso and Dali are the undisputed highlight. Next comes the Thyssen-Bornemisza, an ode to the international artwork snapped up by Spain's wealthy emperors. An expert guide accompanies you throughout, providing a story that adds further life into the paint. The afternoon is at your leisure and your guide can recommend a number of places to explore without a map. Central Madrid is full of fascination and every street has something to discover.

Chocolate and churros are a sweet start to a day of royal discovery. Dip the swirls of pastry into the bubbling pot of chocolate, the tongue absorbing the sugar as you enjoy Madrid's famous breakfast treat. Start today's guided tour in the Royal Palace; the occasional residence of His Majesty offers sublime views onto Madrid's suburbs. Explore the royal pharmacy and its collection of strange potions. Sweep your hands around the Romanesque pillars and savor the grandeur. Hear the tales of Bourbon dynasties as the sun bounces off the marble. Barely 30 minutes away, the World Heritage Palace of Aranjuez is a second exemplar of wealth and power. Enjoy a picnic of local jamon and cheese in its vast cultivated gardens, the facade of the palace glistening in the foreground.

You return to Madrid around mid-afternoon for some more free time soaking up the city. After the royal day comes a local evening. Wind down Cava Baja Street on a unique tapas tour, your food-loving guide picking out the most exquisite tapas bars. Sit down and enjoy one or two tapas at each, then move on to another specialty and atmospheric haven. Wine is included as you sample your way from the whites of Txacoli to the reds of Rioja. This is a great chance to see the local side of Madrid and get to know the cuisine that Spain is so famous for.

Alcala de Henares sometimes looks strikingly familiar, especially if you've visited famous colleges in the USA or UK. Grand libraries look down on square lawns of excited chatter. Terraced rows reveal a 15th-century history, each consistent in style yet unique in appearance. Bell towers dominate the skyline, gazing down on the statues of literary masters. Alcale de Henares was the world's first planned university town in recognition of Spain's pioneering roll in higher education. It's a tranquil yet ambient place to spend a day. Upon arrival, you'll spend the morning with a university guide, someone who opens the doors to oak framed libraries and hidden history. The afternoon is free to relax in the town, with your boutique hotel located in a 16th-century building.

Vivid frescos shine in el Escorial monastery, biblical scenes filling whole domes and trumpet blowing cherubs hanging to pillars. Artistic tales are illuminated in red and green as light seeps through the stained glass. 16Th century King Philip II fought a religious war, investing his riches in Catholic odes as he battled French Protestant Reformation. This monastery palace is what remains, a spectacular expanse of art and architecture many see as second only to the Vatican. Your guide picks up on Philip's story as you tour the palace, museum, royal court, and monastery. Another of Spain's World Heritage Sites, San Lorenzo de el Escorial offers a poignant look at the early days of the golden age, both in the architectural style and the obsession with artistic opulence. Your tour culminates with lunch on a fine dining terrace with views onto el Escorial. A paired wine and tasting menu takes you well into the afternoon and probably a siesta at your Parador, a luxury hotel in an old converted monastery.

Segovia spreads its aesthetic pleasures far and wide. Resting high above rugged cliffs, gazing down on the curves of two great rivers, the town is an image from a fairytale. Its stone bridges curve with cobbles and the alleyways ascend through a maze of Baroque and Gothic architecture.  It might look familiar: it was the Alcazar's towers that inspired Disney's Snow White castle, There's nothing modern. Follow the double-tiered aqueduct to a square of fluttering bird song and gourmet scents. Rock your head back at the Cathedral of Segovia, its majestic Gothic style as resplendent on the inside as the outside. Pillars tower high as immense glass windows leave utopian hazes of red and yellow. Spend the morning being guided around Segovia, reliving a medieval dream as almost every building comes from the golden age.

The tour culminates at the Plaza Azoguejo, a central point from which the alluring gabled roofs extend. Spilling out of the historic facades are some of Spain's finest gastronomic haunts, each sticking to the recipes of centuries past. Sit down to the lunch menu at Villena, the town's Michelin-starred restaurant, savoring the region's ultimate specialty: roasted suckling pig. The afternoon is at your leisure and your Parador hotel has timeless views of the iconic skyline.

Despite the artistry of architecture, Segovia has a certain humbleness. It's not flashy or ostentatious; the splendor emanates from classical shapes and designs. The same can't be said about La Granja de San Ildefonso. Developed by numerous kings, this lavish palace is a haven of indulgence, built with unlimited funds and filled with excessive pleasures. The extravagance is almost blinding, the cloistered halls and gardens impossibly rich. Today's tour continues in Pedraza, a tiny medieval town once home to Spanish royalty. While it's nowhere near the size of Segovia, the maze of streets feel almost abandoned since the 13th century. Have lunch here, down a street of stone that verges on becoming a medieval ghost town. You'll return to Segovia around mid-afternoon and the rest of the day is free.

Along the road to Avila, your driver stops. Admire the scene. Semi-arid valleys leave tones of yellow and red. Olive groves and wine farms bring shocks of green beside the river. And the focal point is unmistakable. The walls and turrets of Avila dominate the landscape for many a mile, looking as imposing as they did when invading armies once marched on this land. Avila's walls are perhaps the best preserved in Europe and your tour starts upon them. Continue to Catedral de Avila, trying to make sense of its scenes of heaven and hell, and then climb to a Roman church with a mysterious history.

Sainta Teresa of Jesus was born in Avila and you'll find churches and monasteries occupying almost every corner of the town; each is a mix of asceticism with Gothic and Renaissance styles. Avila is another walled town that's small enough to easily explore yet large enough to continually deliver a surprise. After a tour of the major sights, the afternoon and evening are free to take in what hides inside the fortress walls.

Oxford? Cambridge? No, the world's first university hails from Salamanca almost 800 years ago. Keep rewinding the clock and the city has a history incorporating Hannibal, Romans, and the Moors. Your local guide is providing the history lesson, over the 1st century Puento Romano bridge and towards the university, where facades of plateresque brilliance leave tones of extravagance. This remains one of the world's finest universities, a glorious ode to the foresight of Leon's former king Alonso IX. Head into La Casa de la Concha and hundreds of shells line the walls, brought from the coast at a time when they were valued more highly than gold.

Salamanca moved with the times, following the architectural styles until the golden age culminated in the 17th century. Since then its old town has stood still, preserving its chic buildings and keeping its feet in medieval musing. The guided tour finishes with a lavish lunch at the Playa Mayor de Salamanca, one of Spain's largest squares. Arcaded buildings cascade out from the Baroque Town Hall, your eyes following their cafes to turreted towers and then to the Irish Palace, an elegant forefather of Renaissance styles. With a hotel in the heart of the old town, the rest of your time is a leisurely and languid submersion in the city's architectural masterpieces.

Perched above a mystical hilltop, Toledo offers a timeless final memory for this vacation. It's all here: the exquisite castle turrets, a Roman gateway into a walled town, cathedral spires sending flumes of beauty towards the azure sky, and a maze of streets that keep you firmly rooted in a historic time. There is no guided tour in Toledo. Ascend through the cobbled streets to the castle, checking in to your parador castle room that affords views towards nearby Madrid. Spend the day getting lost. Every street and every corner maintains the spell, a whole cauldron of architectural styles representing every century but the last three. Completing the itinerary, enjoy a gala dinner in the castle's immense dining hall. A regal banquet is served; roasted pig surrounded by colorful fruits, soups paired with fine wine, and delicate little dishes to accompany the entertainment. If you didn't know it already, you're in the 16th century, basking in the final memories of Spain's reign as the world's economic and artistic ruler.

The Castle of Oropesa blurs into the distance as you leave Toledo, its hilltop beauty fading away as this tour of Spain's golden age comes to an end. It's around a 90-minute transfer to Madrid Airport and your departure flight.