Spain and Portugal Tours in December

We loved our trip to Spain and Portugal! We enjoyed each of our private tours with our tour guides in the various cities we experienced. They went above and beyond to share their knowledge of the planned sites, plus they added in individual unique sites and information along our walking route.

Zicasso’s tour company took all of our requested activities, venues, and interests to customize a trip that fit us well. They were in communication with us during our trip when a planned site was not available due to construction. Our tour guide provided us with other possible replacement options and let us choose what was of interest to us rather than them making the decision.

We tremendously enjoyed all of the cities, Madrid, Toledo, Granada, and Seville in Spain and Lisbon and Porto in Portugal. Our trip went smoothly and the activities were scheduled at a good pace for us! An extra bonus for us was seeing King Felipe VI by being in the right place at the right time near the opera house in Madrid while we were on our walking tour. We highly recommend Zicasso and the tour company.

The owners of Zicasso’s tour company were amazing from start to finish. They curated a custom trip for us to Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Málaga, Toledo, and Granada. They listened to our requests and came up with a brilliant itinerary that included personal drivers, hotels, dining recommendations, and tour guides. They were also so quick to respond to our questions and pivot our plans when needed. This was a very special 30th-anniversary trip for us and they knocked it out of the park.

Zicasso’s travel agency helped us plan a 17-day, three-country tour (Morocco, Portugal, and southern Spain). We were able to enjoy all the highlights of each city we visited with a very well-paced schedule!

The travel company's staff were flexible too! Adjusting the initial itinerary for cost and sites to visit was not an issue. We cut out a leg to Barcelona and some private drivers where prudent. We also adding things back in (i.e., a sherry-tasting experience, etc., was accommodated).

During our trip was where this travel company truly excelled. The staff very conscientiously checked in on us as our tour progressed and were proactively reminding us (via a messaging tool) of meeting places and the names of guides for the next day. They stayed on top of our itinerary and continuously inquired if they could do anything else! I enlisted their help when I had trouble checking in to our flight from Casablanca to Porto. At my request, she stepped in and helped successfully check us in! Knowing of my difficulties in checking in to intra-EU flights, she then took the initiative to check us in to our next flight from Lisbon to Sevilla! I even had a scare when I forgot some valuables in the safe in our hotel in Málaga, but she was able to retrieve them and send them to me in Madrid! It was comforting to know we had someone in our corner looking out for us!

We have gone with Zicasso on many trips, but this tour operator met and far exceeded our expectations for this trip! The travel company not only saved me a great disappointment for my forgetfulness, but provided very informative private guides, courteous drivers, and exceptional personal service throughout our itinerary! This was our 43rd-anniversary trip and they provided us with wonderful memories that will last us a lifetime!

My husband and I returned from a 19-day trip to Spain and Portugal on September 22nd and would highly recommend our travel agency, arranged through Zicasso Travel.

Our travel agent customized a trip, taking into account our budget and incorporating visits to Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, Málaga, Granada, Seville, and Ronda in Spain, and the Algarve coast, Évora, and Lisbon in Portugal.

We easily communicated via emails, phone calls and zoom, and after four drafts we agreed to a final itinerary that met out interests, along with his excellent recommendations. Our agent was always gracious and understanding to the changes we wanted to make. He also included some down time on a few half days of tours to do some sightseeing on our own along with his recommendations.

Having planned two trips abroad ourselves in the past, and being older, it was so reassuring to have a competent and knowledgeable travel agent to take care of all train reservations, tickets, hotels, private drivers and tour guides. It was also reassuring to know if we encountered any problem during the course of our trip we could contact someone at a 24/7 emergency number. The train transportation arranged between a few cities went smoothly in the comfort of first class, our private drivers were pleasant, professional and informative and our individual tour guides that were arranged to meet us were prompt and so knowledgeable which made each tour all the more memorable. Lastly, our agent was able to provide the resources for us to meet some personal needs at each hotel where we stayed.

We were very happy to be matched with Zicasso’s travel consultant to arrange our travel plans. His expertise and thoughtfulness were obvious through every detail, and his suggestions proved to be the right ones in nearly every case. The transfers made the travel stress-free and smooth. The drivers were professional and most engaging, with only one slight mix-up on the location when departing Mallorca, but this caused no issue.

We returned to Zicasso because of our wonderful experience they arranged for our trip to Italy a few years ago, and this experience was equally fantastic. It was very assuring for my wife and I to receive the notices and updates from our travel consultant while our travel was in progress. He was prompt and detailed from start to finish. My wife speaks Spanish very well and loved the opportunity to interact and rebuild her vocabulary.

All hotels selected were excellent. The service quality was a standout at the hotel on Plaza de las Cortes in Madrid and the resort on Carrer de les Molins in Mallorca, in particular. The accommodation in Granada was beautiful, although just for feedback, the room location was not so good, having a full window wall at nearly ground level looking at people at a cafe — which meant keeping the blackout drapes pulled the entire time — and, consequently, a little noisy. That is just meant as a note if you book this hotel in the future. The lower levels at the back of the hotel should be avoided. That probably had more to do with what was available at check-in time, but just a note.

As we mentioned to our travel consultant during the trip, all four private tour guides we had were wonderful and very knowledgeable. The day trip to Toledo was a standout, as was the Alhambra in Granada. The horse show at the Spanish riding school fulfilled my wife's wish over many years and it didn't disappoint. Our guide in Granada stayed with us nearly an hour beyond her time (even though we mentioned the time to her). She replied that she enjoyed spending time with those who appreciated her city – and we did. We enjoyed her historical perspective very much and she seemed to enjoy it too. Our other guides were all terrific and it was evident they all enjoy their work and are proud of their cities and heritage.

We loved the horseback riding at the ranch with our guide in Mallorca. The staff there went above and beyond when my wife lost a bracelet on the trail (unknown where or when). We were nearly back at the hotel when we got a call that one of their staff had found the bracelet. The manager offered and dropped off the bracelet at the hotel that night on her way home, before we left for Barcelona. Great people!

The crowning point was ending our travel at the Sagrada Família at sunset — awe-inspiring! We really don't have any complaints or things we would change. There is much we would add, however, had we had more time (and money).

Thank you, Zicasso, and Zicasso’s travel company, for helping make a great memory for my wife and me.

It is hard not to be overly effusive in praise of the trip. The hotels, travel, guides, and itinerary were all wonderful. The trip was tailored to our needs and interests very well. We loved our app and Zicasso’s travel specialist checking in on us.

So what were the favorites for me? The Douro Valley, Córdoba, and Toledo. Not saying that I did not enjoy all the rest, but those were the standouts and might merit a return. I think being there during the Christmas season was special, though the crowds in Madrid were a little much for us. It was colder than we expected, but better than sweltering heat.

So what could I have lived without? The Metropol Parasol (recommended by someone else, not the travel company) was underwhelming and the Royal Palace in Madrid was not as interesting as other landmarks. The Alhambra and the Retiro Park in Madrid were more enjoyable.

That said, the travel specialist did a wonderful job accommodating our lifestyle and interests, making for a wonderful travel experience.