Al Ándalus Train, a palace on rails

The tour starts at Seville's Hotel Taberna del Alabardero, a strategic location for visiting the city in a day, including the cities' most iconic spots with Islamic roots such as the Santa Maria Cathedral with its Giralda bell tower, the Royal Alcázar of Seville and the Santa Cruz neighbourhood. You can have lunch either at the hotel or in one of the city's Michelin-starred haute cuisine restaurants, such as Cañabota. After lunch, we suggest you take a panoramic bus tour, making sure you stop at the monumental Plaza de España. Later in the day, the luxurious Al Ándalus Train will transport you to Jerez, where you will have dinner and spend the night.

After breakfast on board, you will go by bus to Cádiz to explore its old town and get to know the history of the city with visits to the Cathedral of Cádiz, the Roman Theatre and the Populo neighbourhood, followed by some free time before you head back to the train for lunch. In the afternoon, you will be able to enjoy some more free time relaxing in the train's saloon coaches before having dinner in Jerez, where you can taste Andalusian haute cuisine in one of its Michelin-starred restaurants, such as Mantúa or LÚ Cocina y Alma.

After breakfast, you can visit the Alcázar and, time permitting, attend an impressive horse show. Nowadays an international benchmark in equestrian sport, Jerez has a long horse-breeding tradition. You will then have lunch on the train as it takes you to Ronda, a unique city that blends the grandeur of its Islamic heritage with the majesty of its mountainous surroundings. The Almocábar Gate, the walls of the Cijara and Albacara, and the Arab Baths are all musts. You can then spend the afternoon enjoying the activities on board before savouring the local cuisine and spending the night in Ronda.

We suggest you spend the morning taking a stroll through Ronda's old town, its beauty and delicacy evoking the days of Al-Ándalus, before once again boarding the train for lunch as it heads to Córdoba. Take this time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of southern Spain, from the rugged mountains and deep gorges of the Serranía de Ronda to the open fields and rolling hills of the Andalusian countryside, before spending the night in Córdoba.

After breakfast, it is time to visit Córdoba, the Medieval capital of the Caliphate of Al-Ándalus. You will be able to visit most of its World Heritage Sites, including the impressive Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba and the Baths of the Caliphate Alcázar. If you have time to spare, we suggest you take either public or private transport just 8 km to the site of Medina Azahara, a city ordered to build at the foot of Sierra Morena by Abd-al Rahmann III. For lunch, why not try some of the Cordovan specialties such as “salmorejo”, aubergine with honey or mazamorra, a cold soup made with almonds. In the afternoon you can explore Úbeda and Baeza, two cities also declared World Heritage Sites. Back on the train, your tour will continue to Granada, where the famous Alhambra awaits you. Dinner and evening entertainment will be provided on board before spending the night at Granada station.

This leg of the luxury trip through ancient Al-Ándalus is one of the most special of the entire tour. In the morning, you will visit the Alhambra, an ancient Nasrid fortress once home to sultans and kings. Nowadays it is a World Heritage Site, so take your time to visit its beautiful gardens, the Patio de los Leones, the fountains of the Generalife and the Nasrid palaces. In the afternoon you will have free time to explore Granada, lose yourself in its narrow streets and admire the beautiful surrounding scenery, with the Sierra Nevada on the horizon. You can also visit El Bañuelo, one of the oldest and most well-preserved public Arab baths in Spain. In the evening, don't miss the opportunity to taste Granada's culinary delicacies before we spend the night in the city.

On the last day on the Al Andalus Train, you will enjoy a special breakfast on board before bidding farewell to the train and its crew and heading to Málaga where you can visit the Alcazaba, a palatial fortification from the Muslim era that combines military architecture with the beauty of the gardens and courtyards typical of ancient Al-Ándalus. Afterwards, you will have lunch at the AC Hotel Marriot Malaga Palacio, where the spectacular tour through southern Spain ends. For a more detailed route, click here.