The morning light catches the delicate lacework of stone as you sip your coffee. From your apartment’s balcony in Granada’s ancient Albaicín quarter, the view encompasses centuries of cultural dialogue written in architecture. This isn’t something you’d notice in a day trip—it’s the reward of slowing down and living within these storied walls. …
Recently our colleague Joao, from Sintra, Portugal, was cleaning out some old paperwork and stumbled upon a thank you note from UnTourists whom he had hosted during the tragic events of 9/11, back in 2001. Joao hosted the first iteration of our Sintra UnTour back then (which was simply the Portugal UnTour, as we had…
The Sierras Subbéticas literally form the backyard for our Andalusia UnTour hometowns. Though central and wildly beautiful, this area is largely untouched by tourism. It is at the very center of our rural Andalusia UnTour. The Sierra Subbética, la Subbética for short, is a strikingly beautiful, rugged park located in the triangle that forms between…
Madrid is a spectacular city! Though we do not have an UnTour program there, some of our guests from our Spanish UnTours in Barcelona, Andalusia, and Cordoba make their way there for an overnight or two, to round out their experience of Spain. And for good reason! Madrid is a beautiful and fascinating place. That’s…
Wine is on the agenda for our upcoming Weekend in Spain event! Our very own wine expert in Spain, Isa Calviche, will walk guests through a primer on Spanish wines, along with some tasting notes as guests sip along. Here is the list of wines she recommends. We’ve included links to wine.com. Some may also be…
With borders closed, and no European travel in the near future, many of us are enjoying photos and memories of past UnTours travels. Vickie Kelber is a loyal UnTourist and frequent contributor to the UnTours blog. She has shared her insights on London and fond memories of Switzerland. This week on the blog, she shares…
Flamenco is the sound of Spain, a tradition of music and dance that was developed in the 18th century and that remains popular in Spain today. It originated in Andalusia, home of our Cordoba and rural Andalucia UnTours, though it grew to be embraced all over Spain and is performed widely to this day. The…
Located within easy day trip distance of our UnTours in Cordoba and Andalusia in Southern Spain, Ronda is an exciting day trip! Because of its high perch in the mountains, Ronda is often referred to as The Eagles’ Nest. Standing atop a towering plateau, a plunging river gorge, El Tajo (ravine), divides the…
Cordoba is a magical place where history and religions mingle in stunning architecture and art. It also flies a little below the tourist radar, so it is an appealing base for an Andalusia UnTour. Our secret formula for UnTours also includes the requirement that a homebase be just that, a base from which…
So much to see and do in Europe already, but why not plan your trip around some of the season’s special events? Festivals and fairs are a window into a culture, a signifier of what is important to a community, and an excellent way to rub elbows with the locals. Here is your 2020 trip…