Madrid and Barcelona, two great cities but completely different, exciting history and heritage, great and unique architecture, sophisticated nightlife and superb gastronomy. Modern MADRID has a cosmopolitan population but there are important differences: it’s centuries old palaces, squares and works of art have largely escaped the ravages of war.

It is interesting to speculate what made Barcelona a magnet for creativity before the likes of Picasso and Gaudi came along. Could it be its multicultural history fashioned by the Phoenicians, Romans, Visigoths, Moors, Jews and Christians who came, saw and conquered leaving behind a legacy of architectural, artistic and culinary wealth?

This is one of the most dramatic tours, a feast for the senses! The countryside varies from pastoral river plains to the harsh terrain of mountains; the Mediterranean coast changes from golden strands to plunging rocks.

Barcelona can justifiably claim to be the Mediterranean’s most colourful and exciting city with a past just as vibrant as the present, the perfect place to set out on a culinary adventure that will take you though the winding streets of the Gothic quarter to the rural beauty of the Penedés wine area.

Cast any preconceptions aside, prepare for an experience unlike any other. On the way to Priorat, you have a choice: go inland to see to one of Spain’s most sacred monasteries built amongst the jagged peaks of the Montserrat mountains accessed by funicular railway.

A thousand years before Christ, the Phoenicians were producing wine in the Penedés region, about a day’s march from the ancient port of Barcelona. Carthaginians, Romans, Moors traded the wine all round the Mediterranean. Foreign merchants introduced culinary innovations, hence there is a rich epicurean legacy awaiting you.