THE TAPESTRY OF (JEWISH) SPAIN: Past and Present

September 24 - October 6, 2026

Highlights

Celebrating Sukkot with the Jewish community in Barcelona

Visiting the iconic La Sagrada Familia Basilica designed by Gaudi

Wandering the medieval streets of Girona, home to the first European Kabbalists

Discovering Jewish art at Madrid’s Prado Museum

Exploring Toledo, long considered the “Jerusalem of the West”

Marveling at the Moorish UNESCO World Heritage site, the Alhambra in Granada

Touring Lucena, “the Pearl of Sepharad,” once a Jewish majority town and center of Talmudic studies

Enjoying an electrifying performance of authentic Flamenco in Sevilla

Dates and Pricing

Cost:

Cancellation Policy:

Notes:

Important dates:

A non-refundable deposit of $1,000 per person is due upon registration with the balance due by May 4, 2026.
Refunds of all fees, minus $1000 deposit per person, can be requested until June 3, 2026. No refunds after that date.

Notes:

Some activities rely on local hosts, suppliers or sites and are subject to change.
Trip is limited to 30 adults. Minimum age for participation is 21.
This is not a kosher trip and there will be travel on Shabbat.

Included:

All accommodations (12 nights)
Private pick-up and drop off at Spanish airports
Private, licensed tour guides
All special activities, sights, admission fees and programs as per itinerary
Luxurious, WiFi-equipped transportation for the entire trip
All breakfasts, lunches and dinners, alcohol included
All tips and gratuities

Not Included:

Airfare to/from Spain
Travel insurance (highly recommended)

Accommodations

Barcelona

Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona

Madrid

Mandarin Oriental Ritz

Granada

Hospes Palacio De Bailio

Itinerary

Bienvenidos a Barcelona

Private pick up from Barcelona airport to hotel
Hotel check in at 3:00PM. Program begins at 5:00PM at the lobby of the hotel with welcome drinks and opening lecture: The Spanish-Jewish Experience.
Dinner at El Xalet de Montjuic Restaurant, with sweeping views of the city

Sukkot A La Gaudi

Breakfast at hotel
Morning guided tour of the city, including Gaudi’s iconic Sagrada Familia Basicilia and Park Güell
Stroll along the Rambla and lunch on-the-go on your own from stalls at La Boquería
Visit the El Call, the medieval Jewish quarter with its old synagogue, believed to be from 3rd century
Enjoy a glass of local Vermut at Casa Adret, the Jewish cultural center located in one of the oldest houses in the city, with amazing views of the old Jewish quarter from its rooftop terrace
Ushpizin (inviting symbolic spiritual guests into the Sukkah) with Rabbi Haim, including a discussion of ancient Inquisition era documents
Kabbalat Shabbat service at Congregation ATID, led by Spain’s first female rabbi
Dinner with Rabbi Irene Muzás Calpe at Antigua restaurants

Mazal Tov by the Gate

Breakfast at hotel
Day trip to Girona, with the best-preserved Jewish quarter in the country. It was the hometown of the sage Nachmanides (nicknamed mazal tov by the gate), who was key to the re-establishment of Jerusalem’s Jewish community after its destruction by the Crusaders in 1099
Tour of the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres
Lunch at Dalicatessen in Figueres
Stop in Besalu to see the remains of the only Romanesque mikvah in Spain
Return to Barcelona
Wine and snacks on a sunset cruise
Dinner at Nobu Barcelona

Madrid Today

Breakfast at hotel
High speed train to Madrid (2:30hr)
Check into hotel
Light lunch and a tour of the city, including the Plaza de la Villa, Plaza Mayor and Royal Palace
Dinner at Saint James, famous for array of paellas and other rice dishes
Late night drinks in the literary quarter, once home to great writers like Cervantes and Lope de Vega

The Capital’s Hidden Legacy

Breakfast at hotel
Guided tour of Jewish Madrid
Falafeleria lunch
Explore the Prado Museum with a specialist in its Jewish art
Chocolate and churros
Free time to explore
Dinner at Ramsés, located next to city’s triumphal arch

Jerusalem of the West

Breakfast at hotel
Day trip to Toledo, once the wealthiest and largest Jewish city in Spain, to visit the Jewish quarter, Shumuel La-Levi synagogue (now a church) and the former Grand Synagogue and the Jewish museum
Lunch
Choose one of these afternoon activities:
- Marzipan making
- Tour of El Greco Museum
Return to Madrid
Dinner: Lhardy, an iconic restaurant operating since 1838 and considered one of the best in Spain

The Last Moors of Spain, The Last Jews of Granada

Breakfast at hotel
Train to Granada (3:15hr), the old Moorish capital, long a symbol of the co-existence of three religions
Lunch
Visit to the old Jewish quarter with its statue of Ibn Tibbon, who first translated Maimonides, and to Albaicin, the old Moorish neighborhood
Pre-dinner drink and discussion about the daily lives of Andalusian Jews gleaned from documents in the Cairo Gueniza with Professor Jose Martinez Delgado, Department of Semitic Studies at the University of Granada
Dinner with panoramic views of the Alhambra at Carmen De Aben Humeya

The Lions of Alhambra

Breakfast at hotel
Tour the Alhambra, a sprawling palace and fortress complex with intricate Islamic architecture, where Rabbi Isaac Abravenel pleaded with Ferdinand and Isabel to rescind the order of expulsion of the Jews…and failed.
Lunch
Choose one of these afternoon activities:
- Guided tour of Royal Chapel of Granada (burial place of Isabella and Ferdinand)
- Nazari/Arabic cooking class
- Visit to the warm, candlelit waters of Hammam Al Ándalus
- Perfume making workshop at Patio de los Perfumes (make your own scent)
- Free time to wander a city of hidden plazas, tiny shops, cobblestone stone alleys
Tapas Crawl dinner

Dancing with the Torah in Ancient Córdoba

Breakfast at hotel
Bus drive to Lucena, “the Pearl of the Sepharad,” to explore the Jewish cemetery and museum in what was once an almost exclusively Jewish city
Continue on toward Córdoba, stopping en route at a local family winery for wine and olive oil tasting, lunch and ladino music
Check in to hotel in Córdoba
Simchat Torah Interfaith service at Plaza de la Concha
Dinner: Bodegas Campos, a century-old iconic Córdoban restaurant

At Home With The Rambam

Breakfast at hotel
Shabbat morning meditation
Guided tour of the Jewish quarter of the old Moorish capital of Al Andalusia, including the Plaza de Tiberiades, statue of Maimonides, Yehuda Halevi Square, Maimonides synagogue and Casa Sefarad
Lunch
Explore the Mosque Cathedral, dating from 785 AD, with its 1,000 colored columns
Free time to wander the restored city heart, one of the largest medieval quarters in Europe
Dinner at Restaurante Los Berengueles, serving traditional Andalusian food Havdallah

Peeling Back Hidden History

Breakfast at hotel
Drive to Sevilla with a stop in Palma del Rio at an old aristocratic home with a citrus orchard for an orange tasting
Lunch at San Francisco Monastery
Check in at hotel in Sevilla
Tour the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain, created by Romans in 563 BCE, conquered by the Moors, who allowed Jews great freedom and then reconquered by the Catholics, who launched the Inquisition
Dinner at Alfarería in Tirana, across river, traveling by horse-drawn carriage
After dinner drinks by the Guadalquivir River

A Royal Send-Off

Breakfast at hotel
Explore the Alcázar Palace, a World Heritage Site, followed by visits to the Cathedral and La Giralda, a 12th-century bell tower that became a symbol of the city
Light lunch at bar/restaurant with a 700-year-old mikvah in its basement
Free time
Visit to Maria Luisa Gardens, Plaza de España and Jewish quarter, the Santa Cruz neighborhood, with its winding alleyways and remnants of Jewish life
Visit the Cano y Cuento street cemetery
Flamenco at Casa de la Memoria
Dinner at Taberna del Alabardero

A Ladino Farewell

Breakfast at hotel
Private ride to airport

Spring 2026

Fall 2026