Iberian Inspiration

The tour guide Mercedes was amazing
Mercedes knew her knowledge of the places we went to and when we had local guides, they were great to
The hotels were all different and ok
The places we visited were great as well
Loved the tour

I was very happy with the tour. The tour guide and our driver were both excellent and made the experience very special. I was able to see things I’m sure I would never have found on my own. I have decided to take another trip with you next year to visit Italy. Many of our group are keeping in touch we had such a great time together. All the best. David.

The most interesting tour for seeing and “feeling” the authentic Spain. Our guide Mercedes and driver Francesco were exceptional. I highly recommend this tour,
Roger & Chris Gulin

Enjoyed it all. Nice to get off the highway from time to time.

Impressive tour. Most of the hotels top notch, most of the included attractions/activities definitely worth visiting. Tour leader, Mercedes, very friendly and knowledgeable. Jorge, our driver, definitely knows the roads and how to drive them. This tour lived up to my high expectations and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone interested in the south of Spain. Highlights were Toledo and it's magnificent cathedral, all of Cordoba including our most wonderful hotel, the Alhambra in Granada, the Flamenco Show in Sevilla, the Portuguese hilltop village of Monsaraz and our castle stay in Estremoz. I did not take in the olive oil tasting in Ubeda as it did not interest me so wandered the delightful town instead. Also passed on the visit to the pig farm as I do not eat pork. More than half our group opted out of this so maybe it should be revisited as an attraction, perhaps replaced with a trip to the Gruta de La Maravillas caves instead, which I understand are fabulous. Another suggestion. As many people do not eat pork, and as it was the only meat option at most of the included dinners, perhaps meals with chicken could be substituted for pork in some of these included dinners.
All in all, a trip to remember forever.

Fabulous trip and group to experience some of Spain
Our tour guide Eddy was fabulous and our driver Carlos was very professional

This tour took us through a wonderful variety of landscapes, historical sites and picturesque villages. As we drove, we learned about the civilizations that had moved into each area over thousands of years, the effect that had on the culture and beliefs of the inhabitants. We visited traditional farms and businesses which produced food and wine that is famous around the world. Our guide was delightful in gently unwrapping each of the regions we visited to make our experiences authentic and memorable.

Good size group and well paced. Our guide Pamela was professional, accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable.
We visited lots of amazing sites and learned much about the Spanish culture and Spain's history.
Great trip.

I loved the back road for experience, the small groups are so much more friendly and you get to see some beautiful country, the accommodation on this tour was wonderful very unique and different everywhere we went, but I have to say the tall guide Mercedes was just Amazing, she made sure everybody was comfortable and had everything we needed especially me as the airline lost my luggage for four days and she never let up until I had my luggage back so a very special thanks to her.

I loved the tour through the southern part of Spain Our guide Mercedes was excellent as was our driver Jorge We definitely went on back roads to see out of the way places and tastings such as wine, sherry and top quality ham after being shown the process from start to finish Of course we stayed in central locations in the old quarters of the major cities and learnt the history going back to the Romans

We previously did a Tuscan Backroads Tour which we loved. We were expecting more of a backroads tour ie staying in quieter locations. For example in Granada the accommodation was very noisy with a nightclub below our window. Every few hours through the night we were woken. We were changed to another room the next night. It would have been nicer to stay a little outside the centre with the option of travelling into the centre.
Our tour guide Pam did not put a great effort into the trip. She kept mentioning she had a side line business she was building. She did the minimum that would have been expected of her without any real enthusiasm.
Our driver was terrific. He is a very cautious, polite and a capable driver.
Though we saw some amazing sights and covered a lot of ground, unfortunately I missed the quieter more unique experience I had anticipated in a Backroads Tour.

Great guide, knowledgeable, friendly with good recommendations for food places. Answered any questions we had or if she didn’t know went and found out. Size of tour group was perfect. Liked that their was a balance of organised activities and free time.

An unforgettable experience seeing lots of UNESCO places. Pam, our tour guide was very accommodating, professional and friendly, which helped make the tour so good.

Absolutely wonderful trip with an excellent guide and ... an excellent driver of our small bus. Hotels were unique great choices. The areas that were visited were extremely interesting and beautiful.

Very informative tour. It was nice to be with a small group and also have plenty of alone time where we could explore arear on our own or with a select few.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Morocco. Our tour guide Brahim and driver Yusefwere exceptional. It was interesting learning about their country and seeing the country on the excursion.

We very much enjoyed the Iberian Inspiration tour. The itinerary gave us great insights into the historic and current culture of Southern Spain. All tour guides were passionate about their subject nmatter and provided excellent information regarding the various buildings/sights/towns and cities visited. Accommodation was good and the small bus concept provided a comfortable tour and allowed good interaction with oiur fellow travellers. One of the highlights was our tour host Patrizia. We could not have wished for a better person to travel with us and make our journey interesting, safe and enjoyable.

This is in excellent tour, mostly of southern Spain with just a brief couple of days in Portugal. This was our third tour with Blue Roads (Back Roads in Europe) and we've enjoyed each and every experience. First and foremost, the group is relatively small (18 is the typical maximum). This makes it possible to enjoy new friendships and share experiences with fellow travellers from around the world (mostly Canada, USA, Australia & New Zealand). Our guide was professional, knowledgeable and friendly. Every detail of our tour was looked after and her communication skills were tremendous. Between our Blue Roads guide and the many local guides, we learned much of the history behind our journey. Our driver was professional, polite and always on time. The itinerary offered just the right mix of attractions and stops along the way, and with enough free time to simply wander and enjoy the many towns and cities we visited. All the hotel accomodations were comfortable and in some cases quite interesting. A perfect vacation in all respects.

Fabulous time in Spain with a great group of people. Tour leader Pam was knowledgeable, helpful and a good companion to the whole group. Tour was well organized with most visits in the AM which left us able to ad lib in the afternoons.
Special mention to. Jorge. He is a fantastic driver who knew exactly where we were going

I am sad to say this trip did not meet our expectations, especially having been on a previous trip with your company to Tuscany approximately 10 years ago. I found the tour guide Pamela to be somewhat too lay back and not really that motivated. Pamela repeatedly told us she had her own private business also and perhaps she may be focussing too much on her own business instead of her obligations to Backroads. Also some of the hotels were very ordinary and always seemed to be in major cities. The name "Backroads" gives the impression your travel and stay in less busier locations. I can appreciate the fact that it is nice to be closer to main attractions. You have a bus which could be more fully utilised by staying just out of major towns and cities and this would be more cost effective for your company. We stayed at some very ordinary hotels which were also very noisy, being woken up on several occasions. I do not like to give a negative review but feel it is important for you to get honest feedback on our recent experience with Backroads. Hopefully this feedback is constructive to you in addressing the issues I have outlined.
Robin Murphy.

The tour was well organized and allowed us to visit a number of important historical cities and venues. More importantly our tour guide, Sonia, was excellent and made the tour fun and informative.

This tour ticked all the boxes. Small group, not large hotel chain accommodation (1st night accommodation could be improved), day trips with a difference and places where only smaller buses can go. Our tour guide, Sonia certainly made the tour, no requests or questions were too much for her. She quickly knew all the guest's whims, the group all got along so well.
Certainly recommend 👌

The tour met our expectations as previous backroads travellers.
The cities we visited were exceptional. Some of the hotels were not what I would consider 4 star. Especially Seville. The group we travelled with was friendly and easy going, making it easy for our leader. However 16 in the group was overly large. We felt this made travelling more difficult at times. A smaller group would have been better. The bus we had did not make travelling with 16 comfortable. A more modern and more comfortable bus would have been better. Note; not a bigger bus but a newer and more comfortable one. Our leader/ guide Sonia was very knowledgeable and caring. She imparted a lot of information along the way.

The drop off at the end of the tour was poorly organised, in a very busy location and difficult for people to know how to meet connections or get to hotels. A nice service at the end would have been to drop people at some key locations in the city or nearer their hotels or connections.

Great tour in comfortable mini bus. Small group too.

Great tour with only 16 people. A varied look at churches cathedrals and castles along with visits to olive tasting, winery and pig farm.
Our tour guide Sonia was knowledgeable friendly and always helpful.

Highly recommend

Rex and Nicola

Fabulous tour guide, Mercedes, was a gem. She gave us history of the places we visited and stayed at, as well as funny anecdotes. All the restaurants she recommended were great. We didn’t have a bad meal at any of them.
The small group of 17 people was great. We got to know everyone and had a great time together.

The hotels, organised dinners & local tour guides for this trip were very good. Unfortunately our tour guide had never done this trip before & was very unsure of how things went.

Excellent tour, Sonia our guide was fun, intelligent, organised & very sincere. Our driver, Francis did a great job & took much care. The tours were really interesting, the guides very knowledgeable & I feel we gained a lot from them. Hotels on the whole were very good & situated centrally. The Madrid hotel was the only disappointment.

A great small group tour, that was well organised . The tour guide Georgina was very knowledgable and friendly and made the tour a memorable one
There was plenty of time to explore by yourself as well as joining the group you’re, just the right balance
Would highly recommend

Great tour, Georgina was a great tour leader and we loved our travel family..

Excellent experience
Small group tour with outstanding guide
Excellent accommodation and organized local tours

Well organised tour at just the right pace. Our guide Sonia was exceptional, she was well organised and ensured that everyone had a great experience. I would definitely recommend Backroads and this tour in particular.

Initially the tour was city bound due to the significance of the churches and mosques which in turn meant freeways etc. So we tolerated that for the first few days. However, tour members started to question the backroads theme which we signed up for.
After that we did realise the geography that we were seeking which was very good.
Great tour leader.....Julia met all challenges and was very accommodating. I am joining the south West France tour on 1 October and will be very interested in doing an analygy

Perfect tour for me. No early mornings. No long days spent on the bus and arrival at hotel in time to rest or explore before dinner. Visited beautiful villages and had amazing accommodation always! Fabulous bus driver and comfortable bus. Our tour guide Sonia was so informative, caring and put in so much effort to make every the best experience for our tour. Highly recommend this company and this tour. Jo

Too much free time where optional tours were encouraged by our tour guide. We choose backroads as everything was included we were told and the tour was expensive. Too many freeways traveled on rather than backroads as the name suggests. Also our guide tried to keep us together as a group for most meals. We wanted some time to ourselves to explore different food options. Too much alcohol consumed. We are not drinkers but were expected to be at pre dinner drinks for an hour every night before going out for dinner where more alcohol was consumed.

This was an excellent tour. The accommodations were very good, and equally importantly, were interesting boutique hotels. Breakfasts were all very good.
The tour itself was at the right pace, plenty of sightseeing but enough “own” time for personal interests. We covered a lot of ground but it was never rushed. Our driver (Carlos) was tremendous, always on time, great with handling all the bags and completely safe on the road. Our guide (Sonia) could not have been better. She was knowledgeable, professional and very helpful with recommendations and observations. She clearly enjoys her job and it made our experience first class.

An excellent tour leader and driver for this backroads trip made it a wonderful experience. Hotels and included meals were very good with some very interesting hotels giving a truly Spanish and Portugeses experience.

I would not hesitate to recommend the Iberian Inspiration tour to anyone contemplating a small group tour. Our group leader was professional, knowledgeable and went out of her way to ensure that everyone on the tour was comfortable and individual needs catered for. In addition our bus driver could not be faltered.

We thoroughly our journey through the backroads of Spain. Cities are cities everywhere in the world. The essence exists outside them.
It must be said from the outset that the success of our Spain experience was in no small measure due to our guide Sonia and driver Carlos.
Their efficiency, attention to detail, especially in catering for individual needs, their good humour and focus upon the safety of us all, was exemplary in every respect.

Thoroughly enjoyed the company of interesting fellow travellers, excellent tour guide and destinations

We loved our tour of Spain with Backroads. Our tour leader was excellent & shared her passion& knowledge of the Iberian Peninsula. Everything was planned to perfection & we felt that our every need was met with care & consideration. Our driver Carlos was also excellent. The hotels were pleasant & the food was delicious.

Very enjoyable tour could have had more information maps etc when left on own in cities

The tour was was wonderful. The towns & villages were amazing. Every hotel we stayed at was exceptional. Loved the trip. ❤️💚💛

Our tour guide was very nice
Hotels not as much

The Tour was very good however some hotels were not up to previous standard. Very hot rooms with failed air conditioning.
Low interaction with tour guide.

Had a fantastic time seeing things I wouldn't have seen if I was just sightseeing. Guide was exceptional as was the driver.

The Iberian tour was an excellent balance of a guided tour and "own time' tour. The structure of the tour was a fantastic way to get an understanding of Spanish history and culture. The balance between the past (the history) and the present way of life was perfect.
The accommodation was excellent both in terms of amenities and location. The tour guide was fabulous - 'she walked on water' ! and managed the group to every ones benefit.
The bus driver was superb - his driving skills was one of the unrecognized part of the tour

Great trip o Back Roads through Spai with Anana,she was full of information nothing g was a problem. Her driver Francis was excellent as well.
I would recommend Back Roads to my friends in New Zealand.
Colleen Philip

We fINd if you don’t have the language you need aguide and both guides were wonderful.

Tour was well organised with just enough "free time" so everyone wasn't together all day long.
Tour guide and driver were first rate.

This trip was a joy.
Ana was a great guide, she had lots of information and more.
Accommodation throughout the trip was great and surprisingly different.
A great group of travelers , which I’m sure I see some of them again.
A great backroads bus trip.
Thank you.
We bought our ticket in 23 so we had plenty of time to organise other trips.

A good range of one and two nights, plenty of time to spend seeing and doing extra things on included on the programme, a great variety of food and produce tastings after touring the production areas, a variety of historical sites and buildings- not all similar, great knowledge from the local guides

Excellent tour and a great tour guide and coach driver. Thoroughly recommend

This tour was fabulous. The places we visited and the different accommodation we stayed in were amazing. Our guide was outstanding, her knowledge and her friendly manner very .much enhanced the tour.

Overall, the tour worked very well. The tour guide was excellent.
However, my tour started in Madrid and concluded in Lisbon. Two major cities the tour did not explore at all, which I thought was strange. I would have preferred less time in smaller cities and towns and more time in these cities. I ended up doing a walking tour of Lisbon 2 hours after the tour concluded and found it was the highlight of the 12 days I had spent with the tour. I believe I would have said the same thing about Madrid from the very little I saw of it from my hotel room.

Excellent tour lots of walking. The only thing maybe a few less church's do understand its there culture and very proud of them but would have taken in more.

Wonderful guide- comfortable bus- good accommodation & meals

Relaxed friendly small group tour visiting magical places. Our guide was very knowledgeable and informative, and the whole experience was fascinating and relaxed. Our small group of travellers was well suited and we all got on beautifully. Accommodation was to a great standard and the back roads aspect saw us exploring off the beaten track of tourism.
A wonderful experience we would highly recommend.

Great tour with some fun people.

Visiting some very interesting and special places.

Iberian Inspiration allowed us to see quite a bit of Spain, and a little of Portugal. There was a good variety of experiences, and a fair amount of free time (possibly too much). Local guides were knowledgeable. I wouldn't really describe it as "Backroads", and where it was it was often problematic - not ideal arriving in remote places with nowhere to eat. We luckily travelled with a great group of people.

There were many different experiences apart from the churches, cathedrals and historical aspects. Our group really enjoyed the visit to the pig farm and processing plant and the tile painting as they were enjoyable and fun. Also the olive oil tasting that involved learning about the different types. One can only take in so much of facts and figures related to history, especially when it is hot and a long walk is involved. The local guides are very informative, however they need to read their audiences, eg when it is hot or a long walk around is involved you cannot stay focused for too long, therefore they need to cut down the talk. 2 hours maximum is what I think most can handle. Back Roads needs to be aware of this as the local guides are only doing what they have been asked to. The free time is usually good, some times maybe a little too long. The hotels were fantastic and no one could complain about them.
Our (4 of us) major concern was the end of the tours, the drop off point. We did back to back Back Roads tours, Iberian Peninsular followed by Portugal, it was disappointing to end both on a street! Surely you can time them to finish on the last night dinner in the hotels.
Our guide in Spain Adriano was very helpful and tried to keep the group together at night to experience the Spanish way of life. Sometimes it didn’t work as it was too late to eat for the older travellers, as most of us don’t eat late at night, then get up for a reasonably early breakfast. We still managed to enjoy some night time experiences which were wonderful.
Overall, we all found the history fascinating, the buildings and architecture amazing and the photo opportunities stunning. I had a big following of family and friends on face book and all were truly amazed at what we covered. Many asked what the name of the tour was so I am sure I advertised it well!

Spain is a beautiful country. Hotels well located, clean and comfortable. Guide, Adriano and driver, Juan Manuel were excellent. Both experienced, capable and considerate. Group dinners were not to our taste with poor options and at least 1 could have been withdrawn from itinerary.

We really enjoyed this tour. Great group of people and a very good tour guide. Places visited were great and some we would not have gone to if arranging ourselves. Local guides used were all good as well.

This was my fifth trip with back roads. I find this one a bit of a mix of great , good and not so good. Some of the places we has free time was wasted time for me as there was anything much to do or see after the main attractions with the tour guide. Portal Winery, where we stayed in the Douro Valley was absolutely beautiful and the night meals were a stand out but nothing to do during the day except lay buy the pool if it was hoy which it wasn’t. Now little quant towns or shops to walk too. Would have been better to move on to see some other area. The tour guide Mercedes Arando was fantastic. She is knowledgeable and her history lessons were impressive. How anyone can speak 3 languages fluently is impressive. Her English was very clear. Thank you for choosing her for us…….. Aussies and Kiwis.

Very interesting with lots varied experiences. Guide very knowledgeable. Accommodation amazing as usual with Backroads and always very different and varied.

We loved the tour Iberian Inspirations in Spain and part of Portugal. The tour guide Pam was excellent. We liked the small group and the fact that we could go on back roads rather than motorways. The days were fun with not too much driving and the evenings were even more fun socialising with the group.
Excellent accommodation for the most part. Day tours were great esp sherry tasting.

The tour provided a great opportunity to see and learn about the fascinating history and culture of the Iberian Peninsula. Hotels were very good and always well located for convenient access to old towns and other attractions. Our guide Julia was great in looking after us and providing a wealth of information each day. We also thank our driver Jorge for a safe and comfortable ride throughout.

We can highly recommend Iberian Inspiration as we loved it. Our group was fantastic and we had so much fun traveling throughout Spain. Our group leader(s) were knowledgable and we all became friends.
This trip was our third trip with Backroads and once again we were impressed with the choice of activities (especially the ones that were not planned), and hotels.
We will definitely return for another trip with Backroads

The backroads tour was a very easy way to travel around central and southern Spain and into Portugal. Guides were very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and friendly. Accommodation was excellent and centrally located within towns. Staying for 2 days in some cities provided a more relaxing experience. Back-Roads usually provides free time most days which also adds to the comfortable pace of the tour. Small group numbers about 18 people and starts often around 8.30 am..

Tour was good, we thought arriving in towns when siesta was on was a downside.
Perhaps travel and booking in could be done during this time, instead of doing tours during the heat of the day. I understand we did have unusually hot weather.

This tour was our favourite so far (our third) The group got on really well and we had so much fun. Our tour leader, Patricia, was like an old friend. We had awesome experiences that we did not anticipate, such as the Corpus Christi celebrations in Toledo. Patricia was really good at trouble shooting and everything went really well. When she got sick, her replacement Mercedes, was just as awesome. Different styles of doing things but both made our holidays unforgettable. We will certainly be back for another adventure with Backroads Touring.

This tour covers the main cities and world heritage sites of Spain. The hotels are comfortable and located near interesting areas. Because of this, there is walking carrying your backpack or carry-on suitcase to your hotel in some cities. The walks are short, but in 100° weather it can be tiring. Some city tours are 3hrs long with no sit down breaks. These are doable, but given that most travelers are 65+ and not always prepared to walk for that long, I recommend BluRoads build in some sit-down breaks. Walking is necessary to get the great hotel locations in ancient cities, but travelers should be warned so they are prepared.
Our guide was attentive and give lots of information. She arranged extra outings such as an Andalusian horse show, and gave us other venues we could visit on our own time.
I have done 2 tours and am considering more as long as I can handle the walking. You will see the best part of the country and some non tourist sites.

An event filled tour. We saw some amazing cities and towns. Visited world heritage sites such as Alhambra, saw a Flamenco show and an Equestrian show, tasted wine, sherry, olive oil and jamon Iberia and cheeses. Local guides walked us through historical sites and magnificent buildings.
Accomodation was varied and as well as standard accomodation we stayed in a Palace, a converted convent and rooms in the old Jewish quarters of 2 of the towns we visited.
Our guide Julia was wonderful. Always helpful and always smiling. She was also a font of knowledge about the places we were visiting and created a positive group dynamic.

A great way to see and experience the Iberian area, history, food, wine and culture in the comfort of a small bus with an experienced guide. Also visiting many off track smaller villages that are not accessed by bigger tours. Makes life easier when there is a language barrier. Also better to have the assistance and guidance of a tour guide to organise and direct tours. Especially in some of the areas in Spain this can be difficult.

All round fabulous tour. There were a couple of guided tours that were a bit too long. Perfect combo of organized activities and free time. Accommodation on the whole was very nice, Madrid accommodation was disappointing.
Tour guide Pam was exceptionally good.

We only had 10 in our small group tour and they were a diverse group from USA, Canada, NZ and Australia but everyone got on well. Our tour leader, Mercedes, was fantastic. She was patient, good fun, knowledgeable, and kept us informed about everything. The hotels were always in great locations and were interesting places themselves, from a convent to a castle. Our driver kept the bus immaculate and he was a safe, considerate driver. We thoroughly enjoyed this trip.

It was a fabulous tour. Great tour guide and the experiences we had were superb. Some great walks to El Hambre and plenty of time to get explore and rest.

The accomodation was simply amazing, most was situated in the old Medina’s.

The driver was excellent and we travelled at a good rate.

Plenty of photo stops and historical information made the venture memorable.

Had a great time. Enjoyable company. New things to see, new places to go and new foods to try. Back Roads choice of slightly different places to see in a little more depth was appreciated. Ou send Back Roads trip, but not our last. The hotel we started the trip at in Madrid was really not up to par. We chose to stay there the night before starting out because the trip started from there. Back roads could perhaps give other recomendations for clients to chose from.

Hi there wee have done a review as a couple. Gilbert and Janet Parker.

The tour was fantastic. We had a great group of 15 people and all got on well with each other. This was our third group tour and the first one with Backroad tours. Berated it as the best one. Our guide and driver were the best. We felt like one big family.

BackRoads Iberian Inspiration tour had an excellent itinerary (starting in Madrid and ending in Lisbon) which was expertly guided by Julia with the help of Argus our driver. Highlights of the tour were visiting world renown cities of Toledo, Granada and Seville, small villages and best of all, the side trips which included wine tasting, olive oil tasting, and Iberian ham tasting. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who wanted to see Spain and Portugal in an unrushed, in-depth manner

Very good tour, Julia our guide was very, very good. We have done many tours with various companies an Julia rates at the top. Going above and beyond the expected.
Our only comment would be about the bus. It was cramped. Little legroom for my 2 meter hight.
Clive and Gay Milner.
PS, we did fill out the form on feedback.

This tour is not for you if you need a smooth and level footpath beneath your feet, or if you feel short-changed by a hotel where your shower is over the bath and you might get lost trying to find the breakfast room. If you wander into interesting side streets and neighbourhoods on your free afternoons you will need a map, or an app, to find your way back to your hotel, as the accommodation is always close to the centre where streets wander every which way and have steps, or steep slopes and are paved with cobblestones. Don’t expect to eat dinner and get to bed early as local restaurants are just getting started at 9:00 p.m.

Enjoyed our tour . Our guide Mercedes was exceptional 👌 👏 and our driver Juan Deiago was brilliant. Thank you. Kind Regards Jill and Michael

This is the second time I have completed and sent this form - last time using our IDs etc. but as I thought the tour was wonderful I will start again.

The Iberian Inspiration tour was excellent. I loved all the cities we visited including all the smaller towns we stopped at. Our tour guide Eddi was professional, attentive to our needs, and very approachable. The guided tours were also excellent. I highly recommend this tour and am looking forward to the next one.

We enjoyed the tour very much. The selection of stops either gor a night or two and also for a few hours was great. We feel we say a lot of Spain. Out hotels improved as we went along. We did feel, however, that in dome places we got a bit too much free time and would have benefitted from more guiding. Our your leader, Eddi was wonderful

We loved the fact that the little bus could be navigated ( by Carlos) through narrow streets, historic hotels established in great locations, professional, informative, approachable guide, Eva. All wonderful thank you.

I had a wonderful time, met a great group of people, and visited towns and cities I’d never been to before. Our tour guide kept us informed about the culture, customs, and food of the areas we visited. I would recommend it to anyone interested in visiting Andalusia.

Quality of hotels, tours and transport was very good

Interesting locations and very informative.

I already have. Now you ask the same questions again

We got to see most of the elements of Andalusian history that you would want to see on such a tour – except for the closure of the Alhambra in Granada for an EU meeting. Madrid, Cordoba, Seville and Ronda were all fascinating, as was Tio Pepe and the Iberico ham visit. The festival day at Grazalema was an unexpected plus, and Christina's palace at Estremoz was rather special!

The balance of organised guided visits with ample time to 'fly' solo and do your own exploring.

I liked the two nights in three cities. Not too much freeway travelling

At the time of purchase I thought the tour was expensive. When on the tour itself I realised that the hotels we stayed in were 4-5 stars and the guide had booked us in for specific things that were expensive. The tour cost was worth it.

As a first time experience of Spain this was a stunning introduction to the country and some of its splendours. A new wonder almost every day

value for money; a good introduction to southern Spain.

Poor accommodation choice in Seville.. Great to go to smaller villages

As mentioned already, done included meals were very low standard and under catered.
Tour guide was the best.

Great itinerary, good experiences

Every thing when well bus was comfortable.

Had an issue with 2 hotels but Georgina sorted them out immediately

All tours & guides were very good

Excellent tour of southern Spain and the Andalusia area as well as the small towns in the vicinity of Lisbon. The local city orientation tours were well done and not too rushed. It would've been useful at the end to have one more day in Lisbon to get a feel for that city before the end of the tour.

A simple purchase on-line

Great trip and Vanessa was a great guide

Great tour guide, good driver, comfortable vehicle, time to do the important things in each destination visited.

The places visited were interesting and we got to experience a diverse range of authentic activities.

Great choice of locations to visit. Tour group got on well.

Everything went well except for a brief bus breakdown which was addressed quickly and without fuss or inconvenience to the group. Overall a pleasant experience.

The price is more expensive than some tours but the group is smaller. This makes the dynamic of a group traveling more personal.

It’s a well organised professional tour with enthusiastic guide and great bus driver.

Great tour with an exceptional guide.

Was wonderful in every aspect

Overpriced for what we got. Included meals were third rate. We saw a LOT of churches and could have done with fewer of them. The craft-like experiences were good but not outstanding. Backroads has an important role in keeping artisan activities alive, but need to work with providers to ensure that they make their talks engaging and the experience wonderful.

Great all round experience. Loved the small towns we visited. 80% of hotels were excellent. 20% only fair.

Interesting story of how the hams are treated

We loved Letti, our tour guide.

On reading tour description in brochure details appeared to be comprehensive but in reality lacked considerable detail. e.g. descriptions of sites to be visited, amount of walking required and terrain. In reading the tour details we were under the impression (this of course was our interpretation) that the tour would give us an overall view of southern Spain and partly Portugal while in reality it had a major emphasis on churches, mosques and synagogues which in my opinion did not reflect the tour title of “Iberian Inspiration”.

‘In tour’ communication was very haphazard and at times quiet confusing. Frequently information needed to be asked for rather than being supplied.
Lack of organisation and confusion with regards to the movement of suitcases in and out of accomodation and unclear departure times and a lack of clear, precise information/instructions.

While travelling in the bus a lack of commentary about the surrounding countryside and points of interest was noticeably missing. I believe the responsibility lay not only with the tour leader but also with the lack of information supplied by the company.
Specific local guides were excellent. Informative, knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.

Accommodation varied from excellent to acceptable, breakfasts were excellent, the three included evening meals ranged from poor to OK to a fantastic farewell dinner. The included “lunches” should not be described as lunch but rather as a snack or similar.

Content and route was good

All smooth and hassle free.

Fantastic tour guide and driver

14 days - well thought out itinerary - organised half day walks & exploring for yourself time. Itinerary included several two day stops to allow more time to explore.

Great locations and overall excellent accommodation some of the tour meals could improve

It was great had a wonderful experience

The tour covered good areas, but was not that different to a large group tour. Tour leader was fun, but the bus driver (and bus) was poor. The start (Madrid) and end (Lisbon) of the tour were lacking. Two of the three provided dinners were poor, with the one in Ronda inedible. Hotel rooms generally good.

Very well communicated and planned, we knew what to expect before we went

Very unhappy with our guide. I found her rude at times, discriminating towards some of us older travellers, she pandered to the younger ones her age. A good example has yesterday at Bom Jesus site she exited the bus without explaining details of how we reaching the bottom. 3 of us remained on the bus because of lack of knowledge and missed the tour.. yesterday we were asked to meet at 2-20pm, we stood around till 2-45pm while Sonya shopped with her friends. We set off late some mornings and returned most afternoons. Spent a lot of time standing around doing nothing just waiting. No roatition of seats, never sat in front seat at all and would not use What’s App. Last night at 4-45pm we has to ask what time our dinner was this happened all trip.

Overall the tour was good. Spain is a magical country full of history and culture. The hotels were good to above average. The coach was comfortable but for some taller men the seats were too small so uncomfortable.
The driver very good and helpful even without English!!
Vanessa the guide was a,ways helpfully and always willing to give assistance when asked.

Everything excellent, with the exception of the admission to the Alhambra. Stress free, comfortable tour of Iberia.

The tour was excellent and visited the locations I was interested in.

There was some confusion when trying to pay for the trip.

Please refer to previous comments

Bus was way too small, disappoint that fellow travelers were all from Australia, like to meet people from other countries

Pretty much expressed in “Customer Experience” ahead

The tour was a great coverage of southern Spain & some of Portugal. We covered many of the important historical sites with local guides who were very knowledgeable. Also we had enough free time to explore ourselves which was good.
A CAUTIONERY NOTE: On one day we visited an Iberian Black Pig Farm which was NOT on the itinerary. You may not be aware that any visit to a farm overseas, particularly to a pig farm, must be declared to Australian Quarantine Authorities on return to Australia (because of pig swine disease which does not exist in Australia). SEVERE PENALTIES CAN APPLY IF NOT DECLARED.
Obviously long delays are experienced on return to Australia. IT IS IMPORTANT IN THE FUTURE THAT AUSTRALIAN CLIENTS ARE ADVISED OF THIS & ALLOWED TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION ON WHETHER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS ACTIVITY. I think this may also apply to New Zealand clients. My opinion would be to eliminate this excursion from your itinerary.

Great trip,tour guide small size of group

Spain is spectacular. So many OMG and jaw dropping moments

The guide was superlative. Nothing was too much trouble. He recommended restaurants and often accompanied us

Good value, well planned and always friendly

Iberia - wow! I loved the tour, appreciated the small group size, the accommodation (wow!), meals & beverages pack (although I don't drink alcohol I did not feel I was missing out), English speaking guide (Maria is a gem), super superb smooth driver, local guides in each town/village and of course using the back roads to see a side of Iberian the bigger coaches don't see.