The Southern Arc
Nine nights across Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, and Granada, the routing most of our partners build their first Spain program around. The capital sets the pace, then Andalusia takes over: three cities where the Moorish centuries, the Reconquista, and the Spain of today sit within walking distance of each other.
The program
Four bases, one thread.
Built for first-time Spain travelers, cultural and heritage clients, and general-audience series departures. Every departure is re-sequenced and re-paced around the client brief; the routing below is the proven baseline Inbound Spain contracts against.
Madrid
The capital opens the country's frame: Habsburg squares, the Prado's royal collection, and a food culture running from covered markets to third-generation taverns.
Day 1 · Private arrival transfer from MAD. Evening orienting walk through the Plaza Mayor with a local licensed guide.
Day 2 · The Prado with a licensed art guide. Afternoon timed entry to the Royal Palace.
Day 3 · Flexible: a guided market and tapas circuit, or a full-day Toledo extension.
Where your group stays: historic center, walkable to the Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. Specific properties confirmed with the partner before contracting.
Seville
The program changes register in Seville. The Alcazar has been a working royal palace for a thousand years, and the streets around it keep the scale of the city that built it.
Day 4 · AVE from Madrid. Afternoon timed entry to the Real Alcazar.
Day 5 · Cathedral and Giralda, then Santa Cruz on foot. Free afternoon.
Day 6 · Triana: ceramics workshops and the market. Evening flamenco.
Where your group stays: in or beside Santa Cruz, walkable to the Alcazar.
Cordoba
One night buys the Mezquita in the morning quiet and the old city after the day visitors leave, which is a different place entirely.
Day 7 · AVE from Seville. The Mezquita-Catedral, the Jewish quarter, and the San Basilio patios with a local licensed guide.
Where your group stays: a small historic property near the Mezquita. Partners who prefer three hotels fold Cordoba into a Seville day trip instead.
Granada
The program ends at its summit. The Alhambra's allocation system is exactly why the visit rewards a ground partner who holds entries before your clients book flights.
Day 8 · Private coach to Granada. Evening Albaicin walk to the San Nicolas viewpoint.
Day 9 · Morning entry to the Alhambra and Generalife with a licensed guide. Free afternoon.
Day 10 · Private departure transfer to GRX, or AGP for wider flight schedules.
Where your group stays: lower city near the Cathedral, or an Albaicin property for FIT clients.
For advisors
Private to your client and re-paced around them. Net markup or gross billing, whichever fits your practice, on every booking. A dedicated local concierge is available airport to airport.
Request an FIT proposal →For operators
NET rates under per-series contracts, up to 8 departures a year. Holds at 24 travelers per group; a tour leader is recommended alongside local guides on every series departure.
Explore a group or series →On the ground
What Inbound Spain handles on this routing.
Operational detail for the partners evaluating this program for a client or a departure calendar.
Ticketing and allocations
Timed entries for the Alhambra, the Real Alcazar, the Royal Palace, and the Prado are held by Inbound Spain ahead of client flight bookings. Group entry logistics are confirmed against each site's own visitor and guide-ratio rules at the contracting stage.
Transport, door to door
Private transfers at both airports, group AVE blocks between Madrid, Seville, and Cordoba, and a private coach positioned ahead of the group on rail days. Fixed drop points and short walks in every historic center.
Guides and support
Local licensed guides in each city, drawn from Inbound Spain's vetted regional network, and a 24/7 local concierge with a shared communication channel across the tour leader, on-the-ground team, and partner office on every departure.
The boundary
Inbound Spain contracts hotels, ground transport, guides, listed entries, and listed experiences. The partner carries air, tour leader costs, unlisted meals, insurance, and gratuities policy.
Departure calendar
September through June. July and August are excluded from the operating season because of interior heat in Seville and Cordoba. Semana Santa and the Feria de Abril are priced separately. Series contracting works best at 10 to 12 months; FIT at 4 to 6.
Regions on this routing
Read the ground the program covers: the Madrid guide and the Andalusia guide carry client-fit and planning detail for each region.
Frequently asked questions
What partners ask about The Southern Arc.
Can The Southern Arc be re-sequenced or shortened?
Yes. The routing published here is the proven baseline, not a fixed product. The program runs in reverse, Granada to Madrid, with no operational penalty. The most common compression folds Cordoba into a Seville day trip, cutting one hotel change and one night from the total.
How does Alhambra ticketing work for this program?
Alhambra entries sell through early, especially in spring. Inbound Spain holds the allocation and assigns licensed guides for the visit as part of standard planning on every departure. Large group series are managed against the site's own visitor and guide-ratio rules, confirmed at the contracting stage for each specific departure size.
Which dates should partners avoid or price differently in Seville?
Semana Santa and the Feria de Abril are the two inventory events on this routing. Hotel rates and availability tighten significantly around both. July and August fall outside the program's operating season entirely because of interior heat in Seville and Cordoba.
How are hotels selected on this program?
Properties are proposed in the historic center of each base and reviewed with the partner before contracting. Category and specific properties are confirmed per booking based on the partner's brand and the client or group profile, rather than fixed in advance for every departure.
What does moderate pace mean on The Southern Arc?
Two to three hours on foot on a typical touring day, no departures before 8:30, and a free afternoon built into each multi-night base. Partners who want a slower program can add a night in Seville and drop the Cordoba overnight in favor of a day trip.
What lead time does this program need for FIT and for series?
Private FIT departures confirm comfortably at 4 to 6 months. Group series contracting works best at 10 to 12 months out, in line with Inbound Spain's standard lead time for securing inventory, guides, and vehicles at scale. A first itinerary draft and pricing follow within five days of a client brief.
Does The Southern Arc cost more as a private FIT departure than as a group series?
Per-person cost is generally higher for a private FIT departure than for a full group series, since fixed costs, including private guides and private transport, are shared across fewer travelers. The Southern Arc runs privately for 2 to 7 travelers or as a series for 8 to 24. Exact per-person pricing depends on season, hotel category, and group size and is confirmed at quoting, typically within five days of a client brief.
Is The Southern Arc suitable for travelers with mobility limitations?
Madrid's core sights are largely flat and walkable. Seville, Cordoba, and Granada introduce uneven, cobbled streets in Santa Cruz, the Juderia, and the Albaicin, plus a sustained uphill walk to reach the Alhambra's upper terraces. None of the Andalusia sections can be resequenced around. Partners should flag mobility limitations at the brief stage; Inbound Spain can add private transport between points and build in a slower pace, but cannot substitute level-access alternatives for the hillside sections.
What happens if extreme heat or weather disrupts a day on this program?
The program's September-through-June operating season is set specifically to avoid the highest heat risk in Seville and Cordoba. Within that window, Inbound Spain's local team monitors forecasts and can move outdoor walking segments earlier in the day, add hydration stops, or resequence a walking day against an indoor alternative such as the Prado or the Alhambra's Nasrid Palaces. There is no separate weather-cancellation policy outside the program's standard terms.