Al-Andalus from Outside al-Andalus
We are used to reading the history of al-Andalus from the inside. This journey reads it from the north: from the small kingdoms that lived alongside it, allied with it and fought it, and from the ground that explains why permanent Islamic settlement stopped at one particular line.
Photos: Benjamin Smith (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (CC BY 2.0) · FrankAndProust (CC0) · Ferran Llorens (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Grand Parc - Bordeaux, France from France (CC BY 2.0) · Phillip Maiwald (Nikopol), cropped (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Roemerdankmar (CC BY-SA 3.0 es) · Jules Verne Times Two (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Zarateman (CC0) · Nurfermi (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Luis Fermín TURIEL PEREDO (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The trip at a glance
Base cities
- Girona1 night
- Andorra3 nights
- San Sebastián3 nights
- Santander3 nights
- Segovia1 night
Dates
23 October 2026
Dates shown in Riyadh time
Arrival and departure
Arrival: BCN
Departure: MAD
Meals
Breakfast daily in every hotel, a welcome dinner at a distinguished restaurant in the Girona area, and the farewell dinner in Segovia. Other meals are not included, and each day leaves open time to choose where to eat — with dedicated time in San Sebastián to get to know the pintxos culture of the old town.
About this journey
Al-Andalus from outside al-Andalus
We are used to reading the history of al-Andalus from the inside: from Córdoba, Seville and Granada. But that history has another face, and it can only be understood from the north, where small kingdoms lived alongside al-Andalus for centuries — allied with it at times, at war with it at others, exchanging embassies, markets and language with it throughout. This journey goes there.
1 · The kingdoms that lived alongside al-Andalus
We visit the kingdom of Navarre and its capital Pamplona, the Basque country with a language unlike any other in Europe, and Covadonga, where the story of the kingdom of Asturias begins and from which the kingdom of León later developed. Three places in which the relationship with al-Andalus can be read on the ground: the alliances and the marriages, Charlemagne's campaign of 778 that ended in the disaster at Roncesvalles, and the beginnings of the Christian north in its mountains.
2 · Why settlement stopped at one particular line
We come to understand on the ground — not in a book — why permanent Islamic settlement stopped at particular limits: the difficult mountains, the rain, the thinness of the resources and the distance from the great centres. Andorra, in the heart of the Pyrenees, is that same geographical lesson made visible: the line the campaigns crossed and behind which no one settled for long. And Covadonga, with its narrow defiles, is the clearest answer to the question the journey asks: why exactly here?
3 · An Umayyad trace in the heart of Madrid, and a close on the old frontier
We then close in Madrid, which began as an Umayyad fort called Magerit, founded by Muhammad I, part of whose wall still stands at the Cuesta de la Vega in the middle of the capital. The last night is in Segovia — Shaqubiya in the Arabic sources — a city on the edge of the Middle March that changed hands through the early centuries of al-Andalus and was resettled in the eleventh century. The journey ends there by design: we began in the Christian north, passed an Umayyad trace in the heart of Madrid, and finish in a city on the old line between the two worlds.
4 · Only five base cities
Girona one night · Andorra three · San Sebastián three · Santander three · Segovia one. Three nights at most stops, so there are no bags to pack every morning. Biarritz, Pamplona, Bilbao, Covadonga and Madrid are all visited from the base cities or on the road between them, alongside short stops at selected villages and sites — Santillana del Mar among them — which makes the road itself part of the journey rather than a transfer between its stages.
5 · Led by a specialist historian
The journey is led by Dr Abdulmajid bin Mohammed Al-Mudarra, a historian specialising in the history of al-Andalus, who gives the historical commentary on site for every day of the journey — on the ground, not in a printed handout. The group is also accompanied by a guest-services host and a coordination host, who handle luggage, rooms and timings and look after what travellers need.
6 · Traveller service — how we run our journeys
We give the operational detail particular care, because it is what separates a comfortable journey from a tiring one. We meet you at the airport on arrival and take charge of your luggage from that moment to the end of the journey, carrying it from the coach to the room at every hotel and from the room to the coach on departure, so that nothing is in your hands but your personal things. Every traveller's bags carry a name tag. Every traveller knows their room number before reaching the hotel, and there is no waiting at reception: the key is handed over at the door, because check-in is completed electronically in advance by our hosts. The coach carries water, tissues, a first-aid kit and internet. Every traveller has a personal headset for every day of the journey, to follow the commentary clearly at open and crowded sites. The emergency number is available around the clock, at any hour and in any circumstance.
7 · What sets this journey apart
A specialist historian leading throughout, with the commentary given on site rather than in a printed handout · a group limited to 22 travellers · a premium coach with two seats per traveller · a guest-services host and a coordination host with the group · an easy rhythm of three nights at each principal stop · and a gift for every traveller chosen to be useful during the journey itself, among them an umbrella for the rainy days of the north, so no one need bring their own.
8 · Why the price differs from our earlier journeys
Our earlier journeys ran to nine nights; this one is eleven — two full nights added to the programme. We have also chosen luxury five-star hotels for it, and added selected services our earlier journeys did not carry: a premium coach with two seats per traveller, a guest-services host and a coordination host, a personal headset for each traveller, hotel formalities completed in advance, an emergency number around the clock, and gifts that are useful during the journey itself. That is what accounts for the difference: a different product in its length, its standard and its service — not an earlier journey at a higher number.
9 · A group limited to 22 travellers
The group is limited to 22 travellers, and seats are allocated in order of registration. The limit is deliberate: a coach with two seats per traveller, commentary that reaches everyone on site, restaurants that can receive the group in privacy, and a pace that does not stall at every stop.
Additional services before and after the journey
For anyone who would like to arrive in Spain before the journey begins or stay on after it ends, we handle the arrangement in full: a suggested programme for the additional days built around their interests and the cities they want to see · hotels, internal transfers and restaurants · reception and transfers, with the arrival timed to the start of the journey or the departure after it · and advice on which destinations suit the season and suit whoever is travelling with them. These services are arranged on request and priced separately from the journey. Please tell us early so we can secure the best options.
Before you travel — suggested reading and viewing
For those who like to arrive already holding what they are about to see, these are optional suggestions that enrich the experience; a fuller list comes with the trip booklet. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, the book that carried the San Fermín festival in Pamplona to the world, available in Arabic translation and in a film adaptation · Hemingway, the PBS documentary directed by Ken Burns, a full portrait of the writer and his relationship with Spain · Game of Thrones, season six, whose scenes were filmed in the lanes of old Girona and on the steps of its cathedral · Altamira (2016), on the discovery of the Altamira caves in Cantabria and the scientific controversy it raised · and The Way (2010), on the Camino de Santiago that passes through Pamplona.
The weather in late October
Late October in Cantabria and the Basque country belongs to what is called green Spain: mild weather with the chance of intermittent rain. Layers, a light waterproof coat and comfortable walking shoes are advised. The umbrella we provide among the trip gifts, so there is no need to bring one.
Prices
Per person
| Category | Double room | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| Luxury five-star stay | SAR 11,910 | SAR 14,780 |
Highlights
- The Basque country and Euskara, a language unlike any other in Europe
- Covadonga, where the story of the kingdom of Asturias begins — a full-day tour
- Pamplona, the historic capital of the kingdom of Navarre
- The surviving Umayyad wall of Magerit in the heart of Madrid
- The Arab baths and the old town of Girona
- Three nights in Andorra among the valleys and villages of the Pyrenees
- The Roman aqueduct and the Alcázar of Segovia, by evening, with the farewell dinner
- The pintxos culture in the old town of San Sebastián
What's Included
- 11 nights in the hotels described
- Breakfast daily in every hotel
- The welcome dinner at a distinguished restaurant in the Girona area
- The farewell dinner in Segovia
- All transfers by a premium touring coach private to the group, with two seats per traveller
- Reception at Barcelona airport and the transfer from Segovia to Madrid airport
- Luggage carried to and from the rooms at every hotel, with check-in completed in advance
- Coach provisions: water, tissues, a first-aid kit and internet
- An emergency number available around the clock for every day of the journey
- Dr Abdulmajid Al-Mudarra leading the journey, with historical commentary on site at every stop
- A guest-services host and a coordination host with the group throughout
- Accredited local guides at the sites that require them
- Entry fees for every site and museum in the programme
- A tour of the old town of Girona and a visit to the Arab baths
- An evening tour of historic Segovia
- Stops at selected sites and villages along the road, among them Santillana del Mar
- Dedicated shopping time in Bilbao, and time for the pintxos culture in San Sebastián
- A full-day tour to Covadonga
- A tour to Pamplona, the historic capital of the kingdom of Navarre
- A stop at Biarritz on the French Atlantic coast
- A personal headset for every traveller, for every day of the journey, to follow the commentary
- The booking letter and the documents required for a Schengen visa application
- A detailed booklet on the programme, a map of the route and a selected reading list
- A gift for every traveller of things useful during the journey itself, among them an umbrella against the rain
- Hotel and service taxes
What's Not Included
- International flights to and from the Kingdom
- Visa fees
- Medical and travel insurance
- Meals not listed above
- Personal expenses and shopping
- Any additional service requested outside the programme
Day-by-Day Itinerary
- 1
Arrival in Barcelona and transfer to Girona
Barcelona · GironaReception at Barcelona airport and a direct transfer to the hotel in the Girona area, close to the Costa Brava. The welcome dinner is at a distinguished restaurant of the region — this particular corner of Spain is one of the world's serious centres of cooking, with a school of its own that put its restaurants at the top of the international rankings, and over dinner we talk about how that came about.
Dinner - 2
The old town of Girona · on to Andorra
Girona · AndorraA morning walk through the old town: the Arab baths, the historic quarter with its lanes and walls, and an account of the city's weight and position in the region's history, taking in Catalan architecture in one of its best-preserved examples in Spain. The city is known today to many for another reason: its lanes, its stairways and its cathedral were filming locations for Game of Thrones. Then the transfer to Andorra, in the heart of the Pyrenees.
Breakfast - 3
Andorra: the valleys and the mountain villages
AndorraA small principality with a form of government of its own standing since the thirteenth century, and Catalan as its official language. A day among the valleys, the mountain villages and the landscape around them. Here the geographical lesson the journey rests on becomes plain: the Pyrenees are the line the campaigns crossed and behind which no one settled for long.
Breakfast - 4
Andorra: an open day for rest and shopping
AndorraAn open day in Andorra. Shopping is among the things the principality is best known for, for its prices and its range, and generous time is set aside for it alongside rest among the mountains.
Breakfast - 5
Biarritz on the Atlantic · arrival in San Sebastián
Andorra · Biarritz · San SebastiánAn early departure from Andorra, with a stop at Biarritz on the French Atlantic coast: an elegant town of broad beaches and cliffs above the ocean, whose fame was made by the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, when she took it as her summer residence and turned a whaling village into a resort of European royalty. The stop is short and concentrated on the seafront. Then on to San Sebastián.
Breakfast - 6
San Sebastián: La Concha bay, the old town and the pintxos culture
San SebastiánOne of the most beautiful cities in Europe for its position on the water, and at the heart of the Basque country: La Concha bay closes around it in a near-complete arc under green hills, with the old town at the water's edge. One mark of this country is that the language of its people, Euskara, does not belong to the Indo-European family, and its origin remains one of the open questions of linguistics — living evidence of how isolated these mountains are and how old their settlement is. Time is set aside in the old quarter for the pintxos culture: small plates set out along the bar, with people moving from one house to the next — closer to a social rite than to a way of eating.
Breakfast - 7
Pamplona: the historic capital of the kingdom of Navarre
Pamplona · San SebastiánA day tour to Pamplona, the historic capital of the kingdom of Navarre, with its old centre and its walls. Here we read Navarre's relationship with al-Andalus: the alliances and the marriages, and Charlemagne's campaign of 778 that ended in the disaster at Roncesvalles. It is also a principal stage on the French Way to Santiago. In the twentieth century the city's name became bound to Ernest Hemingway, who first visited in 1923 and wrote about the San Fermín festival and the running of the bulls in The Sun Also Rises in 1926, turning a local occasion into an event the world knows.
Breakfast - 8
Bilbao and the Bilbao effect · arrival in Santander
Bilbao · SantanderA stop in Bilbao, the largest city of the Basque country, where the historic character meets modern architecture. Over recent decades it turned from a decayed industrial port into an international cultural destination, a transformation now taught in the urban-planning literature as the Bilbao effect, and we pass its riverfront and its new buildings. Bilbao is also a first-rate shopping city: the Gran Vía with its international names, the large centres, and the local shops of the old town — with dedicated time for it. Then on to Santander on the Cantabrian Sea.
Breakfast - 9
Covadonga: where the story of the kingdom of Asturias begins
Covadonga · SantanderA full-day tour to Covadonga, the site bound up with the beginnings of the kingdom of Asturias, which arose in this mountainous north after the Islamic conquest and from which the kingdom of León later developed. The place itself, with its peaks and its narrow defiles, is the clearest answer to the question the journey asks: why exactly here? And why permanent settlement stopped at particular limits — the difficult mountains, the rain, the thinness of the resources and the distance from the great centres.
Breakfast - 10
Santander and the Magdalena peninsula · Santillana del Mar
Santander · Santillana del MarAn elegant coastal city on the Cantabrian Sea, with its bay, its beaches, the Magdalena peninsula and the palace built there as a gift for King Alfonso XIII, which made the city a royal summer seat. With a stop at the nearby village of Santillana del Mar, among the best-preserved villages in Spain, of stone streets and old houses.
Breakfast - 11
Madrid and the wall of Magerit · Segovia by evening and the farewell dinner
Madrid · SegoviaA day in Madrid open for rest and shopping, with a stop at the surviving stretch of the wall of Magerit at the Cuesta de la Vega — the Umayyad fort founded by Muhammad I, which centuries later became the capital of Spain. Then to Segovia, the city Arabic sources call Shaqubiya: a city on the edge of the Middle March, which changed hands through the early centuries of al-Andalus and was resettled in the eleventh century, and which is today among the most beautiful historic cities in Spain and on the World Heritage list. An evening walk through the old town: the Roman aqueduct crossing the centre, the Alcázar on the lip of its rock, the cathedral and the old lanes. The farewell dinner is there.
BreakfastDinner - 12
Departure from Madrid airport
Segovia · MadridBreakfast at the hotel, then the transfer from Segovia to Madrid airport and the farewell.
Breakfast
Travel Information
Duration
12 days / 11 nights
Destination
Spain
Destinations
- Girona, Spain(1 night)
- Andorra la Vella, Andorra(3 nights)
- San Sebastián, Spain(3 nights)
- Santander, Spain(3 nights)
- Segovia, Spain(1 night)
Flights
Not included
Difficulty
Moderate
Available Dates
Requirements
Visa
Required
The journey enters the Schengen area and requires a valid visa for those who need one; Andorra and the stop in France sit within the same arrangement. Begin the process as soon as your booking is confirmed — appointments can take weeks in peak season. We provide the booking letter, the programme, the hotel confirmations and the documents your file needs. We strongly recommend travel insurance that covers a visa refusal.
Terms & Conditions
The group is limited to 22 travellers and seats are allocated in order of registration. Hotel names are announced before departure; if any cannot be confirmed for any reason it is replaced by a hotel of the same standard or better. Arrival is on 23 October into Barcelona airport, with reception and transfer to the hotel in the Girona area; departure is on 3 November from Madrid airport, setting out from the Segovia hotel. Village and roadside stops are arranged as the road and the weather allow.