Marbella Sabbatical

Upon arrival in Málaga, transfer to our aparthotel in Marbella. Attend a briefing, then get to know the neighborhood on a walking tour of the surrounding area. Later this evening, gather with fellow travelers for a welcome reception and dinner.

After breakfast together, head out on a walking tour through Marbella with its labyrinth of cobbled streets. Discover beautiful plazas and well-preserved, centuries-old churches and buildings. The afternoon is at leisure following lunch at a local restaurant. Tonight, we enjoy a typical tapas dinner tonight at the hotel.

After breakfast, we venture to Gaucín, one of the stunning “white villages” of Andalusia that have inspired artists for centuries. Visit open art studios, where sculptors, painters, photographers, and engravers live and work. After lunch in a local restaurant, stop at a local goat farm located in the Sierra Crestellina Natural Park to learn about traditional goat cheese-making.

Our language lessons begin! Walk together to the school for a tour and to meet the staff. Then dive into vocabulary, conjugations, and conversations en Español. Later this afternoon, participants who have opted into the culinary track enjoy their first excursion: a tapas tour in Marbella’s Old Town. Visit renowned tapas bars ranging from some of the city’s oldest, serving classics like spicy gambas pil pil and ensaladilla rusa, to new and popular spots.

Drive to Málaga for a guided tour of the Museo Picasso Málaga, dedicated to the artist in the city where he was born and containing works that span his lifetime, presented in chronological order. Afterwards, take a short city walking tour and have lunch at leisure. Then, visit the building where Picasso was born, which houses works and personal belongings of the artist and his family. Before returning to Marbella, enjoy a flamenco performance at a local tavern in Malaga.  

Today, travelers participating in the optional active track depart for a hike through the natural reserve of Torcal de Antequera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for it's unusual limestone rock formations. Those not participating in the active track enjoy a day at leisure. Back in Marbella later this afternoon, gather with fellow travelers for a guest lecture on the history of Al Andalus followed by a tapas dinner at the hotel.

Cross the border to Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory. Journey to the top of the Rock for breathtaking views of the African coastline, where the waters of the Atlantic meet the Mediterranean.

Enjoy Spanish language lessons this morning, then rejoin the group for dinner at a local restaurant this evening.

Our language lessons continue today. Later, attend a lecture on the Kingdoms of Iberia, given by a local expert.

Today, take a scenic drive to Granada, the last outpost of the Moorish Empire in Spain, which reigned from 711 to 1492. See the remarkable Alhambra, which ranks among the greatest works of architecture in the world. Tour the fortress complex with its fountains, pools, courtyards, and arch-lined walkways. Marvel at the exquisite carvings and tiles of the palace interior. Enjoy lunch on the grounds at the Parador de Granada, returning to Marbella in the afternoon.

Dive into more Spanish language lessons this morning. Afterward, culinary track participants visit a Spanish market with a local expert whose family has been shopping there for generations. We taste our way through the market while meeting local vendors and hearing their stories. Later this afternoon, gather with the group for another lecture in our local speaker series—this one on contemporary Spain.

Spend the weekend at leisure in Marbella. Alternatively, join an optional weekend getaway (at additional cost) to Carmona, where we spend two nights in a parador built on the ruins of a 14th-century Moorish castle, and which serves as our jumping off point for day trips to Seville and Córdoba. Visit the extraordinary Gothic cathedral in Seville and its Real Alcazar. In Córdoba, wander the Old Town and Jewish Quarter and see its ancient Roman bridge.

Our Spanish language lessons continue this morning. In the afternoon, attend our next guest lecture, which takes a look at Flamenco’s Arab roots.

After language lessons this morning, participants in the culinary track don aprons and learn how to make paella in one of the most charming villas in Marbella alongside its owners. Taste olive oil from their 100-year-old, family-run farm then enjoy our paella with delicious Spanish wine in the majestic setting of their home.

Today, we explore Ronda, one of Spain’s oldest towns, which sits perched atop a massive cliff. Step into the Iglesia de Santa María la Mayor, a church commissioned by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1485. Also visit the Plaza de Toros, one of Spain’s finest bullfighting rings, and Casa don Bosco. Sit with a glass of wine and take in the gorgeous scenery at the vineyard of a local winery.

Return to the classroom for language lessons this morning. In the afternoon, learn about ProDunas Marbella, an association working to preserve the unique ecosystems that survive in the Málaga sand dunes. Enjoy dinner together tonight at a local restaurant.

This morning, participants in the active track depart for the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes Natural Park, where we hike the Caminito del Rey along hanging walkways suspended from a sheer cliff, once considered the most dangerous boardwalk route in the world. The day is otherwise free for independent exploration.

Enjoy a day at leisure in Marbella. Alternatively, opt to join a day trip to Morocco (at additional cost) to stroll the bustling medinas and souks of Tangier. Sample the many flavors of Moroccan cuisine during a special lunch and take a guided walk through the bazaar.

Just outside of Antequera are a series of 5,000-year-old megalithic tombs, including Viera Dolmen and Menga Dolmen, the largest in Europe. After a visit there, continue to the hilltop Alcazaba de Antequera to begin a walking tour through this medieval town with its winding lanes and more than 30 churches and cathedrals. Enjoy lunch at a small family-owned and run restaurant, located in a beautifully restored townhouse in the city center.

Our Spanish language lessons resume this morning. After an afternoon at leisure in Marbella, gather with fellow travelers for dinner at a restaurant.

Continue language lessons again this morning. Culinary track participants delve into Jerez wines, one of the oldest wines in the world, during a tasting in one of the most exclusive bodegas in Old Town. Learn about the art of making sherry and enjoy different types of Spanish sherry paired with traditional cuisine.

Return to Málaga for a full-day exploration. With a Malaga Pass 24H card in hand, bypass long ticket lines and visit the permanent collection of museums, such as the Carmen Thyssen Museum, the Pompidou Centre Malaga, the Russian Art Museum, Museo de Malaga, and the Flamenco Art Museum.

Your language lessons conclude today. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure in Marbella.

Today, we tour two less-visited gems of the Costa del Sol. Nerja is famous for its underground caves, which stretch for nearly three miles and contain the largest stalagmite in the world, a towering 105-foot-high column. Frigiliana is a picture-postcard white-washed town, where we wander the narrow, winding, cobblestone streets of its old quarter.

Active track participants embark on a final hike, enjoying views of the Costa del Sol from scenic viewpoints in the foothills of Sierra Blanca and Juanar, including Mirador del Corzo and Mirador del Macho Montés. Stop for lunch in a nearby restaurant that used to be an old hunting lodge. Those not enrolled in the active track have a day at leisure.

Our final day in Marbella is free of any scheduled activities. Come together this evening to toast our adventure during a farewell reception and dinner in the hotel.

Bid farewell to the Costa del Sol this morning. Transfer to Malaga Airport to begin journeys home.