Jewish Heritage: Spain & Portugal

The Sephardic history of the Iberian Peninsula, traced city by city, for groups who travel to understand their heritage. A historian travels with the group, connecting the synagogues and quarters of each city to the families who lived there. Seven days tracing Sephardic history across Spain and Portugal, from Toledo's synagogues to Lisbon's old Jewish quarter.

Spain

Portugal

7 Days

Madrid -> Toledo -> Córdoba -> Seville -> Lisbon

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Day 1

Arrival in Madrid

Arrive in Madrid, where a hotel has been set aside entirely for you. Over dinner, the historian traveling with you introduces the story of Sepharad that the week will follow. Dinner is also a chance to meet the others and share what brought each person on this journey.

Day 2

Toledo

Toledo was once home to among the largest Jewish communities in medieval Spain. The Synagogue of El Tránsito, now the Sephardic Museum, and Santa María la Blanca, with its white horseshoe arches, anchor the visit, and the historian leads the way through the lanes of the old Jewish quarter. El Tránsito was built in the 14th century by Samuel ha-Levi, treasurer to King Pedro I, and its walls still carry Hebrew inscriptions in carved plaster.

Day 3

Córdoba

A high-speed train runs to Córdoba, whose medieval synagogue is one of just three in Spain surviving from before 1492. Stroll the old Jewish quarter past the statue of Maimonides, the city's most famous son, and end the day with a performance of Sephardic songs sung in Ladino. Nearby, the Casa de Sefarad, a small museum, adds the music, clothing, and daily life of Córdoba's Jewish families.

Day 4

Seville

Seville's Santa Cruz quarter was once the city's Jewish quarter, and the historian explains the events of 1391 and 1492 and their lasting impact as you go. Dinner features Sephardic dishes, recipes carried across the Mediterranean and kept alive by families for five centuries. Santa Cruz's narrow lanes and small squares still follow the layout of the medieval quarter, even where the buildings have changed.

Day 5

To Lisbon

Fly to Lisbon and check in to a hotel that's again yours alone, with the rest of the day free to rest or ride the old trams up into the city. Tram 28 climbs through the Alfama, offering an easy first look at the neighborhoods the group will explore the next day.

Day 6

Lisbon's Jewish History

Lisbon's Jewish history runs from the old judiaria in the Alfama to the Shaare Tikvah synagogue, built in 1904, and the memorial in Largo de São Domingos. The last dinner is an evening of storytelling and a chance to reflect on the week together. The memorial marks the 1506 massacre of Lisbon's New Christians, and the historian places it within the longer story of Portugal's Jewish community.

Day 7

Departure

A free morning for reflection or a final wander around the city, then transfers to the airport. Lisbon's airport is close to the center, so even an afternoon flight leaves plenty of time.

blue and white painted houses on the cliff

Ready to trace this history together?

Our sample itineraries are just the beginning. Every Adler Marlow trip is designed around you, your pace, your passions, your people. Let us tailor something extraordinary along the Sephardic trail.

blue and white painted houses on the cliff

Ready to trace this history together?

Our sample itineraries are just the beginning. Every Adler Marlow trip is designed around you, your pace, your passions, your people. Let us tailor something extraordinary along the Sephardic trail.

blue and white painted houses on the cliff

Ready to trace this history together?

Our sample itineraries are just the beginning. Every Adler Marlow trip is designed around you, your pace, your passions, your people. Let us tailor something extraordinary along the Sephardic trail.

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Day 1

Arrival in Madrid

Arrive in Madrid, where a hotel has been set aside entirely for you. Over dinner, the historian traveling with you introduces the story of Sepharad that the week will follow. Dinner is also a chance to meet the others and share what brought each person on this journey.

Day 1

Arrival in Madrid

Arrive in Madrid, where a hotel has been set aside entirely for you. Over dinner, the historian traveling with you introduces the story of Sepharad that the week will follow. Dinner is also a chance to meet the others and share what brought each person on this journey.

Day 2

Toledo

Toledo was once home to among the largest Jewish communities in medieval Spain. The Synagogue of El Tránsito, now the Sephardic Museum, and Santa María la Blanca, with its white horseshoe arches, anchor the visit, and the historian leads the way through the lanes of the old Jewish quarter. El Tránsito was built in the 14th century by Samuel ha-Levi, treasurer to King Pedro I, and its walls still carry Hebrew inscriptions in carved plaster.

Day 2

Toledo

Toledo was once home to among the largest Jewish communities in medieval Spain. The Synagogue of El Tránsito, now the Sephardic Museum, and Santa María la Blanca, with its white horseshoe arches, anchor the visit, and the historian leads the way through the lanes of the old Jewish quarter. El Tránsito was built in the 14th century by Samuel ha-Levi, treasurer to King Pedro I, and its walls still carry Hebrew inscriptions in carved plaster.

Day 3

Córdoba

A high-speed train runs to Córdoba, whose medieval synagogue is one of just three in Spain surviving from before 1492. Stroll the old Jewish quarter past the statue of Maimonides, the city's most famous son, and end the day with a performance of Sephardic songs sung in Ladino. Nearby, the Casa de Sefarad, a small museum, adds the music, clothing, and daily life of Córdoba's Jewish families.

Day 3

Córdoba

A high-speed train runs to Córdoba, whose medieval synagogue is one of just three in Spain surviving from before 1492. Stroll the old Jewish quarter past the statue of Maimonides, the city's most famous son, and end the day with a performance of Sephardic songs sung in Ladino. Nearby, the Casa de Sefarad, a small museum, adds the music, clothing, and daily life of Córdoba's Jewish families.

Day 4

Seville

Seville's Santa Cruz quarter was once the city's Jewish quarter, and the historian explains the events of 1391 and 1492 and their lasting impact as you go. Dinner features Sephardic dishes, recipes carried across the Mediterranean and kept alive by families for five centuries. Santa Cruz's narrow lanes and small squares still follow the layout of the medieval quarter, even where the buildings have changed.

Day 4

Seville

Seville's Santa Cruz quarter was once the city's Jewish quarter, and the historian explains the events of 1391 and 1492 and their lasting impact as you go. Dinner features Sephardic dishes, recipes carried across the Mediterranean and kept alive by families for five centuries. Santa Cruz's narrow lanes and small squares still follow the layout of the medieval quarter, even where the buildings have changed.

Day 5

To Lisbon

Fly to Lisbon and check in to a hotel that's again yours alone, with the rest of the day free to rest or ride the old trams up into the city. Tram 28 climbs through the Alfama, offering an easy first look at the neighborhoods the group will explore the next day.

Day 5

To Lisbon

Fly to Lisbon and check in to a hotel that's again yours alone, with the rest of the day free to rest or ride the old trams up into the city. Tram 28 climbs through the Alfama, offering an easy first look at the neighborhoods the group will explore the next day.

Day 6

Lisbon's Jewish History

Lisbon's Jewish history runs from the old judiaria in the Alfama to the Shaare Tikvah synagogue, built in 1904, and the memorial in Largo de São Domingos. The last dinner is an evening of storytelling and a chance to reflect on the week together. The memorial marks the 1506 massacre of Lisbon's New Christians, and the historian places it within the longer story of Portugal's Jewish community.

Day 6

Lisbon's Jewish History

Lisbon's Jewish history runs from the old judiaria in the Alfama to the Shaare Tikvah synagogue, built in 1904, and the memorial in Largo de São Domingos. The last dinner is an evening of storytelling and a chance to reflect on the week together. The memorial marks the 1506 massacre of Lisbon's New Christians, and the historian places it within the longer story of Portugal's Jewish community.

Day 7

Departure

A free morning for reflection or a final wander around the city, then transfers to the airport. Lisbon's airport is close to the center, so even an afternoon flight leaves plenty of time.

Day 7

Departure

A free morning for reflection or a final wander around the city, then transfers to the airport. Lisbon's airport is close to the center, so even an afternoon flight leaves plenty of time.

BACK TO ALL