Runway to Rail: Madrid - Cordoba - Seville - Granada and Barcelona

In the last few years, Madrid has gained the reputation of being one of Europe's most active and attractive cities for its nightlife and cultural activities. Capital of Spain since 1562, Madrid's museums host, among others, Dalis, Miros and Picasso's Guernica. Madrid is a city of great contrasts: the Old City, the Madrid of the Hapsburgs, the Royal Palace, the Puerta de Alcala, the Retiro Park. At night, the city changes gears with its famous Madrid nightlife. The city's endless energy is hard to resist, and its sociable style invites you to jump right in.

Visit Palacio Real, Plaza Mayor, Prado Museum, Puerta del Sol, Puerta de Alcala, Plaza de Cibeles, Gran Via, Madrid Cathedral, Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofia Museums and so much more!

Cordoba offers a powerful multi-cultural sampler. Founded by the Romans, Cordoba`s glory peaked under Moorish rule, who built the beautiful Grand Mosque, or `Mezquita`. The Christian rulers decided to leave it standing and built a cathedral in the midst of its rows of arches and columns. Cordoba's treasures also include the Alcazar, built by the Christians in 1328; the Calahorra Tower, originally built by the Arabs, which guards the Roman Bridge; and the ancient Jewish Synagogue, now a museum.

Visit The Mezquita, Alcazar, the Roman Bridge, Calahorra Tower, Jewish Synagogue, Juderia (Jewish Quarter), Patios Cordobeses, Palacio de Viana, Medina Azahara, and more!

Seville is the largest town in the famous Southern province of Andalusia, best known for the impressive Cathedral with its Giralda tower, as well as the Alcazar, which also serves as a visiting residence for the Spanish Royal family. Seville seems to move at half the pace of a normal major city, creating a relaxing and even small-town atmosphere that complements the sevillano way of savoring every moment of life, bite of food and sip of drink. Don't forget your dancing shoes, because from the moment the sun goes down right up until it comes up again, the bars and clubs of Seville's nightlife are brimming with festive people, great music, lively conversation and unrivaled excitement.

Visit the Cathedral and Giralda, Royal Alcazar, Gold Tower, Barrio Santa Cruz, Archivo de las Indias, Maria Luisa Park, Triana, Fine Arts Museum, experience Flamenco dancing and so much more!

Granada is a jewel standing at the foot of Spain's highest mountains, the Sierra Nevada. Like many others, this city bears the marks of Roman, Moorish, and Jewish influences. The universally famed Alhambra, a complex of palaces and gardens built under the Nazari Dynasty, overlooks the city. Notably, Isabel and Ferdinand lie buried inside the city's Cathedral. The famed "mudéjar" style of architecture can be spotted in the Monastery of La Cartuja and many other churches built by Moorish craftsmen.

Visit The Alhambra, Generalize, Albaycin, Sacromonte, Cathedral, and Royal Chapel

Barcelona, the old Roman Barcino, is Spain's second city, always on the biting edge of fashion, architecture, food, style, music and good times. Walk its narrow streets and wonderful plazas, or along the Ramblas, stretching from Plaza de Cataluna to the Harbor, encompassing the magic of the city: stalls full of books, birds and flowers. The city's most powerful monuments open a window onto its history: the intricately carved edifices that comprise the medieval Gothic Quarter; the curvilinear modernism (Catalan Art Nouveau) that inspired Gaudi's Sagrada Familia; and the seminal surrealist works of Picasso and Miró, found in museums that peg Barcelona as a crucial incubator for 20th-century art. The recent restoration of the port area began with the development of a harbor for the Olympic Games of 1992. New modern squares, designed by leading artists such as Miro and Barcelo have created a new style alongside Gaudi's modernist buildings. Now the city is ready to show every visitor how it has been transformed into one of the most moderns and active cities in Europe.

Explore The Sagrada Familia, Picasso Museum, La Rambla, Barri Gotic, Park Guell, modernist buildings, Montjuic Hill, Barceloneta and so much more!