An Adventurous Mother-Daughter Trip to Spain

The last time my mother and I traveled together was in 2019 and we visited California (check out the post here). We had a great time and I always hoped we’d get the chance to go away together again. I didn’t imagine that the next trip would be as far, long, and fantastic as our trip to Spain! In this post I’m sharing the things we did, places we stayed, and food we ate for inspiration for your own trip.

Usually I plan the trips I go on, but this time I got to enjoy a trip planned by someone else. My mother did a fantastic job choosing everything we did and I feel so lucky to have learned how to travel from the best.

If you’re interested in other destinations, check out my guides to

Day One – Travel and Madrid Exploration

We started our trip off in Madrid. We arrived early and immediately began exploring. We stayed at NH Madrid Nacional and the location allowed us to get most everywhere we wanted on foot. Our first stop was a walk down the Gran Via. We admired the Metropolis building and the Plaza del Callao.

Retiro Park offered lovely gardens and wooded areas to explore, as well as park benches where my poor, jet lagged body decided to take a nap.

We ate dinner at Zerain and it was one of my favorite meals. I got the tortilla de bacalao media to start and chuleton, which was served to rare perfection.

The Reina Sofia offers free evenings, so we went over there after dinner to explore the exhibits. We spent a lot of time on the works of Felix Gonzales-Torres and I was surprised how much I enjoyed the modern art.

My favorite piece we saw was an early Dalí called “Figure at the Window” of his sister.

Day Two – Prado

This day was all about the art. We went to the Prado, one of the top art museums in the world, and I was overwhelmed with everything we could see. My favorite works were Raphael’s “Portrait of a Cardinal,” El Greco’s “Nobleman with his hand on his chest,” and Alejandro Ferrant’s “Francisco Pradilla.”

We ate lunch at the museum and took a rest before heading back out to enjoy more of Retiro Park and to have dinner.

We ate at Tatel and it was not only delicious, but the atmosphere was wonderful. There was live music and the waiters were so attentive. This was also my mother’s favorite place for dessert of the whole trip – she had a dish with cotton candy and I enjoyed their famous cheesecake.

Day Three – Train to Seville and Flamenco

Bright and early we took the train to Seville. We stayed at Meliá Sevilla and had a great experience. Our first stop was to the very conveniently located Plaza de Espana. This was a highly anticipated stop for my mother and after experiencing it I understood why. It was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 and combines Renaissance Revival and Moorish Revival styles. It is so intricate with tile work and carvings and each little spot held so much beauty.

Next we went to Setas, the largest wooden structure in the world. You get wonderful 360 degree views of the city, but I recommend going at the start or end of the day because it was incredibly hot up top.

In the evening we did one of my favorite activities of the trip! We attended a flamenco show at La Casa del Flamenco. We were seated around a wooden platform and got to watch three dance numbers performed in an intimate setting. The musicians and dancers conveyed such passion and depth of emotion in their performance and I found the entire thing riveting. Parts of the costumes were flying off, tears were coming to the singers’ eyes – it was truly something to behold. We followed the show with dinner at El Rinconcillo, a restaurant that’s been in existence since 1670.

Day Four – History and Ceramics

Our day started with the Real Alcázar and this was one of the most impressive sites I’ve visited. It is a royal residence that has changed hands between Islamic and Catholic rulers and the architecture is a reflection of that crossover. We spent hours exploring the home and gardens and I highly recommend visiting.

Next we went to the Seville Cathedral, which is right next door. There is a tower that provides beautiful views of the city and so many areas to explore within the cathedral itself. My jaw absolutely dropped looking at the main alter.

In the evening we headed to the Triana neighborhood, which is famous for its ceramics. I am not much of a shopper, but I couldn’t get enough of all of the ceramic workshops and stores. We went into quite a few and ended up making all of our purchases at Ceramica Triana. Our dinner was at Turuleta and it was excellent. We headed back to our hotel to catch the semifinal World Cup game since Spain was playing France and it was such an exciting experience to be in Spain when they advanced to the finals.

Day Five – Drive to Malaga and Caves

We rented a car and drove to Malaga. This was my first time being the driver in a foreign country and it went perfectly! We rented from Enterprise and had a great experience. We stayed at Gran Hotel Miramar and it was incredibly beautiful, with more Islamic design and it was right on the water.

We briefly settled in before heading to Cueva del Tesoro, one of only three submarine caves known in the world, and the only one in Europe. It was incredible to explore and I felt a bit like I was on an Indiana Jones adventure. Dinner was sushi with a view at the hotel.

Day Six – Caminito del Rey

This was the most adventurous day of the trip! We hiked the Caminito del Rey, which is a walkway attached to the walls of a gorge. We took a guided tour, both to learn about where we were and to make sure we were safe and monitored. It takes about an hour to get from the parking lot to the actual start of the trail, including a bus ride, so if you visit make sure to leave yourself plenty of time.

Day Seven – Nerja

As always, I had to make sure to do a photoshoot and we saved it for our last day. We went to the beautiful seaside town of Nerja and worked with Luis (I find all of my photographers through Airbnb). It was a fun and relaxing activity to end the trip and I always look forward to having the photos as a souvenir.

We did a little bit of shopping in the town then headed to the Nerja Caves, which boasts some of the largest stalagmite and stalactite columns in the world. I could hardly believe my eyes the entire time. This was well, well worth the visit and I would allocate two hours to fully experience the caves.

We enjoyed dinner at the hotel for our last night and soaked in the views. It was the perfect end to a truly wonderful experience in Spain.

Have you visited Spain? Would you take a trip with your mother? I am so grateful to have taken this trip!