Granada to Madrid via Consuegra & Toledo – Day 07 Busabout Iberian Adventure Tour

Today as our adventure continues it will be a sad day as our seven day trip with Busabout on the Iberian Adventure Tour comes to an end and we will pack our bags for central Madrid. Leaving Granada this morning we will make a few stops along the way from the picturesque Consuegra to the old medieval city of Toledo.

We will end this portion of the journey in the capital Mardid, which is also where this trip started six days ago when we were up bright and early and headed to Seville and were taken on a wonderful walking tour of the city.

RECAP: Madrid to Seville: Day 01 Busabout Iberian Adventure Tour

Our next port of call was the seaside city of Lagos where we got to experience a little bit of Portuguese culture for two nights and found ourselves on a kayaking adventure at sea.

RECAP: Seville to Lagos: Day 02 & 03 Busabout Iberian Adventure Tour

It was a real change of pace on day four as we headed back into Spain and to the port of Tarifa where we caught the ferry across to Africa and spent the night in the Moroccan city of Tangier, where we had our own local guide show us the ins and outs of this old city that knocks on Europe’s doorstep.

RECAP: Lagos to Tangier via Tarifa: Day 04 Busabout Iberian Adventure Tour

Some of the most stunning sites were left to the last two days of the tour, which have just passed, as we headed to Granada, passing the British territory of Gibraltar and visiting Spain’s busiest and most popular tourist attraction; the Alhambra.

RECAP: Tangier to Granada: Day 05 & 06 Busabout Iberian Adventure Tour

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Day 07: Granada to Madrid via Consuegra & Toledo – 04 September, 2015

We have reached the final day of our Busabout Iberian Adventure tour and this morning we depart the comfort of the White Nest Hostel in Granada and make our way to Madrid where it will all come to an end as quickly as it all started. Today we are making two stops along the way. After driving for a few hours we come to this small sleepy village of Consuegra, just off the main highway. We navigate the narrow streets and make our way to the main attraction which is a hill that has some restored windmills situated at the top where you gain lovely views of the region.

An entry fee is paid for the coach to gain entry to the area and with this we can access one of the windmills by climbing the steps to the summit where you get an idea of the mechanics behind the operation of the windmill. On top of this hill is also the ruins of an old castle, simply called the Castle of Consuegra, however we don’t have time to go in for a visit. While here this is also a great opportunity for our final group photo together in front of the Busabout coach.

After posing for the camera we continued on for a short time to our next stop of Toledo, which is an old medieval city located on top of a mountain, and quite a stunningly unique place to visit. Because the streets are too narrow and the assent to the top of the town centre is too steep, we are dropped off by the coach at the base and make our own way to the top on foot. As the town is a big tourist drawcard, a series of modern escalators help tourists travel to the top which makes it feel like you are coming up from the bottom of a really deep subway train station.

While we were still on the coach we were given maps of the town so we could go and check out the main attractions. Once we reached the summit we were given a couple of hours to look around and grab some lunch. The main attraction like in any town in Spain is the Cathedral. This Gothic masterpiece was constructed from 1226 and wasn’t finished until 1493 so it has many styles of architecture.

The town also contains some other attractions; not only does its position give you great views of the area, but the highest point of Toledo is the Alcazar Fortress that contains a Spanish Army Museum. The best bit of advice while you’re in Toledo is to keep your map with you as the narrow cobble stoned streets zigzag all over the place and it was really easy to get lost along the way. Luckily I had Google maps on my phone or we may not have made it back to the meeting point on time!

Once everyone gathered at the meeting point we started to make our way back to the coach by heading down the escalators and back to the coach to then continue on our journey to our final destination of Madrid.

On arrival in Madrid our coach drops us off outside the U Hostel where our journey started six days ago and where most of us would be spending the night tonight. The final night of the tour does not include accommodation so it is up to you to book something yourself and I can highly recommend staying at the U Hostel. Not only is it the recommended place by Busabout, but it is also the pick up and drop off point for the Busabout Hop-On Hop-Off network. In addition to this, it is one of the most modern and funky hostels I’ve stayed in!

We were able to make our fellow group members jealous with our room as the U Hostel managed to double book our booking and before our tour started I was emailed by the staff informing us of the error and that we had the option to be given a 6 bed dorm to ourselves or they could arrange to find another hostel for us. We accepted the 6 bed dorm at a discounted rate and it did not disappoint. We had a top floor corner room all to ourselves and were even provided towels which usually incur an extra charge. We had three balconies that overlooked the street with a nice view and couldn’t have been more happy with the service the staff provided us at the U Hostel. They even have swings in the corridors, how cool is that?!

Once we were settled in we all met as a group once again and went a few doors down to a Mexican restaurant where we had one final group dinner and thanked our guides Marysol and Didier. From here we all said our farewells and the people not staying in the area slowly dispersed while others went off to get ready for the next portion of their adventure. For us, tomorrow we are back on the Busabout coach to resume the Hop-On Hop-Off trip by travelling to what will be one of my favourite spots on this whole trip; the stunning city of San Sebastian.

The Busabout Iberian Adventure Tour has been an awesome experience from start to finish and I cannot recommend this trip highly enough for you to grasp the fun, excitement and culture of Spain, Portugal and a little bit of Morocco. Our guides Marysol and Didier were outstanding, professional and knowledgeable and have done this tour so many times that they know each and every destination like the back of their hands. Hands down the best way to see the Iberian Peninsula.

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