We're interested in taking a trip to Spain in the late September or early October. We're looking for a quality tour package of no more than 10 working days. Would like not too large a group, e.g. last year we took walking tour of the Amalfi coast with 18 people and the year before we did a river cruise in France. Definitely want to include Barcelona and Madrid. Thanks for your suggestions!

My sister and brother-in-law like Tauck. I travel independently.

Tauck has a one week tour but you can probably add a few days at the beginning or end. Maybe at the end in Madrid, you could do independent day trips to Segovia, Toledo, etc.

http://www.tauck.com/tours/europe-to...cation-ws-2010

Guess not too many have taken escorted tours of Spain. Wondered if any included southern Spain. We could fly or take a train to Barcelona at the conclusion or beginning of our trip. Figuring two weeks.

You can easily do Spain on your own, you really don't need an organized tour.

Maribel's guides has some companies listed on her website..www.maribelsguides.com. Most on this forum are independent travelers.

In late September/early October, the world's most important flamenco festival is celebrated in wonderful Sevilla:
http://www.flamenco-world.com/notici...al22032010.htm

This sites might be worth looking into for guided tours in Sevilla:
http://www.sevilletourguide.com/ing/presentacion.asp
Tapas tours: http://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilletapas/tapas-tours/

Barcelona, Sevilla, Madrid in ten days is a bit rushed, but doable. You might fly from Barcelona to Sevilla in 90 mins for about 40-50€ with Vueling: http://www.vueling.com/booking/booki...ciona-tu-vuelo

The fabolous AVE high speed train takes you between Sevilla and Madrid in 2h 30 mins.

For tour packages, you might have a look here:
http://gospain.about.com/od/guidedto...kage_tours.htm

Most guided group tours (small or large) of Spain, or just about anywhere else, are your typical bus tours, if this is Wednesday, then it must be...

There are companies that offer a bit more exclusivity, covering specific areas of interest (wine and gastronomy tours, art and architectural tours, etc.), but these tend to be on the expensive side. You pay for the insider knowledge and contacts.

If you feel comfortable with the language, and getting around on your own, then you can set up your own tour using a travel planning service, someone familiar with what you want to see and do.

If you're not familiar with Spain and try to plan a tour on your own, as some might suggest, you could end up wasting a lot of time because there is so much to see and do. Working with someone who knows the country is well worth the money.