Reader question: “Can you recommend a small, local tour company that would provide a car & driver for a 10 day custom tour of several smaller cities in Spain? There are 4 of us traveling and we would like to hire a car & driver to take us to Toledo, Zaragoza, Oviedo and possibly some other places. We’ve been to Madrid & Barcelona several times and want a more intimate experience in early spring.”
TourScoop answer: This sounds like a great trip! Here are a few different approaches that could be a good fit for your group:
- Join a small-group tour, either through a larger tour company with a focus that resonates with you (for instance, Road Scholar or Smithsonian for learning, Tauck for upscale experiences, etc.) or through a locally focused tour company like Eskapas.
- Arrange a private tour through a tour company like Kensington, Globus, or Intrepid.
- Use a planning service like Trufflepig or TravelLocal that has networks of local guides. Or, book via your preferred travel advisor, since they’re likely to have access to trusted drivers and guides.
- Or, consider renting a car or getting a train pass to move among destinations (Spain is very well connected) and then book day tours in each of your destinations through a company like Viator (owned by Tripadvisor), GetYourGuide, or Toursbylocals. For food-specific experiences (dinners at chefs’ houses, cooking classes by locals, market trips, etc.), I’ve had great luck with EatWith.
