Jewish Life in Spain and Portugal

---

Walk the cobbled paths of Jewish quarters once filled with prayer, poetry, and the rhythm of Ladino life. From the golden age of Jewish culture in Spain to the haunting silence left by the Inquisition, this tour brings to life the enduring legacy of Sephardic Jewry across the Iberian Peninsula.

Jewish Life in Spain and Portugal is a powerful and elegant journey through history, memory, and revival. You’ll explore once-thriving Jewish communities, stand in restored synagogues, hear stories of exile and brilliance, and experience the modern return of Jewish life to places where it was nearly extinguished.

Highlights include:

• Madrid & Toledo: Begin in Spain’s capital, exploring its Jewish museum and landmarks, before heading to Toledo, the spiritual heart of Sephardic Spain, where Rabbi Ibn Ezra once walked. Visit the beautiful El Tránsito and Santa María la Blanca synagogues and the old Judería.
• Córdoba: Explore the birthplace of Maimonides, with its narrow Jewish quarter, statue of the great philosopher, and one of the oldest preserved synagogues in Spain.
• Seville or Granada: Discover the legacy of Jewish life in southern Spain. Visit either the ancient Jewish quarter of Seville or the Albaicín district in Granada, where Muslim, Jewish, and Christian influences once coexisted.
• Lisbon: Cross into Portugal and explore Lisbon’s historic Jewish quarters and the hauntingly powerful Jewish Memorial in Rossio Square. Learn about the community that was once forced underground, and how it is reemerging today.
• Belmonte & Porto: Visit Belmonte, home to a remarkable community that secretly preserved Jewish identity through centuries of forced conversion. In Porto, tour the beautifully restored Kadoorie Synagogue and learn about Portugal’s modern Jewish revival.

This is a journey of rediscovery, of scholars and mystics, hidden rituals and exiles, and the cultural brilliance of Sepharad that still echoes through language, art, and memory.

Tailor your journey

Whether you want to include Shabbat in Madrid, family name research, culinary tastings of Ladino and Sephardic dishes, or deeper study of Jewish philosophy, your tour can be fully customized to your interests.

Return to Sepharad. Trace the roots. Rekindle the legacy.