What Is the Best Tour Company for Spain? Find the One That Fits You

Craft a Spain itinerary that suits your travel style. Spain is one of the world’s most popular travel destinations, and with so many tour companies to choose from, picking the right one can be overwhelming. In this article, we’ve rounded up some of the best tour options to help you decide what suits your needs. And while we don’t mean to toot our own horn, okay, maybe just a little, we’ll also introduce what we offer: professional local guides who can help you build a customised itinerary that matches your interests and budget.

Now, before all this: Get to know what’s available to you as options first. 

Types of Tours in Spain (and How Much They Cost)

Before you choose a tour company, it’s important to understand the types of tours available in Spain. The reason for this is because each comes with a different:

• Travel experience
• Level of flexibility
• Price point

Whether you’re looking for something luxurious and guided every step of the way, or prefer to explore independently with a bit of structure, there’s an option out there for you.

Here’s an overview of the most common types of tours in Spain:

Group Tours

Group tours are pre-scheduled tours with a fixed itinerary that you’ll join with a group of strangers. They typically cost around €80 to €300 per day, depending on the company and what’s included (accommodation, transport, meals, etc.). Group tours can vary in duration: from a single day to multiple days.

Pros

• Great for last-minute planners
• Budget-friendly
• Ideal for meeting other travellers

Cons

• You have no input on the itinerary, you may be paying for sightseeing spots or activities that you’re not even interested in
• You’ll need to follow a group pace and schedule
• You might feel left out if you're not as social, especially if you’re travelling on your own

Other types of tours that will be considered as group tours are:

Free Walking Tours

Free walking tours are commonly available from the hotel, bed & breakfast or local tourist information centres. With these, they are commonly shorter in duration and have a pre-planned route that focuses more on introducing the area and its cultural and historical significance.

Day Tours & Excursions

These are short, one-day trips from major cities like Madrid, Barcelona, or Seville to nearby towns, wineries, historical sites, or natural attractions. You can expect to pay around €50 to €200 per tour.

Pros

• Easy to fit into any schedule that you may already have
• Often includes transportation and entrance fees
• Great for getting out of the city

Cons

• Limited time at each destination
• Less immersive than multi-day tours

Private Tours

Private tours are organised just for you (or your group) with a professional tour guide. You can tailor the itinerary, pacing, and experiences to your preferences. Expect to pay around €150 to €500+ per day, depending on your guide’s rate, destination, and level of customisation.

Pros

• Customisable to your interests and travel pace - of course, this would depend on the tour company and your tour guide too
• Personal guide attention to all your needs
• Ensures efficiency with maximum travel experience
• You will be safe and 100% taken care of

Cons

• A little more expensive than group tours
• Requires a bit more planning upfront with your tour guide 

It’s also worth noting that not all private tours are created equal. Some follow a fixed route with limited flexibility, while others are fully customisable to your interests and schedule. Just so you know, we’re the latter! All GoWithGuide tours are 100% private and tailor-made by your chosen guide to match your travel style and preferences.

Self-Guided Tours

These are pre-planned itineraries where you travel independently, following routes or recommendations provided in an app, guidebook, or PDF. Some include audio tours or local support. Prices are usually €10 to €50 per day or even free.

Pros

• Flexible as you’re in charge of the itinerary - you’re merely using the pre-planned itinerary as a guideline to your day of travel
• Very affordable
• Great if you like to explore on your own

Cons

• No live guide to answer questions or adjust plans for irregular events
• You’ll need to navigate and solve issues on your own

How to Choose the Right Type of Tour for You

Here are some real thoughts we've heard from travellers:

• “There are so many tour options, it’s hard to decide.”
• “Tours can be annoying when you can’t go at your own pace.”
• “I’d love to have a guide, but only at certain points during the trip.”
• “I don’t want bare bones or luxury, just something that offers real value.”

Sound familiar? These are all valid points, and they highlight an important truth: there’s no such thing as the single “best” tour. The right tour depends on your travel style, needs, and expectations.

Let’s walk through a few key questions to help you figure out what kind of tour suits you best.

How Much Planning Do You Want To Do?

Very little: If you just want to cover the highlights without doing much research, aside from booking your dates, choose to go for a multi-day group tour or a pre-designed private tour. These are ideal for travellers who prefer a ready-made itinerary and a guide to handle everything.

Some: If you want some flexibility and control, consider combining day trips, half-day tours, or handpicked private tours. This allows you to shape your schedule, add activities of interest, and still enjoy local guidance without organising everything yourself.

All the planning: Prefer to plan every detail? You can self-guide your entire trip using your research, or choose customisable private tours where local guides work with you to create a plan from scratch, based entirely on what you want to do, when, and how.

Read more on, How To Plan a Trip: 5 Essential Steps written by our very own founder.

Who Are You Travelling With?

Travelling Alone: If you're travelling alone and want to meet people, group tours are a great way to connect with other travellers.

If you prefer solitude or personal attention, private tours can give you a safer and more personalised experience. If by solitude you truly mean complete independence, you can also opt for a self-guided tour or simply do your own research and explore entirely on your own.

With a Partner: For couples, private tours are ideal if you want a more romantic or personalised experience. You can travel at your own pace, choose what to do, and enjoy more quiet time together.

If you want to socialise a little, mix in a group day tour or two to share experiences with other travellers.

With Family: Families! Especially with young kids or elderly travellers, benefit from the flexibility of private tours, where you can adjust timing and activities to everyone’s needs.

Short half-day or day tours work great for keeping kids engaged without overwhelming them.
Some family-friendly group tours also exist, but may have limitations based on age.

With Friends: Traveling with friends? Private group tours are a great option; you get the itinerary customised to your group’s interests and pace, and the cost can often be split among everyone, making it surprisingly affordable. In many cases, the per-person cost isn't too different from joining a standard group tour.

If you're all social and budget-conscious, you can also join group tours together for a fun, shared experience. 

Want flexibility? Let each friend choose a highlight and build your days around those shared picks with the help of a private guide.

How Flexible Is Your Schedule?

Very tight on time: If you’re tight on time, you may be surprised, but a private tour will work better in your favour. You will get to maximise your time for seeing places that you’re only interested in.
Have lots of time: If you have lots of time, you can choose to mix and match between the various types of tour options that are available to you.

What’s Your Travel Budget?

Budget-Conscious: If you’re trying to keep costs as low as possible, group tours and self-guided tours are your best bets. Group tours often include transport and entrance fees, giving you good value for the price.

Self-guided tours or DIY itineraries can cost even less, just be prepared to do more planning on your own.

Mid-Range: If you have a bit more flexibility in your budget and want more personal attention, private tours offer a great balance. You can customise the itinerary, enjoy a more relaxed pace, and still keep things affordable by choosing shorter tours or fewer add-ons.
Travelling with others? You can also split the cost among your group, which helps keep per-person pricing reasonable.

High-End: If comfort and convenience are top priorities, consider luxury private tours. These often include premium accommodations, private transportation, exclusive experiences, and hands-on support every step of the way.

What Kind of Experience Do You Want?

Structured and Social: If you prefer a clear itinerary and enjoy meeting fellow travellers, group tours are a great fit. You’ll visit the must-see sights, follow a set schedule, and share the journey with people from around the world.

You can also experience this same structured and social atmosphere with a private tour, getting to know a professional local guide who shares insider knowledge and helps you connect with the culture firsthand.

Flexible and Personal: If your ideal trip includes spontaneous detours, leisurely meals, or niche interests, private tours are the way to go. You get to set the pace, choose what to focus on, and enjoy a one-on-one connection with your guide.

Independent but Supported: If you enjoy exploring on your own but want a bit of guidance or structure, self-guided tours are a solid middle ground. You’ll have suggested routes or tools (like apps or printed guides) to help you navigate but you’ll be in full control of when and how you go.

You don’t have to hire a guide for the entire day or trip, either. With private tours, you can request niche or specific experiences tailored just for the time you want, perfect for diving into your particular interests without committing to a full-day tour.

Why Choose GoWithGuide’s Private Tours for Your Spain Trip?

By now you’ve read that there’s no one-size-fits all answer to the question: “What is the best tour company for Spain?”. We’re not about to claim that you should choose ours but the real answer depends on your travel style, interests and expectations.

Let us share with you what we are about: Our professional and local tour guides offer 100% private and personalised tour to your liking.

You can read details about our company and the history in our About us page as well, but here’s some of the customer experiences we want to highlight for their trip in Spain.

What Our Customers Say About Touring Spain with GoWithGuide

• “Nothing short of fabulous. Passionate and knowledgeable. She worked everything into our schedule” - Customer Burke
• “He’s flexible and will customize the tour to meet your needs. He’ll set the pace to your liking. He’s extremely knowledgeable and explain everything in detail” - Customer Patti
• “Took us to the local places that only someone living there woudl know. Gave good background and completely personalized our tour. It was a really great day.” - Customer Jenn
• “Her knowledge of the history was impressive, and she new little details about life in medieval times that were very interesting. Her English is outstanding, and her international experiences come through in her perspectives and the discussions that we had with her during the tour.” - Customer Mark

These are only some of the reviews, if you’d like to check out more, visit our Spain page and scroll down to the Reviews section.

How We Make Personalised, Private Tours Possible

Here’s what makes your experience stand out. Not just for what you see on the tour, but for how we make it work behind the scenes:

You Choose Your Guide: You’re not assigned someone at random. You get to browse profiles, read reviews, and choose the person who feels right for your trip. Each profile is written by the guide themselves, and the tour products listed are unique to that guide, designed based on their own expertise and passion. And of course, you can customise any tour to suit your interests.

Our guide recruitment team conducts rigorous interviews to verify each guide’s identity, ensure their deep knowledge of the destination and, just as importantly, evaluate their ability to provide a safe and professional experience for guests of all kinds.

You Can Message Before Booking: No more guessing if the guide is a good fit. Our platform allows you to message any guide directly before you book, so you can ask questions, clarify expectations, or just get a feel for their personality. That means no surprises, just confidence that your trip is in good hands.

You Co-Create the Itinerary: This isn’t a copy-paste tour. Once you’ve connected with your chosen guide, you can work together to build an itinerary that suits your exact needs, preferences, and conditions, whether that’s pacing, accessibility, dietary requirements, or must-see spots.

We believe great tours come from great collaboration, and that’s why our platform supports flexible, two-way planning.

Ready to Plan Your Perfect Trip to Spain?

Now that you’ve explored the different types of tours available and thought through what suits your travel style, you might already have a clearer idea of what your ideal Spain trip could look like.

If you're still figuring it out, check out our full collection of articles on our Spain Blog Browse Page. You'll find inspiration for different food experiences, hidden gems, seasonal travel tips, and more. It’s a great place to spark ideas and see what kind of tours and experiences might be right for you.

Book a Guide Your Way

Flexibility to suit your personal preference is what we offer:

• Hire a guide for your entire Spain trip, so you can enjoy consistent support and insight throughout your journey.
• Book a guide for specific dates, perfect if you want help in just one city or region, such as Barcelona
• Choose a niche tour,  like food, history, flamenco, architecture, or hiking, with a guide who specialises in that area.
• Arrange a guide and private driver combo, so you can travel between cities or visit multiple sites in comfort.
• Even book an airport transfer to start or end your trip smoothly.

All of it can be arranged directly through our platform with full transparency, direct communication, and no stress.

Let’s make your Spain trip personal, meaningful, and unforgettable!