Treasures from Spain and Portugal

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Transfer to the hotel. Evening transport to the Gran Vía district. Welcome to Madrid! Upon arriving at the airport, we will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. Check the information boards in the hotel reception area for details of the welcome meeting with your guide and fellow travellers. Towards the end of the day, we provide transfers to the Egyptian Debod Temple, Plaza de Es­paña and Gran Via; a vibrant district where you can dine at your preferred restaurant: Indian, Chinese, Spanish and Middle Eastern are some of the options available.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Madrid city tour. Stroll through the Retiro Park. Visit to the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas bullring. Night transfer.The morning starts with a comprehensive tour through the centre of Madrid including Paseo del Prado, Cibeles, Neptuno, the Gate of Alcalá, Plaza de Colón and Plaza Mayor. We then visit to Retiro Park, an oasis in the city centre, where we will see the lake and the Glass Palace. A visit to Las Ventas Bullring (admission included) is next, this is one of the most famous bullrings in the world where we will learn about the tradition of “corridas” in the Bullfighting Museum. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure. At sunset we provide a transfer to Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace, an elegant and bustling area with many restaurants serving different cuisines such as local Spanish food, international, and Chinese. Enjoy a pleasant dinner of your choice, then return to hotel together.

TODAY’S HIGLIGHTS: Lunch included. Entrance and local guide in the Alhambra. Evening transfer. We leave Madrid in the early morning (if the group of English-speaking travellers is small, they may share the trip to Granada with Spanish-speaking passengers). We travel to the south across La Mancha, stopping in PUERTO LAPICE, a ‘manchego’ village evoking the figure of Don Quixote. We will enter Andalusia via Despeñaperros, arriving in GRANADA. Lunch included. In the afternoon we will visit the immense Alhambra Palace, with entrance and local guide included, and its beautiful Generalife gardens, built in Arab times. In the evening we visit the Albaicín district of Granada, a World Heritage site along with the Alhambra, where you can enjoy dinner in the narrow winding streets of this captivating Medieval Moorish quarter. Tonight, you have the option to attend a flamenco dance show and the traditional neighbourhood of Sac­romonte.Note: In the Alhambra complex, the Nazari palaces allow a limited number of people in at a time. In the highly improbable case of not being able to visit this area of the Alhambra, a visit to the Alcázares will be included in Seville (which have similar architecture and features).

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Costa del Sol and the Andalusian village of Ronda. Departing from Granada and travelling towards the Costa del Sol, we will arrive in MALAGA and explore the historic centre, with its cathedral and the Picasso Museum. After this we will continue along the coastal motorway with beautiful views of the Mediterranean. Stopping in PUERTO BANUS, Marbella, a pretty resort known as a playground for Europe’s rich and famous. In the afternoon we will continue through the hills until we reach RONDA, a very beautiful white town with its large gorge that divides it in two. Continuing to SEVILLE, arriving in the late afternoon.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Guided visit with local expert in Seville. Boat trip along the river Guadalquivir. Night transfer to the historic city centre. After breakfast, a local expert guides you through a scenic visit of Seville featuring the Cathedral and its famous Giralda (bell tower), the banks of the Guadalquivir River, popu­lar neighborhoods of Santa Cruz and Triana and the beautiful Plaza de España. (note: If the group is fewer than fifteen travellers, it can be arranged in both Spanish and English). After the tour, we will include a boat trip along the river Guadalquivir, enjoying the panoramic views from the boat. Enjoy leisure time straight afterwards. At the end of the afternoon, we will go to the historic city centre area (Calle Alfonso XII). Here there are many different types of restaurantes for you to choose from, enjoy your dinner.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Entrance in the Carabelas Museum were Christopher Columbus started his voyage to America. Chapel of the bones in Evora. We leave Seville and travel through the province of Huelva, traveling to PALOS DE LA FRONTERA. We will visit the Carabelas Museum (entrance included); this is where Columbus set sail for America on 3 August 1492. We will also see the Rábida Monastery (entrance included), declared a World Heritage site, a Franciscan monastery strongly linked to the Discovery of America. After this we will travel to Portugal, stopping in MERTOLA, an ancient Muslim city. Time to take some lunch. After lunch, we travel through white villages, and come to EVORA city. Also declared a World Heritage site, with its wide streets, its Renaissance policies and cathedral. We will visit the impressive Chapel of Bones (entrance included), built with 5000 skeletons!. Continuing to LISBON, arriving at the end of the day.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Visit Lisbon. Evening transfer. In the morning we have a sightseeing tour with a local guide (note: ex­planations may be given by our guide if the group has fewer than twelve people) . We visit tra­ditional neighbourhoods, which take in the Belem district, the birthplace of the great Portuguese navigators who sailed the oceans in the Fifteenth Century. We will look around the Monument to the Discoveries, Belem Tower, and the beautiful Jeronimos Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure to explore the city independently. In the late afternoon, we transfer to the Restauradores Square, a public square with restaurants and cafes. We suggest you ride the Elevador Da Gloria funicular that takes you to the viewpoint of San Pedro with beautiful views over Lisbon and the Bairro Alto. Return to the hotel.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Fatima Shrine. Visit Porto and an old cellar. We travel to the north of Portugal and visit FATIMA, an important sanctuary. We will continue on our way through PORTO, Portugal’s second largest city. Time for lunch and sightseeing tour of this city on the bank of Duero river and its historic centre included. We also include a visit to the old cellars. Free time.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Cable car to the Bom Jesus Sanctuary. Wine and Mussels tasting in boat trip. Visit Santiago de Compostela. On this day we will travel through beautiful landscapes. In the city of BRAGA we will get on the world’s oldest cable car to go up to the Santuário do BOM JESÚS, where we will enjoy its gorgeous views. We recommend trekking back down in order to admire its beautiful stairway. We will resume our trip to Galicia. We will visit the historic town of CAMBADOS in Rías Baixas. We include a glass bottom boat trip where we will learn about the production of mussels and oysters. Wine and mussel tasting included. We will arrive in SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA at lunchtime. An afternoon tour of this town with a local guide is included. This town was a famous pilgrimage destination in the Middle Ages.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Beautiful landscapes. Visit Oviedo. We will travel along Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) to Castile. We will take some time in LUGO to visit its historic centre and Roman walls which were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will make a stop on route in O CEBREIRO, a small Galician stone village. Arrival in LEÓNat lunchtime. We will have time visit the Gothic cathedral with its stained glass windows and stroll through the historic center. We will later cross the mountains of the Cantabrian Range on our way to Asturias. Arrival in OVIEDO at mid-afternoon. We include (occasionally on Tuesday mornings) an hour-and-a-half visit of the city with a local guide. We will visit its 9th century cathedral, Calatrava Congressional Palace, Campoamor Theatre, Calle de la Rua.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Fantastic landscapes. Altamira National Museum. Panoramic city tour of Santander. We will travel to Picos de Europa. We will visit Basílica de COVADONGA which is surrounded by beautiful scenery. We will resume our journey following the coastline to SANTILLANA, one of Spain’s most beautiful towns, and we will visit its well-preserved medieval quarter. We visit the National Museum and Research Centre of ALTAMIRA (ticket included) located in the vicinity of this town. We will later travel to SANTANDER, the region’s capital city, a coastal city with amazing views and beaches. We include panoramic city tour to discover this elegant city and its beautiful bay.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Bilbao. Wine Museum in La Rioja. Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Dinner in Zaragoza. We follow the motorway along the Cantabrian coast; some of the scenery between the mountains and the sea is very beautiful. BILBAO, arrival in the largest city in the Basque Country. On arrival we include a funicular climb to the Artxanda viewpoint, where we have a great view of the city, and after which, with a local guide, we make a short tour of the city:Guggenheim area, old quarter, Cathedral… then there will be free time for some “pintxos”.We will later travel to LA RIOJA region, an outstanding wine region. We will visit the Wine Museum in Briones, and we will learn about the importance of wine making from time immemorial. We will later stop in SANTO DOMINGO DE LA CALZADA, a historic town in Camino de Santiago, a rooster lives in its cathedral. ZARAGOZA, arrival late in the afternoon. Dinner included.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Sightseeing tour of Zaragoza. Rack railway to Montserrat Abbey. We include a morning sightseeing tour of ZARAGOZA with a local guide. We will visit the Cathedal-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar. We will learn about Goya, the famous painter, and see some of his works. We will also visit a Roman theatre, a Renaissance palace, and walk by the Aljafería Palace. After lunch, we will continue to POBLET MONASTERY, a walled monastery surrounded by beautiful scenery. It is one of the best preserved medieval monasteries in the world (ticket included with guided tour). We will later travel to MONSERRAT ABBEY where we include a ride on the rack railway to enjoy fantastic landscapes. We will resume our journey to BARCELONA where we will arrive late in the afternoon.NOTE: In the winter months, from November to March (both included), as days are shorter, the Poblet Monastery will not be visited (in order to arrive in Montserrat during the daylight hours).

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Barcelona city tour. “Spanish Village” visit and evening transfers to Las Ramblas district. Today we will explore Barcelona, an impressive city right on the Medi­terranean Sea. Starting with an informative city tour with a local expert (note: If the group has fewer than fifteen people, explanations can be given by our guide.) We also visit the city’s historic central area with its Gothic neigh­bourhood dating back to the Middle Ages. We will visit the area where the Olympic Games took place. We will get the chance to see La Sagrada Fa­milia Basilica; the masterpiece designed by the architect Gaudí. Following this, we include the entry ticket to visit ‘Poble Espanyol’ (meaning ‘Spanish Village’). This open-air architectural museum is situated in one of the most emblematic areas of Barcelona. Enjoy Spanish craftsmanship and discover the architectural styles, traditions and folklore of the different communities in Spain. Take some free time to explore the city on your own. In the evening we provide transfers to Las Ramblas and Plaza Cata­lunya area for dinner, where you can select from a great variety of restaurants. Return to hotel.

After breakfast, end of our services.