The Best of Spain and Portugal

Welcome to Madrid! Upon arriving at the airport, we will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. You can enjoy some free time until the beginning of your tour. Please check the informative posters placed at the hotel reception area, which have all the information about the welcome meeting with your guide and fellow travelers. Towards the end of the day, we provide a transfer to Plaza Mayor and La Latina: Madrid´s most famous area for night life and tapas restaurants where you can dine at your preferred restaurant: Indian, Chinese, Spanish and Middle Eastern are some of the options available.

The morning starts with a comprehensive tour through the center of Madrid, including the Paseo del Prado, Cibeles, Neptuno, the Gate of Alcalá, Plaza de Colón and Plaza Mayor. Then we will visit Retiro Park, an oasis in the city center, where we will see the lake and the Glass Palace. Entrance included to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the football stadium of Real Madrid, for many, the best club in the world. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at your own leisure. At the end of the evening we will return to the hotel.

We leave Madrid in the early morning. We travel to the south across La Mancha, making a stop 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, if you purchased the trip with an included visit to the Alhambra, with a local guide we will visit the immense Alhambra Palace and its beautiful Generalife gardens, built in Arab times. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: The number of people authorized to visit the Alhambra is limited by law. To guarantee entry, the ticket will be issued when confirming the reservation of the tour. For this it is necessary to have the client´s correct personal data (full name and passport/ID number). Since there is no possibility of cancellation, in case of cancellation of the reservation the ticket costs will be passed on to the client. In very limited cases, when the Alhambra reservation is canceled, the Real Alcázar of Seville with similar characteristics will be visited.

Departure from Granada. We travel towards the Costa del Sol. MÁLAGA, arrival and time for a walk through its historic center, where the cathedral and the Picasso museum stand out. After that we continue along the coastal highway, with beautiful landscapes over the Mediterranean. PUERTO BANUS, located in Marbella, a beautiful high-level recreational port. In the afternoon we continue the route through the mountains, stories of bandits before arriving in RONDA, a beautiful white town with its large gap that cuts the city in half. We continue to SEVILLE. Arrival in the evening.

In the morning we include a city tour. You will be able to see the cathedral and its famous Giralda, the banks of the Guadalquivir River, and the popular neighborhoods of Santa Cruz and Triana. After the visit we will include a boat ride along the Guadalquivir River. Enjoy the panoramic views from the boat. In the evening we offer you the possibility to attend a popular flamenco tablao.

We will leave Seville among pleasant landscapes of soft mountains and large pasture lands, we travel towards Extremadura. MÉRIDA, entrance included to the archaeological complex of the Roman Theater and Amphitheater, of excellent conservation, World Heritage Site. Time to have lunch and a walk in the pleasant pedestrian historic center with lots of life and restaurants. We will continue to Portugal, making a stop in ÉVORA, a city also declared a World Heritage Site, with its white streets,its Renaissance palaces and its cathedral. LISBON, arrival at the evening.

In the morning we will have a city tour, during which we will get to know the Portuguese capital of the 7 hills, the alleys and the tiles, the "saudade" and the Atlantic light. We will also approach the Belem neighborhood, from where the great Portuguese navigators, who crossed the oceans in the 15th century, left. Free time in the afternoon to walk and go to the Bairro Alto and its viewpoint; if you´d like to, you could take an optional excursion to the towns of Sintra, Cascais and Estoril. In the evening we return from the Restauradores Square, full of atmosphere with its bars and cafes, to the hotel.

We will head to the north of Portugal and visit FATIMA, an important sanctuary. We will continue our way to PORTO, Portugal’s second largest city. Free time to have lunch and afterwards we will have a sightseeing tour of this coastal city at the mouth of the Douro River with cobblestone streets and colorful houses, known for its imposing bridges and delicious wines. We will also include a visit to the old cellars. Free time.

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 ride up to the Sanctuary of BOM JESUS, where we will enjoy its gorgeous views. We suggest walking down to admire its beautiful stairway. We will continue our trip and head to Galicia. We will visit the historic town of CAMBADOS in Rías Baixas, where we will go on a glass bottom boat trip in which we will learn about the production of mussels and oysters. Wine and mussels tasting included. At lunchtime we will arrive in SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, where we will have the city tour with a local guide. This town was a famous pilgrimage destination since the Middle Ages.

We travel following the Way of St. James. In LUGO we will have time to visit the historic town center and Roman walls, which were declared the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will make a stop in O´CEBREIRO, a small Galician stone village. Arrival in LEÓN at lunchtime, where we will have time to visit the Gothic cathedral with its stained-glass windows and to stroll through the historic town center. After that we will cross the Cantabrian Range mountains on our way to Asturias. Arrival in OVIEDO in the evening. We will include (occasionally the next morning) an hour-and-a-half visit of the city with a local guide, in which we will visit its 9th century cathedral, Calatrava Congressional Palace, Campoamor Theatre and Calle de la Rua.

We will travel to Picos de Europa (Peaks of Europe). We will visit Basilica of COVADONGA, which is surrounded by beautiful scenery. Then following the coastline, we will head to SANTILLANA, one of Spain’s most beautiful towns, and we will visit its well-preserved medieval quarter. We will also visit the Museum of the ALTAMIRA Caves (ticket included), located in the vicinity of this town. We will later travel to SANTANDER, the region’s capital, a coastal city with amazing views and beaches. We will explore and learn about this elegant city and beautiful bay during the included city tour.

We will follow the motorway along the Cantabrian coast. Some of the sceneries we will see today, as we travel between the mountains and the sea, are specially beautiful. BILBAO. We arrive in the Basque Country´s largest city. We will go on a short city tour with a local guide which will cover: the Guggenheim area, the old quarter, the Cathedral… then there will be free time to enjoy some authentic “pintxos”. We will then travel to La Rioja, an outstanding winemaking region. We will visit the Wine Museum in Briones and learn about the significance of the ancient art of winemaking. ZARAGOZA, we will arrive in the evening.

We include a morning sightseeing tour of the city of ZARAGOZA with a local guide. We will visit the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar. We will also learn about Goya, the famous painter (and see some of his works), visit the Roman theatre, the Renaissance palace and have a walk by the Aljafería Palace.After lunch we will continue our journey and head to the POBLET MONASTERY, a walled monastery surrounded by the beautiful scenery. It is one of the best preserved medieval monasteries in the world (ticket included). We will continue to BARCELONA, arrival in the evening.

In the morning we include a city tour of Barcelona, considered one of the most interesting European capitals, open to the Mediterranean Sea, famous for Gaudí and its modernist architecture, also for the ramblas and the memories of the Universal Exhibitions and Olympics that took place there. Free time in the afternoon. In the evening we include a transfer to the Maremagnum, a modern leisure center and restaurants facing the sea, next to Plaza Colón, where you can stroll through this lively area and dine.

We will travel south along the Mediterranean, making a special stop in PEÑISCOLA, a small walled town on the shores of the sea, where we will have time for a stroll. We will then travel to VALENCIA, a port city on the Levantine coast, in which we will arrive at lunch time. Will you try the famous paella? At 16:30 hrs. approx. we will continue our route to Madrid, making a brief stop at the avant-garde City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia. Arrival in MADRID at 20:30/21:00 hrs.Note: Depending on the number of passengers, the journey from Valencia to Madrid might be carried out by high-speed train.

After breakfast, end of our services.