ITINERARY

DAY 1: MADRID

Highlights:

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. You can enjoy 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 transfers to the Egyptian Debod Temple, Plaza de Es¬paña 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.

DAY 2 MADRID

Highlights:

Madrid city tour, Stroll through the Retiro Park, Visit to the Las Ventas bullring

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Visit to the Las Ventas bullring

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. We then will visit Retiro Park, an oasis in the city center, 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 the “corridas” at the Bullfighting Museum. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at your own leisure. At sunset we will 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. At the end of the evening we will return to the hotel.

DAY 3: MADRID - GRANADA

Highlights:

Entrance and local guide in the Alhambra

We leave Madrid in the early morning. 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 with a local guide the immense Alhambra Palace and its beautiful Generalife gardens, built in Arabian 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 neighborhood of Sac¬romonte.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The maximum number of people allowed to visit the Alhambra is limited by the local government. Even if you buy the trip with the ticket included we cannot guarantee entrance to the Alhambra. In such event, we would offer entry to the Reales Alcázares in Seville, which is similar.

DAY 4: GRANADA - MALAGA - MARBELLA - RONDA - SEVILLE

Highlights:

Costa del Sol, Andalusian village of Ronda

Departing from Granada and travelling towards the Costa del Sol, we will arrive in MALAGA and explore its historic city center, 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 beautiful resort known as the playground of 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. Then we will travel onward to SEVILLE, arrival sometime in the late afternoon.

DAY 5: SEVILLE

Highlights:

Guided visit with local expert in Seville, Boat trip along the river Guadalquivir, Night transfer to the historic center

After breakfast, a local expert will guide you on a scenic visit of Seville featuring the Cathedral and its famous Giralda (bell tower), the banks of the Guadalquivir River, popu¬lar neighborhoods of Santa Cruz and Triana and the beautiful Plaza de España. After the visit, we will include a boat trip along the river Guadalquivir, enjoying the panoramic views from the boat. Afterwards, you will have free time to explore at your own leisure. At the end of the afternoon, we will go to the historic city center area (Calle Alfonso XII) where there are many different types of restaurants for you to choose from.

DAY 6: SEVILLE - ZARAGOZA - POBLET - MONTSERRAT - BARCELONA

Highlights:

High-speed train from Seville to Zaragoza, Monastery of Poblet, rack train to Montserrat

Leaving Seville in the early morning, you will be transferred to the train station to take a comfortable high-speed train to Zaragoza. In a little under four hours, you will cover the 850 km between Seville and Zaragoza.

In ZARAGOZA you will join the group and have free time to visit this impressive Pilar Basilica and enjoy the city center. We continue to the Monastery of Poblet, surrounded by its walls in a beautiful site that is one of the best-preserved medieval monasteries in the world (entrance included). We then proceed to the Monastery of Montserrat where you will go up the mountain on a rack train to see its fantastic scenery. Following this we will continue to BARCELONA, arriving in the late afternoon.

Note: In some cases, depending on the timetable of the rack railway, the ascent to Montserrat can be done in our coach. From November to March, due to the shorter duration of the days, we will neither be ascending nor stopping in Montserrat.

Note: The guide will only travel on the train if the group is over 15 passengers.

DAY 7: BARCELONA

Highlights:

Barcelona city tour, “Spanish Village” visit, Magic Fountain of Montjuich

Today we will explore Barcelona, an impressive city right on the Mediterranean Sea. Starting by 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 will also visit the city’s historic central area with its Gothic neighborhood dating back to the Middle Ages. We will visit the area where the Olympic Games took place. We will also 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 the Spanish craftsmanship and discover the architectural styles, traditions and folklore of the different regions that make up Spain. You will then have some free time to explore the city at your own leisure.

In the evening, we include transportation and will attend the show of The Magic Fountain of Montjuïch, with its combination of lights, colors, water and music. You will have time to dine in this area.

Note: in case of having the transfer to the Magic Fountain a day that for maintenance or any other reason the show is not performed, the night transfer will be given to the Maremagnum, avant-garde leisure center with restaurants by the sea and to the Plaza Colón. return to the hotel in the late evening.

DAY 8: BARCELONA

After breakfast, end of our services.