Spanish Ring With 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. You can enjoy free time until your tour starts. 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 travellers. Towards the end of the day, we provide transfers to the Egyptian Debod Temple, Plaza de Espana 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 Las Ventas bullring. Evening transfer. The morning starts with a comprehensive tour through the centre 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 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 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 together.

• TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Monastery of Poblet, rack train to Montserrat. In the morning we leave for Aragón over the lands of Castile. In ZARAGOZA we stop briefly to see the Pilar Basilica. 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 and guided tour 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 the winter months, from November to March, due to the shorter days, we will not visit the Monastery of Poblet in order to reach Montserrat in the daylight.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Barcelona city tour. “Spanish Village” visit and evening transfer to Las Ramblas district. Today we will explore Barcelona, an impressive city right on the Medi¬terranean 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 neigh¬bourhood 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 Fa¬milia 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 provide a transfer to Las Ramblas and the Plaza Catalunya area for dinner, where you can choose from a wide variety of restaurants. We will return to the hotel in the late evening.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: visit Peniscola, a beautiful walled town and its castle by the sea. Sightseeing in Valencia. Evening transfer. We will journey south along the Mediterranean, making a special stop in PENISCOLA, a small walled town on the shores of the sea. After a short introduction by our guide, you can make your own way through town, discovering its fishing port, the castle and beach at your own leisure. We will then travel to VALENCIA, where we will have time to have lunch. A local guide will take you on a tour of the city in the afternoon. Valencia is the third largest city in Spain where the modern blends with the historical. In the tour we will learn about its historic city centre, the fish market, the cathedral and the avant-garde City of Arts and Sciences. In the evening we will have a transfer to the Plaza de Toros (bullring) area where you will have time to have dinner. Return to the hotel in the late evening.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Tourist train in Caravaca.Today we will continue our trip and head to ALICANTE. We will have time to take a walk in this charming, coastal city and, after lunch, we will make our way to the Murcia region, where we will visit CARAVACA DE LA CRUZ, a town considered by the Catholic Church as one of the five holy cities. Its church holds a relic of Christ’s Cross. We will also take a train ride up to its historic area, which we can explore, before we continue our trip along scenic roads on our way to Andalusia. We will end the day in GRANADA

• TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Visit the Alhambra (if you bought the trip with the entrance included). Night transfer. We will have a full day in GRANADA. For those who booked the trip with the entrance included, in the afternoon we will visit with a local guide the immense Alhambra Palace and its beautiful Generalife gardens, built in Arab times. In the evening we will visit the, a World Heritage site as is the Alhambra, where you can have dinner in the narrow winding streets of this captivating Medieval Moorish quarter. At night, you will have the option to attend a flamenco dance show in the traditional neighbourhood of Sacromonte.
• IMPORTANT NOTE: The maximum number of people allowed to visit the Alhambra is limited by the local government. Given that the number of tickets assigned to tour operators is small, and we are only given the confirmed number one month before your arrival, 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. As with the Alhambra visit, the group would be led by a local guide of the city of Granada. If the Alhambra is a very important landmark to visit for you, we suggest you purchase the trip “without tickets” (the lowest price) and book your tickets on-line on the heritage website https://www.alhambra.org as there is a larger quota for individual visits/purchases.

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 its historic city 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 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.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Guided visit with local expert in Seville. Boat trip along the river Guadalquivir. Night transfer to the historic centre. 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. Right after, you will have free time to explore at your own leisure. At the end of the afternoon, we will go to the historic city centre area (Calle Alfonso XII) where there are many different types of restaurants for you to choose from.

HIGHLIGHTS: a scenic stage with walled border villages. Evora Chapel of bones. We will leave Seville on a stage of scenic beauty. Amidst hills and olive trees we will enter Extremadura. We will stop in JEREZ DE LOS CABALLEROS, this town belonged to the Knights Templar and is where Vasco Nunez de Balboa was born. We will then enter Portugal. MONSARAZ, one of the most picturesque villages in Portugal with its walls, castle, great views and white and flowery streets. We will travel on to the city EVORA, declared a World Heritage Site, with its white streets, its Renaissance palaces and its cathedral. Time for lunch. We will also visit the impressive Chapel of Bones (admission included), built with 5000 skeletons! We will be arriving in LISBON toward the end of the day.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Visit Lisbon. Evening transfer. In the morning we will have a sightseeing tour with a local guide. We will visit the tra¬ditional neighbourhoods including the Belem district, which is the birthplace of the great Portuguese navigators who sailed the oceans in the Fifteenth Century. We will have a look around the Monument of the Discoveries, Belem Tower, and the beautiful Jeronimos Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy the free afternoon when you are free to explore the city at your own leisure. In the late afternoon, we will have a transfer to the Restauradores Square, a public square with plenty of 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.

After breakfast, end of our services.