Itinerary for: Highlights of Spain (E936)
Day 1 - UK - MADRID
Enjoy your complimentary V.I.P door to door transfer to your departure airport. On arrival at Madrid Airport, your airport shuttle service leaves for the tour hotel at 09:30, 12:30, 15:00 & 17:30. Relax and settle in. In the evening, join your fellow passengers and Tour Director for a
Welcome Drink.
Hotel: NH Nacional
Day 2 - MADRID - BARCELONA
Follow the wide arid plains of Castille. After passing Guadalajara, follow the Jalón River Valley, dotted with Mudejar Towers which are survivors of the bygone era of Moorish domination in Spain. Continue past Zaragoza in the province of Aragón, before encountering a different culture and language in Catalunya. Your home for the next two nights is the dynamic city of Barcelona. Barcelona has a rich variety of restaurants; this evening choose your own personal ambience and cuisine from our Dine-Around selection. During the evening, enjoy a short informative presentation on the regional wines that complement your meal.
Hotel: Melia. (BB,DA)
Day 3 - BARCELONA SIGHTSEEING
Join a local guide amid the old buildings and squares of the Gothic quarter. See the cathedral followed by the famous Ramblas, with its open-air markets and cafes. In contrast to the old part of town, drive along the broad, elegant avenues of the Eixample district to admire Gaudi's extraordinary unfinished creation, the Sagrada Familia church, about which opinions are so strongly divided. Round off your tour with a drive up Monjuïc Hill, past the Olympic Games site and enjoy views over the harbour. The afternoon is at leisure. (BB)
Day 4 - BARCELONA - PEÑISCOLA - VALENCIA
Follow the Costa Dorada south, stopping in Peñíscola to view the white-walled cottages clustered around the sea-lapped castle used in the film El Cid. Continue past the famous orange groves to Valencia, your home for the night. An orientation tour with your Tour Director shows you the City Gates of Serranos and Cuarte, the Gothic Generalidad Palace, El Miguelete Cathedral with its octagonal bell tower, and the ultra modern Centre of Arts and Sciences.
Hotel: Husa Reina Victoria (BB,D)
Day 5 - VALENCIA - GRANADA
Leave for the Costa Blanca, passing through the stately waving palm tree forests of Elche and past the lemon groves in Murcia. Drive through the superb scenery of the Sierra Nevada with magnificent mountain views on all sides, and cross the Mora Pass to reach glorious Granada. Here, overlooking the town, awaits one of the most remarkable fortresses ever built, the Alhambra. Explore this exquisite palace; a fantasy of stone cut lace, arabesque gardens and fountains, built as a citadel by the Moors in the 13th century. Also visit the exotic water gardens of the Generalife, the Royal summer residence.
Hotel: Saray (BB,D)
Day 6 - GRANADA - SEVILLE
A beautiful drive through gleaming white villages and brilliant fields of golden sunflowers leads to Seville, exquisite capital of Andalucía. You'll be in this 'city of Carmen' for the next two nights, so settle into your hotel or start your personal exploration of one of the most charming cities in Spain.
Hotel: Melia Sevilla (BB)
Day 7 - SEVILLE SIGHTSEEING
Seville has a distinctive character and presence which a local guide will unfold. Visit the massive cathedral, burial place of Christopher Columbus and enriched with the spoils of the New World. Pass the slender Giralda Tower, once the minaret of the Great Mosque, see the Alcazar - a Moorish fantasy in stone, set in richly scented gardens and tour the fashionable Santa Cruz Quarter with its flower decked wrought iron balconies. This afternoon is at leisure. Tonight, enjoy dinner at your hotel. (BB,D)
Day 8 - SEVILLE - CORDOBA - MADRID
Set off early along the Guadalquivir valley, past villages and towns studded with Moorish towers and fortresses, stopping in the perfectly preserved Moorish city of Cordoba. See the famous 2000-year-old bridge before a guided visit to the magnificent Mezquita, an 8th century mosque with a Christian church built inside it. Cross the plains of La Mancha, following in the steps of Don Quixote, on your way back to Madrid.
Hotel: NH Eurobuilding (BB)
Day 9 - MADRID SIGHTSEEING
Join a local guide for a sightseeing tour along the noble avenues to see the statue of Cervantes' fictional hero, Don Quixote, in the Plaza de España. Continue past Cibeles Fountain and the Parliament, and cross the Puerta del Sol. Visit the Prado Museum, a rose coloured Palace housing works by Velázquez, Goya, Titian, Botticelli, Rubens, and many others. Take time out to relax at a cafe or shop in the boutiques of Serrano. In the evening, consider joining a farewell dinner in the heart of town, complete with wine and music. (BB)
Day 10 - MADRID - UK
Board your onward flights today, taking home memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. Departure transfers arrive at Madrid Airport at 07:00, 09:00 & 11:00. On arrival at your UK airport, your driver will greet you and escort you to your waiting car for your return V.I.P door to door transfer home. (BB)