| 13 Days ~
Portugal & Spain
Tour
Pace
A relaxed tour with three night stays in the
major cities of Lisbon, Seville, Madrid, & Barcelona. This allows you to get
acquainted with each destination on your included city sightseeing tour but
still leaves time for you to revisit any places of interest on your own.
DAY 1 – SAT –
LISBON AT LEISURE
Welcome to Portugal! On
arrival at Lisbon airport there are complimentary transfers to the tour
hotel. Take time to relax or explore before joining your fellow travellers
for a Welcome Drink. Hotel: Marriott. (dinner)
DAY 2 – SUN –
LISBON SIGHTSEEING
A guided tour takes you
along the avenues of the Lower Town and across the tree-shaded squares. Pass
beneath hilltop Bairro Alto to the Terreiro do Paco, the finest square in
the city. Visit Jeronimos Monastery with its superbly ornate cloister.
Nearby, see the modern ‘Monument to the Discoveries’ and ancient Belem
Tower. The afternoon is at leisure. Why not consider spending the evening
enjoying dinner to the haunting sound of ‘Fado’ music? (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 3 – MON –
LISBON AT LEISURE
The day is free for you
to explore the Portuguese capital at your own pace. Take the funicular up to
the steep alleyways of the Old Town, explore the terraces of the Alfama
district or join an optional tour to Fatima and Obidos.
(Buffet breakfast)
DAY 4 – TUE –
LISBON – SEVILLE
Travel over the modern
Tagus Bridge and cross the wide Alentejo plateau to the Spanish border.
Continue through the green slopes of the Sierra Morena to Seville, the
exquisite capital of Andalusia and the setting for the opera Carmen. This
evening, enjoy a Highlight Dinner and entertainment featuring a fiery
Flamenco show. Hotel: Barcelo Gran Hotel Renacimiento. (Buffet breakfast, Specialty
Highlight Dinner)
DAY 5 – WED –
SEVILLE SIGHTSEEING
A sightseeing tour
introduces the immense 15th century cathedral, burial place of Christopher
Columbus, the Alcazar and the slender Giralda Tower. Tour the Santa Cruz
Quarter, with its flower-decked wrought iron balconies, before taking time
to relax or explore on your own. Consider visiting Maria Luisa park with its
archeological museum. (Buffet
breakfast)
DAY 6 – THU –
SEVILLE AT LEISURE
The day is reserved for
relaxing, shopping or enjoying an optional day trip to the sandy beaches of
Portugal’s Algarve region. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 7 – FRI –
SEVILLE – MADRID
Drive along the
Guadalquivir valley to 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 Sierra Morena mountains and the plains of La Mancha to Madrid.
Tonight, transfer to a local restaurant for a Highlight Dinner. Hotel: NH
Alcala. (Buffet breakfast, Specialty Highlight Dinner)
DAY 8 – SAT –
MADRID SIGHTSEEING
A guided tour takes you
along the leafy avenues of the city, seeing the Plaza España with its
Cervantes Monument, the grandiose Cibeles Fountain and Puerta del Sol. See
also the Parliament and Royal Palace before a Highlight visit to the
magnificent Prado museum, one of the great art galleries of Europe. This
afternoon is yours to enjoy at leisure. (Buffet
breakfast)
DAY 9 – SUN –
MADRID AT LEISURE
Explore the city at your
own pace. There is also an optional excursion into the Guadarrama Mountains
to visit the austere Escorial Palace and the amazing Valley of the Fallen. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 10 – MON –
MADRID – BARCELONA
Bid farewell to Madrid
and travel through Castille, where the legendary Don Quixote ‘tilted at
windmills’. Reach the Ebro River at Zaragosa where the Virgin is said to
have appeared to St James the Apostle. Enter Catalunya, a land that retains
its own distinctive language and traditions, and stay in the vibrant
Mediterranean port of Barcelona. Hotel: Melia. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 11 – TUE –
BARCELONA SIGHTSEEING
A local guide
introduces you to the Gothic Quarter where, among the narrow streets, you
visit the ancient Cathedral. In complete contrast, drive out to the
Eixample District to see some of Gaudi’s extraordinary architecture,
including the unfinished Sagrada Familia Cathedral. In the afternoon,
stroll along the leafy Ramblas with its market stalls and buskers, or take
an optional excursion to the ancient Monastery of Montserrat, dedicated to
the ‘Black Madonna’. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 12 – WED –
BARCELONA AT LEISURE
The day is set aside for
you to explore this amazing city at your leisure: visit shops, stroll the
streets of the Spanish Village or visit the Bullfighters’ museum. As night
falls, enjoy a Highlight Catalan dinner at a local restaurant. (Buffet breakfast,
Specialty Highlight Dinner)
DAY 13 – THU –
BARCELONA
Our tour ends today after
breakfast with a transfer to the airport. (Buffet breakfast)
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