Tour Duration: 10 days
Tour Pace
A well paced tour with two night stays
in Seville
and Lisbon, allowing plenty of time for
in–depth sightseeing. Other driving days
are comfortable, interspersed with
sightseeing en route.
DAY
1 – DEPART USA
Overnight flight to
Madrid.
DAY 2 –
ARRIVE MADRID
Welcome to
Madrid! Complimentary transfers
depart Madrid Airport to the tour hotel
at 09.00, 11.00, 13.00 & 15.00
hours. The rest of the day is at
leisure. Tonight, we enjoy a Welcome
Drink with
our Tour Director.
Hotel: NH Alcala.
DAY 3 – MADRID
– GRANADA
This
morning we set off southwards
to the city of Toledo, situated high
above the River Tagus. We walk through the
cobbled streets to the Gothic Cathedral
and visit the Church of Santa Tomé,
where we see El Greco’s famous
painting, ‘The Burial of the Count
of Orgaz’.
Continuing on through the dry plains of
Don Quixote's La Mancha, we cross the
Sierra
Nevada to Granada, capital of the
Moorish Kingdom of Spain till the Moors'
defeat
in 1492.
Hotel: Saray/Alhamar. (BB,D)
DAY 4 – GRANADA
– SEVILLE
‘There is no pain
in life so cruel
as to be blind in Granada', cries the
inscription on the walls of the Alhambra.
Bathed in morning light, the Alhambra
Palace awaits us: a fantasy of stone cut
lace,
arabesque gardens and fountains, built
as a citadel by the Moors in the 13th
century.
We also visit the exotic water gardens
of the Generalife, the royal summer
residence.
Relax here in the sunshine, and enjoy
the fine views over the town and its three
verdant hills before our scenic drive
brings us to Seville.
Hotel: Melia Lebreros.
(BB)
DAY 5 – SEVILLE
SIGHTSEEING
Our guided sightseeing tour of Seville
reveals the city in all its glory! We
see the immense 15C cathedral, burial place
of Christopher Columbus, fabulous
Alcazar and the slender
Giralda Tower. We also tour the
fashionable Santa Cruz Quarter with its
flower decked
wrought iron balconies. The rest of the
day is at leisure. Tonight, why not enjoy
dinner and flamenco show? (BB)
DAY 6 – SEVILLE –
LISBON
We say ‘adiós’ to Seville
and head for the green slopes of the
Sierra Morena. We cross the Portuguese
border
and continue through the infinite
horizons of the Alentejo Plateau. Once
over the
amazing Tagus Bridge, we arrive in
Lisbon, historic capital of Portugal –
called
by the poet Camoes, "the princess of the
world...before whom even the ocean
bows"!
Hotel: Marriott. (BB)
DAY
7 – LISBON SIGHTSEEING
A panoramic guided tour
takes us along
the spacious avenues of the Lower Town
and beneath the hilltop Bairro Alto to the
Terreiro do Paco, finest square in the
city. Now our tour continues into the Belem
Quarter to visit Jeronimo’s
Monastery with its fabulous double
tiered cloisters.
We also see the modern Monument to the
Discoveries and ancient Belem Tower. This
afternoon we are at leisure – perhaps
join a tour to exotic Sintra and its royal
summer residence? (BB)
DAY 8 – LISBON
– SALAMANCA
This
morning we head north to visit
the Basilica at Fatima, the most
celebrated place of pilgrimage in
Portugal, commemorating
the appearance of the Virgin Mary to
three children in 1917. We then cross
the border
back into Spain and continue to the
‘Golden City’ of Salamanca
where we
see the Plaza Mayor and Puente Romano
bridge.
Hotel: Alameda Palace. (BB,D)
DAY 9 – SALAMANCA
– MADRID
We journey
to St Theresa’s city
of Avila this morning, still entirely
enclosed within its city walls. Later, we
return to Madrid for our guided
sightseeing tour. We see the Royal
Palace, Cervantes
Statue, Cibeles Fountain and Parliament.
This evening, we bid farewell to our new
found friends with a Highlight Dinner at
a local restaurant.
Hotel: NH Alcala.
(BB,HD)
DAY 10 –
RETURN TO USA
Our tour
ends with transfers from the
tour hotel, arriving Madrid Airport at
07.00, 09.00 & 11.00 hours.
(BB)
