VISITING SPAIN

Day 1 - Madrid at Leisure

Welcome to Madrid! On arrival at Madrid Airport, your airport shuttle service leaves for the tour hotel at 09:30, 12:30, 15:00 & 17:30. The afternoon is at leisure - relax and settle in. Tonight, get to know your Tour Director at a Welcome Meeting.
Hotel: Confortel Alcala Norte.

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 eastwards, passing 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.
Hotel: Abba Garden. (B)

Day 3 - Barcelona Sightseeing

Visit the Gothic quarter on a guided tour and see the ancient cathedral, 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 by driving up Montjuic Hill, past the Olympic Games site, for fine views over the harbour. (B,D)

Day 4 - Barcelona - Valencia

Follow the Costa Dorada south, stopping in Peñìscola 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 Mas Camarena. (B,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. Perhaps join an otional excursion to one of the most remarkable fortresses ever built, the Alhambra Palace; a fantasy of stone cut lace, and arabesque gardens, built by the Moors in the 13th century.
Hotel: Corona De Granada. (B,D)

Day 6 - Granada - Seville

A beautiful drive through gleaming white villages and brilliant fields of golden sunflowers leads to Seville, exquisite capital of Andalucìa, and one of the most charming cities in Spain. You’ll stay in this ‘city of Carmen’ for the next two nights, so settle into your hotel.
Hotel: Vertice Aljarafe. (B)

Day 7 - Seville Sightseeing

Seville has a distinctive character and presence which a local guide will unfold. Admire 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 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. (B,D)

Day 8 - Seville - Madrid

Set off along the Guadalquivir Valley, past villages and towns studded with Moorish towers and fortresses. Climb the Pass of Despenaperros, then descend to the flat plains of La Mancha immortalised in Cervantes' Don Quixote. Don't miss the lines of white-washed windmills, which characterise this region. You pass through Aranjuez with its royal palace and gardens to return to Madrid.
Hotel: Abba Madrid. (B)

Day 9 - Madrid Sightseeing

Enjoy 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. Take time out to relax at a café 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. (B)

Day 10 - Madrid

After breakfast, departure transfers arrive at Madrid Airport at 07:00, 09:00 & 11:00. (B)