Essence of Portugal & Spain – Small Group

Arrive at the airport and take a private transfer to your hotel. There will be a welcome meeting with your tour director at 19:00 where you can meet and mingle with fellow travelers and your group for the next 14 days. After a briefing and schedule overview, you will settle in for the evening ready to start your big adventure. Accommodation provided at your hotel.

Fill up at your breakfast buffet provided at the hotel before setting out for a morning exploration of Madrid. Passion and excitement are a big part of its DNA and you are in for a lot of highlights. Spend the afternoon exploring at your own pace. Or, for 55€ per person, you can opt for an excursion to Toledo. This is the capital of the Spanish Kingdom and a city filled with history and picture-perfect scenes waiting around every corner. This activity requires at least 8 participants. In the evening relax with your fellow travelers for an authentic Welcome Tapas Dinner at a local restaurant. Accommodation provided at your hotel.

After a full buffet breakfast, we begin our Iberian exploration bound for Portuguese soil as we drive toward Salamanca. Enjoy some free time. Salamanca is known as the “Golden City” for the sandstone used in the construction of its buildings. It also has the third oldest existing university in the world. We then make our way along the Douro River onto Porto which was been proclaimed a World Heritage Site in 1996. Accommodation provided at your hotel.

Start your day with another full buffet breakfast followed by enjoying the Douro River breeze while you explore Porto. Some highlights to look forward to include the Cathedral, the Stock Exchange building, and the Santa Clara church. You are then in for a real treat with a Douro River cruise and wine tasting at the famous Port Wine Cellars. You can take the rest of the day at your own pace. Accommodation provided at your hotel.

Fuel up at the breakfast buffet station before departing to Coimbra. This is one of the oldest universities in Europe and the birthplace of Fado. Here you can enjoy some free time before you continue to Fatima. This is one of the most visited sites in Portugal and Center of the Christian Faith and World Pilgrimage Sanctuary . Highlights include the Chapel of the Apparitions, the heart of the sanctuary which is the tombs of the three shepherds. Accommodation at your hotel.

After your full buffet breakfast, we get ready for a big day. Whilst there is a lot on our itinerary, distances are short and sweet with plenty of time to rest and reflect. We waste no time by starting at Batalha´s Monastery, a Gothic and Manueline-style masterpiece considered a World Heritage site by UNESCO. We then continue to the picturesque fishing town of Nazaré. Here you will enjoy some free time before we continue to Alcobaça with its Gothic church and Cistercian monastery. We then finish off our day en route to Lisbon, the Portuguese Capital. Accommodation at your hotel.

Enjoy your full buffet breakfast at your hotel before the day’s adventures begin. As one of Europe’s oldest cities, Lisbon has so much to offer. We will kick off the day with some sightseeing in ancient Olissipo. While we drive through the main squares and avenues you can look forward to seeing the Belem Tower, The Jeronimos Monastery, Monument of the Discoverers, Liberty Avenue and the Marquis of Pombal Square are also great additions to the itinerary. You can enjoy the afternoon at your own pace or opt for a ferry through Tagus. Either way, be sure to soak in all that Lisbon has to offer with its colorful housing and genuine “tabernas”.

Optional excursion: Get your cameras ready as we cross the emblematic April 25 Bridge over the Tagus to go to the National Sanctuary of Cristo Rey. Contemplate the work of sculptor Franco de Soussa 113m above river level. We then visit the culture-rich fishing village of Calcilhas where we take a ferry to cross the Tagus estuary. You will enjoy a unique and memorable viewpoint of Lisbon from the river.

You will be spoilt with an typical Portuguese dinner at one of the oldest Fado venues in the city. Accommodation provided at your hotel.

It is a farewell buffet breakfast this morning as we bid farewell to Portugal and Lisbon but don’t worry, your adventures are far from over. We are bound for Andalusian soil in Spain where we will drive to Caceres which is a World Heritage Site given its unique Renaissance architecture. Wander through the Plaza Mayor and the Old Town with its famous Medieval Quarter. Continue towards Cordoba once the capital of the Caliphate before settling in for the evening. Accommodation is provided at the hotel.

We start our day with another delicious buffet breakfast. We are then off to navigate the narrow and winding streets of the Jewish Quarter. You can also look forward to seeing the impressive Cordoba Mosque. In the afternoon we continue to Seville. Accommodation is provided at the hotel.

Enjoy your breakfast buffet this morning at your hotel before we immerse ourselves in the passion, flamenco, and flavor that Seville has to offer. You will take a city tour of the romantic Seville and even stop to visit the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. The Jewish Quarter is also on our to-see list and is filled with narrow streets dating to the time of the Moorish rule. You can adventure your way in the afternoon or opt for an hour-long cruise on the Guadalquivir which is a mythical and legendary river. This experience is 19€ per person and offers jaw-dropping sights of Seville and elegant bridges. Accommodation provided at your hotel.

Your morning begins with another full buffet breakfast. We are heading south through stunning villages to reach Ronda. Enjoy some free time to roam and admire the town of Celtic origin and take in the gorgeous views of both the valleys and mountain ranges. You are in for a real treat with an authentic Olive Oil Experience at a local Almazara, LA Organic. You will stroll their olive tree fields in awe and even taste the organic olive oil from their production. Then, bound for the beautiful Spanish Mediterranean coast, you’ll reach glamorous Costa del Sol. Accommodation provided at your hotel.

After your daily breakfast, we make our way across endless olive tree fields to Granada, the most magical city in Spain. Today’s highlight is a visit to Alhambra which is a palace, fort, and World Heritage Site. Prepare to be in awe of the ornately decorated domes and archways as you take in remarkable architecture. The views are breathtaking.

You can also opt-in to walk the Albaicín which offers a deeper look into the transformation from Islam to Christianity. This is such a mythical city. After you have explored an old Moorish House, you will get the opportunity to try the Arab pastry having tea and a treat in a typical Granada teashop. We finish the tour of stark contrasts in the Royal Chapel, a jewel of the late Gothic, built by the Catholic Monarchs. This tour requires a minimum of 8 participants and is 45€ per person.

In the evening we experience the most authentic Gypsy Flamenco show in Spain as a group along with a delicious dinner. This will be an evening to remember before you settle into the the hotel for the night.

We kick off our morning with breakfast at the hotel before bidding farewell to Granada. We are bound for the Imperial City of Toledo. Here, Christians, Moorish, and Jewish have lived harmoniously together for centuries. You will enjoy a guided city tour of this historical old town through its narrow streets before arriving back in Madrid. You will join your fellow travelers for a final farewell dinner with an authentic market experience. Accommodation provided at your hotel.

With full hearts and new friends, you will have a private transfer to the airport after breakfast at your hotel. We hope to see you again soon.