Day 1. (Tuesday) BARCELONA – MADRID

Call on at Barcelona “Sants” Station and departure by high-speed train to Madrid. Pleasant and short journey with the comfort and speed of this fast train. Arrival in Madrid, capital city of Spain. Transfer on your own to the hotel. You’ll enjoy some free time at your disposal to get acquainted with this cosmopolitan city, capital of Spain. Please check the informative panels in the hotel reception area for the welcome meeting with your guide and fellow travellers, and to receive information about the circuit. Towards the end of the day, we’ll do a transfer to the Egyptian Debod temple, Plaza de Es­paña and Gran Via, a vibrant district where you’ll find a great variety of restaurants for dinner. Accommodation in hotel.

Day 2. (Wednesday) MADRID

Breakfast at the hotel. Escorted by a local guide, we’ll start a guided tour of Madrid discovering Paseo del Prado, one of the main boulevards in Madrid, Cibeles Square, the most emblematic square in Madrid with the fountain of the Greek goddess Cibeles, place where Real Madrid and Spain national team fans celebrate their victories, the Neptuno Square, the Gate of Alcala, one of the old royal gates that gave access to the city, Cristofor Columbus Square and the Plaza Mayor, once the centre of Old Madrid, is one of the prettiest open spaces in Spain. Our city tour of Madrid continues with the visit to Retiro Park, an oasis in the city centre, where we will see its lake and the Glass Palace. You’ll have the chance then to visit Las Ventas Bullring, one of the most famous bullrings in the world where we will learn about the tradition of “corridas” in the Bullfighting Museum. The afternoon will be at your disposal to enjoy the beautiful atmosphere of Spain Capital. At sunset we’ll take you to Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace, an elegant and bustling area with many restaurants serving different exquisite cuisines (Indian, Middle Eastern, Muslim, Spanish, International) in which to enjoy a pleasant dinner. Return to hotel and accommodation.

Day 3. (Thursday) MADRID – CACERES – EVORA – LISBON

After breakfast, we’ll leave Madrid westbound on the highway to Extremadura, homeland of various discoverers of the New World. Arrival in Caceres, capital of the province. Free time to stroll through the old town surrounded by its city walls to discover the medieval neighborhood, one of the best preserved medieval open complexes in the world, considered a World Heritage Site. Our route continues to Portugal. Arrival in Evora, a World Heritage city with its white streets, its Renaissance palaces and its beautiful cathedral. We will visit the impressive Chapel of Bones, built using 5,000 skeletons. Traveling among beautiful landscapes of Alentejo Region, we’ll arrive to Lisbon, the capital and largest city of Portugal. Arrival at the hotel and accommodation.

Day 4. (Friday) LISBON

Breakfast at the hotel. We’ll have a full day to explore each corner of Lisbon. We’ll start the day with an in-depth sightseeing tour of Lisbon. We’ll visit Lisbon’s traditional neighbourhoods, which take us into the Belem district, on the northern bank of the Tagus River estuary, the birthplace of many great Portuguese navigators who sailed the oceans in the Fifteenth Century to explore and trade with India and the Orient. We will walk around the Monument of the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos), a monument that celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery, we’ll see the Belem Tower, a medieval defensive fortification and a prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline style. We will finally see the beautiful gothic style Jeronimos Monastery, Vasco da Gama’s resting place, classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the nearby Tower of Belen. Enjoy some free time at leisure to explore Lisbon at your own pace, to discover the nostalgic corners of the Barrio de Alfama, the old city grouped next to its Castle with its old buildings in narrow and twisted “ruas” full of color and housing the genuine “taverns” where Fado music sounds like a lost past. Late in the afternoon, we’ll include a transfer to the Restauradores Square, a public square with lots of restaurants. We suggest you to take the Elevador Da Gloria, a cable-car that climb the steep hill into the Bairro Alto district, from the viewpoint of San Pedro you can enjoy the best views over Lisbon. Return to the hotel.

Day 5. (Saturday) LISBON – FATIMA – PORTO

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure northbound to Fatima. We will visit this important sacred center of the Christendom, known worldwide for its sanctuary, a place of Christian pilgrimage since the beginning of the 20^th century. We continue our route through the green lands of the center regions of Portugal. Arrival in Porto, the second-largest city of Portugal. You’ll enjoy some free time for lunch and then we’ll do a panoramic visit of Porto, to discover its beautiful historic center located on the banks of the Douro River. The Porto city tour ends with a visit to some old wineries where we will learn about and taste the famous Porto Wine. Free time at your disposal to discover the atmosphere loaded with history and nostalgia of this city with its elegant neighborhoods and stately villas in counterpoint with the narrow streets and old alleys that the UNESCO has declared a World Heritage Site. Transfer to the hotel and accommodation.

Day 6. (Sunday) PORTO – BOM JESUS SANCTUARY – CAMBADOS – SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

After breakfast, we start our trip to the northern Portugal. We travel among beautiful landscapes. At Braga, we go up in the oldest funicular in the world, an impressive piece of 19^th century engineering, to discover the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, from where we will appreciate beautiful views of the city of Braga. We suggest walking down to admire its beautiful Stairway of the Five Senses, a monumental Baroque stairway of 381 feet. We continue our trip to Galicia, with its landscapes of lush valleys and stunning beaches, spectacular cliffs, charming fishing villages and incredible cities. At Rias Bajas (Lower Estuaries of Galicia) we will stop in the historic city of Cambados, and we will board for a glass bottom boat trip in which we will explain how mussels and oysters are produced, with a wine and mussels tasting included. After lunch time we arrive at Santiago de Compostela, whose old town is a World Heritage Site, one of the most important monumental centers of Spain, one of the sacred cities of Christendom and end of the Way of Saint James pilgrimage route. Upon arrival we’ll enjoy a city tour visiting amongst others, the Plaza del Obradoiro, the point at which all roads into the city converge, where we can find Santiago’s Highlight, the Cathedral dedicated to the Apostle James the Elder, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ and brother of John, the Evangelist. Arrival at the hotel and accommodation. We recommend you to take a night walk to discover at your pace this historic city, its university atmosphere of joy and vitality, try the delicious cuisine that Galician tradition has preserved and its regional products, especially seafood, fish and beef.

Day 7. (Monday) SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA – LUGO – O CEBREIRO – LEON – OVIEDO

Breakfast. We travel along the Saint James Route towards Castilla. We stop in Lugo (Lucus Augusti during the Roman Period) to get to know its historic center, an urban network of quiet pedestrian streets and the grand Roman walls encircling old Lugo, considered the best preserved of their kind in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We continue our route in Galicia travelling through O Cebreiro, a small Galician stone village and Leon, a historic enclave on the Pilgrim’s Road to Santiago de Compostela. Free time to visit some of the most emblematic buildings such as the Gothic cathedral, with the most beautiful stained-glass windows in Europe, the Collegiate Church of San Isidoro and the facade of the San Marcos Hostel in Plateresque style. Later we will cross the Cantabrian Mountains traveling to Asturias. Arrival in Oviedo, a city of an unquestionable medieval flavour. Lead by a licensed local guide, we’ll do an in-depth city tour of Oviedo to discover its beautiful 9^th century cathedral, the Calatrava Palace, the Campoamor theater, the Rua street. Arrival at the hotel and accommodation.

Day 8. (Tuesday) OVIEDO – COVADONGA – SANTILLANA – SANTANDER

After breakfast we travel to the Picos de Europa National Park & UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Driving a twisty road that will slowly reveal a beautiful countryside made up of calm waters, unimaginable green carpets and mountain peaks which all seem to be almost within reach, we will arrive to Covadonga, where you will have free time to visit the Shrine, a place of worship and pilgrimage for the people of Asturias, where you will see the Patroness of Asturias our Lady of Covadonga. We continue the route towards Santillana del Mar, one of the most important historical artistic towns in Spain. It contains architectural treasures such as the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, a Jewel of the Romanesque Architecture in Cantabria. We will visit the Museum of the Caves of Altamira, that will give us a closer look at the prehistoric era of the Iberian Peninsula. Later we travel to Santander, capital of Cantabria Region, one of the most elegant and beautiful cities of the North Coast of Spain. Santander is a port city located between the sea and the mountains, well known for its Sardinero Beach, one of the best-known beaches in Spain. With a local guide we’ll do a sightseeing tour of Santander to discover the highlights of this elegant coastal city and its beautiful bay. Arrival at the hotel and accommodation. Note: From July to mid-October, due to high occupancy some groups will be accommodated in Bilbao.

Day 9. (Wednesday) SANTANDER – BILBAO – LA RIOJA – ZARAGOZA

Breakfast. Following the highway along the Cantabrian Coast, with beautiful landscapes between the mountains and the sea we arrive to Bilbao, capital of the province of Vizcaya, and the largest city of the Basque Country. Accompanied by an expert local guide, we will visit Bilbao, where design and architecture permeate this entire city: the avant-garde building of the Guggenheim Museum, the old town of Bilbao, the Cathedral … Then you will have free time to take some “pintxos” – bite-sized pieces, miniature culinary works of art. Our route continues to La Rioja Region, internationally famous for the quality of its wines. We will visit the Wine Culture Museum that will take us on a journey through the history of wine, with an explanation of its production methods and cultural significance. A stop later in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a historic city on the Pilgrim’s Route to Santiago de Compostela. By the end of the day we’ll arrive to Zaragoza, located on the banks of the Ebro River, one of Spain’s major cities and capital of the Region of Aragon. Arrival at the hotel and accommodation.

Day 10. (Thursday) ZARAGOZA – POBLET – MONTSERRAT – BARCELONA

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning we will do a panoramic tour of Zaragoza with a local guide. During the visit of Saragossa we will discover Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar, Patroness of Hispanity. We will learn about Goya, the famous painter, and see some of his works. We will also see a Roman theatre, a Renaissance palace and we will and walk by the Aljaferia Moorish Palace. After lunch time we continue to the Monastery of Poblet, one of the best examples of religious architecture in Catalonia and considered one of the best-preserved medieval monasteries in the world (entrance and guided tour included). We travel later to the Monastery of Montserrat where we include a ride on the rack railway to enjoy fantastic landscapes. We will resume our journey to Barcelona, arrival at the hotel and accommodation. Note: In the winter months, from November to March, as days are shorter, the Poblet Monastery will not be visited (in order to arrive in Montserrat during the daylight hours).

Day 11. (Friday) BARCELONA

We wake up in Barcelona. After breakfast, we get on the bus to visit Barcelona with a local guide, discovering its main avenues decorated with impressive modernist buildings of Antoni Gaudí. We’ll make a short stop to see the impotent Gaudí’s Great Basilica of Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) from outside, a unique creation that has become Barcelona’s most universal symbol. We’ll take a walk into the city’s historic central area with its Gothic neighbourhood dating back to the Middle Ages. Next destination is Montjuic and the Olympic Ring, a legacy of the 1992 Olympics Games that took place in Barcelona. Our city tour of Barcelona takes us to visit the Poble Español (Spanish Village), an open-air architectural museum where you’ll enjoy Spanish craftsmanship and discover the architectural styles, traditions and folklore of the different communities in Spain. From this moment you’ll have free time to explore in depth what you couldn’t see before. We recommend you to book in advance your tickets to see the Sagrada Familia from inside if it is of your interest, or if you prefer, you may explore other parts of the Gothic Quarter… there are many options: visit the Cathedral of Barcelona, Plaça del Pi, the Plaza Real or take a walk on the famous Rambla de los Capuchinos, an emblematic street and a must-see for any visitor to Barcelona. In the evening we provide transfers to Las Ramblas and Plaza Catalunya area for dinner, where you can select from a great variety of restaurants. Return to the hotel and accommodation.

Day 12. (Saturday) BARCELONA

Breakfast at the hotel and end of our services. If you still have some time to spend in Barcelona, here we give you several ideas to organize your time: visit the famous Park Güell: a park full of sculptures, structures and mosaics designed by the great Gaudí (at certain times the visit is free), visit Casa Batlló built by the same architect, you may visit the Ciudadela Park with its museums, its navigable lake and its zoo. For football lovers, we suggest you visit the Camp Nou Stadium, home of the Barcelona Football Club. If you prefer to enjoy one of the best views of Barcelona, ​​it is highly recommended to go up to the Tibidabo Mountain, full of modernist buildings and with a small vintage-style amusement park that is also the oldest amusement park in Spain and the third one in Europe. Crowning the park is the Expiatory Temple of the Sacred Heart, which reminds us of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, located in Paris. Other options are visiting the Fundació Joan Miró, with multiple works by the artist, strolling through the romantic labyrinth park in Horta, or taking advantage of the day with one of our excursion to Girona and Figueres, or spending an unforgettable day touring the rugged Costa Brava, activities that you can book on our website.