SLMPACLM: MADRID, PORTUGAL & ANDALUSIA  16 days

Arrival at the airport and transfer to your hotel. Rest of the day at leisure. Accommodation at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, enjoy a panoramic city tour that will take us through Madrid’s medieval origins, including the Arab fortress and the Barrio de la Moreria, known for its ancient buildings and traditional taverns. We will explore the district of the Hapsburgs, characterized by Phillip II and its Renaissance and Baroque buildings at Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, and Plaza de la Villa. We will see the Madrid of the Bourbons and the urban planning of Charles III, including the Royal Palace, the Cibeles Fountain, the Neptune Fountain, and the Puerta de Alcalá. We will admire 19th-century landmarks such as the elegant Plaza de Oriente and the Prado Museum.

We will also get to know contemporary Madrid with avenues like Gran Vía, Paseo de la Castellana, the Salamanca neighborhood, Parque del Oeste, commercial and financial areas of Modern Madrid, and the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Afternoon at your leisure. Accommodation at the hotel. (B)

Breakfast. Drive to Salamanca. Free time in this University and World Heritage City of great architectural and artistic wealth. Departure to the Portuguese border until you reach Porto. Accommodation. (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Panoramic sightseeing tour of Porto considered a World Heritage city. We admire the Cathedral, Stock Exchange building and Santa Clara church. Afterwards, enjoy a different perspective of the city along the Douro River and discover the historic heritage by visiting the well-known Port Wine Cellars with a wine tasting included. Rest of day at leisure. Accommodation. (B)

Breakfast. Departure to Coimbra. The city seat of one of the oldest universities in Europe and the birthplace of Fado. Free time. Then to Fatima. Center of the Christian Faith and World Pilgrimage Sanctuary with its impressive Basilica and the Cova da Iria, place where the Virgin Mary appeared. The Chapel of the Apparitions, heart of the sanctuary, with the tombs of the three shepherds, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. At night the possibility to attend the procession of the candles. Accommodation. (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to the Batalha Monastery, a masterpiece of Gothic and Manueline style considered a World Heritage place by UNESCO. Continue to the picturesque fishing town of Nazare. Free time and continue to Alcobaça (World Heritage) with its Gothic church and Cistercian monastery, whose origins date back to the XII C. Then to Lisbon. Arrival in the Portuguese capital and accommodation. (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, a city tour of Lisbon, formerly known as Olissipo, including its main squares and avenues, the Belem Tower, the Jeronimo’s Monastery (exterior), the Monument to the Discoverers. The afternoon is free to explore the city’s charming corners, such as the Alfama district, or take the optional tour to Sintra and Cascais (World Heritage Sites). Accommodation at the hotel. (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure towards Merida, the capital of Extremadura. Declared a World Heritage Site, Merida is renowned for its rich historical heritage, including its well-preserved Roman ruins: the theater, the amphitheater, the Roman bridge, and more. Free time and then continue to Córdoba, once the capital of the Caliphate. Accommodation at the hotel. (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Impressive tour of its Mosque (entrance included) and other sites that will ease our mind and spirit strolling through its narrow winding streets of the Jewish Quarter. In the afternoon, after a short two hour ride reach Seville. Accommodation at the hotel. (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive east through the Caliphate road to the heart of Andalusia observing an endless number of olive trees on the way to Granada and its incredible and amazing monumental environment, last stronghold of the Moorish Kingdoms up to 1492. Visit the world-renowned Alhambra complex and Genera life Gardens that have inspired several authors with its sound and sights, such as the “Tales of the Alhambra” by Washington Irving. Accommodation at the hotel. In the evening, optional Flamenco Zambra show. (B)

After breakfast at the hotel, departure towards the east to arrive in Valencia, one of the main capitals of the Mediterranean coast, featuring its modern City of Arts and Sciences complex, which includes six buildings: the Hemispheric, Umbracle, Science Museum, Oceanogràfic, Palau de les Arts, and Ágora. Valencia is also the birthplace of the internationally renowned “Paella.” Accommodation at the hotel. (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning city tour of this bright city including a drive through the old city showing the most prominent buildings, we will then be driven past the old riverbed of the Turia to the most avant-garde complex “Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias” to watch the emblematic exteriors of the six buildings. Early afternoon departure northward all along the Mediterranean coast to Catalunya, via Tarragona, the Roman Tarraco. Reach Barcelona principal Mediterranean city homeland of the famous architect Gaudí symbol of the Catalonian modernism. Accommodation at the hotel. (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning city tour of Barcelona, well known worldwide for the Olympic Games during 1992, drive along the main avenues with impressive modernist buildings by Gaudi such as La Pedrera or Casa Mila and Casa Batlló – declared World Heritage buildings. The Montjuic Park with spectacular views of the city, Olympic Ring and monument to Columbus. The afternoon is for you to keep on discovering this city full of attractive offers as well as exquisite and varied gastronomy. Accommodation at the hotel. (B)

After breakfast at the hotel departure southwest along an industrial and agricultural area with certain relevance within Europe. Arrive to Zaragoza, capital city of Aragón, within the banks of Ebro River, the most copious within the Iberian Peninsula. Zaragoza, known as Cesar Augusta during the Roman period, had an important role in Spanish history. Some free time to see the impressive Baroque architecture of the Basilic-Temple of Our Lady Pilar. Continue to Madrid. Accommodation at the hotel. (B)

Breakfast at the hotel, then transfer to the airport. (B)
END OF OUR SERVICE.