Madrid & Andalusia

In Madrid we visit the Royal Palace (official residence of the Spanish Kings until 1931), and the Paseo del Arte, including the Prado the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Queen Sofia Art Museum. Also the Gran via, Plaza de España, the University Campus and Castellana Road. The second day we will visit Toledo and Cordoba to continue our route in Andalusia. Here we will find the most common stereotypes; bullfighting, flamenco music, sherry wine, tapas and fiestas.

Back to Spain Menu

1st Day: MADRID
Arrival at Madrid airport. Welcome of the group and transfer to the hotel. Free time at the hotel. Later on, there will be a meeting with the group leader and a short briefing about the cultural tour. All guests will receive a welcome pack with detailed information about the programme. Lunch is in a typical restaurant in the area called the "Austrias". In the afternoon, we visit the Royal Palace, the official residence of the Spanish Kings until 1931. We continue to the Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Paseo del Arte (Prado Museum, Thyssen Museum, and Queen Sofia Art Museum), Gran Via, Plaza de España, University Campus, and Castellana Road.
Back to the hotel. Welcome cocktail, and dinner. Accommodation.

2nd Day: MADRID- TOLEDO- CORDOVA (423KM)
Breakfast and departure for Toledo. Walking tour in the old town to reach the Cathedral, in gothic style, and the Jewish synagogues: Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca, 12th century and the Transito Synagogue, nowadays turned into a Sephardim museum.
Lunch. Before leaving for Cordova, we will visit the Santa Cruz Museum, a Plateresque inspired construction, built under the reign of Elizabeth the Catholic. Also, we shall look at the façade of the San Juan de los Reyes Monastery, a masterpiece of Elizabethan style. Continuation to Cordova. Before crossing the Despeñaperros mountains, the border pass between Castile and Andalusia we will make a short stop to enjoy the breathtaking view. Arrival at the hotel in Cordova. Dinner. Accommodation.

3rd Day: CORDOVA - GRANADA (170KM)
Breakfast and we visit the magnificent and legendary city of Cordova, where we shall observe the existence of multicultural and different religions. Our tour starts at the Roman Bridge and the Calahorra Tower: an Arab defensive tower. We will continue by visiting the Cathedral-Mosque, the only one holding a catholic cathedral built in the heart of a Muslim Mosque. Next we will arrive at the Alcazar a fortress built by King Alfonso XI, which contains Roman reminiscence, such as mosaics and sarcophagus. Finally, we will have a stroll in the Jewish quarter where the Synagogue is located. The traveller will be able to observe the mixture of art and cultures in Cordova, where Christians, Jews, and Muslims coexisted during the medieval times.
Lunch and free time for shopping around the lively narrow streets of the Jewish Quarter. Leaving for Granada, following the same route as the "Andalusi Caliphate". On this route, there are several places worth highlighting, such as the medieval castle in Alcala la Real, and the high quality olive oil production in Baena. Arrival at the hotel in Granada. Dinner and accommodation.

4th Day: GRANADA- ANTEQUERA (115KM)
Breakfast, and visit to Granada. We will start our tour in the Alhambra, one of the most beautiful Arab Palaces in the western world. The monument houses the Nazari Palaces, the Generalife gardens, a Royal residence, the Carlos V Palace, and the Alcazaba fortress. After the visit, we enjoy the superb views from the Vela Tower overlooking the whole city of Granada: the Alhambra, the Sacromonte quarter, a gypsy quarter, and the Sierra Nevada. We walk through the Albaicin, a district famous for the characteristic houses and villas called "carmenes".
After Lunch in a typical restaurant of this area, we walk through the old town and reach the Cathedral, designed by Alonso Cano, in a renaissance style. The construction of this religious temple lasted two centuries. Just behind the Cathedral, we shall find the Royal Chapel, built under the reign of the Catholic Kings for their own burials. Enrique Egas, following the Elizabethan gothic style, designed the Chapel. Inside the Chapel museum, we can observe an important collection of flamenco art. We continue our cultural route with a departure for Antequera. Arrival at the hotel in Antequera. Dinner and accommodation.

5th Day:ANTEQUERA-RONDA-JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA(176KM)
Breakfast. The most visited monuments in Antequera are: the renaissance Royal Collegiate Church of Santa Maria la Mayor, and the Nuestra Señora del Carmen Church, Mudejar inspired. From the Arch of the Giant, we will enjoy a spectacular view over the town and the fertile valley around it.
We continue our tour to Ronda, an historic town located on a towering plateau in the mountains of Malaga Province.
Lunch and walk around the old town where our guide will explain the origins of this ancient town where Romans, Arabs, and Christians left their traces. We can see the Colegiata de Santa Maria, built on the same foundations of a Roman temple first and then a mosque. We continue to the Mondragón Palace, built in a Mudejar style and finally to the Bullring, the oldest in the country. On our way to Jerez de la Frontera, we will follow the route known as "the route of the white villages" for the singularity of the scenery through the Grazalema Natural Park. We will also stop at Arcos de la Frontera, one of the most beautiful old towns in Spain. Arrival at the hotel in Jerez. Dinner and accommodation.

6th Day: JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA- SEVILLE (97KM)
Breakfast. Jerez is a town known for the production of its sherry wine, for the beauty of its horses and the passion of its inhabitants for the flamenco music. Visit the Cathedral, built after the re-conquest of Spain from the Moors on the foundations of the ancient mosque. Next, we will see the Cabildo Building: renaissance style, the Plaza de la Asunción and the San Miguel Church. If time allows, we can also see a show of andalusian horses, which takes place in the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art (Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre).
Lunch is in a typical wine cellar restaurant and we continue our cultural tour by departure for Seville, the capital of Andalusia. We enter the city through one of the most beautiful avenues: the Palm trees road, which leads us to the Plaza de España, and the Parque de Maria Luisa, bequeathed to the city after the 1929 world exhibition. We will walk along the Guadalquivir riverbank, to find historic monuments like the Maestranza Bullring, the Torre del Oro and the Monument to the Tolerance by Eduardo Chillida. Arrival at the hotel in Seville. Free time. Dinner, and accommodation.

7th Day: SEVILLE
Breakfast, and sightseeing tour of the historic centre of Seville, starting at the Cathedral, one of the gothic masterpieces of Spain. It was built above the foundations of the main Mosque: reminders of the ancient mosque are the Orange trees courtyard and the Minaret of the Giralda. Next to the Cathedral, we will see the Reales Alcazares, the residence of the Monarchy since the 14th century, still used by the present King Juan Carlos. Inspired by the beauty of the Arab Palaces, Pedro I the Cruel built this Mudejar Palace. To end this tour we will walk through the Santa Cruz Quarter, part of the ancient Jewish area.
Lunch and free time: the tour guide will give us more interesting options to discover this colorful and elegant city: museums, churches of different styles, commercial areas etc. In the evening, we will enjoy a delightful dinner with a flamenco dance show. Back to the hotel. Accommodation.

8th Day: SEVILLE-DEPARTURE
Breakfast. Leaving for Seville airport. Arrival at the airport and the end of the cultural route.