BudgetEurope.net
24 day tour of Spain, Portugal & Morocco
An exciting Iberian adventure!
The exotic heart of Europe with the flavours of North Africa.
Day 1: Barcelona airport pickup
Transfer from Barcelona International Airport to your hotel.
Day 2: Barcelona
Barcelona is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe – and for good reason. It’s a beautiful city, full of markets, shops, museums and churches, and great for walking around. Today will be spent sightseeing around Barcelona with a walking tour of the centre.
Day 3: Santa Maria de Montserrat
Day trip to Santa Maria de Montserrat, a Benedictine abbey situated atop an unusual rock mountain. It is Catalonia’s most important religious retreat and groups of young people from Barcelona and all over Catalonia make overnight hikes at least once in their lives to watch the sunrise from the heights of Montserrat. The Virgin of Montserrat (the black virgin), is Catalonia’s favourite saint, and is located in the sanctuary of the Mare de Deu de Montserrat, next to the Benedictine monastery nestling in the towers and crags of the mountain. The Basilica houses a museum with works of art by many prominent painters and sculptors including works by El Greco, Dalí, Picasso and more.
Day 4: Barcelona – Museu Picasso and Sagrada Família
The Picasso Museum has one of the most extensive collections of artworks by the legendary 20th century Spanish artist. This is one of the most popular and most visited museums in Barcelona. The Sagrada Família is not expected to be complete until at least 2026. Considered the master-work of renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), the project’s vast scale and idiosyncratic design have made it one of Spain’s top tourist attractions for many years.
Day 5: Tarragona and Valencia
Transfer to Valencia via Tarragona, stopping by the World Heritage complex of Roman ruins including a colosseum and magnificent aqueduct.
Day 6: Valencia
All day sightseeing in Valencia, a charming old city with striking modern buildings. Valencia is famous for its Fallas Festival in March, for being the birthplace of paella and for the massive architectural project by Santiago Calatrava called The City of Arts and Sciences.
Day 7: Córdoba and Seville
Transfer to Seville, stopping in Córdoba. The old town contains many impressive architectural reminders of when Córdoba was the thriving capital of the Caliphate of Cordoba that governed almost all of the Iberian peninsula. With up to 500,000 inhabitants in the tenth century, it was the largest city in Western Europe and, perhaps, the world.
Day 8: Seville
All day sightseeing in the capital of Andalucia. Among its many attractions are the Cathedral of Seville, arguably (in volume) the largest church in the world and the final resting place of the remains of Christopher Columbus. La Giralda is a large and beautiful minaret tower, originally intended for the chief mosque, but now the magnificent bell tower of the Cathedral and a symbol of Seville. The Real Alcázar is a beautiful palace in Mudéjar (Moorish) style, built in the XIV Century by Pedro I the Cruel. With its myriad of rooms, extravagant architecture, lavish gardens with many courtyards, ponds and secrets to be explored, it is a fascinating place to visit. If you get hungry, tapas is one of the main cultural attractions of the city!
Day 9: Málaga and Granada
Day trip to Málaga, birthplace of Picasso (and Antonio Banderas) with imposing Moorish castles, and Granada, home to the Alhambra, the most beautiful Moorish citadel and palace in Spain.
Day 10: Rabat
Ferry to the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, a city with more than two thousand years of history. Rabat is named for its significance as the launchpad for the conquest of Spain!
Day 11: Rabat and Casablanca
Century old legacies charm the visitor of today. The modern city of Casablanca was founded by Berber fishermen in the 10th century BC and was subsequently used by the Phoenicians, Romans and the Merenids as a strategic port called Anfa.
Day 12: Meknes and Fes
The historic city of Meknes, a World Heritage Site, is an impressive city in Spanish-Moorish style, surrounded by high walls with great doors, where the harmonious blending of the Islamic and European styles of the 17th century Maghreb are still evident today. The famous Medina of Fes – with its madrasas, fondouks, palaces, residences, mosques and fountains – dates from the city’s apex in the 13th and 14th centuries. Although no longer the political capital of Morocco (that honour went to Rabat in 1912), Fes has retained its status as the country’s cultural and spiritual centre.
Day 13: Marrakesh
Transfer to Marrakesh, the third largest city in Morocco after Casablanca and Rabat, near the foothills of the snow capped Atlas Mountains.
Day 14: Marrakesh
Like many North African and Middle Eastern cities, Marrakech comprises both an old fortified city (the médina) and an adjacent modern city (called Gueliz). Marrakech has the largest traditional market (souk) in Morocco and also has one of the busiest squares in Africa and the world, Djemaa el Fna. The square bustles with acrobats, story-tellers, water sellers, dancers, and musicians. By night, the square turns into food stalls, becoming a huge open-air restaurant with busy life.
Day 15: Lisbon
Transfer to Lisbon, capital of Portugal. Perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon is one of the rare Western European cities that face the ocean and uses water as an element that defines the city. Lisbon enchants travelers with its white bleached limestone buildings, intimate alleyways, and an easy going charm.
Day 16: Lisbon – Castle of São Jorge, Baixa district
The Castle of São Jorge occupies a commanding position overlooking the city and the broad Tagus River beyond. The strongly-fortified citadel, which, in its present configuration, dates from medieval times, is located atop the highest hill in the historic center of the city. Today we will also wander the heart of the city – the elegant Baixa (Downtown) district.
Day 17: Lisbon – Museu Calouste Gulbenkian
A visit to the very fine Museu Calouste Gulbenkian with its collection of ancient, and some more modern art (by masters such as Rembrandt, Manet, Monet, Renoir, and Cassat).
Day 18: Lisbon – Belém, Maritime Museum and Jerónimos Monastery
Belém is famous as the place from which many of the great Portuguese explorers set off on their voyages of discovery. Perhaps Belém’s most famous feature is its tower, Torre de Belém, which guards the entrance to the port. It, and the magnificent monastery of Jerónimos, are on the World Heritage List. The monastery was built as a monument to Vasco da Gama’s successful voyage to India and was funded by a tax on eastern spices. The monastery contains the tomb of Vasco da Gama.
Day 19: Madrid
The Spanish capital is well known for its great cultural and artistic heritage. As the third largest city in Europe, it possesses a modern infrastructure, but it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets.
Day 20: Madrid – Palacio Real and Puerta del Sol
Visit to the largest royal palace in Western Europe in size, with a combined area of over 135,000 m² and more than 2,800 rooms. It is the official residence of the King of Spain in the city of Madrid and is used for State occasions. However, King Juan Carlos and the royal family do not reside in this palace, instead choosing the modest Palacio de la Zarzuela on the outskirts of Madrid. We will also visit the nearby Puerta del Sol, the very heart of Madrid.
Day 21: Madrid – Museo Del Prado and Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
Today we visit one of the world’s finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection. The Thyssen-Bornemisza collection includes Impressionists, Expressionists, and European and American paintings from the second half of the 20th century, with over 1,600 paintings.
Day 22: Segovia, Bilbao
Transfer to Bilbao via Segovia, whose old city is spectacularly situated atop a long, narrow promontory. It contains a wealth of monuments, including the cathedral, a famous ancient Roman aqueduct, the Alcázar, and various churches built in the Romanesque style. The old city is a World Heritage Site, surrounded by walls built in the 8th century AD, probably on a Roman base.
Day 23: Bilbao – Guggenheim Museum
One of the world’s most spectacular buildings! The Guggenheim Museum put Bibao on the map. Frank Gehry’s spectacular twisting titanium-clad building is evocative of the ships that used to be ubiquitous along the docks of Bilbao. It houses changing collections of modern and contemporary art.
Day 24: Barcelona
Transfer to Barcelona airport around 2pm.
Date
- 28 September – 21 October 2010
Cost & Inclusions
Cost
Price is per person twin share, 15% single supplement.
- Australian dollars: $7,400 AUD convert
Inclusions
All breakfasts, all accommodation, driver/guide ( fully escorted), 250 euro per person sightseeing allowance, all petrol, ferries and tolls.
Accommodation
- 4 nights Barcelona Cram Hotel, Barcelona
- 2 nights Valencia Las Arenas Balnearis, Valencia
- 3 nights Seville Hotel, Seville Center
- 3 nights Riad Dar El Kebira, Rabat
- 2 nights Kenzi Menara Palace, Marrakesh
- 4 nights Sofitel Lisbon Liberdade, Lisbon
- 3 nights Preciados VIP, Madrid
- 2 nights Hesperia Bilbao, Bilbao