BudgetEurope.net
22 day tour of Spain & Portugal with optional Morocco visit
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 centrally-located 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 Sagrada Família. 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. We will also visit Gaudí‘s famous Park Guell.
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 – including Museu Picasso
All day sightseeing in Barcelona, including the Picasso Museum which 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.
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: Granada
Transfer to Granada in Andalucia. Rich in history and culture, Granada is arguably the single most worthwhile city in Spain for a tourist.
Day 8: La Alhambra, Granada
All day sightseeing in the Alhambra, the most beautiful Moorish citadel and palace in Spain. Part fortress (the Alcazaba), part palace, part garden (the Generalife) and part government city (the Medina), this medieval complex overlooking Granada is often considered on par with the 7 wonders of the world.
Day 9: Seville
Transfer to Sevilla, the heart of flamenco and the capital and largest city of Andalucia. We will of course attend a Flamenco show in the evening.
Day 10: Seville
All day sightseeing in this city situated on the banks of the smooth, slow Guadalquivir River. 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 11: Córdoba
Day trip to 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. La Mezquita is one of Spain’s most fantastic cathedrals, built out of the third biggest Mosque in the world. More than 20,000 people could pray inside.
Day 12: 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 13: 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 14: 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 15: Sintra
Day trip to Sintra and the summer palaces of the nobility.
Day 16: Trujillo, Toledo, Madrid
Transfer to Madrid via Trujillo and Toledo. 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 17: 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 18: 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 19: Segovia and Ávila
Day trip to 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. Ávila, another World Heritage Site, is notable for its complete (and striking) medieval city walls.
Day 20: Bilbao
Transfer to Bilbao, capital of the province of Biscay. The modern city is a striking example of urban renewal and revitalization.
Day 21: Bilbao – Guggenheim Museum
All day sightseeing in Bilbao, including entrance to 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 22: Barcelona
Transfer to Barcelona airport, 3pm arrival.
Date
- 2 September – 3 October 2012
Cost & Inclusions
Cost
Price is per person twin share, 15% single supplement.
- Australian dollars: $6,600 AUD convert
Inclusions
All accommodation in 4 star hotels, fully escorted in 2010 model mini van, 250 euro per person sightseeing allowance, all petrol, ferries and tolls.
Optional Morocco tour
Morocco is added between days 8 & 9 if all the group wishes to take this tour to North Africa.
Day 1: Tangier
Transfer from Granada to Tarifa ferry to Tangier, with evening in Fez.
Day 2: Fes
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. All day sightseeing in this city best known for its tannery and pottery.
Day 3: Marrakesh
Transfer to Marrakesh, the third largest city in Morocco after Casablanca and Rabat, near the foothills of the snow capped Atlas Mountains.
Day 4: 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 5: Atlas Mountains
Day trip into the Atlas Mountains which separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert. The mountains are home to a number of plant and animal species unique in Africa.
Day 6: Marrakesh
Free day to further explore this exciting city and its markets.
Day 7: Berber camp, Atlas Mountains
Spend a night in a Berber camp in the mountains. Traditional cuisine includes couscous and tajine.
Day 8: Rabat and Casablanca
Transfer to the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, via the magnificent mosque in Casablanca.
Day 9: Rabat
All day sightseeing in 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 10: Seville
Transfer to ferry and back to Spain.
Cost for optional Morroco tour
Price is per person twin share, 15% single supplement.
- Australian dollars: $2,600 AUD convert