Essential Spain and Portugal (2023-24) - 7 Days

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Transfer to the hotel. Evening transport to the Gran Vía district.
Welcome to Madrid! Upon arriving at the airport, we will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. Check the information boards in the hotel reception area for details of the welcome meeting with your guide and fellow travellers. Towards the end of the day, we provide transfers to the Egyptian Debod Temple, Plaza de España and Gran Via; a vibrant district where you can dine at your preferred restaurant: Indian, Chinese, Spanish and Middle Eastern are some of the options available.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Madrid city tour. Stroll through the Retiro Park. Visit to the Las Ventas bullring. Evening transfer.
The morning starts with a comprehensive tour through the centre of Madrid including Paseo del Prado, Cibeles, Neptuno, the Gate of Alcalá, Plaza de Colón and Plaza Mayor. We then visit to Retiro Park, an oasis in the city center, where we will see the lake and the Glass Palace. A visit to Las Ventas Bullring (admission included) is next. This is one of the most famous bullrings in the world where we will learn about the tradition of “corridas” in the Bullfighting Museum. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure. At sunset we provide a transfer to Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace, an elegant and bustling area with many restaurants serving different cuisines such as local Spanish food, international, and Chinese. Enjoy a pleasant dinner of your choice. At the end of the evening we
will return to the hotel.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Mediaeval Cáceres. Chapel of Bones of Evora.
We leave Madrid and travel towards Extremadura. In CACERES you can have lunch and stroll in the historic centre, one of the best preserved mediaeval and Renaissance open complexes in the world. Once in Portugal, we will stop in EVORA, a World Heritage city with its white streets, its Renaissance palaces and its cathedral. We will include entry to the impressive chapel of Bones, built using 5,000 skeletons! LISBON, arrival at the end of the afternoon.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: City Tour of Lisbon. Evening transfer.
In the morning we have a sightseeing tour with a local guide. We visit traditional neighbourhoods, which take in the Belem district, which is the birthplace of the great Portuguese navigators who sailed the oceans in the Fifteenth Century. We will look around the Monument to the Discoveries, Belem Tower, and the beautiful Jeronimos Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure to explore the city independently. In the late afternoon, we transfer to the Restauradores Square, a public square with restaurants and cafes. We suggest you ride the Elevador Da Gloria funicular that takes you to the viewpoint of San Pedro with beautiful views over Lisbon and the Bairro Alto. Return to the hotel.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Fatima Shrine. Visit Porto and an old cellars.
We will head to the north of Portugal and visit FATIMA, an important sanctuary. We will continue on our way through PORTO, Portugal’s second largest city. We
will have time to have lunch and then go on a sightseeing tour of this city, which sits on the bank of Duero river, and its historic centre. We will also include a visit to the old cellars. Free time.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Cable car to the Bom Jesus Sanctuary. Wine and Mussels tasting in boat trip. Visit Santiago de Compostela.
On this day we will travel through beautiful landscapes. In the city of BRAGA we will get on the world’s oldest cable car to go up to the Santuario do BOM JESUS, we will enjoy its gorgeous views. We recommend trekking back down in order to admire its beautiful stairway. Then, we will resume our trip to Galicia. We will visit the historic town of CAMBADOS in Rías Baixas where we will go on a glass bottom boat trip in which we will learn about the production of mussels and oysters. Wine and mussel tasting included. At lunch time we will arrive in SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, where we will go on a local guide is included. This town was a famous pilgrimage destination in the Middle Ages.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Beautiful landscapes. Lugo city center. León.
We will travel along Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) to Castile. In LUGO we will have time to visit the historic town center and Roman walls, which were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will make a stop on route in O CEBREIRO, a small Galician stone village. Arrival in LEÓN at lunchtime. We will have time visit the Gothic cathedral with its stained glass windows and stroll through the historic center. At around 17.00hrs, we leave Leon for MADRID, arriving at around 21.00hrs. Note: If the number of travellers from Leon to Madrid is very small, the trip may be done by train or regular transport. End of our services. Check the time of your flight in case you need an additional night.