Costsaver: Spanish Experience End Madrid
Day 1 - Arrive Madrid
It won't take long for you to fall in love with Madrid. This beautiful capital was revived by King Charles III several centuries ago and the city is still as graceful as ever. Arriving today, Check in to your hotel and get settled in before meeting up with your Travel Director and fellow travelers for a look at what’s to come on your Spain value tour. Venture out into the streets at sunset and watch this football-mad city really come to life. You might like to join us for an optional walking tour around the city sights with the opportunity to get your first taste of tapas at a local restaurant. You'll quickly find out why the city's lively nightlife keeps the locals up until all hours of the night.
Accommodations: Occidental Castellana Norte
Day 2 - Madrid sightseeing and free time
Gear up for a busy morning of sightseeing when you visit Madrid. Your Local Specialist will reveal all the secrets behind some of the city's most famous sights, kicking things off by heading up the Gran Vía through the heart of Madrid. See the Cibeles Fountain, the Royal Palace and the Paseo de la Castellana. This afternoon, you'll have some free time to spend as you like. History lovers will likely want to join our optional visit to the UNESCO-listed city of Segovia, with its Roman aqueduct and fairy-tale Alcázar, like something out of a storybook. Once you return to Madrid, you'll have another chance to discover the buzzing nightlife, which can be found spilling out into open-air cafés and pulsing plazas.
Accommodations: Occidental Castellana Norte
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3 - Madrid – Toledo – Seville
You'll watch history come to life when you take a trip to the hilltop town of Toledo today, with its ancient city walls and long legacy of traditional sword-making. Take a sightseeing tour with your Local Guide by your side, with every street showing off yet another stunning sight with views of the synagogue, cathedral and grand plazas. You'll get to visit a steel workshop and discover the tradition of sword-making which dates back to Roman times. Seville is your final destination today and we'll stay here for the next two nights.
Accommodations: MA Congresos
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4 - Seville sightseeing and free time
The sizzling city of Seville is filled with the Spanish zest for life you'll come to know and love. It's a place of beautiful monuments, fine weather and it's also the home of the flamenco - no wonder it has been the royal family's (and thousands of travelers) favorite holiday retreat for centuries. Join your Local Specialist today to uncover some of the city's most famous sites, including Maria Luisa Park, built in 1929 for the Ibero-American exposition. Spend some time getting lost on purpose in the maze of lanes in Seville's Old Quarter or opt to join a tour to the grand 14th-century Moorish Alcazar. You'll have the whole evening free to explore your way, but you can't visit Seville and not witness a fiery flamenco show - our Choice Experience will take you to the best flamenco show in town.
Accommodations: MA Congresos
Meals: Breakfast
Day 5 - Seville – Granada
We'll begin our journey from kings to emirs as we travel from Seville to Granada this morning. A visit to this city will take you back in time to when the Moors ruled the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, their last fortress before being exiled to North Africa. You can still see their Arab influences in the Moorish architecture and tetería tea houses and we'll show you where to look this afternoon before you head out into the cobbled streets to explore your way. Alternatively, consider joining a Choice Experience tour of the Albaicín Quarter, the city's oldest neighborhood, known as the Arab Quarter. You'll discover its Moorish history and see the fortified citadel of the Alhambra on the hilltop overlooking Granada. If you're looking for the perfect way to end the day, why not head out to a lively gypsy performance?
Accommodations: Macia Condor
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 - Granada – Guadix – Valencia
Head into the hills of Guadix this morning where you'll spot the magical white chimneys that rise from under the ground, where generations of the city's trogloditas have lived for several centuries. You'll have the chance to take some photos of these curious cave dwellings before moving on to the modern city of Valencia or 'Bah-len-thee-a' as the locals call it. Venture out on an orientation tour with your Travel Director, breathing in the scent of orange blossoms as you see the Art Nouveau train station Estación del Norte, the Towers of Serrano and Quart, and Mercado de Colon, which was declared sacred in the 13th century. You'll also make a stop to see Valencia's unique City of Arts and Sciences, a futuristic recreation center that celebrates culture and science.
Accommodations: NH Las Ciencias
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7 - Valencia – Peñíscola – Barcelona sightseeing
Today we continue our scenic trip to the Levant region to Peñíscola, 'The City in the Sea' where the towering Templar castle, once used as a palace by the Spanish Pope, was made famous in the Hollywood film, El Cid. We'll make our way along the beautiful Costa Dorada to the sun-drenched shores of Barcelona. Head out with your Local Specialist to discover some of the city's highlights this afternoon. See the façade of Gaudí's incredible La Sagrada Família and the Passeig de Grcia. This evening, enjoy dinner together and look back on your amazing experiencia Española.
Accommodations: Hesperia Sant Just
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8 - Barcelona free day
This is the last full day of your Spain vacation package and your chance to really get to know Barcelona. You can spend this free day however you like, whether you want to see the famous façades of Spanish Art Nouveau architect Antoni Gaudí, walk through the leafy lanes of the Gothic quarter or join an Optional Experience visit to the monastery in the Montserrat mountains to see the beloved Black Madonna. After sunset, continue the adventures and perhaps sample some cava at one of the bars overlooking the sea with new travel friends or enjoy an evening drive with panoramic views from Montjuïc.
Accommodations: Hesperia Sant Just
Meals: Breakfast
Day 9 - Depart Barcelona - Madrid
So long Spain! Our grand adventure through imperial cities and golden and green landscapes may have come to an end, but we'll keep its fiery passion burning long after our departure. It's time to bid our compañeros a fond farewell. Your coach returns to Madrid, drop-off will be at the Costsaver Madrid hotel and not at the airport. Arrival will be at approximately 6pm, depending on traffic conditions.
Meals: Breakfast
Barcelona
Barcelona, the self-confident and progressive capital of Spain, is a tremendous place to be. Though it boasts outstanding Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings, and some great museums – most notably those dedicated to Picasso and Catalan art – it is above all a place where there's enjoyment simply in walking the streets, stopping in at bars and cafés, drinking in the atmosphere. A thriving port and the most prosperous commercial centre in Spain, it has a sophistication and cultural dynamism way ahead of the rest of the country. In part this reflects the city's proximity to France, whose influence is apparent in the elegant boulevards and imaginative cooking. But Barcelona has also evolved an individual and eclectic cultural identity, most perfectly and eccentrically expressed in the architecture of Antoni Gaudí. Scattered as Barcelona's main sights may be, the greatest concentration of interest is around the old town (La Ciutat Vella). These cramped streets above the harbor are easily manageable, and far more enjoyable, on foot. Start, as everyone else does, with the Ramblas.
Excursions
Barcelona: A Walk Through Barcelona and The Sagrada Familia Park Guell for Families- 6 Hours
Barcelona: A Walk Through Barcelona and The Sagrada Familia Park Guell for Families- 6 Hours
Your chauffeur and your guide will
be waiting for you at the port. They will be at disposal for 8 hours. Your chauffeur will drive you to the city center of Barcelona.
A Walk Through Barcelona
You will start your day by an exciting 2-hour walking tour of the oldest parts of Barcelona: the Barri Gothic and Born neighborhoods. You will follow your guide as he/she leads you into the small, narrow streets to discover the vibrant, trendy ambiance of Born and the historical atmosphere of the Gothic Quarter. You will see the Santa Maria Del Mar church, the Royal Palace and the world famous “Las Ramblas” avenue. The fun facts and stories
told by our guide will keep your children highly engaged. The children will each get a game booklet to keep them engaged and entertained. After this tour, you will enjoy a
lunch break. Your guide will be there to give recommendations depending on your taste.
Included:
- A Walk Through Barcelona:
- Private certified guide
- 2 hour walking tour
- Game booklet for
- each child
- 2-hour experience
The Sagrada Familia and Park Güell
In the afternoon, you will enjoy a 3-hour tour inside the two iconic Gaudi sites in Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia and the Park Güell. You will follow your guide inside the
jaw-dropping and daring church and listen to the stories about its architecture, construction and future. After 1,5 hours spent in the Sagrada Familia, you will head out to
Park Güell. There you will witness the beauty of Gaudí’s mosaics as well as enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of Barcelona. To keep the children entertained during this 3-hour tour, they will all get their own fun-filled game booklet. A perfect way to combine both educational discovery and fun!
The Sagrada Familia and
- Park Güell:
- Private certified guide
- Skip-the-line tickets to
- Sagrada Familia and
- Park Güell
- Transfer in a private
- mini van
- Game booklet for
- each child
- 3-hour experience
At the end of the tour, depending on your cruise departure time, your chauffeur will drive you back to the port.
Art and Architecture in Barcelona (8 hours)
Art and Architecture in Barcelona (8 hours)
Highlights:
An architectural delight awaits you today in Barcelona, one of the most exciting cities in Europe. Receive a warm greeting at the port by your private guide and driver and commence your full-day tour with a visit to Gaudi's masterpiece, the impressive, but unfinished Sagrada Familia. Although work started on this project in 1882, this iconic church is not expected to be complete until 2028!
Next, visit Parc Guell, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi's most colourful creations. Continue along Passeig de Gracia, to view Gaudi's Casa Batlló and Casa Mila from the outside, with its brilliant wave-like façade.
After lunch, lose yourself in the narrow streets of the true heart of the city - the medieval Gothic Quarter. Here you will visit the magnificent 13th-century Cathedral, and the Picasso Museum, where some of the painter's earliest works are housed. At the end of your tour you are transferred back to the port.
- Walk the labyrinthine alleys of the medieval Gothic Quarter to find architectural gems like the Church of Santa Maria del Mar
- Admire the Sagrada Familia and the Picasso Museum, where some of the artist's earliest works are housed.
Tour Duration: 8 hours
Tour can operate: Morning/Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 8 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Not Included:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities
Gaudi’s Barcelona (4 hours)
Gaudi’s Barcelona (4 hours)
Highlights:
Receive a warm greeting at the port from your private guide and driver and commence your half-day tour with a visit to Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi’s masterpiece; the impressive, but unfinished Sagrada Familia. Although work started on this project in 1882, this iconic church is not expected to be completed until 2028!
Continue on to Parc Guell, a beautiful municipal garden with a superb panoramic view over the city; the focal point is a colourful sea-serpent-shaped central terrace. Visit the gatehouse where Gaudi lived during his later years which is now a museum dedicated to him. Transfer back to the port at the end of your tour.
- Visit the impressive, but still unfinished Sagrada Familia, masterpiece of the Catalan architect
- Wander through Parc Guell, the UNESCO World Heritage Site considered Gaudi's most colourful creation
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Tour can operate: Morning/Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 8 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Not Included:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities
Valencia
Valencia is one of the biggest, liveliest cities in Spain. It is located at the Mediterranean sea with beaches right in its heart that offer every kind of sports. With its active nightlife and various cultural offerings, Valencia is one of the most dynamic cities in Spain. One of the most famous buildings in Valencia is the Cathedral and its tower named, "El Miquelet" (Little Michael) which was built between 1381 and 1424. Try Spain's most famous food right where it was born: "Paella Valenciana". Valencia is the city where "El Cid", Spain's national hero, fought against the Moors, and popular festivals in the city and many villages around still remind of this epoch.
Excursions
Spain: Valencia Highlights Tour - 5 hours
Spain: Valencia Highlights Tour - 5 hours
Nestled along the sunny Costa Azahar the orange blossom coast lies the beautiful, city of Valencia, where ancient history meets modern innovation and everything in between.
Your private bilingual guide will pick you up and show you the secrets of the famous City of Arts and Sciences, taking you past the original, medieval city gates, among other historical and emblematic sites, before you enter the bustling, pedestrian historic city center where you’ll find ancient Roman ruins at the L’Almoina underground archeological museum. You’ll also visit La Lonja Silk Exchange, our prized UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the world’s greatest examples of gothic architecture.
You´ll also see and hear the stories of the Basilica in the Plaza de la Virgen, as well as the Cathedral and many of our city plazas such as the main Plaza Ayuntamiento, where locals and tourists gather together for business and leisure. Your guide will help you expertly maneuver the busy Mercado Central, where locals buy and sell fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, wines and more.
After all that exploring, you’re sure to work up an appetite. it's time to stop to taste the famous Horchata drink with the sweet traditional fartons.
What's Included?
- 5-hours private guided tour
- Entrance to 2 monuments
- Snack
- Transportation during the whole tour in private taxi
What Isn't Included?
- Meals or drinks not mentioned
- Souvenirs
Highlights of Valencia (4 hours)
Highlights of Valencia (4 hours)
Highlights:
Admire the remarkable riverside designs of renowned contemporary architect Calatrava en route to the 15th century Silk Exchange of the Llotja. Stop for a glass of horchata en route to the beautiful Gothic cathedral, where the supposed Holy Grail is treasured.
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Tour can operate: Morning/Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 8 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Not Included:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities
Granada
Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Andalusia, Spain. Granada has been inhabited by many empires for 2,500 years from the Greeks, Romans, Visigoths and the Moors. Remainder of each reigning era is prominent in Granada’s cultural and architectural influences. Imprints of the past can be found in Albaicin, an old Arabic quarter paved with cobble stoned streets, ogee arches, voussoirs, and decorative tile work. When the sun sets, Alhambra is at its most beautiful and radiant complimenting Byzantine courtyards and muqarna details. Homes also reflect the Mediterranean and Renaissance elegance long past. Present-day Granada attracts visitors by recapturing the past and evoking the co-existence of different cultures.
Seville
Seville is one place most beloved by visitors to Spain. Although today Moorish influence is architectonically most evident - Andalusia was occupied by Moors for about 800 years - it has been a cultural center long before. Seville was home of famous and infamous figures of history, the legendary "Don Juan" started from here to conquer the hearts of women across all Europe, while Columbus started from a port close to Seville to discover a new world. Prosper Merimée's "Carmen", who couldn't make her decision between the officer Don José and the bullfighter Escamillo, can still be watched today in opera houses. Seville is the very heart of Andalusian culture and the center of bullfighting and Flamenco music. Take it easy and interrupt sightseeing from time to time to have a few "tapas", those typical "small spanish dishes", and a glass of Sherry wine in one of the many bars in this city.
Excursions
Historic Influences of Seville (8 hours)
Historic Influences of Seville (8 hours)
Highlights:
Explore the vibrant heart of Andalucía during your full day shore excursion today. You receive a warm greeting by your driver at the port in Cádiz prior to your private transfer to Seville (a 2-hour journey approximately). Upon arrival, you will be met by your expert guide who will take you on an absorbing walking tour.
Visit the 15th-century Cathedral, one of the most breath-taking in all of Christendom. Your guide also shows you Seville's most famous monument, the Moorish tower of La Giralda. Other highlights of your tour include the Alcazar, a magnificent 14th-century Mudejar palace and the labyrinth of streets and squares of the Barrio de Santa Cruz which are delicately perfumed with orange blossom. This area is the old Jewish Quarter and every street and courtyard offers a new story that your guide will bring to life for you. After your tour, your driver transfers you back to your ship in Cádiz.
- Discover Seville's most famous monument, the Moorish tower of La Giralda
- Visit Alcazar, a 14th-century Mudejar palace
Tour Duration: 8 hours
Tour can operate: Morning/Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 8 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Not Included:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities
