DAY 1

• MADRID

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• The Adventure Begins
• Meet your private driver and vehicle for an airport transfer.
• For your added comfort, an English-speaking assistant will be waiting for you at the hotel lobby to ensure a smooth check-in, and to walk you through your welcome package documents.
• A welcome package with a city map, train tickets (if relevant), and any other touristic information that we deem you may find useful will be waiting for you upon your arrival at your first hotel on your trip.

DAY 2

• MADRID

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• Explore with an Expert
• Meet your private guide in the hotel lobby and set out on foot for a pleasant walking tour which reveals the secrets of the two must-see attractions of the Spanish capital: the Prado Museum, and the Royal Palace. Along the way, you'll get to discover the most important buildings and avenues of the vibrant Madrid, from the time of the Habsburgs and the Bourbons up until today. The Prado Museum is one of the most important art galleries in the world. Its main corpus is nourished by the royal collections treasured for centuries by different imperial dynasties. Together with Las Meninas de Velázquez and Goya’s May 3rd 1808, the galleries are full of masterpieces from the Spanish, Italian and Flemish schools. After your visit of the Prado, you'll be treated to a coffee break to recharge your batteries and take in the local ambiance. From there, you'll follow your guide on a walk to Madrid's Royal Palace, the largest in all of Western Europe. Built during the 18th century by Felipe V, the first king of the Bourbon dynasty, it is used in modern times by the Spanish Crown. As you visit, admire the official reception rooms, the museum area, the Royal Chapel, the Throne Room and the private rooms of King Carlos III and Queen Isabel II. After your tour, you may continue your Palace visit at leisure before independent return to your hotel.

DAY 3

• MADRID TO SEVILLE

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• A Change of Scenery
• Meet your private driver and vehicle for a train station transfer.
• Depart by train from Madrid to Seville. The train ride takes approximately 3 hours.
• Meet your private driver and vehicle for a train station transfer.
• Make your way independently to El Arenal Tablao Flamenco this evening, where you'll cap your day with a magical night of authentic flamenco performance, celebrating Andalusia's unique, world-renowned combination of song and dance. Located in Seville's traditional El Arenal district, between La Maestranza Theater and the Bullring, El Arenal Tablao Flamenco has been delighting audiences since its opening back in 1975. Relax, enjoy a drink, and watch a show with up to 17 professional artists on stage at once - bringing the mesmerizing art of flamenco to life.

DAY 4

• SEVILLE

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• Sights and Insights
• Meet your private guide to start a complete Seville tour. In the company of your guide you will visit the two most important landmarks in the city: Seville Cathedral and Reales Alcazares.
• We will walk the Santa Cruz Quarter, the old Jewish section and the most enchanting of Seville, with narrow and winding cobblestone streets and whitewashed facades, visiting the interior of the Cathedral and the Reales Alcazares.
• The Alcazar is the oldest Royal Palace still in use in whole Europe and it was listed by UNESCO in 1987 as World Heritage. It hosts palaces from different ages and the gardens recall its Moorish past. The construction started in Medieval times, but several art styles are present today in the complex, including gothic, mudéjar, renaissance and baroque.
• Seville Cathedral is the biggest one in Gothic style of the world, with wooden main altar. It is located in the same place since 12th century, so it was a Mosque in the past, from which it remained only the minaret, now called “La Giralda” where the bells are located.

DAY 5

• SEVILLE TO GRANADA

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• En Route
• Meet your private driver and vehicle for a transfer to Granada. Approximate travel time is 3 hours.
• Meet your private local guide at the Alhambra Palace for a tour of this wonderfully picturesque UNESCO World Heritage Site. On a rocky hill, on the banks of the River Darro, protected by mountains and within the eldest quarter of the city, the Alhambra rises up like an imposing castle, with its distinctive reddish stone in its ramparts which prevent the outside world from seeing the delicate beauty enclosed within. The Alhambra ranks among the world’s finest examples of Islamic art with carved cedar, intermittent stucco work, and gorgeous mosaics. Originally designed as a military area, the Alhambra became the residence of royalty and the court of Granada in the middle of the 13th century. The complex of monuments is formed by the stunning Moorish palaces, including the Palace of King Charles V, and the Generalife, which is surrounded by orchards, tranquil pools, fountains and beautiful gardens, which you'll also visit.
• At the end of your tour, you can either choose to walk back down the hill to explore the city, or return by taxi (paid locally). If you prefer us to arrange private transfers, please let us know.

DAY 6

• GRANADA

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• Cross an Item off the Bucket List
• Enjoy a relaxed, informal exploration of the Albaicín district, the one-time Moorish quarter of Granada, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Setting out from your hotel on foot, your resident private guide will show you how this medieval Islamic city has kept its identity into the modern age, explaining its social history and character in anecdotal style. As you walk through its twisting alleyways, you'll come across stunning views of the city, the majestic Alhambra palaces and, beyond, the often snow-capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada. You'll pass by churches built on the sites of mosques, stroll underneath the walls of the scented gardens of Carmenes, and stop in squares to take in the slow rhythms of daily life in this most traditional and yet singular neighborhood. After your 3-hour walking tour, your guide will show you to a restaurant with a delightful terrace featuring a stunning view of the Alhambra Palace, where you'll be served a lovely lunch, sampling an exclusive tasting menu of local specialties paired with wines from Granada and Andalusia.

DAY 7

• GRANADA TO BARCELONA

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• The Journey Continues…
• Meet your private driver and vehicle for an airport transfer.
  
  Please note, drivers may or may not speak English, as their sole responsibility is to transfer clients from one location to another. If you would like to add an English-speaking assistant or guide on your transfer, please speak with your Travel Consultant.
• Board your direct flight from Granada to Barcelona. Flight duration is approximately 1 hour.
• Meet your private driver and vehicle for an airport transfer.

DAY 8

• BARCELONA

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• Explore a City of Contrasts
• Meet your private guide and transportation, and embark on a full-day tour of Barcelona. Learn about famed modernist architect Antoni Gaudí and his extraordinary achievements throughout the city along the way.  Head along the elegant avenue Paseo de Gracia, one of Barcelona's most important shopping and business areas, where you'll find several of the city's most celebrated pieces of architecture, including two of Gaudi’s houses which you'll visit: Casa Batlló, and Casa Milà (known as La Pedrera). Casa Batlló is a surprising building with enigmatic forms, a colorful façade, and refined architectural details. La Pedrera is a sculptured residential building, and a fine example of how the wealthy lived at the beginning of the 20th century. From there, head to Gaudi's iconic Sagrada Familia, where you'll get to visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site, and monumental masterpiece of architecture - still under construction over 100 years after building commenced. One of Barcelona's must-see sites, it's the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church in the entire world, and its unique style is not to be missed. You'll then admire the 4th century Roman Walls and 13th century Cathedral of Barcelona's old Gothic Quarter, before continuing to the world famous tree-lined pedestrian avenue Las Ramblas, where you can watch Barcelona's bustling local culture come to life. Round out your day with a visit to Parc Guell, in upper Barcelona, enjoying beautiful views out over the city. Built at the start of the 1900's, and though never fully completed before his death, it still remains one of Gaudi's most colorful and imaginative works, and one of the most impressive public parks in the world.

DAY 9

• BARCELONA

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• Breathe the Mountain Air
• Meet your private driver and guide for a half day tour through Catalunya countryside to the sacred mountaintop monastery, Montserrat. Located nearly an hour outside of Barcelona, Montserrat has remained one of Spain's most significant pilgrimage destinations for nearly 1,000 years, and is home to an order of approximately eighty Benedictine monks. Upon arrival, you'll be guided through the monastery complex, as well as a Renaissance Basilica from the 16th century. Here you can view the 12th century carving of the Black Madonna, the Patron Saint of Catalunya. Perched on a protruding piece of rock, the Monastery of Montserrat offers stunning views out over the surrounding landscape.

DAY 10

• BARCELONA
• Until Next Time…
• Meet your private driver and vehicle for an airport transfer.

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Iberostar Las Letras Gran Via

Hospes Casas del Rey de Baeza

Villa Oniria

Condes de Barcelona