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Insight - Highlights of Spain - Classic Group, Winter (11/2022 - 03/2023) (W936N17)

9 Days From Barcelona to Madrid 
Tour Style: Regional Insight
Insight Brochure Price from $2,092.00
Brochures: Europe Winter 2022-2023, Europe Winter 2023-2024 v2
Visits: Spain

See the beautiful world of Spain during this 9-day guided tour. Begin in Barcelona, where a Local Expert will lead you along the city’s narrow lanes to the lively Las Ramblas and the Sagrada Família, a basilica built by the architect Antoni Gaudí. Paella was created in Valencia. Later, enjoy a private cooking demonstration at a family-run restaurant while sampling the local flavors. See glorious views of the Sierra Nevada before reaching Granada, where a Local Expert will guide you through one of the most remarkable fortresses ever built: the Alhambra. In Seville, learn the art of flamenco dancing during a private lesson, then be treated to a passionate performance by professionals. Visit the Prado Museum in Madrid with an art historian, who can share the stories behind Spanish masterpieces by artists such as Francisco Goya.
Choice Highlights
  • Choose between two carefully selected activities
  • Seville: Stroll through Barrio de Santa Cruz with your Local Expert to hear how the Jewish community has shaped the history of Seville.
  • Seville: Explore Seville's top sights on a panoramic city tour with your Local Expert.

Well-being
  • : Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
  • : Experience enhanced hygiene protocols to align with the latest guidance following COVID-19.All Travel Directors, Well-Being Directors and Drivers have completed training in enhanced well-being and hygiene protocols.
  • : We only work with establishments we are confident will consistently adhere to our high well-being standards, which include hotels, restaurants and sight-seeing venues.
  • : Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

Travel Director
  • : "There is nothing quite like sampling the many varieties of tapas. Every region has its own delicacies so you can be assured that you will taste different ones everywhere you go."
  • : "Guests are surprised to find that Spanish is not the only language spoken in the country – there’s also Basque, Galician and Catalan, not to mention the little dialects in each province."

Authentic Dining
  • Barcelona: Join your Travel Director at 18:00 for a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant.
  • Valencia: Learn the authentic recipe of paella when you join a local chef for a Cooking Demonstration. Savour the flavours of this classic dish for dinner, washed down with a glass of Sangria, during your Highlight Dinner.
  • Madrid: With good food and wine, toast the culmination of your travels during a fabulous Celebration Dinner.
  • Dining Summary: 4 Dinner with Wine (DW), and 8 Breakfast (B)

Top Rated Highlights
  • Barcelona: Venture inside Gaudi's extraordinary masterpiece, the Sagrada Família and marvel at the contrasts of architecture. Above see its giant, tree-like pillars and spectacular vaulting. Admire the wonderful rainbow of the incredible stained-glass windows.
  • Barcelona: With your Local Expert, drive down Las Ramblas and the elegant Passeig de Gràcia to witness some of the finest Modernist architecture. Journey through the Eixample district to see Gaudi's extraordinary masterpiece, the mesmerising Sagrada Família.
  • Peñíscola: See the castle featured in the film 'El Cid'.
  • Valencia: See the ultra-modern Centre of Arts and Sciences and the huge gates of the old town, Torres de Serranos and Torres de Quart.
  • Seville: Guided by your Local Expert, see the Giralda Tower, former minaret of the Great Mosque and now the cathedral's belltower. Explore the narrow streets of the Santa Cruz Quarter and emerge by the great walls of the Alcazar.
  • Seville: Visit the Seville Cathedral with your Local Expert. Pass the altarpiece dripping with gold and see the Tomb of Columbus, held aloft by four kings.
  • Seville: Stroll through Barrio de Santa Cruz with your Local Expert to hear how the Jewish community has shaped the history of Seville.
  • Seville: Explore Seville's top sights on a panoramic city tour with your Local Expert.
  • Córdoba: See the 2,000-year-old Roman bridge and spend some time exploring the town.
  • Córdoba: Explore the incredible Mezquita with your Local Expert. Admire the forest of horseshoe arches and learn how this building symbolises many of Cordoba's religious changes over the centuries.
  • Madrid: See the highlights of the city with your Local Expert. Visit the Old Town, travelling along the elegant Paseo de la Castellana, past the fountain in the Plaza de Cibeles, the Cervantes Monument and Royal Palace, before crossing the Puerta del Sol.

Insight Experiences
  • Granada: Visit the famous Alhambra Palace and Generalife Gardens. While others wait in line, you'll be exploring accompanied by a Local Expert, keen to share insights into this Moorish landmark.
  • Madrid: Witness the world's finest collection of Spanish paintings, plus an impressive international collection, as you tour the Prado Museum with an art historian.

Make Travel Matter
  • Seville: The Cristina Heeren Foundation aims to promote the teaching and conservation of flamenco and is a beneficiary of a TreadRight Foundation grant. Meet the students of the foundation, learn some basic flamenco steps, and then feel the passion as they perform an emotional show. The school enables students access to cultural education that otherwise may not have occurred. TreadRights sponsorship has helped students to complete their studies in advanced guitar, singing and dance. As students complete their training, they will carry on and safeguard the traditional flamenco dance, contributing to the protection of Andalusia and Spain’s cultural heritage. The Cristina Heeren Foundation advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education and UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Insight Tour Itinerary

Day 1Welcome to Barcelona
Airport transfers depart from Barcelona airport for your hotel at 09:30, 12:30 and 15:00. Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers at 18:00 for your Welcome Dinner in a local restaurant.
Visits: Barcelona
Meals: Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Meliá Barcelona Sarrià, Barcelona.
Day 2Barcelona, the City of Gaudí Relaxed Start
With your Local Expert, drive along the Passeig de Gràcia, adorned with elegant wrought-iron street lamps and some of the most flamboyant Modernist buildings. Continue through the Eixample district for a visit inside Gaudí’s extraordinary masterpiece, the Sagrada Família, to see the central nave with its giant, tree-like pillars, spectacular vaulting and the beautiful rainbows flooding in through the intricate stained-glass windows. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure to explore or perhaps join an optional experience to Montserrat & The Black Madonna.
Visits: Barcelona
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Meliá Barcelona Sarrià, Barcelona.
Day 3Along the coast to Valencia Relaxed Start
Follow the sunny Costa Dorada, past the rice fields of the Ebro Delta. Stop at the seaside resort of Peñíscola and see the hilltop castle used in the film 'El Cid'.Pass through the famous orange groves to Valencia and see the City of Arts and Sciences. Later see the Old City and take in its medieval charm.Valencia is home to one of the world's greatest dishes, paella. Meet the chef of a local family-run restaurant in the heart of the Old City and learn how to make this local specialty during a Cooking Demonstration. Later, indulge in the delicious flavours of this classic dish with a glass of sangria at your Highlight Dinner.
Visits: Barcelona, Valencia
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Barceló Valencia.
Day 4Exquisite Granada and Alhambra
Travel south toward Andalucía, passing the castle at Lorca and troglodyte dwellings hollowed out of the soft rock near Guadix. Enjoy views of the Sierra Nevada mountains from a distance as you reach glorious Granada. This historic city was a Moorish kingdom for almost eight centuries and was the last stronghold to fall to the Catholic monarchs of Spain in 1492. Overlooking Granada stands the Alhambra, one of the most remarkable fortresses ever built. Led by your Local Expert, explore this exquisite palace, built as a citadel by the Moors in the 13th century. A fantasy of arabesque gardens, fountains and stone cut like lace. Later, stroll through the elegant exotic gardens of the Generalife, the Royal summer residence.
Visits: Valencia, Lorca, Purullena, Granada
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Gran Hotel Luna de Granada.
Day 5A Scenic Drive to Seville
The morning is at your leisure to explore as you wish. Perhaps join an Optional Experience and visit the Albaicin Quarter with a Local Expert. Here, in addition to falling in love with Granada, you will also uncover its pivotal role in European history. Continue your travels to Seville, past gleaming white villages and olive groves that stretch as far as the eye can see.
Visits: Granada, Seville
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Meliá Sevilla, Seville.
Day 6Seville, the City of Carmen Relaxed Start
Visit the Seville Cathedral, the burial place of Christopher Columbus.Explore Seville with Insight Choice. Choose to embark on a walk through the old Jewish quarter. Alternatively, join a scenic drive around the city and enjoy panoramic views.This evening, visit the Cristina Heeren Foundation, a beneficiary of a TreadRight Foundation grant for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. This private dance school is dedicated to promoting the conservation of flamenco and supports young enthusiasts from all over the world with a special focus on new talent from the Andalusian region. Feel the passion behind the choreography as you put your rhythm to the test during a dance lesson before witnessing emotions come to life in a flamenco performance.
Visits: Seville
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Meliá Sevilla, Seville.
Day 7Moorish Córdoba and on to Madrid
Set off early along the Guadalquivir Valley, passing villages and towns studded with Moorish towers and fortresses. Stop in the perfectly preserved Moorish city of Córdoba and see the famous Roman bridge, built in the 1st century BC. Meet a local historian and visit the magnificent Mezquita, a beautiful 8th century mosque with a Christian cathedral built inside it. Make the most of your time at leisure and stroll the narrow streets of the city. Follow in the footsteps of Don Quixote as you travel through La Mancha and on to the capital, Madrid.
Visits: Seville, Córdoba, Madrid
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: NH Madrid Balboa.
Day 8Madrid of the Bourbons Relaxed Start
Enjoy sightseeing with your Local Expert, as they guide you through the most historic neighbourhoods in the Spanish capital. Your drive continues through the Old Quarter to discover the origins of the city. Visit the renowned Prado Museum with an art historian who will guide you through the collective works of Velázquez, Goya, Titian, Rubens and more. The afternoon is at your leisure to relax at a cafe, shop in the trendy boutiques or perhaps travel to beautiful Toledo with an Optional Experience.In the evening, join your Travel Director and newfound friends at a local restaurant in the heart of the city. Toast your adventures as you enjoy a delicious Celebration Dinner of regional favourites, served with wine.
Visits: Madrid
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: NH Madrid Balboa.
Day 9Depart Madrid
After breakfast, transfers arrive at Madrid airport at 07:00, 09:00 and 11:00.
Visits: Madrid
Meals: Breakfast


Available Room Types: Single, Triple, Twin, Twinshare
Child: ages 5 to 17

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