DAY 1 – FRI – DEPART USA
Overnight flight to Lisbon.
DAY 2 – SAT – LISBON AT LEISURE
Welcome to Portugal! On arrival at Lisbon airport there are complimentary transfers to the tour hotel. Take time to relax or explore before joining your fellow travellers for a Welcome Drink. Hotel: Marriott. (D)
DAY 3 – SUN – LISBON
SIGHTSEEING
A guided tour takes you along the avenues of the Lower Town and across the tree-shaded squares. Pass beneath hilltop Bairro Alto to the Terreiro do Paco, the finest square in the city. Visit Jeronimos Monastery with its superbly ornate cloister. Nearby, see the modern ‘Monument to the Discoveries’ and ancient Belem Tower. The afternoon is at leisure. Why not enjoy dinner to the haunting sound of ‘Fado’ music tonight? (BB)
DAY 4 – MON – LISBON AT LEISURE
The day is free to explore the Portuguese capital at your own pace. Take the funicular up to the steep alleyways of the Old Town, explore the terraces of the Alfama district or join an optional tour to Fatima and Obidos. (BB)
DAY 5 – TUE – LISBON – SEVILLE
Travel over the modern Tagus Bridge and cross the wide Alentejo plateau to the Spanish border. Continue through the green slopes of the Sierra Morena to Seville, the exquisite capital of Andalusia and the setting for the opera Carmen. This evening, enjoy a Highlight Dinner and entertainment featuring a fiery Flamenco show. Hotel: Barcelo Gran Hotel Renacimiento. (BB,HD)
DAY 6 – WED – SEVILLE SIGHTSEEING
A sightseeing tour shows you the immense 15th century cathedral, burial place of Christopher Columbus, the Alcazar and slender Giralda Tower. Tour the Santa Cruz Quarter, with its flower-decked wrought iron balconies, before time to relax or explore on your own. Perhaps visit Maria Luisa park with its archeological museum. (BB)
DAY 7 – THU – SEVILLE AT LEISURE
The day is reserved for relaxing, shopping or enjoying an optional day trip to the sandy beaches of Portugal’s Algarve region. (BB)
DAY 8 – FRI – SEVILLE – MADRID
Drive along the Guadalquivir valley to the perfectly preserved Moorish city of Cordoba. See the famous 2000-year-old bridge before a guided visit to the magnificent Mezquita, an 8th century mosque with a Christian church built inside it. Cross the Sierra Morena mountains and the plains of La Mancha to Madrid. Tonight, transfer to a local restaurant for a Highlight Dinner. Hotel: NH Alcala. (BB,HD)
DAY 9 – SAT – MADRID
SIGHTSEEING
A guided tour takes you along the leafy avenues of the city, seeing the Plaza España with its Cervantes Monument, the grandiose Cibeles Fountain and Puerta del Sol. See also the Parliament and Royal Palace before a Highlight visit to the magnificent Prado museum, one of the great art galleries of Europe. This afternoon is yours to enjoy at leisure. (BB)
DAY 10 – SUN – MADRID AT LEISURE
Explore the city at your own pace. There is also an optional excursion into the Guadarrama Mountains to visit the austere Escorial Palace and the amazing Valley of the Fallen. (BB)
DAY 11 – MON – MADRID – BARCELONA
Bid farewell to Madrid and travel through Castille, where the legendary Don Quixote ‘tilted at windmills’. Reach the Ebro River at Zaragosa where the Virgin is said to have appeared to St James the Apostle. Enter Catalunya, a land that retains its own distinctive language and traditions, and stay in the vibrant Mediterranean port of Barcelona. Hotel: Melia. (BB)
DAY 12 – TUE – BARCELONA SIGHTSEEING
A local guide introduces you to the Gothic Quarter where, among the narrow streets, you visit the ancient Cathedral. In complete contrast, drive out to the Eixample District to see some of Gaudi’s extraordinary architecture, including the unfinished Sagrada Familia Cathedral. In the afternoon, stroll along the leafy Ramblas with its market stalls and buskers, or take an optional excursion to the ancient Monastery of Montserrat, dedicated to the ‘Black Madonna’. (BB)
DAY 13 – WED – BARCELONA AT LEISURE
The day is set aside for you to explore this amazing city at your leisure: visit shops, stroll the streets of the Spanish Village or visit the Bullfighters’ museum. As night falls, enjoy a Highlight Catalan dinner at a local restaurant. (BB,HD)
DAY 14 – THU – RETURN TO USA
The tour ends after breakfast with transfers to the airport. (BB)
Hotels
The four hotels on this tour are all modern and well-equipped, ranging from the Lisbon Marriott with its outdoor swimming pool and pretty gardens, to the Gran Hotel Renacimiento which was built in 1992 forthe World Exhibition held in Seville.
Fellow Passengers
This tour appeals to both the first-time traveller who wishes to discover Iberia at a relaxed pace, and also to the experienced traveller who wishes to return to the major cities with time to explore in depth and to have the chance to relax as well.
Highlights
Highlights are many: the peaceful cloisters of Lisbon's Jeronimos monastery; the fiery Flamenco evening in Seville; the magnificent Mezquita in Cordoba; the works of Goya and Velázquez in the Prado; and the final Catalan celebration dinner in Barcelona .
Enjoy our Premium Highlights plus these extra tour features
Excursions & Sights
- In Lisbon see the Monument to the Discoveries & Belem Tower
- See the Santa Cruz Quarter, Alcazar & Giralda Tower in Seville
- See Madrid's Cibeles Fountain, Puerta del Sol, Royal Palace & Cervantes Monument in the Plaza España
- Visit Barcelona's old Cathedral in the Gothic Quarter
- See the Sagrada Familia and Modernist architecture of the Eixample District
Insight's First Class Services
- Escorted by a professional Tour Director
- Luxury air-conditioned 40 seat coach with onboard toilet
- First-class hotels with all service charges, taxes and porterage
- Travel bag, document wallet, map book journal and information pack
- Complimentary arrival transfer on Day 1 and departure transfer on Day 13
Quality Dining
