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8-Nights Highlights of Spain - Classic Group

Spain
8-Nights Highlights of Spain - Classic Group
Spain
Insight Vacations
Vacation Offer ID 1497423
Reference this number when contacting our travel specialist.
Overview

Insight Vacations

Highlights Of Spain - Classic Group, Winter
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.


Dining Summary
  • 4 Dinner with Wine (DW)
  • 8 Breakfast (B)
Choice Highlights
  • Choose between two carefully selected activities
  • Seville: Stroll through Barrio de Santa Cruz with a Local Expert and hear how the Jewish community has shaped the city's history.
  • Seville: See the city's top sights on a panoramic tour with your Local Expert.
Additional Included Highlights
  • Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
  • Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
  • We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
  • From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
  • Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
  • If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Authentic Dining
  • Valencia: Learn the authentic recipe of paella when you join a local chef for a Cooking Demonstration. Savor the flavors of this classic dish for dinner, washed down with a glass of Sangria, during dinner.
  • Madrid: Toast to your travels and enjoy local specialties in one of the city's elegant central neighborhoods.
Insight Choice
  • Seville: Stroll through Barrio de Santa Cruz with a Local Expert and hear how the Jewish community has shaped the city's history.
  • Seville: See the city's top sights on a panoramic tour with your Local Expert.
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.
Top Rated Highlights
  • Barcelona: Venture inside Gaudí'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 along the elegant Passeig de Grcia to witness some of the finest Modernist architecture as you journey through the Eixample district to see Gaudi's extraordinary masterpiece, the mesmerizing Sagrada Família.
  • Peñíscola: See the seaside castle featured in the film 'El Cid'.
  • Valencia: See the ultra-modern Center 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.
  • Madrid: See the highlights of the city with your Local Expert. Visit the Old Town, traveling 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.
  • Córdoba: See the 2,000-year-old Roman bridge and spend some time exploring the town.
  • Córdoba: Visit 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

    Featured Destinations

    Madrid

    Madrid

    The capital of Spain since 1562, Madrid is located on the geographic center of the Iberian Peninsula. Because of its central location and high altitude, the climate of Madrid is characterized by warm dry summers and cool winters. Madrid is a city of great monuments. Among its highlights are the medieval center dating back to the Habsburg Empire and the Prado Museum. Madrid is not just a cultural destination. It is also a lively metropolis with many pubs, cafes, discotheques and nightclubs open late into the night.
    Destination Guide
    Seville

    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.
    Destination Guide
    Granada

    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.
    Destination Guide
    Valencia

    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.
    Destination Guide
    Barcelona

    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.
    Destination Guide

    View Full Itinerary

    Valid Date Ranges

    November 2024
    11/16/2024 11/24/2024 $2,695 per person
    December 2024
    12/25/2024 01/02/2025 $3,295 per person
    March 2025
    03/01/2025 03/09/2025 $2,471 per person
    03/15/2025 03/23/2025 $2,550 per person
    Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discounts. Trip prices and discounts are subject to change. Airfare is additional. Tour prices, dates and itineraries are correct at the time of the website going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. Other restrictions may apply.

    All fares are quoted in US Dollars.