Easy Pace Spain & Portugal
14 Days
 

Featuring: Lisbon, Seville, Madrid, Barcelona

Excursions & Sights

Tour Pace
This is a relaxed tour with three-night stays in the major cities of Lisbon, Seville, Madrid and Barcelona. This allows you to get acquainted with each destination on included city sightseeing tours, which leaves time to revisit any places of interest on your own.

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 travelers 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 Jeronimo’s 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 consider spending the evening enjoying dinner to the haunting sound of ‘Fado’ music? (BB)

DAY 4 – MON – LISBON AT LEISURE
The day is free for you 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 introduces the immense 15th century cathedral, burial place of Christopher Columbus, the Alcazar and the slender Giralda Tower. Tour the Santa Cruz Quarter, with its flower-decked wrought iron balconies, before taking time to relax or explore on your own. Consider visiting 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, you and your fellow travelers are offered a choice of restaurants for your dining pleasure. Hotel: NH Alcala. (BB,DA)

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
Travel through Castille, where the legendary Don Quixote ‘tilted at windmills’ to 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: 987 Barcelona. (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 with transfers to the airport. (BB)

Available Tour Dates

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