Spain Cultural Tour: Madrid, Barcelona & Toledo
Your Tour:
8 nights
9 days
11 meals
up to 3 miles / day
Tour overview
Program activities, schedules and personnel may change due to local circumstances.
In such an event, we will inform you as quickly as possible.
Arrival at Madrid, Orientation & Welcome Dinner. (D)
Lecture on Madrid's History, Panoramic Bus Tour, Prado Museum (B,L)
Lecture on Contemporary Spain, Royal Palace, Reina Sofía Museum (B)
Day trip to Toledo (B)
Transfer to Barcelona by train, Lecture on Modernism (B)
Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Gothic Quarter (B)
Monastery & Museum of Montserrat (B)
Local Market, Cooking Class, Farewell Lunch, Independent Exploration (B,L)
End of program (B)
Day by Day
Day 1
Overnight: Madrid
The tour coordinator will greet everyone and we will review the program schedule, emergency procedures and answer questions. After orientation, we will set out with our tour coordinator to take a walk and explore the area around the hotel.
At a restaurant, we´ll enjoy a welcome dinner with a delicious set menu.
Day 2
Overnight: Madrid
After breakfast, a local expert will join us for a presentation on the Historical Periods of Madrid. Then, with a local expert, we will enjoy a panoramic bus tour of Madrid, followed by lunch at a local restaurant.
Afterwards, we will take a private bus to the Prado Museum for an expert-led visit. The Prado National Museum is one of the world’s leading galleries, with a superb collection from the 12th century to the early 19th century. Among the masterpieces, we will find works by Bosch, El Greco, Goya, Raphael, Rubens, Titian, Van Eyck, Velázquez, and many more. The Prado has become a prized destination for art lovers.
Day 3
Overnight: Madrid
After breakfast, a local expert will join us for a presentation on Contemporary Spain. Then, we will depart from the hotel by private bus towards the Royal Palace, where we will meet a local expert who will lead our visit through this marvelous building. Although it is no longer the Royal Family’s Home, it continues to be the site of official ceremonies and state events. Built in the 18th Century, it was inspired by Bernini’s sketches for the Louvre in Paris with courtyards, galleries and a parade ground.
In the afternoon, we will join a local expert and visit the Reina Sofia Museum, which opened its doors in 1990 and it is considered Madrid’s Contemporary Art Center. Its collection of more than 21,000 works includes masterpieces by Dali, Miro and Picasso among others. Its most famous piece is Picasso’s “Guernica”.
Day 4
Overnight: Madrid
We will depart from the hotel by private bus for a full-day field trip to explore some of the most important sites in medieval Toledo with its heritage of three co-existing cultures: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim. A local expert will lead our walk through the walled city including the Cathedral, the Sephardic Jewish Museum, and the Church of Santo Tomé, which holds an exceptional painting by El Greco. We will have some short free time in Toledo to explore on our own and return to Madrid in the late afternoon.
Day 5
Overnight: Barcelona
Breakfast at hotel. After check-out, we will be transferred by private bus to Madrid´s train station, where we will take a high-speed train to Barcelona, which takes just 3 hours. Then, we will be transferred by a private bus to the hotel. After checking in and settling into our rooms, we will have an orientation walk.
In the afternoon, a local expert will join us at the hotel for a presentation on Modernism: Architecture, Art and Life.
Day 6
Overnight: Barcelona
After breakfast, we will depart from the hotel by private bus and visit two of Antoni Gaudí´s masterworks, the enormous basilica known as La Sagrada Familia (The Sacred Family) and the exotic Park Güell, Gaudí’s outdoor residential project.
In the afternoon, we will meet a local expert for a walk through the Gothic Quarter and visit treasures such as the Plaza Felipe Neri, the Roman Columns, and Plaza del Pi.
Day 7
Overnight: Barcelona
We will set out with a local expert for a day trip to the mountain of Montserrat. During this day trip, we will learn about the history of the Basílica and Museum and we will see its most precious object, the 12th-century carving of a Black Madonna, Our Lady of Montserrat, Patron Saint of Catalonia. We will return to Barcelona in the late afternoon.
Day 8
Overnight: Barcelona
We will depart by bus to a local market, where a gastronomic expert will show us the wide range of products available in Barcelona. Afterwards, we will enjoy a hands-on cooking class led by a local chef, in which we will learn about Catalan and Spanish dishes.
After enjoying the meal we cooked, we will have a free afternoon to pack, explore or just relax.
Day 9
Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to the airport at a designated time.
Tour Inclusions
- Bilingual Staff
- Expert Tour Coordinator during the entire program
- Expert Local Guides for each visit
- Local Experts for each lecture
- Private ground transportation
- Entrances fees to Madrid's Royal Palace, Prado Museum, Reina Sofia Museum, Toledo´s Cathedral, Sephardic Museum, Santo Tomé Church, Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Montserrat Monastery, Montserrat Museum
- Enriching Experience: Hands-on cooking class
- 3 Lectures
- One-way High-Speed Train ticket
- 8 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 1 dinner
- Accommodation in 4* hotel at city center
- Worldwide Health Insurance for the duration of the entire program
- Tips are included throughout the program
- Taxes
Tour Pricing
- $3395 USD
Price per person based on double occupancy. Single supplement $690.
For a minimum of 15 pax.
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