Madrid - Arrival.

Welcome to Madrid!
Welcome to EuropaMundo!!!.


IMPORTANT - IF YOU REQUESTED ADDITIONAL NIGHTS on arrival at the hotel you will have your booking made but the guide of your trip will normally not arrive until the start of the included activities. YOUR TIME BEFORE THIS MOMENT IS THEREFORE FREE. At your hotel they can help you with all the information you need.


NB: The schedules you will find in this itinerary are approximate. The guide, depending on the situation and in order to improve the development of the circuit, may adjust the schedules.




Upon arrival at the airport, we shall be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. Check the informative panels in the hotel reception area for the welcome meeting with your guide and fellow travellers to receive information about the circuit.


Towards the end of the day, we provide transfers to the Egyptian Debod temple, Plaza de España and Gran Vía, a vibrant district where you can dine at your preferred restaurant, Indian, Chinese, Spanish and Middle Eastern are some of the options.

Madrid.

Highlights: Guided tour and stroll through Retiro Park. Visit to Las Ventas Bullring (admission included) and transfer to Plaza del Oriente.


The day starts about 08.30 hrs with a comprehensive tour through the centre of Madrid including Paseo del Prado, Cibeles, Neptuno, the Gate of Alcalá, Plaza de Colón and Plaza Mayor.


Visit to Retiro Park, an oasis in the city centre, where we will see the lake and the Glass Palace. Admission to Las Ventas Bullring included. This is one of the most famous bullrings in the world where we will learn about the tradition of “corridas” in the Bullfighting Museum.


Enjoy the rest of the afternoon.



At sunset we provide a transfer to Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace, an elegant and bustling area with many restaurants serving different exquisite cuisines (Indian, Middle Eastern, Muslim, Spanish, International) in which to enjoy a pleasant dinner. Return to hotel.

Madrid- Caceres- Evora- Lisbon.-

Distance covered: 650 km. Scenery: Large farm lands in Extremadura. Powerfully walled villages in Portugal. Entry in Lisbon over the very beautiful hanging bridge over the River Tagus.
Note: The time changes as we go into Portugal, and you will have to put your clocks back by one hour (when it is 12 o’clock in Spain, in Portugal it is 11 o’clock).


07.45 hrs. - Madrid - Departure -. (the time may change slightly depending on the hotels). We travel through Castile and Extremadura.
12:15 hrs. - Cáceres - Arrival -. The historic centre of the city is an impressive open-air museum, which maintains intact the physiognomy of a Mediaeval-Renaissance city. You can see its busy Plaza Mayor and go into its walls. Time for a stroll and lunch.


15:15 hrs. - Caceres - Departure -. Pretty large farmland scenery. Crossing into Portugal. We into the region of Alentejo.
16.30 hrs (Portuguese time)- Évora. - Arrival -. The capital of Alentejo, one of the most ancient cities in Portugal which has been declared UNESCO World Heritage. We will include tickets to the impressive Chapel of bones, built with 5,000 skeletons! After this, you will have time to stroll in the historic centre with its wide streets, its cathedral, its ancient churches and its southern Portuguese flavour.


18.30 hrs. - Évora. - Departure -.
20.00 hrs. - Lisbon – Arrival -.

Lisbon.-

Highlights- Comprehensive tour of Lisbon. Night transfer to Restauradores Square.


09:00h.- Start of our tour with a local guide. We visit traditional neighborhoods, which take in the Belem district, which is the birthplace of the great Portuguese navigators who sailed the oceans in the fifteen century. We shall look round the Monument to the Discoveries, Belem Tower and to the beautiful Jeronimos Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The afternoon is free so that you can explore this great city independently.




18:00h.-At the end of the afternoon, we include transportation to Restauradores Square , full of atmosphere with its bars and cafes from where you can take the "Elevador da Gloria" (not included) that brings you to the Upper district and its viewpoint of San Pedro with beautiful views over Lisbon and the Bairro Alto.
Return to hotel.

Lisbon- Fatima- Porto.-

Total distance covered: 320 km.

Countryside: Pleasant green scenery, hills, historic cities.


07:30 hrs - Lisbon - Departure.
09:15 hrs - Fatima -Arrival. Time to visit the Sanctuary.


11.00 hrs - Fatima - Departure.
13:30 hrs - Oporto. - Arrival. Time for lunch. In the afternoon, we will make a tour of the city of approximately two hours with a local guide: the river Duero, its historic centre declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Iron Bridge. At the end of the tour, we will also visit one of its centenary wineries where the famous "Vino de Oporto” is made. Free time.

Porto- Bom Jesus Sanctuary- Cambados- Santiago de Compostela.-

Total distance covered: 270 km.

Countryside: Beautiful green countryside and views over the Rías Bajas.
NB: Remember that we will be taking a boat trip. Have you got warm clothing for the crossing?


08.00hrs.- Oporto -departure.
09.00 hrs.- in the city of Braga is the sanctuary of Bom Jesus; we include a trip on the oldest funicular in the world... Moved only with water, after a visit to the sanctuary, we suggest walking down the beautiful staircase admiring the views and the sanctuary gardens.


10:15 hrs Bom Jesus -departure. We go into to Galicia, with views over the Galician estuaries. We will see the Ría de Arosa.
13.00 hrs (12.00 hrs in Portugal) - Cambados - Arrival. A historic maritime town. We include a glass bottomed boat trip along the Ría de Arosa estuary. We will be told how mussels are grown. On the boat, we include wine tasting and mussels. Time afterwards to stroll in Cambados and have lunch.


16.00 hrs -Cambados. - Departure.
16.45 hrs -Santiago de Compostela. - Arrival. We include a panoramic tour of the city with a local guide. They will tell us how St James brought pilgrims over the centuries, we will stroll through the mediaeval streets in the centre and admire the cathedral.


NB: On some dates (particularly on the festivity of Santiago, or St James) our groups may be accommodated in a town near Santiago.

Santiago de Compostela- Lugo- O Cebreiro- Leon- Oviedo.-

Total distance covered: 475 km.

Countryside: Attractive green scenery, villages. Way of St. James. Spectacular mountain scenery crossing the Cordillera Cantábrica mountain range.


08.00 hrs. - Santiago -departure. Following the ancient way of St James amidst picturesque scenery, we travel to Lugo.
09:30 hrs.- Lugo - Free time, you can stroll around its walls built more than 2000 years ago by the Romans, declared UNESCO World Heritage.


11.00 hrs.- Lugo -departure. We travel to Castile, and on our way we make a stop at O Cebreiro, a small Galician stone village that shows us this region’s traditional way of life.
14:15 hrs. -Leon. - Time for lunch and stroll in this historic Leonese capital which stands on the Way of St James. Its Gothic cathedral stands out with magnificent stained glass windows.


16:45 hrs -Leon. - Departure.
18:30 hrs -Oviedo - Arrival. We include (sometimes on the following morning) a one and a half hour tour of the city with a local guide. We will see the ninth century cathedral, the Calatrava Palace, the Campoamor Theatre, and the Calle de la Rua. Night in the capital of the Principality of Asturias. A city with a great atmosphere.

Oviedo- Covadonga- Santillana- Santander.-

Total distance covered: 260 km.

Countryside: Very beautiful scenery: mountains, views of the sea, little villages scattered along the way.


08:30 hrs Oviedo -departure from the capital of Asturias.
09:45 hrs.-Covadonga. - Time to see the sanctuary pinned between mountains, the place where the Reconquista of Spain began.


10:45 hrs.- Covadonga -departure. The green mountains blend with the sea. Beautiful scenery along the way.
12:30 hrs.- Santillana. -Arrival. Time in this beautiful mediaeval village, its stone streets, its blazoned houses, the Collegiate. Time to have a stroll and for lunch. In the vicinity we will see (tickets included) the Museum of the Caves of Altamira, a reproduction of the fantastic rock paintings preserved here.


16.00 hrs.- Santillana/Altamira-departure.
16:30 hrs.- Santander – Arrival in the regional capital, a maritime city with impressive views between mountains and beaches. We include a panoramic tour of a little over 2 hours with a local guide to discover this elegant coastal city and its beautiful bay. During the tour, we will stroll around the Pereda Gardens, we will climb to the Centro Botín and reached the Cathedral Square. Then, in the bus, we will continue to the Magdalena Peninsular, the Sardinero Beaches, the Grand Casino, Piquío Gardens and climb to the Cabo Mayor Lighthouse for the beautiful views of the city and its spectacular cliffs.


Arrival at a hotel at around 18:45 hrs


NOTE: On some high difficulty dates (especially in summer from May to mid September), some groups can be accommodated in Bilbao.

Santander- Bilbao- La Rioja- Zaragoza.-

Total distance covered: 445 km.

Countryside: Great sea views, beautiful mountains and green scenery.


09.00 hrs.- Santander -departure. Magnificent scenery. We will travel to the Basque Country.
10:30 hrs.- Bilbao. -Arrival in the Basque Country´s largest city. We will go on a tour of the city with a local guide, visiting places such as: the Guggenheim area, the Old Quarter, the Cathedral, etc. At the end of the tour there will be some free time to sample the famous “pintxos” and have lunch.


14:15 hrs – Bilbao. Departure-. We will then travel to la Rioja, a region famous for its excellent wine.
15:45 hrs - Wine Culture Winery Museum. - Located in the small town of Briones we will visit this fantastic museum/winery where we can discover the rich historic legacy and craft of winemaking, from vine-growing to the manufacture of the wine itself. Visit and a wine tasting included.

17.00 hrs - Wine Museum - Departure -
17:30 hrs - Santo Domingo de la Calzada. This picturesque historic town is situated on the famous "Way of St James". Curiously, a hen lives in the cathedral, which is a tradition born from an ancient legend.

18:30 hrs- Santo Domingo de la Calzada -Departure- We will then travel to Aragon.
21.00 hrs - Zaragoza - Arrival - Accommodation.

Zaragoza- Poblet- Montserrat- Barcelona.-

Total distance covered: 360 km.

Countryside: Semi desert land in Aragon. Pleasant scenery in Catalonia.


After breakfast, we make a tour of Zaragoza with a local guide, lasting around two hours. On our visit, we will see the Pilar Basilica, the Cathedral; we will talk about the painter Goya and see some of his works and will also visit a Roman theatre, Renaissance palace and strolled past the Arab palace of the Aljafería. After this, free time to stroll and have lunch.


14.00 hrs -Zaragoza. - Departure.
16:30 hs - Monastery of Poblet. - Entrance included to this monastery surrounded by its walls, in a very beautiful site. This is one of the best preserved mediaeval monasteries in the world.


17:30 hrs -Monastery of Poblet. - Departure. - We cross rich agricultural regions of central Catalonia. We go to the beautiful area where the Benedictine Abbey stands. We climb to the summit in a small rack train to admire the fantastic views.


18:45 hrs -Monastery of Montserrat. - Arrival. - Time to admire the views and visit the sanctuary where we find the Virgin of Montserrat, patron saint of Catalonia (entrance not included).


19:45 hrs -Montserrat. - Departure (by road).
20:45 hrs- Barcelona. - Arrival.

Note: In some cases, depending on the timetable of the rack railway, the ascent to Montserrat can be done in our coach. From November to March, due to the shorter duration of the days, we will neither be ascending nor stopping in Montserrat.

Barcelona.

Highlights: Barcelona Guided tour lasting 3 hours; visit to “Poble Espanyol”, with admission included and evening transfer to the Magic Fountain of Montjuich.

09:00h.- Tour of the city with a local guide (note: if the group has fewer than fifteen people, explanations can be given by our guide) who will tell us about this exciting city on the shores of the Mediterranean. We will visit the city’s historic central area with its Gothic neighborhood dating back to the Middle Ages. We will visit the area where the Olympic Games took place. It will be possible to see and photograph La Sagrada Familia basilica; the masterpiece designed by the architect Gaudí.


Subsequently, we include the entry ticket to “Poble Espanyol” (meaning, Spanish Village), an open-air museum that combines the art, traditions, architecture, arts and crafts and folklore of each of the Spanish regions. Time for lunch. Free afternoon.


18:30h.- In the evening, we include transportation and will attend the show of the Magic fountain of Montjuïch, with its combination of lights, colors, water and music. You will have time to dine in this area.


Note: in case of having the transfer to the Magic Fountain a day that for maintenance or any other reason the show is not performed, the night transfer will be given to the Maremagnum, avant-garde leisure center with restaurants by the sea and to the Plaza Colón.

After breakfast, end of our services.

Note: Remember that check-out time is usually at 10.00 hrs. In most cases, you can leave your luggage at the hotel reception at check-out time so you can enjoy the city and pick it up at the time you require that same day. If you need more time to use your room, please consider booking an additional night at the end of your tour.