Connections Worldwide Group Journeys 2013
Spain: Seven Cities
Connections: Authentic travel at a great value.
Itinerary
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- Day 1: ARRIVE IN BARCELONA
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Your A&K representative greets you on arrival and escorts you to your hotel. Get to know your fellow guests at tonight’s welcome dinner.
El Palace Hotel Barcelona | Meals: D - Day 2: BARCELONA / Heart of Catalonia
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Explore this vibrant city, beginning with the Boquería, perhaps the finest food market in all Europe. Continue to the Sant Jaume Square, the cathedral and then down into the elegant Eixample district. End your tour with a visit to Gaudi's sensational Sagrada Familia Basilica.
El Palace Hotel Barcelona | Meals: B - Day 3: GRANADA / Spain's Islamic Heritage
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Fly to Granada and check in to your historic hotel. This afternoon, visit the Alhambra Palace, one of the most beautiful examples of Islamic architecture in the world, and then the extraordinary district of the Albaizín, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its own right. Later, savor a uniquely Spanish experience: a tasting of local olive oils. Following dinner, enjoy a remarkable recital by an ensemble of world-class Andalucian musicians.
Hotel Alhambra Palace | Meals: B L D - Day 4: MARBELLA / Historic Málaga
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Depart for Marbella, stopping en route in Málaga to visit the beautifully restored historic center and to see the Picasso and Carmen Thyssen Museums. Continue to Marbella, the finest resort on the south coast of Spain, where the remainder of the afternoon is free to spend as you like.
Hotel Fuerte Marbella | Meals: B - Day 5: GIBRALTAR / Europe's Last Outpost
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Follow the coast westward to the Rock of Gibraltar, visiting the spectacular St. Michael's Cave and seeing Gibraltar's Barbary macaques, the only wild monkeys in all of Europe. Return to Marbella, where the rest of the day is at leisure to explore the shops and restaurants.
Hotel Fuerte Marbella | Meals: B L - Day 6: SEVILLE / Ronda and Jerez
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Journey into the heart of Andalucía, first up the winding hills to Ronda, one the most beautiful "white villages" in all of Spain. Continue through the mountains to Jerez, home of golden sherry, where you visit a bodega to learn about sherry and taste its different varieties. After time at leisure, the road takes you to Seville. This evening, join your fellow guests on a tapas tour through Seville's finest taverns.
Hotel Alfonso XIII | Meals: B L D - Day 7: SEVILLE / Sunny Santa Cruz
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Explore this uniquely lovely city: the Royal Palace of the Alcázar, the enormous Gothic cathedral and of course, the flower-filled Santa Cruz district. The afternoon is at leisure to explore on your own. On this unique and exciting evening, ride a horse-drawn carriage to a beautiful palace, where the owners host your private dinner. Afterward, enjoy an unforgettable performance of flamenco dancing and singing on the patio of this historic home.
Hotel Alfonso XIII | Meals: B D - Day 8: CÓRDOBA / Streets of Flowers
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Today the road leads north to Córdoba, where you visit the extraordinary Mezquita, the cathedral and former great mosque of Córdoba, and walk along its ower-lined streets. Later in the afternoon, board your high-speed AVE train to Madrid.
Hotel Ritz Madrid | Meals: B - Day 9: MADRID / Masterful Art & Architecture
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This morning, view works by the great Spanish masters El Greco, Velázquez and Goya in the Prado Museum. Afterward, visit the Royal Palace, followed by a short walk to the Plaza Mayor, and the marvelous San Miguel market, where you arrive in time to savor its mouth-watering ensemble of tapas bars for lunch at leisure. This evening, join your Tour Director for a farewell dinner.
Hotel Ritz Madrid | Meals: B D - Day 10: DEPART MADRID
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Transfer to the airport for your flight home.
Meals: B
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