Chapter 1: Seville
DAY 1: WELCOME TO SEVILLE - THE HEART OF ANDALUSIA
Make your way to Seville airport, clear customs and then meet our driver for the included transfer to the hotel.
Discovery Walk: Seville
Enjoy a discovery orientation walk with the Journey Tour Captain this afternoon to better learn the sights around our hotel in the heart of the city.
Welcome to Seville Dinner
Later tonight, we join the Journey Tour Captain tonight for a welcome dinner in Seville. Every Journey dinner is a gala event and it will be especially so in this intriguing city. Remember that we dine in family-run restaurants where you choose your dinner from the menu which includes wine, beer, soft drinks and cocktails.
Accommodations in Seville, 3 Nights with breakfast
Deluxe: Hotel Casa 1800 Sevilla or Hotel Alfonso XII
Walking on Your Journey
We enjoy walking the cobblestone streets and many stairs of Spain, so get ready for exploring the cities and villages by foot. Plan to be on your feet for up to three (3) hours standing and walking up-and-down stairs, cobblestone streets, and hopping on-and-off our private (and sometimes public) transportation in all weather conditions (rain, sun, hot and cold weather). Our pace is unhurried but you must be physically capable of walking.
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DAY 2: EXPLORING AMAZING SEVILLA
Today's Adventure: Plaza de España and Maria-Luisa Park
Plaza de España, a magnificent and colorful square looks like a movie set and actually has been used as one! Built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exhibition of 1929, it features brilliant mosaic murals and benches. Its many buildings are now used as government offices. We will visit the tranquil Maria-Luisa Park with its monuments,fountains and many native and exotic plants.
Enjoy special skip-the-long-line admission to the Real Alcazar, which is the Royal Alcázars of Seville, historically known as al-Qasr al-Muriq and commonly known as the Alcázar of Seville. It is a royal palace in built for King Peter of Castile and was built by the Castilians on the site of an Abbadid alcázar, or residential fortress.
Enjoy the balance of the afternoon at leisure.
Tonight, join the Tour Captain for an optional dinner or explore at your leisure.
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DAY 3: ENJYOING SEVILLE AT LEISURE
Enjoy a complete day at leisure. There is so much to see and do in Seville. Consider one of the following:
• Cooking Class - Sevilla
— In the company of an expert chef, participants learn how to make several courses including a special Spanish dessert. It is a different experience where the participants learn to prepare a multiple-course meal and then partake in the sampling of the prepared dishes while enjoying the olive oils and wines of the region! -Duration 3-5 hours. $248 per person.
• Game of Thrones Sevilla Tour
— A detailed visit to the locations selected by HBO MAX for its acclaimed series Game of Thrones in Seville. It Includes a Private visit to the Alcazar of Seville (Kingdom of Dorne) and Italica (dragon pit), so breathtaking that they barely needed any CGI. Sometimes the real world doesn't live up to the fictional world that TV and movie sets create. That's not the case though for the set of Dorne, one of the fictional settings on "Game of Thrones. " Producers had to add very little turn it into Dorne. And the a private car ride to Italica, the First Roman city in Hispania, a city that gave birth to two Roman Emperors: Hadrian and Trajan. Well HBO used the ruins left to recreate the Dragonpit. Visit it and feel the History behind it's walls, where actual gladiators fought and gave their lives to entertain. And also a glimpse of how wealthy romans lived back in those days. So let me take you through a journey that mixes Real and Fictional worlds together. -Duration 3.5 Hours. $290 per person (2 guest minimum)
• Day Trip to Ronda and the White Villages
— This is one of those places where images cannot capture the beauty of this place. Ronda and the white villages are located inside the Grazalema mountain range. For decades a place with difficult access, but now its slowly growing, slowly. Life here happens really slow, but people really enjoy their secluded air. Hub to lots of open air activities, grazalema and Zahara de la sierra offer that quietness that is always welcomed . And Ronda, a city that echoes History and gallantry, protected by a breathtaking gorge from one side, and surrounded by roman, then muslim walls, home to the Bullfight as we know it. the Place where Orson Wells himself chose to be buried. A place where it was common to see Ernest Hemingway having a drink after the bullfight. I'll take to the best viewpoints in all this places, we'll stop for the best food in town. Did you know that Hemingway's "For whom bell tolls " was inspired an episode that happened in Ronda few years ago? Let's explore this and more with a private tour guide! -Duration 8 Hours. $630 per person (2 guest minimum)
Tonight, join the Tour Captain for an optional dinner or explore at your leisure.
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Chapter 2: Cordoba & Granada
DAY 4: EXPERIENCING CORDOBA
After breakfast, we will depart Seville for a short trip to Cordoba, best known for its immense Mezquita-Cathedral, an amazing World-Heritage Site and now a Cathedral.
Today's Adventure: Cordoba
We will meet our Local Guide and enjoy our expertly guided tour of the Mezquita followed by a stroll along Calleja de las Flores (Flower Street) where we will glimpse into the many patio gardens. Cordoba is known for its Patio Flower Festival in early May. After lunch on our own and free time for more exploration or shopping, we depart Cordoba in late afternoon to continue our train journey to Granada, our home for the next three days and nights.
Welcome to Granada Dinner
Tonight join your Journey Tour Captain for our Welcome Dinner in Granada.
Where We Stay in Granada, 2 Nights with breakfast
Signature Hotels Collection:
Palacio Gran Vía, a Royal Hideaway Hotel or Similar
Our Signature hotels feature 4 Star to 5 Star properties featuring select room categories just above the Standard or similar category room — inquire with your Trip Specialist if you'd like to upgrade to a larger room and/or upper category room with a specific view (where available). Hotel room assignments are made at around 60 days prior to the adventure. A comparable hotel will be utilized should our space be sold out by the time you book — we will advise you of your final hotels.
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DAY 5: GRANADA DISCOVERY
Today's Adventure: Historic Granada
After breakfast, join the Tour Captain and our Local Guide for a tour (with skip-the-line access) of the Alhambra, the majestic palace fortress which became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella following the Christian Reconquista in 1492. After our tour of the buildings we will have time to visit the famous castle gardens.
We finish our sightseeing mid-day and the balance of the day is at leisure.
This afternoon you may optionally consider exploring the Cathedral of Santa Maria of the Incarnation and the Royal Chapel, where Ferdinand and Isabella are entombed. And visit the nearby Arab Spice Market reminiscent of a souk where visitors can stroll through the vibrant shops and stalls. Seasonality and timing may affect open hours.
Tonight join your Journey Tour Captain for an optional dinner or explore at your leisure. Perhaps sample tapas at one of the restaurants in cathedral square.
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DAY 6: GRANADA AT LEISURE
Enjoy a complete day at leisure in Granada. Optionally, include the "Realejo Short Tour" which is Granada's former Jewish Quarter, or a walking and tasting experience, or perhaps a night walk through the Albaicin, known as Granada's most attractive quarter. Or just explore at your leisure!
Tonight, join the Tour Captain for an optional dinner or explore at your leisure.
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Chapter 3: Barcelona
DAY 7: TO BARCELONA!
After breakfast this morning, we will make our way to the airport for our flight to Barcelona. The required flight today is quoted separately at time of booking. Book early for best savings.
After we arrive at our hotel in the heart of the city. We will have time to freshen up and free time for lunch or a snack this afternoon.
Discovery Walk: Barcelona
This afternoon join your Tour Captain for an introductory walk in the Gothic Quarter to La Rambla and La Boqueria with its market stalls (closed on Sundays).
Welcome to Barcelona Dinner
This evening join your Tour Captain for a gala dinner including wine, beer, soft drinks, cocktails. We will sample typical Catalan cuisine, influenced by the region's position on the Mediterranean.
Accommodations in Barcelona with breakfast, 3 Nights
Deluxe: Grand Hotel Central or Iberostar Selection Paseo de Gracia
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DAY 8: EXPLORATION OF BARCELONA
Today's Adventure: Barcelona City Immersion Tour
After breakfast we join our Tour Captain and Local Guide for a walking and driving tour of Barcelona. We will drive along Passeig de Gracia, one of the main streets passing Gaudi-designed houses, Casa Batllo and Casa Mila. We will see the Old Port and the Arc de Triomf, built for the Universal Exposition of 1888. We will have skip-the-long-line tickets for a tour of Sagrada Familia, the unfinished crown jewel of the city. We then take in the Park Güell on the outskirts of the city. The Gaudi-designed park is an innovative harmony of nature and architecture. We will enjoy the gardens, mosaic benches and whimsical buildings.
We return to our hotel for the remainder of the afternoon at leisure.
Tonight, join the Tour Captain for an optional dinner or explore at your leisure.
DAY 9: DAY AT LEISURE IN BARCELONA
Enjoy a day at leisure or perhaps our optional excursion to Valencia and the Coast.
Our Special Journey Finalé
Tonight meet your Tour Captain and fellow travelers to celebrate our journey together. We will toast one another with a festive apéritif and then proceed to our gala finalé dinner. As our journey ends, we reminisce about our exploration of Spanish culture and history. We don't say Adios - we simply say Hasta la proxima! - until next time.
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DAY 10: DEPARTURE DAY
This morning we bid Farewell to Journey's Spain Adventure. You can fly from Barcelona international airport for your transatlantic flight or you might want to extend your journey to other parts of Europe - perhaps to Andorra or to the South of France.
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