ESSENTIAL SPAIN & PORTUGAL

Arrive at Madrid and check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free to start exploring lively Madrid. Overnight in Madrid

After breakfast Visit fortified Ávila with its intact medieval city walls, then stop in Salamanca. Be sure to spend some time wandering around Salamanca’s Plaza Mayor, considered the most beautiful square in Spain. Travel through the valley of the Serra da Estrela on your way to Coimbra in Portugal.

After breakfast, Enjoy an orientation tour of Coimbra, strategically situated on a hill overlooking the Mondego River. Continue to Fátima to visit the Sanctuary, a catholic pilgrimage site where the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children—Francisco, Jacinth, and Lucia—on May 13, 1917. On to Obidos, a fortified city still flanked by towers and bastions overlooking the countryside dotted with windmills. Overnight in Lisbon.

After breakfast, Henry the Navigator made Lisbon the 15th-century “Mistress of the Seas.” You’ll see his monument, the Belem Tower, the Moorish Citadel, the impressive Black Horse Square, and other highlights on your guided city tour. Spend the afternoon at leisure in the Alfama’s tile-decorated streets or discover the Portuguese Riviera by joining our optional excursion. Overnight at Lisbon.

After breakfast, Drive through the Alentejo countryside, famous for its cork production. Cross the border into Spain at Vila Verde and journey into Andalusia, enjoying quite different scenery as you skirt the Sierra de Aracena on your way to delightful Seville. Overnight at Seville.

Breakfast at the Hotel, Seville is one of Spain’s most vibrant cities. Enjoy an included sightseeing tour with all the main highlights, including the iconic Plaza de España. Overnight at Seville

Breakfast at the hotel, check out and Travel to Cordoba, Spain’s most Moorish city with its Mezquita, which is rightly known as one of Islam’s greatest pieces of architecture outside the Arab world. On through the very heart of La Mancha, famed for its castles and windmills, to Madrid. This evening, why not join the optional traditional tapas dinner and highlights of Madrid?

Breakfast at the Hotel, This morning, enjoy free time in Madrid or join the fascinating optional trip to Toledo. The splendid setting of this old walled city above the Tagus River was made famous in El Greco’s painting—even now, it’s like a great open-air museum of Spanish history and art. Later, join the included Madrid city sightseeing. As the capital of Spain and situated 2,180 feet above sea level, the Spaniards call Madrid the nearest thing to Heaven.

Breakfast at the hotel. Check out from the hotel at Rome Proceed to airport by private transfer. Reach airport to board flight back to home with some really amazing memories.