Spain & Portugal: Iberian Immersion

Day notes

WELCOME TO PORTUGAL

Arrive in Porto, Portugal this afternoon where you will be met on arrival and transferred to your luxury hotel located in the historic center of the city.  As your flight arrives this afternoon, no tours are planned so you may rest and adjust to the time change after your international flight.

Day notes

This morning depart with your guide for the Douro Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the oldest wine regions in the world. En route, stop at Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo whose history spans more than 250 years.  This beautiful wine-producing estate is owned by a family with a long connection with the export houses of Vila Nova de Gaia in the cork business. Once there, enjoy the unique experience of being an “Enologist for a Day,” when you not only monitor the wine process but create your own wine. The activity begins with the traditional "blending", followed by bottling, corking and labeling. In the end, you may take the wine, Cuvee Abrams, with you.  Next, it’s a culinary highlight when you lunch at Conceitus Winery Restaurant. The Quinta Nova’s Restaurant has Chef José Pinto’s signature. The Chef favors "local food", assuming oriented sustainability and preservation of local food resources, depending on the season. Every day, the chef surprises with a different menu, so prepare to be amazed as your meal will be designed to be experienced in perfect harmony with the state’s wines.

After lunch, you will experience the Douro River by private boat as we head upstream to the Alto Douro wine region. The grapes for the wine used to make port are grown here. It’s a beautiful route; curve after curve of hills unfold along the river, lined with terraces carved out from the slate soil. This is the world’s oldest formally identified wine region and some of the original stone markers dating from the 1750s can be seen along the way.  When finished, you will be transferred to Ferrão pier and sail on the Douro River again, this time on a traditional “Rabelo” boat. This typical wooden vessel was used for years to transport Port wine barrels from Douro to Vila Nova de Gaia.

At the end of the Rabelo trip, and this remarkable day, your private driver will escort you back to your hotel in Porto.

Day notes

Today, you will tour Porto with your guide, private car and driver.

Start by exploring the city’s old quarter, “a masterpiece of mankind’s creative genius” according to UNESCO, recognizing the area as a World Heritage Site.  You will begin with a visit to the Stock Exchange Palace or Palácio da Bolsa. The large, ornate, neoclassical building, built in the 19th century, reflects the city’s status as a major commercial center. Inside, tour the “Hall of the Nations” and “the Arab Room,” among others. Another must-see is the landmarked neo-gothic Lello & Irmao Bookstore. You will want to take special note of the fascinating entrance. The magnificent façade is formed by a broad arch with its two painted figures, representing Art and Science. This spectacular 19th-century store features wooden benches with leather upholstery, wooden bookcases and a highly-ornamented staircase leading to the upper level.

Continue to the Fundação de Serralves, one of the highlights of Portugal for art lovers. Located on the outskirts of the city, the foundation’s museum exhibits works by contemporary artists, including Richard Serra, Ed Ruscha, and Gerhard Richter. Pritzker-winning Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira designed the museum.

Take some time for an independent lunch before continuing your Porto excursion.

At the end of the day, cross the river to Vila Nova de Gaia, where you will learn the history of the famous Port wine and the process of making this popular Portuguese libation. The spirit first became popular in England at the end of the seventeenth century and was found to travel better by ship when brandy was added. There are more than 40 varieties of grapes used to make Port which are picked in September during the special harvest period known as "vindima". You will tour a cellar with your expert guide and learn about the varieties such as the Vintage, The Single Quinta Port, LVB (Late Bottled Vintage), Crusted Port and others.

Possibly and pleasantly a little tipsy, you may return to your hotel late this afternoon.

Day notes

Depart Porto this morning and begin making your way to Lisbon.  En route, you will visit Coimbra and Tomar.

Arriving first in Coimbra, visit the Coimbra University, the sixth oldest in Europe. It was founded in 1288 in Lisbon and then transferred to Coimbra in 1308. The group of buildings that make up the oldest university in the country are internationally famous and the “jewel in the crown,” is the Joanina Library. You will stroll through the old part of the University where you will see the impressive 18th-century clock, which dominates the skyline. Take special note of the students in Coimbra who wear colored ribbons indicating which faculty they attend. Every May, at the end of the academic year, the students burn these ribbons and a great celebration, the "Queima das Fitas" takes place.

Your time in Coimbra continues with a visit to its well-known Botanical Gardens. Located in the heart of the city of Coimbra since 1772, plant collections will take you on a journey to distinct latitudes and regions of the world that transform the Gardens into a living geological museum.

Take time for lunch in Coimbra or Tomar, depending on the timing of the tours.

Your day continues as you discover the city of Tomar, whose 15th-century synagogue is testimony to the fact that this was once one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe. Its interior is home to the Abraham Zacuto Jewish Museum where you can learn about the importance of this community within the region.

After your visit to the museum, continue your journey to Lisbon, arriving late this afternoon.  The evening is at leisure.

Day notes

Lisbon sprawls along the banks of the Tagus River estuary. Its name comes from the Phoenician words meaning "enchanting port.” From the city’s hills, you can look toward the Atlantic, where the Portuguese inaugurated the Age of Discovery. The low-lying areas of the city were rebuilt after the destructive Great Earthquake of 1755.  Recent decades have seen a similar renaissance in Lisbon’s cultural landscape. Since Portugal emerged from dictatorship and joined the EU, the capital has built infrastructure, hosted numerous international events and developed a thriving nightlife.

Today, your full day tour will take you to all the highlights of the city. See the iconic Belém Tower and visit the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, where one of the greatest navigators, Vasco de Gama, is buried. Broad avenues and grand, 18th-century squares contrast dramatically with the cobbled alleys and steep stairways of the Alfama district, one of the highlights of the city. If you are feeling hungry you might like to stop for pasteis de Belém, the famous Portuguese custard tarts. Enjoy time in Barrio Alto, one of Lisbon’s most enchanting neighborhoods with its well-preserved architecture and traditional storefronts that invoke images of another era. At the conclusion of your tour late this afternoon, your driver and guide will return you to your hotel.

Day notes

Today, accompanied by your private guide, journey a short distance outside of Lisbon to Sintra on your full-day tour. Known not only for its tree-lined streets, Sintra is the city of Portuguese royalty. Traditionally, the Portuguese royals and nobility maintained residences here for centuries. See the storybook castle, Palace de Pena.  Visit the Palacio da Vila, originally built as a hunting lodge and used as a royal summer residence until the 20th century. See two of the unique decor features—famous, matching conical chimneys and a remarkable collection of ceiling panels dating to the 16th century representing the coats of arms of 71 Portuguese noble families. Nearby, visit an equally fanciful dwelling, the Quinta de Regaleira. Built around the turn of the 20th century and seemingly something out of an amusement park, it features Art Nouveau and Rococo architectural elements, plus an “initiation room” inspired by the Freemasons.

After lunch, travel along the coastal road where you will enjoy wonderful views of the Atlantic Ocean and Tagus River. Stop at Boca do Inferno and Cabo da Roca, the western-most points of the European continent, with impressive cliffs and ocean views.  You will return to Lisbon late this afternoon.

Day notes

Depart via private transfer this morning to the Lisbon airport for your short flight to Sevilla, Spain.

Adeus Portugal and Hola Spain!  

You will be met on arrival in Sevilla and transferred to your hotel in the historic center of the city.  Captivating and beautiful, the capital of Andalusia intoxicates and excites. It is the city of flamenco, bulls, Carmen and Don Juan; its history and culture give rise to pride, tradition, passion, and joy. Be seduced by its enchanting neighborhoods, with its twisting narrow streets, stunning patios and squares lined with orange trees.

Late this afternoon, your local guide will meet you at the hotel for an outstanding evening of cultural immersion. Sevilla is possibly the best city in Spain for tapas. It is, after all, the home of the tapas and has the largest number of bars per inhabitant anywhere, offering an amazing range of food. There is something for everyone, whether it be meat, seafood, vegetables, olives, cheese, or more. You name it, somebody is sure to have used it in a tapa. In charming small bars in the heart of Sevilla’s historic area, sample hearty food in manageable portions, helped down with some pleasingly potent wines, all amidst the joyous ruckus of the welcoming Sevillanos. The variety is extensive, encompassing seafood, salads, cured hams, cheeses, red pepper dishes, the obligatory Spanish potato omelet and so much more. Tapear in Sevilla is a fun and recommendable alternative to the full-blown sit-down meal. Who better than a local resident to show you the ropes into the world of Spanish food?  Your tapas tours will allow you to discover the intricacy, yet delightful simplicity of Spanish cuisine amidst many informal, authentic settings. You can take part in this very social event in a wide selection of different bars across the city, enabling you to blend in with the locals while you enjoy some excellent foods and wines.

Your host is also an expert on many aspects of Spanish food and wine. He will give you all the details on Spanish olive oil, Iberian ham, the best Spanish wines, and more.

Afterwards, the evening gets even livelier when you head to a Flamenco Show at Casa de La Guitarra! With roots tracing from Andalusian, Islamic, Sephardic and Gypsy origins, flamenco is a combination of intricate guitar playing, powerful singing ranging from the exuberant to the sorrowful, and passionate yet graceful dancing. A visit to Spain without a flamenco experience is not complete. Witness the authentic passion of Flamenco at this classic, first-class venue.

Return to the hotel late this evening after the show.

Day notes

After breakfast, meet your guide and step out to arguably Spain’s most beautiful city for a half-day walking tour of Sevilla.

Your tour includes the enormous cathedral, the third largest, and the largest Gothic building in the world. The visit is for historical purposes as you will see the tomb of Christopher Columbus and its 12th-century bell-tower, La Giralda, originally built by the Moors as a minaret.

Visit the ornately decorated Alcazar Palace and its Andalusian gardens. Originally a Moorish palace, it was re-built and designed by Mudejar craftsmen for the Christian royalty after the expulsion of the Moors.

Once you have emerged from the Alcazar's gardens, wander through the Barrio de Santa Cruz: originally the Jewish Quarter and now the prettiest quarter of Sevilla. See the Murillo Gardens, a typical Sevillan garden full of arcades and foliage. Based on time and your personal interests, your guide will customize this tour for you.

Time will be made for your independent lunch. Afterward, enjoy a Jewish Heritage tour with an expert guide, Moises, a Jewish heritage expert and member of the local community.

The purpose of this Jewish Heritage walking tour is not just to visit key sites related with the Jewish past of the city, but also to focus on all aspects of Judaism in Sevilla. During your tour, Moises will take you along an emotional journey where you will be able to understand and enjoy the uniqueness of Jewish past and present day life in Sevilla.  By walking inside the former Jewish quarter of Sevilla, you will better comprehend how our ancestors lived in this city until the edict of expulsion was issued by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1492.

Return to the hotel late this afternoon and have the evening at leisure.

Day notes

After checking out, depart for Granada by way of the “White Villages of Andalusia.” It is the perfect day to enjoy fresh

After checking out, depart for Granada by way of the “White Villages of Andalusia.” It is the perfect day to enjoy fresh country air, spectacular natural landscapes and enchanting rural villages. Set off with your driver/guide from Sevilla and delve into the Grazalema natural park. There are officially 17 white villages in the Andalucian mountains. You will visit the most alluring of these settlements. Your journey will be customized for you to include at least two of the following villages of your choice:

Arcos de la Frontera: The most westerly white village and gateway to the Sierra. Arcos is perched atop a limestone cliff, with views over a valley full of olive groves and citric fruits. It is a town overflowing with monuments, thanks to its boom years after the discovery of the Americas. Visit its monuments, buy pastries from the Mercedarian nuns and explore its labyrinth of old streets. The superb panoramic views from the village are a highlight of this charming and historic white village.

Zahara de la Sierra : Perhaps the most beautiful of the white villages. Like the setting for a fairytale, this village wraps itself around a rocky mount, with a castle on its highest point, overlooking a large lake. We recommend you climb up to the castle and have lunch overlooking the lake and, time permitting, visit an 18th century olive mill just outside the village.

Grazalema: Many say this is the most archetypal of the white villages. Tucked into the pocket of the park’s highest mountain, a white streak amongst dark green pines, the village is famous for its cheeses, cured meats and the impressive wildlife and bird-watching in its vicinity. The village is located right on the migration path between Africa and Spain and harbors a large griffon vulture colony. The village itself is beautiful and the meandering drive between here and Zahara is unforgettable!

Setenil de las Bodegas: This is possibly the oldest of all the white villages as many of its houses were originally cave dwellings. Hidden in a narrow river valley, many of Setenil’s houses are built into the cliff walls, running back into the caves that are hidden behind their white walls!

Ubrique: One of the few white villages hidden in the base of a valley. Nowadays, Ubrique is known throughout Spain for its production of leather goods. Due to the modern day mass-production of leather goods in China, Ubrique has sought its niche as a luxury leather producer, preferring quality over quantity. Being a small mountain village, don’t expect Paris catwalks, but their products are superb!

Ronda: One of Andalusia's most beautiful and noted towns, famous throughout Spain for its gaping river gorge with a sheer drop of 120m, dividing the medieval from the 18th-century parts of the town. A spectacular bridge constructed in the 18th century spans the gorge, and the view looking down from it is not for the faint-hearted!

After your village tours, continue on with your driver to Granada (approx. 2 hours).

Day notes

Today, your guide will meet you at your hotel to begin making your way to the Alhambra for a private tour. Once within its walls, there are so many delights in which to revel.

The Alhambra, the best-preserved example of a Moorish fortress-palace in Europe, is one of the world’s most romantic monuments. With your expert guide, go beyond the text in your guide book and discover a fascinating world that was home to the Nasrid Sultans, rulers of the last Spanish Moorish kingdom. With its construction, Moorish architecture and art reached spectacular levels yet, as our guide will explain, the Alhambra reveals also much about the life and culture of this lost kingdom. And, you will visit the Generalife, the country retreats of Moorish royalty, just behind the Alhambra.

Take some time for further independent exploration before a one of the highlights of your trip begins.

Early this evening you will meet a long-time resident of Granada for a genuine insider’s tour and cultural exchange on a personal walk through the Albacyin. You will take in a magnificent view of the Alhambra Palaces as twilight falls, the sun casting its brilliant hues on this amazing piece of history, with the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. From here, you will be taken through the winding cobbled streets of the Albaicín, a truly fascinating neighborhood which, to this day, preserves many facets of its Moorish heritage. Your guide will tell you about the past, present, and future of this district as you walk through some of its most characteristic streets and squares.

At the end of the walk, you will stop at a couple of typical local bars. In Granada, the tradition is that each drink is accompanied by a small snack or tapas. Not only is this a great introduction into the Spanish version of this cuisine, but it will also give you an insight into local culture, where much of the social life revolves around tapeando—going out for drinks and tapas.

Return to the hotel after your immersive evening in Granada.

Day notes

This morning, depart via private transfer to Granada’s train station where you will board the AVE high-speed train to Madrid. Enjoy the two-hour train journey in business class seats. You’ll be met on arrival in Madrid and transferred to your first-class hotel in the center of the city, the Hotel Ritz.

Madrid is one of the world's most vibrant and seductive cities. It is a city with a charming and infectious atmosphere that the visitor can immediately sense, feel a part of, and most of all, enjoy. A city that takes unabashed pleasure in its past traditions, Madrid is proud to display a wealth of cultural treasures and architectural glories.

After settling into your hotel, meet your expert local guide at your hotel for a half-day Reina Sofia and Thyssen Bornemisza Museum Tour.

Visit Madrid’s Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia and Pablo Picasso´s masterpiece “Guernica”, which has become a symbol of Spain's transition to democracy and a universally recognized icon. The painting is a condemnation of war and, more precisely, the German mass bombing of the small Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. However, the tour will go beyond Picasso and be adapted to your requests and interests.

Enjoy a gorgeous 10-minute walk along the noble tree-lined boulevard of Paseo del Prado to visit the Thyssen Bornemizsa Museum. Placed almost in front of the Prado, this new museum was the only point missing from the so-called "Golden Triangle" of Madrid. The collection now comprises some 800 paintings and tapestries, sculptures and carvings and gold, silver and enamel objects. It provides a journey through the history of painting from its start in the 12th century until the last decade of the 20th century.  Almost one thousand works on display are representative of all the major periods and pictorial schools of Western art, including Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Rococo, Romanticism and all the art movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, from Impressionism to Pop Art.

Return to your hotel late this afternoon and have the evening at leisure.

Day notes

After breakfast, your expert guide and private driver will meet you at your hotel and together you will enjoy the architecture, history and anecdotes of Spain’s capital with a half-day private tour of Madrid.

Enjoy a walking tour that includes some of the capital's most impressive sights, such as the Plaza de Oriente and the historic quarter including the 17th-century Plaza Mayor, a wonderful Baroque square lined with arcades filled with picturesque cafes.

Walk through the peaceful Plaza de la Villa where the City Hall stands. Meander the narrow streets of Madrid of the “Austrias,” named after the Austro- Hapsburg dynasty, which came to rule in 1516. Much of the Austrias neighborhood today is a gastronomic center, with traditional favorites aplenty, including the famous Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world. The nuns of the Convento nearby occasionally offer their homemade cakes, too!  Should you wish to visit both monuments with your guide, as well as the historic center, please let us know in advance, as the pace and content of the tour will require adjustment.

Take some time for an independent lunch before continuing with what will be one of the highlights of your visit to Madrid. A special afternoon of cultural immersion awaits you on your, “Insider’s Cultural Traditions” tour where you will delve into Spanish traditions.  The afternoon includes visits to a shop that hand-makes Flamenco guitars and an artisan seamstress that creates the beautiful hand-sewn suits of Spain’s bullfighters.

Day notes

This morning, your guide and private driver will meet you at your hotel for a private tour to Toledo.

Toledo is a thousand-year-old masterpiece created by various cultures including the Romans, Moors, Jews and Christians. Its heyday was in the 16th century when it became the capital of the mighty Spanish empire. The beautifully preserved buildings of this ancient town provide striking testimony of Toledo’s rich and colorful past. The city of Toledo, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, is located on a rocky headland, bordered by the river Tajo in the very heart of Spain, just 42 miles from the capital, Madrid. Toledo and it’s narrow, winding streets and steps, stone and brick houses and churches embody Spain’s past. 

In the Middle Ages, Toledo was built on a “convergence” of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and houses two of the few remaining medieval Spanish synagogues. The two synagogues, which stand in the city today, are powerful reminders of that period of religious tolerance before the Spanish Inquisition.

Stop at the parish church of Santo Tomé, and marvel at El Greco’s famed Burial of the Count of Orgaz, considered to be El Greco’s finest work and one of the greatest masterpieces of all time. At the center of Toledo, you will find the soaring Gothic Cathedral and view its priceless art. The collection features work by Greco, Caravaggio, Titian, Van Dyck, Goya, Morales, Rubens, Bassano and many more.

After lunch, spend some time independently exploring the city before returning with your driver to Madrid.

Day notes

Time to bid Spain farewell and begin your journey home.  You’ll be transferred to the Madrid airport for your flight home.