Madrid
(3nts) - Seville (3nts) - Granada (3nts)
Day
1 - London/Madrid
Fly with British Airways from London-Gatwick to
Madrid and transfer to the Hotel Ritz for a three night stay. Delight
in madrileño cuisine and try cocido a delicious dish that is a
mix of soup, meat and vegetables.
Day 2 – Madrid
Enjoy a half day walking with a local
English-speaking guide. Visit the Prado Museum, which for many
visitors is one of Madrid's main attractions. Here you can view works
by Spain's three great masters: Goya, Velazquez and El Greco. After
touring the Prado, visit the magnificent Thyseen-Bornemisza collection
which boasts 800 paintings and is regarded as one of the most
important privately assembled art collections in the world. Why not
also visit the Reina Sofia Art Centre, which concentrates on 20th
Century art, and its most famous work Picasso's 'Guernica' or the
Royal Palace, whose rooms are filled with art treasures and antiques.
Day 3 – Madrid
Take a trip out to Toledo, a fortified city dating
from Roman times, when it was the capital of Visigothic Spain.
Sightseeing will include the Cathedral, a blend of 13th, 14th and 15th
century architecture, and the Church of Santo Tomé, housing El
Greco's most famous painting 'Burial of Count Orgaz'. Alternatively
travel out to San Lorenzo de El Escorial, to visit the summer
residence built by King Philip II of Spain. It was designed both as
the burial place for his father Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and as
their summer residence. At El Escorial's heart is the church, with its
cloistered chapter rooms and royal palace.
Day 4 – Madrid / Seville
Transfer to the railway station for your first class
journey aboard the high-speed train from Madrid to Seville and admire
the wonderful Spanish countryside as you travel south. Check-in to the
Corral del Rey for a three night stay.
Day 5 - Seville
Why not enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of Seville
with a private guide. Visit the 15th Century Cathedral, one of the
most breathtaking in all of Christendom and see La Giralda, Seville's
most famous monument. The Moorish tower was erected as a minaret in
the 12th Century. Visit the Alcazar, a magnificent 14th Century
Mudejar palace that is one of the oldest royal residences in Europe
still in use. Don’t miss a walk through the Barrio de Santa Cruz, a
maze of narrow streets, whitewashed houses, small squares and flower
festered patios.
Day 6 – Seville
Head out to Ronda, situated on a rock high above the
River Guadalevin. Ronda is built around a ravine 360 ft deep and 210
ft across, which divides the old Moorish town from the "new
town" which came into being after the Christian Reconquest of
1485. Stroll through the narrow streets and explore the town. You may
wish to visit the famous bullring, Plaza de Toros, the oldest and most
beautiful in Spain, and have lunch at the Parador of Ronda, with its
breathtaking views of the 360-foot deep ravine upon which the town is
built.
Day 7 - Seville/Granada
Transfer to the railway station for your first class
journey from Seville to Granada. Check-in to the Hospes Palacio de Los
Patos for your final three nights.
Day 8 – Granada
No stay in Andalucia would be complete without a
visit to the Alhambra, one of the great remnants of the occupation of
Andalucia, founded in the 1240s. Once a great citadel containing a
whole community of houses, schools barracks and gardens, the Alcazaba
fortress and Royal Palace are all that remain today but they offer a
complex of magical, exotic buildings. Take a stroll through the lovely
gardens of the Generalife Palace. Afterwards take a walking tour to
include the Royal Chapel (burial place of the Catholic Monarchs
Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon) and Cathedral.
Day 9 - Granada
Enjoy the Bodyna Spa at your hotel or to explore the
city further.
Venture out on foot and explore the hill-side
neighbourhood of Albaicín. Filled with white-washed houses and
tall cypress trees this is true Andalucia.
Day 10 – Granada / London
Your private transfer to Malaga Airport will take
just over an hour, where you will board your British Airways flight to
London-Gatwick.
