NORTHERN SPAIN

• Trace the treasures of the north on this grand expedition from Barcelona to Madrid, easing yourself into la buena vida as only the Spaniards can.
• Take the day to delve into centuries of history and the cosmopolitan culture of Barcelona, rambling up Las Ramblas, people-watching in Plaça de Catalunya and admiring the whimsical architecture of Gaudí.
• This evening, you’ll meet with your fellow travellers and Travel Director for a Make Travel Matter® Welcome Reception at Mescladis, followed by an evening drive to see the city’s iconic sights.

Arrival Transfer: Depart the airport at 09:30, 12:00, 14:30

Included Experience: Dinner at Mescladis Barcelona

• Join our Local Specialist today as we take in the Gaudi architecture of Passeig De Gracia before admiring the exterior of his unfinished La Sagrada Familia.
•  Later, we pay tribute to Christopher Columbus as we pass the seaside monument that bears his name.
• Spend the rest of the day on your own to explore the city’s enchanting barrios.
• Consider joining an Optional Experience to the mountain-top monastery of Montserrat to see the shrine of the Black Madonna – affectionately known in Catalonia as La Moreneta.

Included Experience: Barcelona City Tour

Optional Experience: Mystical Montserrat / Olympic Barcelona with Calatalan Dinner / Gaudí’s Parc Güell and Port Olympic

• The feisty former capital of Navarre takes centre stage.
• We follow in the footsteps of thousands of exhilarated runners and hot-blooded bulls today.
• See Pamplona’s ancient city walls and Plaza del Castillo, the heart of the city where markets, tournaments and even bullfighting have taken place.

Included Experience: Pamplona at Leisure

Optional Experience: Pamplona Discovery with Tapas and Sangria

• Today, we journey to the sophisticated culinary capital of San Sebastián.
• See the beautiful Bahía de la Concha beach or stroll along la calle 31 de Agosto in the Old Town.
• Our next stop is Bilbao to view the modern Guggenheim Museum, designed by talented architect Frank Gehry.
• We arrive in Santander later this afternoon for a two-night stay.

Included Experience: Explore San Sebastian and See Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum

Optional Experience: Culinary Treasures of Cantabria

• Spend the day at leisure in elegant Santander.
• Relax on the sun-kissed shores of one of the nearby beaches, amble through the charming Old Town or perhaps join an Optional Experience to the coastal town of Comillas, with its cobbled streets.
• Here you will explore Gaudí’s El Capricho, built in the late 19th century as a summer villa, then carry on to Santillana del Mar to visit the museum dedicated to the impressive UNESCO-listed Altamira Caves.

Optional Experience: The Neo Caves of Altamira, Santillana del Mar and Comillas

• Spectacular scenery awaits today as you travel through the dramatic Picos de Europa which sits between two main pilgrim routes where you will encounter several quaint historic market towns.
• Visit the grotto of ‘Our Lady of Covadonga’, a famous Marian pilgrimage site, and the pink-hued basilica made from the marble of the surrounding hills.
• Later we’ll Connect With Locals and enjoy a traditional lunch and cider tasting at our Be My Guest experience with the Castañón family at their Cider Mill.
• This evening is free for you to explore Oviedo at leisure.

Included Experience: Enjoy Lunch and Cider tasting with the Castanon Family at their Cider Mill near Oviedo, See Picos de Europa and Visit the Holy Cave of Covadonga in Picos de Europa

Optional Experience: Historic Oviedo and the Route of the Sculptures

• The Asturian fishing village of Luarca is our first stop today.
• Soak up its seafaring atmosphere en route to the pilgrim city of Santiago de Compostela, renowned as the end of the ‘camino’ pilgrimage route that has its origins dating as far back as the 9th century.

Included Experience: Soak up Luarca

Optional Experience: Santiago de Compostela by Night with Galician Dinner

• Join a Local Specialist who will share insights into the ‘Way of Saint James’ and explain why thousands of people attempt the life-changing pilgrimage annually.
• Visit the vast Cathedral, reputed to be the final resting place of Saint James the Great, and the Plaza do Obradoiro, a square dominated by four architectural styles.
• Consider an Optional Experience to the Rías Baixas for soul-stirring views of the Galician coast.
•  The region has long waterways stretching inland that are said to be the mark left by God’s hand when he cleansed himself after creating the world.

Included Experience: Santiago de Compostela City Tour

Optional Experience: Explore Rías Baixas and the Mussel Beds

• Journey through the lush Galician landscape and Castile-Leon to Zamora, a veritable open-air museum of Romanesque art.
• We continue to Salamanca – its golden-hued façades providing an air of mystery and majesty.
• We join a Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour including views of Spain’s oldest university and the Cathedral, as well as a walk through the imposing Plaza Mayor, built in the Spanish Baroque style.

Included Experience: Zamora Orientation and Salamanca City Tour

• Travelling east, we arrive in the fiery Spanish capital, Madrid, for an afternoon of sightseeing with a Local Specialist.
• Dive Into Culture and visit the Prado Museum, which houses one of the largest collections of European art in the world.
• Then, see the Royal Palace, Gran Vía and the neoclassical Cibeles Fountain that has become an iconic symbol for the city of Madrid.
• Tonight, join your Travel Director and fellow companions for a memorable Farewell Dinner with wine, toasting to a magnificent journey through northern Spain.

Included Experience: Discover Extraordinary European Art at the Prado Museum and Madrid City Tour

• For now, it’s a fond hasta luego to your newfound friends as our Spanish adventure comes to an end.

Departure Transfer: Arrive at Madrid-Barajas airport at 08:30, 11:00