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Abercrombie & Kent
OFFER ID 1675842
From sparkling coast to central plateau, the rolling hills of the north to the sunbaked sierras of the south, Spain is a sprawling patchwork of a country, and its art, architecture and gastronomy reflect this dazzling diversity. Travel by high-speed train and plane from Barcelona to Madrid and on to Andalusia on a private, independent journey tailored to your interests by our experts. Expect World Heritage sites and Old Master paintings, Modernist architecture and contemporary art, Michelin-starred tapas and world-beating wines. Plus, expert guides to bring it all to life.
10 nights | Call for pricing
1 Arrive Barcelona, Spain
Artist Antoni Gaudí made the paintbrush-straight avenues and leafy squares of the Catalan capital his living studio, and his imagination lives on in the mosaics of Parc Güell or in the gingerbread spires of Sagrada Família. From the tangled lanes of the Gothic Quarter to the beaches of Barceloneta, a lifetime could fly by basking in the city’s cultural riches, from art galleries filled with Mirós and Picassos to restaurants that reach the same dizzying heights as the chapel-crowned hilltop of Tibidabo.
Explore the city with your private guide, taking in the magnificent Gothic cathedral along with Gaudí’s masterpieces: Casa Mila, with its wave-like façade; impressive but still incomplete La Sagrada Familia; and Parc Guell, a village unto itself of fluid, organic shapes and dazzling colors. At Casa Battló, follow a guided tour of the building with an open-air recital on the rooftop terrace, sipping a cocktail to live musical accompaniment.
Venture into the medieval Gothic Quarter, where narrow, labyrinthine streets and quiet squares are quite distinct from the rest of the city. Your guide introduces you to the magnificent 13th-century Barcelona Cathedral, notable for its fine Gothic chapels, medieval choir stalls and shady cloister. Step inside the Picasso Museum, where some of the painter's earliest works are housed in the remarkable setting of a part-Gothic, part-Roman palace. This evening, hop in a motorcycle sidecar for a guided tour of Barcelona's most interesting tapas bars.
Rising magisterially from Spain’s mountainous heart, Madrid courses with distinguished blood, the home of kings and Cervantes. And yet the grand old Spanish capital is as much the masterpieces that hang in the Prado and the Reina Sofía as it is the dusty, raucous bars of La Latina, the impassioned roars that ring through the Santiago Bernabéu stadium or a sunset picnic beneath the madroño trees of Buen Retiro Park.
Today, you may choose a full-day excursion to Toledo, visiting its sixth-century Cathedral, and proceeding to the church of Santo Tome, to view El Greco’sThe Burial of the Count of Orgaz. Stop at the 14th-century El Transito Synagogue, and tour the House and Museum of El Greco. Alternatively, explore one of Castile y Leon’s most enchanting cities, Segovia, with its Roman aqueduct and towering Alcazar, an archetypal fairy-tale castle. Just outside Segovia, visit the sumptuous royal palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, with its delightful gardens and elegant rooms.
Walk the flower-filled streets of Córdoba’s Jewish Quarter and visit the medieval Mezquita, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From its humble beginnings as a small Christian Visigoth temple, the site was greatly expanded by the Muslims and is today considered a superb example of Moorish architecture.
On a walking tour with a private guide, visit the Alhambra with its fortress, Royal Palace and lovely gardens. From Granada, take a charming regional train to Córdoba to marvel at the Great Mosque, with its Christian baroque nave.
Ronda is a city dramatically perched high above a deep gorge, and where you join your local guide on a stroll along narrow streets and visit the Plaza de Toros (bullring), an impressive arena with Moorish architecture. As intoxicating as a cold Cruzcampo lager on a summer’s day, Seville is a breathless dance through every sultry Spanish daydream. Beneath the minaret-turned-belltower of the Giralda, one of Europe’s largest old towns spreads out in a web of tiled courtyards and cobbled, brightly colored squares, where ladies fan themselves beneath the orange trees.
Explore the historic heart of Seville, including the 15th-century cathedral, one of the most breathtaking in all of Christendom, and see La Giralda, Seville's most famous monument. Visit the Alcazar, a magnificent 14th-century Mudejar palace that is one of the oldest royal residences in Europe still in use. Take the time to wander through the Barrio de Santa Cruz with its maze of narrow streets, whitewashed houses, small squares and flower-filled patios.
Venture south of Seville into the Andalucian countryside to Jerez de la Frontera, famous worldwide for its sherry, brandy and horses. Visit the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art to see either a dressage show or training. Round the day out at one of the many sherry bodegas, or cellars, for a tour and a tasting of this renowned fino wine.
Head to Bilbao, where you tour galleries devoted to modern and contemporary art, including the monumental sculptureThe Matter of Time,at the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.
All fares are quoted in US Dollars.
21021 Ventura Blvd. Suite 300
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
USA
818-990-4053
800-347-4447