Airport Transfers

Tour begins: 6:00 PM, Le Meridien Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. Welcome to Barcelona! A transfer is included from Barcelona Airport to your first night’s hotel, Le Meridien Barcelona. Your hotel is right in the heart of the city, adjacent to Las Ramblas.

Join us this evening for a welcome reception and dinner. Meals D

Sightseeing

Walk along Las Ramblas to Barcelona’s largest open market, the Boquería, and Plaça del Pi. Explore the Gothic Quarter, or Barri Gòtic, where most of the architecture dates back to the 13th and 15th centuries. Visit Plaça Nova and Barcelona’s cathedral, completed over a period of 500 years. Drive to Montjuic, Barcelona’s seafront hill, the main site of the 1992 Olympics. See the impressive stadium that overlooks the city and the port, and other Olympic attractions. Visit Antoni Gaudí I Cornet’s extraordinary El Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. His unfinished cathedral features three different facades, each with four intricate spires and a dome that towers over 500 feet – the impressive building efforts are still ongoing today.

Relaxation

The remainder of the day is at your leisure. Meals B

Commercial Flights

Fly today from Barcelona to Granada, located in the foothills of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada.

Sightseeing

Visit the Alhambra, one of the world’s most beautiful palaces, built by Moorish rulers. Tour the palace, and the lovely adjoining terraced quarters of the Generalife, grounds of the former sultans’ summer palace. Continue on to Ronda, arriving early evening. Set high above Tajo Gorge, the incomparable setting has attracted artists, poets, and writers seeking artistic inspiration.

Hotels

Stay in one of Spain’s unique paradors this evening, boasting incomparable panoramic scenery. Meals BLD

Sightseeing

Spend the morning exploring Ronda, renowned for its historic bullring, Moorish architecture and dramatic views of Tajo Gorge. Following lunch, depart northward through Andalucía; view small, whitewashed towns that gradually become more picturesque with the ascent in altitude. Mountain pueblos often are brilliantly splashed with colorful flowers, and a traditional way of life still exists today.

Performing Arts

Arrive late in the afternoon in Seville; this evening, attend a flamenco show and dinner. Meals BLD

Sightseeing

See the treasures of Seville including Parque de María Luisa, displaying buildings from the Spanish-American Exhibition of 1929; Palacio de San Telmo; the former Royal Tobacco Factory where the fictional Carmen worked; Murillo Gardens; and exhibition buildings from Expo ’92. A walking tour includes a visit to the world’s third largest cathedral, featuring the disputed tomb of Christopher Columbus. Barrio de Santa Cruz, the former Jewish Quarter, is a labyrinth of old streets filled with beautiful hanging baskets; explore at your leisure. Meals B

Sightseeing

Travel to Córdoba. A beautiful maze of small streets and narrow alleyways awaits exploration, featuring patios surrounded by wrought-iron gates filled with scented flowers. Take a walking tour through the historic Jewish Quarter, followed by a visit to ornate La Mezquita, the third largest mosque in the world.

Trains

Journey by high-speed AVE train to Madrid. Meals BL

Sightseeing

Enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city today, beginning with a visit to Museo del Prado, one of the world’s most renowned museums. See Palacio de Oriente, the opulent Royal Palace built in the 18th century; Puerta del Sol; the Neptuno and Cibeles fountains; grand avenues such as Gran Vía and Castellana; El Parque del Buen Retiro, designed in the 18th century for Spanish nobility; and the bullring.

Join us this evening for a farewell dinner featuring traditional Castilian entertainment. Meals BD

Airport Transfers

Tour ends: Madrid, Spain. A transfer is included from The Westin Palace, Madrid to Madrid’s Barajas Airport. Allow a minimum of 21/2 hours for check-in. Meals B