Day 1, Depart USA: Overnight flight to Madrid.

Day 2, Arrive Madrid: Welcome to Spain! If you have purchased our Air and Land package you are transferred to your tour hotel. This afternoon is at leisure to relax and settle in. This evening join your fellow passengers and Tour Director for a Welcome Drink.

Day 3, Madrid - Barcelona: This morning we follow the wide, arid plains of Castille. After passing Guadalajara, we follow the Jalon River Valley, dotted with Mudejar Towers, survivors of a bygone era of Moorish domination. We continue past Zaragoza in the province of Aragón, before encountering a different culture and language in the dynamic Catalunya capital of Barcelona. (Buffet Breakfast)

Day 4, Barcelona Sightseeing: Barcelona was host to the 1992 Olympic Games and a view of the games complex is just one exciting feature of our guided tour. We visit to the Gothic quarter, where we see the ancient cathedral. Then we continue to the famous Ramblas, with its open-air markets and cafes. In contrast to the old part of town, we drive along the broad, elegant avenues of the Eixample district to admire Gaudi's extraordinary unfinished creation, the Sagrada Familia church, about which opinions are so strongly divided. Tonight we enjoy a highlight dinner with wine and entertainment, and visit all of Spain in one park at 'Pueblo Español'!
(Buffet Breakfast/ Dinner)

Day 5, Barcelona - Valencia: Sadly, we bid farewell to Barcelona as we follow the Costa Dorada south. We stop in Peñíscola to view the white walled cottages clustered around the sea-lapped castle used in the film 'El Cid'. We continue past the famous orange groves to Valencia. An orientation tour with our Tour Director shows us the 15th century City Gates of Serranos and Cuarte, the Gothic Generalidad Palace, El Miguelete Cathedral with its famous octagonal bell tower, and the 14th century Church of Our Lady of the Forsaken. (Buffet Breakfast/ Dinner)

Day 6, Leaving Valencia this morning we head toward the Costa Blanca. We pass through the stately waving palm tree forests of Elche and then past the lemon groves in Murcia. We then drive amid the superb scenery of the Sierra Nevada with magnificent mountain views on all sides, as we cross the Mora Pass to reach glorious Granada. Here, over looking the town, awaits one of the Alhambra. We explore this exquisite palace; a fantasy of stone cut lace, arabesque gardens and fountains, built as a citadel by the Moors in the 13th century. We also visit the exotic water gardens of the Generalife, the royal summer residence. (Buffet Breakfast/ Dinner)

Day 7, Granada - Seville: This morning a beautiful drive through gleaming white villages and brilliant fields of golden sunflowers brings us to Seville, capital of Andalucía, and one of the most charming cities in Spain. Seville has a distinctive character and presence which our local guide unfolds for us. We visit the massive cathedral, burial place of Christopher Columbus and enriched with the spoils of the New World. We pass the Moorish Giralda Tower and Santa Cruz quarter with its flower-decked balconies, before seeing the Alcazar. Then we see the Expo site and scale model of the vessel 'Victoria', the first to circumnavigate the globe. (Buffet Breakfast/ Dinner)

Day 8, Seville at Leisure: Today we are at leisure in Seville. Perhaps explore the peaceful Maria Luisa park with its archeological museum, or visit the museum of fine art inside a glorious former barque convent? Or ask your Tour Director about an optional day trip to the superb sandy beaches of Portugal's Algarve region. Tonight, perhaps do as the locals do, and eat at a traditional tapas bar? (Buffet breakfast)

Day 9, Seville - Madrid: We set off early this morning, driving along the Guadalquivir valley, to stop in the perfectly preserved city of Cordoba. Important in the times of the Romans and the Visigoths, Cordoba knew its Golden Age under the Moors - the magnificent 8th century mosque (the Mezquita) with its 850 columns bear witness to their artistic genius. This morning we enjoy a guided visit of the mosque, which has been used as a Christian cathedral since the 13th century, and we see the famous 2000 year old bridge. Then we continue across the Sierra Morena mountains and the plain of La Mancha, following in the steps of Don Quixote, on our way back to Madrid (Buffet breakfast)

Day 10, Madrid Sightseeing: This morning we enjoy a sightseeing tour along the noble avenues to see the statue of Cervantes' fictional hero, Don Quixote in the Plaza de España. We continue past Cibeles Fountain and the Parliament, and cross the Puerta del Sol. We then visit the Prado Museum to admire the paintings of Velázquez. Now time to relax at a café or shop in the elegant boutiques of Serrano? Tonight, why not join a farewell dinner, in the heart of town, with wine and music? (Buffet Breakfast)

Day 11, Return USA: Our tour ends today after breakfast. Transfers to Madrid Airport are included in the Air and Land package. (Buffet breakfast)