MADRID ANDALUSIA (JUNE 2025)

Meeting at the airport and flight to Madrid, which has been the capital of Spain since 1561. This impressive city with a population of almost 4,000,000 inhabitants is built at an altitude of 650 meters and dominates the central plateau of the Iberian Peninsula, the "meseta" of Castile. After arrival, transfer and check-in at the hotel. Afternoon free for a first acquaintance with the city, walking along Gran Via, Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, etc. Optionally, a guided tour with our leader is suggested to the most interesting places of the metropolis (beyond what we will see in the scheduled tour), to better get to know the Madrid of the Bourbons, its northern districts with the impressive Real Madrid stadium, the Santiago Bernabeu, the Puerta de Europa with the leaning twin towers, the Plaza de Toros, the city's bullring, Plaza Colón with the archaeological museum, the Plaza de España with the huge Cervantes monument, the famous Egyptian Temple of Debod with the excellent panoramic view, the magnificent Retiro Park and the historic city square, the Plaza de Oriente with the Royal Palace and the Opera House. Overnight.

Morning tour of perhaps the most important Art Gallery in the world, the Prado (Museo del Prado). The more than 10,000 works in its collection offer a unique journey through time and color. Here we will admire the masterpieces of El Greco, Velázquez and Goya, who "stand" next to other equally important painters. Then we will walk through the most bohemian district of the center of Madrid, the famous Barrio de las Letras, the neighborhood of letters, where many of the great painters and writers of Spain lived and created, such as Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de Vega and Federico García Lorca. This is where the city's nightlife hits with cervecerias (beerhouses), tapas bars, jazz clubs, etc. Our tour ends in the heart of the Habsburg Madrid, the city's historical and commercial center. For the afternoon, we suggest an optional excursion to the other jewel of Castile, Segovia, the old capital of the Christian kingdoms of the center and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. Through a lush green route we will approach the city, where we will see its trademark, the famous Roman aqueduct of the 1st century AD, which provided water to the city until the 19th century. The Alcazar de Segovia is one of the most beautiful and well-preserved fortified palaces of the 13th century. We will visit the Jewish quarter with the former historic synagogues, which are now churches, as well as the Cathedral, a masterpiece of the Basque-Castilian Gothic era. But Segovia is not only monuments. It is also the gastronomic capital of Castile, famous for its oven-roasted lamb, cochinillo (suckling pig) and the famous Ponche (ponche) Segoviano. Return to Madrid late in the afternoon. Overnight.

This morning we will depart for the most historic city in Spain, medieval Toledo. A natural impregnable fortress (due to the Tagus River), dominating since Roman times. The city of three cultures (Arabs-Jews-Christians) and the city of Don Quixote and Cervantes' Caballeros. The diamond in the crown of the Spanish empire of the 15th and 16th centuries, where the sun never set. The city where El Greco lived and worked. A museum in itself. We will wander through the narrow streets of the medieval city with its great historical, artistic and cultural heritage and visit the Cathedral, a unique building of great artists and a mixture of many architectural styles, where we will see paintings of incredible value by El Greco, such as the Expolio and the collection of the Apostles, as well as paintings by Tiziano, Raffaello and Caravaggio. Next, in the church of Santo Tomé (Saint Thomas), we will admire El Greco's most important and largest work, "The Burial of the Count of Orgath", a masterpiece that captures all the influences and styles of the famous Cretan painter. Descending towards the Jewish quarter we will come across El Greco's house, where he lived with his wife Hieronymite and his son Giorgos-Manolis. This is followed by a visit to a traditional Damasquinado craft, the famous Toledo art that comes from distant Damascus and is based on working on steel. Return to Madrid. For the afternoon we recommend visiting the aristocratic district of Barrio de Salamanca with its elegant shops. Enjoy your coffee in the atmospheric Plaza Oriente with a view of the palace, wander through the alleys of the old town ending up in the central square, Plaza Mayor and try a hot chocolate at the famous Chocolatería San Ginés. Overnight.

Our road trip to Andalusia begins today. Crossing the legendary plateau of La Manchas, where Don Quixote performed his exploits, we will make a stop in the village of Puerto Lapice with its medieval inns, witnesses of the historical route to the south that we will also take. After the Sierra Morena, we will end up in the well-known Cordoba of the Romans, the later Cordoba of the Arabs, the Cordoba of the Christians. In the years of the heyday of the caliphate, it was the capital of the Arabs of Spain and they called it the "Mecca of the West". Averroes, Mohammed Al-Gafke, Ben Maimonides and important Arab scholars lived here, who translated important ancient Greek writings into their language. In the center of the old city we will see the famous Mezquita -Catedral de Cordoba mosque, a monument of incomparable architecture and decoration, which has an area of ​​12,000 square meters and is supported by a forest of 850 marble columns, with an impressive variety of capitals of great historical value. After seeing the Roman Bridge that is still used today, we continue to Seville, the capital of Andalusia, the city of opera, where Carmen, Don Juan, the Barber of Seville and Figaro "lived". In the city that according to Greek mythology was founded by Hercules, the Romans, the Visigoths, the Moors and the Christians left deep marks on its architecture and culture. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Dinner. Overnight.

During our tour today we will see the famous squares of America and Spain and visit the Alcazar, the 9th century Arab-Christian palace with beautiful courtyards and spaces decorated in the unique Arabic style. Next to it stands the huge Gothic Cathedral, which is the largest Cathedral in the world! In the 14th century, this Gothic miracle was built on the foundations of the old mosque, which would become the center of Catholicism for the entire Spanish Empire. Here is the tomb of Christopher Columbus and the 93-meter-high bell tower-old minaret Giralda, the only part that survives from the old mosque. Then we will walk through the Santa Cruz district with its picturesque alleys, medieval buildings and flower-adorned balconies. For the evening we suggest you watch a flamenco show in the city where it was born and indulge in the passionate rhythm of the Dinner. Overnight

Morning departure for Malaga, the city where Pablo Picasso was born. A panoramic tour of the city will follow, during which we will see, among others, the imposing 8th-century Alcazaba castle, the best preserved in the entire country, and the cathedral. Some free time to stroll through the picturesque narrow streets of the historic center. We continue inland to end up at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, where Granada is built, the "Rose of Andalusia", as the Moors called it. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Dinner. Overnight.

This morning we will see the most important Arab monument in Spain, the Alhambra, a masterpiece of Islamic art from the 14th century with unimaginable detail in the decoration, with arabesques invoking Allah and with beautiful fountains. The heyday of the Sultanate of Granada in all its glory. Next to it are the magnificent Generalife Gardens, the "Gardens of Paradise", with trees, flowers and water, which will lure us into a world of contemplation and relaxation. Then, after getting a taste of the historic center of Granada, we will ascend towards the Castilla La Mancha region to end up in Madrid. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Overnight.

A little free time in the morning, until our transfer to the airport