MADRID -TOLEDO-SEGOVIA – FREQUENT DEPARTURES EASTER & JUNE - 5 DAYS

Meeting at the airport and flight to Madrid with Aegean Airlines, which has been the capital of Spain since 1561. This impressive city with a population of 4,000,000 inhabitants is built at an altitude of 650 meters and dominates the central plateau of the Iberian Peninsula, Castile. 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 in the city (beyond what we will see in the scheduled tour), to get to know the Madrid of the Bourbons, its northern districts with the impressive Real stadium, the Santiago Bernabeu, the Puerta de Europa, the Plaza de Toros, the city's Arena, Plaza Colón with the archaeological museum, the Plaza de España with the huge Cervantes monument, the famous Egyptian monument of Debod, the Retiro Park and the most historic square in the city, the Plaza Mayor. Overnight.

Morning tour of the world's most important art gallery, the Prado (Museo de 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, which "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 the arts, where many of Spain's great painters and writers lived and created, such as Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Lope de Vega and Federico García Lorca. This is where the city's nightlife is at its best with cervecerias (beerhouses), tapas, Jazz clubs, etc. Our tour ends in the heart of Habsburg Madrid, the city's historical and commercial center. In the afternoon, we recommend visiting the aristocratic neighborhood 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 main square, Plaza Mayor, and try a hot chocolate at the famous Chocolatería San Ginés. In the evening, we optionally suggest watching Flamenco in its homeland and letting yourself be captivated by its intense and passionate rhythm. Overnight stay.

Morning departure for the most historic city in Spain, medieval Toledo. A natural impregnable fortress (due to the Tagus River), existing 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 by 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, Rafaello and Caravaggio. Then, in the church of Santo Tomé (Saint Thomas), we will admire El Greco's most important and largest work, "The Burial of Count Orgath", a masterpiece that captures all the influences and styles of the famous Cretan painter. Going down towards the Jewish quarter, we will come across El Greco's house, where he lived with his wife Ieronymis and his son George-Manolis. This is followed by a visit to a factory with "Damasquinado", the famous Toledo art that comes from distant Damascus and is based on working on steel. Return to Madrid. Overnight.

This morning we will set off towards the other jewel of Castile, Segovia, the old capital of the central kingdoms and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. Through a verdant 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 about monuments. It is also the gastronomic capital of Castile, famous for its oven-roasted lamb, cochinillo (suckling pig) and Jamon Iberico. Return to Madrid late in the afternoon. Overnight.

Today our journey ends, leaving behind beautiful memories and a promise that we will return.