Payment of bespoke trip to Spain | 28th of April – 6th of May | 2 pax
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Description and schedule of services
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28th of April: arrival to Madrid and introductory history, architecture and art tour of the city including the Prado Museum
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9am: upon arrival of your flight to Madrid airport, collect your luggage, walk to the arrivals hall and meet your private driver. He will be waiting for you there holding a sign saying “Kenneth and Jeryl – Genuine Andalusia”. Then be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to your hotel in the city.
10:30am (estimated): upon arrival to your hotel in Madrid, check-in (subject to your rooms being ready) and enjoy some free time to rest, freshen up and have lunch before your introductory tour of the city. We will give you recommendations of things to do and see during your free time in the city and also of places to eat. We will book tables for you if you wish.
2pm: meet your personal guide at your hotel to go on an introductory tour of Madrid old town aimed at setting the context for your stay in the city and in Spain.
Your tour will take you through the oldest quarters of the Spanish capital in order for you to understand where Madrid has its roots and from where it has evolved until becoming the vibrant and cosmopolitan capital it is today.
A first highlight of your walk will be the iconic Plaza Mayor where you will be explained about the important historical events that have happened there over the past 400 years and their importance in the history of Madrid and of Spain. Another highlight will be learning about the history of the Spanish monarchy while you stroll along the grand façades of the Royal Palace, to later enjoy a panoramic view of its gardens and of the nearby opera house.
4:30m: after this introduction to the Spanish capital, you will continue your discovery journey of the city and of Spain with a visit to the Prado Museum. There your guide will take you on a private tour that will allow you to travel through Spanish history of art while you enjoy the remarkable works of Spanish master painters such as Velazquez, Goya and El Greco amongst others. This will allow you to understand how different historical periods shaped the artistic creation at each time and how much of Spain’s culture and sentiment is expressed in the works of its main artists.
6pm: after your tour of Madrid, enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight in Madrid: own arrangements
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29th of April: day trip to Toledo from Madrid
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9am: meet your personal driver at your accommodation in Madrid and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Toledo old town.
10am: upon arrival to Toledo, meet your personal local host to start a panoramic tour of the city from your vehicle, aimed at setting the context for your exploration of the local history and architecture. This first part of the tour will take you to see some excellent panoramic views of Toledo allowing you to understand its geography and strategic location.
Then you will be driven to the old town quarters to start a private walking tour of the city with a special focus on its medieval history, from its origins and maximum splendor under the Hispanic-Muslim rule until the Christian conquest of the city.
Along your tour you will visit the synagogue of Santa María la Blanca, which is an extraordinary example of the Jewish-Sephardic heritage of the city.
Your tour will also allow you to learn about the presence of the Hispanic-Muslim culture in the city while you are shown some selected samples (civil, religious and defensive) of a particular crossover between Hispanic-Muslim and Christian architecture styles called Mudéjar and which you will later re-encounter in Seville.
Finally, to top up your tour you will visit the Cathedral of Toledo, which is one of the most important ones ever erected in Spain.
1:30pm: end of your private walking tour of Toledo and free time for lunch at leisure before your return to Madrid. We will give you recommendations of places to eat in Toledo and will book a table for you if you wish.
3:30pm: reconnect with your driver and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle with a dedicated driver from Toledo back to your hotel in Madrid.
4:30pm: arrival to your accommodation in Madrid and rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight in Madrid: own arrangements
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30th of April: from Madrid to Seville via Cordoba to see the Great Mosque Cathedral
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10:45am: meet your personal driver at your hotel and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Madrid train station.
11:05am: arrival to Madrid train station on time to take your high-speed train to Cordoba.
11:30am: departure of your high-speed train from Madrid to Córdoba (1st class seats).
1:15pm: upon arrival to Córdoba train station, meet your personal driver and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Córdoba old town.
1:40am: upon arrival to Córdoba old town, enjoy some free time for lunch at leisure before your private walking tour of the city (your driver stays in the van with your luggage).
3pm: meet your personal local host at a previously agreed meeting point to start a private walking tour of Córdoba old town.
A UNESCO site since 1994, Córdoba is an inspirational city, which during the Middle Ages, saw a peaceful interaction between the three great Mediterranean cultures. Jews, Muslims and Christians coexisted then in the city turning it into a unique intellectual hub that gave birth to very renowned philosophers, poets, scientists and doctors. This also resulted in the construction of unique buildings of remarkable historical significance.
During your private walking tour, you’ll learn about the period of maximum intellectual splendour of the city and you will see beautiful examples of architecture and urban planning that will allow you to recreate all the grandeur of this era, which has the Great Mosque – Cathedral as its most representative construction.
The Great Mosque-Cathedral is probably the most thought-provoking building in Spain and your personal local host will uncover all its beauty and complexity for you. You will understand its origins, its different enlargements and the role that the building has played in the culture and social fabric of the city throughout the centuries.
5pm: after your tour reconnect with your private driver and be transferred from Cordoba old town to your hotel in Seville.
6:45pm: arrival to your hotel in Seville and end of services for the day. We will give you recommendations of things to do and see during your free time in the city and also of places to eat. We will book tables for you if you wish.
Overnight in Seville: own arrangements
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1st of May: private walking tour of Seville UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the morning and evening flamenco and tapas tour
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9:30am: be met by your personal local guide at your hotel in Seville to start a private walking tour that will take you to visit its impressive World Heritages Sites: the Alcazar or Moorish palace, the Cathedral with its Giralda tower and the Archive of the Indies.
You will start your discovery journey by visiting the Alcazar, which is a massive complex of palaces erected in different periods and of breath-taking gardens of different styles. The Alcazar has stunning historical constructions featuring a very particular crossover between Hispanic-Muslim and Christian architecture styles, called Mudejar. This style became very fashionable in Spain in the 14th and 15th centuries amongst the Christian nobility and it reached its maximum splendor in Seville. Another essential part of the Alcazar is the famous house of Trade, which once hosted the offices from where all the commerce with the New World was managed. After enjoying these inner areas, you will be taken to the gardens, which are an exquisite sample of European landscaping from the 16th until the 20th centuries.
Then you will be taken to visit the Cathedral, which is the largest gothic temple in the World and where Christopher Columbus is buried. The Cathedral of Seville was built on a vast extension of land where previously a Mosque had been erected. An important part of the Mosque was preserved and it is now a part of the Cathedral. This makes it a unique construction featuring styles as diverse as Hispanic-Muslim, Gothic, Renaissance, Neoclassical and Baroque. A most important part of the Cathedral is its bell tower known as la Giralda, which is a perfectly preserved Hispanic-Muslim minaret from the period when a Mosque occupied the grounds where the Cathedral stands today. During your tour you will be taken to the top in order to enjoy the wonderful views of Seville that one can admire from there.
To finish you will visit the Archive of the Indies. The Archive of the Indies is an iconic neoclassical building erected to keep invaluable documents from all those commercial expeditions that took place between Seville and the New World. Learning about it will uncover probably the most glorious period of the history of Seville and how it connects to the American continent and to the present character of the city.
1:30pm: end of your tour and rest of the afternoon at leisure.
6:30pm: meet your personal local host by the reception desk of your hotel to start a guided walk towards a selected flamenco venue in Seville old town.
This introductory walk is aimed at learning how flamenco emerged from South West Spain as a result of a slow fusion of the ancient multicultural musical heritage of Southern Spain with the original gypsy rhythms and musical roots. This will set the context for (and enhance your appreciation and enjoyment of) the flamenco performance in a small and intimate venue that will follow, with 4 people on stage (one singer, one guitarist and two dancers).
7:30pm: start of the flamenco performance.
8:30pm: after your flamenco performance, enjoy a tapas tasting tour through Seville old town. Along the journey, you will be taken to 2 – 3 different bars where Sevillanos like to gather with relatives and friends and where you will be immersed into the local culture through its gastronomy and wine. Along the tour you will taste a selection of 6 – 9 local dishes to share and up to 4 drinks per person (wine, beer, refreshments, water). This tour will also make an excellent opportunity to learn about the differences between the tapas and wines of Granada and Seville.
10:30pm: after your tapas and wines adventure, be escorted back to your hotel stopping along the way for a sweet local treat.
11pm: arrival to your hotel and end of services for the day.
Overnight in Seville: own arrangements
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2nd of May: from Seville to Granada vía Ronda for a tour of the old town.
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9am: meet your personal driver at your accommodation in Seville and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Ronda old town.
10:45am: upon arrival to Ronda, meet your personal local host and enjoy a private guided tour of the old town.
This private walking tour of Ronda old town will give you an excellent overview of the Hispanic-Muslim origins of the city and of the transformations that it started to experience in 1485 when it was conquered by Christians. It was then when many wealthy military orders settled down in Ronda in order to defend its strategic location near the straits of Gibraltar and very well connected to the main Southern Spanish cities.
These new inhabitants erected many noble residences and funded the construction of impressive religious constructions too. In the 18th century Ronda experienced a time of maximum splendor and its main landmark was built: the majestic New Bridge, which you will visit during your tour.
Ronda also has stunning nature in its surroundings and your tour will take you to the best viewpoints. This will allow you to understand why this whitewashed gem attracted so many romantic travelers in the 19th century during their Grand Tour and the impact that their written, drawn and painted portraits of Andalusia had in the international perception of Spain in the following decades until today.
1:15pm: end of your tour of Ronda and free time for lunch at leisure and to maybe explore the town a little bit further on your own.
3pm: reconnect with your driver and be transferred from Ronda to Granada.
5:15pm: arrival to your accommodation in Granada and end of services for the day.
Overnight in Granada: Junior Suite with breakfast included at hotel Casa 1800 Granada (3*)
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3rd of May: private walking tour of the Alhambra and El Generalife
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9:30am: be met by your personal Alhambra expert at your hotel and be transferred by taxi to the top of the hill of la Sabika, where the Alhambra and El Generalife are located.
9:45am: start your private walking tour of the Alhambra and el Generalife. This tour will allow you to enjoy the exquisite refinement of the most splendorous construction that the Muslims built in Spain: the Alhambra. The Alhambra was a palatial town, formed by different parts, all of which you will get to discover with your local host in order to understand how they all worked together, the role that each of them had and the different people who inhabited them.
After your tour of the Alhambra you will be taken to the Generalife or summer palace of the Nasrid Sultans, where they would go to get away from the hustle of life in the Alhambra. The Generalife is a magical place designed for relaxation and contemplation and its gardens, architecture and views are simply spectacular.
1:30pm: end of your private tour of the Alhambra and rest of the day at leisure in Granada.
Overnight in Granada: Junior Suite with breakfast included at hotel Casa 1800 Granada (3*)
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4th of May: morning flight from Granada to Barcelona and afternoon tour of Gaudi’s architectural masterpieces
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7:30am: meet your personal driver at your accommodation and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to Granada airport.
8am: arrival to Granada airport on time to take your flight to Barcelona at 9:30am.
9:30am: departure of your flight from Granada to Barcelona (Vueling airlines VY2011).
11am: upon arrival of your flight to Barcelona airport, collect your luggage, walk to the arrivals hall and meet your personal driver there. He will be holding a sign saying “Kenneth and Jeryl – Genuine Andalusia”. Then be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to your hotel in Barcelona.
12:15pm (estimated): upon arrival to your hotel in Barcelona, enjoy some free time to check-in (subject to your rooms being ready) and to have lunch before your introductory walking tour of the city. We will give you recommendations of things to do and see during your free time in the city and also of places to eat. We will book tables for you if you wish.
3:30pm: meet your personal local host at your accommodation and be transferred by taxi to Parc Güell.
3:55pm: upon arrival, you will be taken on a private walking tour of the park aimed at understanding the extent to which Gaudi was able to expand his creativity and versatility. Promoted by the local businessman Eusebi Güell, the park was originally devised as an exclusive garden for the well-to-do local families who wanted to get away from the busy city life and be closer to nature. Güell gave Gaudí free rein to design the site, in such a way that the architect was able to experiment with new construction techniques and incorporate references to Classical mythology, the history of Catalonia and the Christian religion and this is what your tour will uncover for you.
5:15am: after your tour of Parc Güell, be transferred by taxi to the church of La Sagrada Familia.
5:25am: arrival to la Sagrada Familia and private tour of the site. After your initial discovery of Catalan Modernist architecture and the work of Gaudí, you will have the right context to enjoy the magnificence of this temple and to understand the visionary that Gaudí was, by taking a private tour of both the inside and the outside of the building with your personal local host. The church of la Sagrada familia is the most ambitious and complex project of Gaudí as it incorporates all the structural innovations he had developed during his career. Also, the temple contains a fascinating symbolism revealing the in-depth knowledge of Christian liturgy that Gaudí acquired after several decades of intense study.
7pm: after your visit to la Sagrada familia, enjoy the rest of the day at leisure in the city.
Overnight in Barcelona: deluxe garden room with breakfast included at hotel Casa Mimosa (4*)
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5th of May: day trip from Barcelona to Figueres and to the medieval village of Besalú and city of Girona.
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9am: meet your personal local host by the reception desk of your hotel and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle with a dedicated driver to the Dalí Museum in Figueres.
10:40am: once at the Dalí museum, take a private tour with your guide aimed at learning about the life and work of the artist and about the museum itself, which is one of the most eclectic ones in the world.
12pm: after your tour of the museum, be picked up by your private driver and be transferred in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle to the medieval town of Besalú.
12:30pm: upon arrival to Besalú, take a private walking tour of its picturesque medieval quarters, while you learn about the history of its former Hispanic-Jewish community and about how it coexisted with the Christian majority. Besalu also features an impressive bridge from the 11th century that you may want to cross to capture the lovely views of the town from across the river.
1:45pm: after your introductory tour of Besalú, enjoy a well deserved lunch in a local restaurant with your local host. This will make an excellent opportunity to learn about life in Catalonia beyond Barcelona and about how different the rural areas can be from the urban ones.
3:30pm: after lunch, reconnect with your driver and be transferred to the nearby city of Girona.
4:10pm: upon arrival to Girona, enjoy a private walking tour of the old town including the Jewish Quarter, its Gothic Cathedral and the picturesque bridges over the Onyar river, which separates the old sections of the city from the new ones.
6pm: reconnect with your driver and be transferred back to your hotel in Barcelona.
7:30pm: arrival to your hotel in Barcelona and end of services for the day.
Overnight in Barcelona: deluxe garden room with breakfast included at hotel Casa Mimosa (4*)
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6th of May: departure from Barcelona
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9:30am: private transfer in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle from your hotel in Barcelona to Barcelona airport.
10am: arrival to Barcelona airport on time to take your flight and end of services.
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Pricing
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The cost of this bespoke trip for a private group of 2 people is 9995 Euros
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This price includes
– 4 nights’ accommodation with breakfast included as per mentioned above.
– All private transportation services mentioned above in a modern and comfortable Mercedes vehicle with a dedicated professional driver.
– All private tours mentioned above with a knowledgeable, personable, kind, flexible and interactive fully licensed guide.
– All entrance tickets and admissions for all these tours.
– High-speed train tickets (1st class seats) to travel from Madrid to Cordoba on the 30th of April.
– Admission to a selected flamenco show in Seville with 4 artists onstage (2 dancers, 1 singer and 1 guitarist)
– A tapas and wines dinner through 2 – 3 selected tapas bars of Seville old town including a selection of 6 9 dishes to share and up to 4 drinks per person.
– Taxi ride to get from your hotel to the Alhambra before your tour of the site.
– Taxi rides to get from your hotel in Barcelona to Parc Güell, from Parc Güell to Sagrada Familia.
– Airline tickets to travel from Granada to Barcelona on the 4th of May. Direct flight with Vueling Airlines (a subsidiary or Iberia Airlines) including one checked-in piece of luggage per person (25kg max), one cabin bag (max 10kg and 55x40x20cm) per person and one handbag (40x20x30cm) per person.
– A list of recommended things to do and see and of places to eat in each of the places you will visit.
– Petrol, parkings and tolls.
– 24h guardian angel service throughout your trip.
– All taxes.
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This price excludes
– Your international flights.
– Your accommodation in Madrid and in Seville.
– Any meals not mentioned in the section “this price includes”.
– Anything else not mentioned in the section “this price includes”.
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Confirmation and payments
In order to confirm this tour program at this price we require a 30% deposit of the grand total via credit/debit card no later than the 14 of March 2023 at 11:59pm (Madrid time). The final 70% must be paid via the same method no later than 30 days prior to the start of the trip.
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Grand total of this bespoke trip: 9995 Euros
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30% deposit needed no later than the 14th of March at 11:59pm (Madrid time) to confirm the trip: 2998,5 Euros.
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Final 70% needed no later than 30 days prior to the start of the trip: 6996,5 Euros
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Cancellation policy
– If you cancel your trip more than 30 days prior to its scheduled start, we will charge the 30% deposit only.
– If you cancel your trip between 30 and 15 days prior to its scheduled start, we will charge 50% of the full cost of the trip and we will refund the other 50%.
– If you cancel your trip between 14 and 4 days prior to its scheduled departure, we will charge 75% of the full cost of the trip and we will refund the other 25%.
– If you cancel your trip 3 days or less prior to scheduled departure, we will charge 100% of the full cost of the trip.
(*) Please note that partial cancellations won’t result in partial refunds. This applies to the group size and to the tours, activities and duration of the trip.
