© 2010 Intimate France
5 November 2010
Tour price $3,895 per person sharing accommodation * single travelers add $450
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Detailed Itinerary Follows (or download a PDF copy here) Day 1 (Sunday, May 1) From our meeting point, the lobby of the Campanile Malaga Airport Hotel, we begin our Andalucia adventure. In our Intimate France van we climb into the Sierra Nevada mountains. By noon we have arrived in pretty Alhama de Granada, a village of whitewashed houses and narrow streets above a deep gorge. After sightseeing and lunch, we move on to glorious Granada, the main town of Andalucia. Following free time, we take a get-acquainted walk around the old city, followed by a WELCOME DRINK at a pretty cafe and DINNER in the Albaicín district, with views out over the Alhambra palace. OVERNIGHT - GRANADA Day 2 (Monday, May 2) Granada enjoys a glorious setting at the foot of the majestic Sierra Nevada range. Watching over the modern city is the breathtaking Alhambra palace, one of the most magnificent monuments in Europe and, for many, the highlight of a trip to Andalucia. Today we discover the palaces, gardens, fortresses and viewpoints of the Alhambra during a thorough visit. LUNCH in the shadow of the Alhambra. After a break, come with us to Granada Cathedral, which combines gothic and renaissance features with gloriously golden elements, including a dazzling gilded screen. OVERNIGHT - GRANADA Day 3 (Tuesday, May 3) This morning, come along on an optional day trip into the countryside. One hour from Granada lies Guadix, an important town under the Romans, Visigoths and Moors. Today it is known as one of the largest complexes of cave dwellings in Spain. If you like, visit one of these troglodyte homes, now a museum. Back in Granada in the afternoon, enjoy free time or join us as we visit the Monastery of San Jerónimo, with its peaceful cloister, richly decorated renaissance interior and opulent altarpiece. OVERNIGHT - GRANADA Day 4 (Wednesday, May 4) Leaving Granada, we arrive in late morning in pretty Priego de Córdoba, featuring a Moorish quarter with narrow, winding streets and flower-decked homes. After free time and lunch, we move on to nearby Zuheros, a characteristic white village of Andalucia. Late in the day we arrive in Córdoba. After settling into our comfortable hotel in the heart of the old town, we have a delicious DINNER at the beautiful restaurant Almudaina. OVERNIGHT - CORDOBA Day 5 (Thursday, May 5) Today we get to know Córdoba, its old streets lined with whitewashed houses that bear witness to the Moorish era (719-1236). The most striking monument is the mezquita-catedral, which began its life as a Moorish mosque in 780. You'll be amazed at its sumptuous interior and how in the 1500s the victorious Christians cut away a portion of the roof in the center of the mosque to build the loftier vaulting of a small cathedral. After LUNCH, come with us to visit the Alcázar, a mighty fort built by Spanísh Catholic kings in the 1300s. OVERNIGHT - CORDOBA Day 6 (Friday, May 6) Just outside Córdoba is Medina Azahara, the ruins of a sumptuous Moorish city from the 900s. We make an optional day trip here, returning to town around mid-day for lunch and free time. In the afternoon, explore the whitewashed streets and flower-filled plazas of the old juderia (the former Jewish quarter), or (optionally) enjoy a unique experience - a bath in an authentic Moorish bathhouse, dating from the middle ages. OVERNIGHT - CORDOBA Day 7 (Saturday, May 7) Leaving Córdoba, we arrive in mid-morning at Antequera, a pretty town with an old center and cobbled alleys of whitewashed houses leading to a monumental, gothic-renaissance church, the Colegiata de Santa Maria. By lunchtime we have arrived in Ronda, high in the hills of Andalucia. After lunch we check into our hotel, the Don Miguel, perched on the edge of a dramatic gorge, then stroll the streets of the old town. DINNER is at our hotel's restaurant, with a view over the canyon OVERNIGHT - RONDA Day 8 (Sunday, May 8) We explore old Ronda today, touring its bullring-museum (not during a bullfight), one of Spain's oldest and most beautiful. Modern Spanish bullfighting was born here. After LUNCH there are more sightseeing opportunities, including a Moorish bath dating from the 1200s. OVERNIGHT - RONDA Day 9 (Monday, May 9) Leaving Ronda, we first stop in the quiet and lovely whitewashed village of Grazalema before arriving around lunchtime in spectacular Sevilla. Late in the day, join us in visiting the city's immense cathedral, the third largest in Europe, whose most striking feature is an immense Flemish altarpiece profusely carved with Biblical scenes and gleaming with gold leaf. OVERNIGHT - SEVILLA Day 10 (Tuesday, May 10) Sevilla has many delightful neighborhoods such as the barrio of Santa Cruz, the location of our hotel. Today we visit the Alcázar (castle), with its extensive gardens and intricate Moorish architecture in the palace, built by Pedro the Cruel (1350). After LUNCH in the old town, we visit the splendid Fine Arts Museum, featuring works by the well-known Spanish painters Murillo and Zurburán. OVERNIGHT - SEVILLA Day 11 (Wednesday, May 11) Two outstanding palaces are on our schedule today. First, we visit Palacio Lebrija, a noble home from the 1500s featuring glorious decor, Roman mosaics, intricately decorated ceilings and a marvelous stairway. After LUNCH in the old town, we tour Pilate's House, from the 1400s, with fine stucco work, magnificent ceilings and gleaming tileworks - the best of the distinctive mudejar style (a combination of Moorish and Christian). Tonight, come along on an optional tapas crawl (tapas are said to have originated in Sevilla) in Sevilla's atmospheric district of Triana. OVERNIGHT - SEVILLA Day 12 (Thursday, May 12) We return to the coast today, first stopping in pretty Marbella, with its whitewashed buildings and enchanting Plaza de los Naranjos, for sightseeing and lunch. Later we move to our airport-area hotel in Málaga. At day's end join us for a final glass of wine - a toast to amazing Andalucia. OVERNIGHT - MALAGA Getaway day (Friday, May 13) It's time to say goodbye to Spain as you fly home from Málaga. Notes MEALS – Tour includes breakfast every day, as well as eight other meals (lunches and dinners), as indicated in BOLD CAPS on the itinerary. OUR HOTELS Hotel Inglaterra, Granada Hotel Posada de Vallina, Córdoba Hotel Don Miguel, Ronda Hotel Amadeus, Sevilla Campanile Málaga Airport Hotel, Málaga HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS – Subject to change according to availability.
ITINERARY – Details of this preliminary itinerary could change. A final itinerary will be issued closer to trip departure. SIGHTSEEING – All sightseeing listed in itinerary is included as part of the tour. |
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