Paris, Tours, Lyon, Nice, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo
Tour Itinerary
Day 1 - Depart USA Overnight flight to Paris.
Day 2- Arrive Paris (2 nights) Welcome to Paris, the elegant capital of France! After check-in you are free to explore this beautiful city or just relax. Tonight, enjoy a Welcome Drink with your Tour Director and meet your fellow travellers.
Hotel: Oceania (2 nights)
Day 3 - Paris sightseeing and at leisure Today''s sightseeing tour with a local guide includes the ascent of the Eiffel Tower to its second level for wonderful views over the city. Other highlights include views of Notre Dame Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde and the Champs Élysées before we enjoy a visit of Les Invalides with its golden dome. As part of the Army Museum, its most important relic is the tomb of France''s most influential ruler, Napoleon Bonaparte. For the rest of the day you may choose to stroll through the Luxembourg gardens, visit the Louvre or relax over a ''café au lait'' in a sidewalk café. (Buffet breakfast)
Day 4 - Paris – Loire Valley Chateaux – Tours First we drive to Chartres – famous for its mighty Cathedral with its blue stained glass windows. Built on a ley line, this spot has always been said to have mystical power! Then down to the valley of the quiet River Loire with its many beautiful villages and resplendent castles, home to French royalty over the centuries. We’ll stop at Chambord to see the impressive chateau, and then visit fairy tale Chenonceau, straddling the River Cher. Then we continue to our hotel and tonight we enjoy a special dinner with wine in a château where we can try all the local specialities. (Buffet breakfast / ''Be My Guest'' Dinner)
Hotel: Mercure Nord
Day 5 - Tours – Bourges – Lyon Today’s journey takes us through the very centre of France. First we stop in Bourges, to see the Palais Jacques Coeur, the Cathedral of St. Stephen and the delightful archbishop’s gardens. Then into the very centre of the ‘hexagon’, as the French often call their homeland, to stop at the village of St. Amand Montrond. We continue via the volcanic hills around Clermont Ferrand and on to Lyon – a gourmet’s paradise on the Rhone and Saône Rivers. A walking tour of the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, reveals the city’s rich and cultural past. It is the largest Renaissance district in France with its narrow streets, inner courtyards and ‘traboules’. We will also drive up the Fourvière hill to admire awe-inspiring views over the city. Then on to our hotel for dinner and overnight. (Buffet breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel: Novotel Porte du Valvert
Day 6- Lyon – Châteauneuf du Pape – Avignon – Nice (2 nights) Our first stop this morning is in the wine village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape where we stop to see the amazing vistas from the ruined fortress and visit one of the Cote du Rhone wine cellars to sample some of the delicious wine. Then on to Avignon, where we see the Papal palace and famous ‘Pont’ (bridge) over the Rhone. Finally we arrive in Nice where an orientation drive shows us the Promenade des Anglais and the Place Massena, before we continue to our hotel for the next two nights. (Buffet breakfast)
Hotel: Massena (2 nights)
Day 7- Nice – Visit to Monte Carlo A free morning to relax and perhaps take a stroll along the Promenade or shop in the trendy boutiques! Later this afternoon we will enjoy a scenic drive along the Côte d’Azur to visit Monaco and Monte Carlo. Here we’ll see the beautiful casino built by Charles Garnier in the 19th century and our Tour Director will show us a Hidden Treasure as we explore the Principality. (Buffet breakfast)
Day 8- Nice – Cannes – Barcelona (2 nights) A short drive to ‘la Croisette’ in glamorous Cannes where we have time to admire the yachts in the marina and go celebrity-spotting! We’ll see the Film Festival Centre before re-joining the highway to drive through Provençal landscapes reminiscent of Van Gogh paintings. Then on past the Camargue National Park and to the border with Spain. We cross over the foothills of the Pyrenees and are soon in the region of Spanish Catalonia. Past olive groves and vineyards we approach the ‘avant-garde’ city of Barcelona – a cosmopolitan port on the Mediterranean. (Buffet breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel: Catalonia Plaza (2 nights)
Day 9- Barcelona sightseeing and at leisure Our morning sightseeing tour with a local guide takes us on a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter with its impressive cathedral. We also see Gaudi''s Sagrada Familia plus many of his other eccentric architectural masterpieces. Later, we''ll view the Columbus Monument and the Ramblas. Afterwards enjoy time at leisure in this sophisticated city, or perhaps an optional excursion to mystical Montserrat to see the Black Madonna? (Buffet breakfast)
Day 10- Barcelona – Madrid (2 nights) We start our day with a drive through the arid Aragon hills to the city of Goya’s birth – Zaragoza on the River Ebro. It is here where the Virgin Mary met St. James, leaving the pilar as testimony to the event – hence the name of the cathedral dedicated to him – El Pilar. We will visit this pilgrimage church and see the ancient Cathedral of La Seo before continuing into the heart of Spanish Castille and Spain’s capital, Madrid. Tonight maybe try our one of Madrid’s many open-air restaurants and enjoy the night time atmopshere of this vibrant capital city. (Buffet breakfast)
Hotel: Rafael Ventas (2 nights)
Day 11- Toledo excursion & Madrid Sightseeing First we enjoy an included excursion to Toledo, capital of Castile. Here sightseeing with a local guide includes a visit to the synagogue, the Church of Santo Tome and a steel workshop. Then we return to Madrid where our guided tour shows us the Plaza España, the Puerta del Sol, the Cibeles Fountain and Gran Via. Then time to join our newly made friends and Tour Director for a Farewell Dinner in a typical restaurant. (Buffet breakfast / Farewell Dinner)
Day 12 - Madrid – Toledo – Granada We travel south to Toledo, former capital of Spain but now the capital of the province of Castile. On our arrival a guided walking tour highlights the Jewish Synagogue, which is one of the oldest in Europe, and the church of Santo Tome which houses one of the masterpieces of El Greco. Then we travel through the wine producing centre of Valdepeñas, before crossing through La Mancha where Don Quixote tilted at windmills as his faithful servant, Sancho Panza, looked on. Later we arrive in hilltop Granada with wonderful views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This evening we have dinner included in our hotel. (Buffet breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel: Gran Luna
Day 13- Granada – Costa del Sol Our morning guided sightseeing tour visits the Alhambra Palace, Spain’s most magnificent example of Moorish architecture and the former residence of the Moorish monarchs of Granada. The name means ‘the red fortress’ and the palace and fortress complex occupies a hilly terrace on the southeastern border of the city. We also see the exotic water gardens of Generalife, the royal summer residence, where you can enjoy fine views over the town and the hills beyond. Then we depart for the coast and the Costa del Sol, on of the most popular resort areas of Europe, where tonight you may wish to sample the nightlife of this lively area. (Buffet breakfast)
Hotel: Crowne Plaza
Day 14- Costa del Sol (Estepona) – Gibraltar – Seville (2 nights) Today we drive along the Costa del Sol to La Linea where we cross to the Rock of Gibraltar, the British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian peninsula and overlooking the Straits of Gibraltar. The territory of Gibraltar was ceded by Spain to Great Britain in perpetuity in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht. There is time to do some duty-free shopping before we travel through the sherry wine region of Jerez to Seville where we spend the next two nights. (Buffet breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel: Zenit (2 nights)
Day 15- Seville Sightseeing & at leisure Seville is the artistic, cultural and financial capital of southern Spain and the capital of Andalusia. The city is situated on the River Guadalquivir and our morning sightseeing with the local guide is dominated by the Bell Tower and weather vane of Giralda. We will also see the pools and fountains of Maria Luisa Park, Christopher Columbus’ tomb, and enjoy a walking tour of the Jewish quarter. Tonight we enjoy an authentic tapas dinner in a typical bodega restaurant and learn about the local sherry, manzanillo. (Buffet breakfast / ''Be my guest'' Dinner)
Day 16- Seville – Lisbon (2 nights) Our journey today takes us via the ‘Jabugo’ (ham centre) of Spain and past mighty castles. Later we enter the Alentejo region of Portugal which is commonly known as the bread basket of Portugal, a region of vast open countryside with undulating plains and rich fertile soil. All the major towns are mainly reliant on agriculture and there are several types of cheeses, wines and smoked hams and sausages which are produced in this region, as well as the cultivation of cork forests. Later we reach the capital, Lisbon, where we stay for the next two nights. You may wish to dine out on local specialities and listen to the haunting sound of Fado music tonight? (Buffet breakfast)
Hotel: NH Parque De Lisboa (2 nights)
Day 17- Lisbon Sightseeing & at leisure Our guided tour shows us the Monument to the Discoveries which was inaugurated in 1960 during the celebrations of the 500-year anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. It commemorates the maritime expansion of Portugal as well as many heroes of Portuguese history including Vasco da Gama and Pedro Álvares Cabral, the discoverer of Brazil. Then we see the beautiful suspension bridge across the Tagus, one of the longest in Europe being 12 miles in length and spanning the estuary, and finally the Belem Tower which was built in the early 16th century to commemorate Vasco da Gama''s expedition. This defensive yet elegant construction has become one of the symbols of the city, a memorial to the Portuguese power during the age of the great discoveries. In 1983 it was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Then time at leisure perhaps to shop for pottery, cork and fisherman’s sweaters in the nearby fishing villages of Cascais and Sintra. Tonight we enjoy a Farewell Dinner with our Tour Director and fellow travellers. (Buffet breakfast / Farewell Dinner)
Day 18- Depart Lisbon This morning after breakfast it is time to bid farewell to our new-found friends and our Tour Director as our tour of Spain and Portugal comes to an end. (Buffet breakfast)
Free airport transfers: Transfers on Day 1 at Madrid Airport will operate at 09.30,12.30, 15.00 and 17.30. Passengers arriving later should make their own way to the first hotel. Return transfers on the last touring day will arrive at Lisbon Airport at 07.00 and 09.30. For passengers who wish to be transferred to Madrid, we will transfer you to the Trafalgar extra night hotel in Madrid with arrival around 6pm.
Important note: Visas may be required for this tour. Please speak with your travel agent at time of booking to assess your specific requirements.
What's Included
Sightseeing Highlights
Madrid: See the Royal Palace, Cervantes Memorial and Puerta del Sol.
Toledo: See the Synagogue, Santo Tome and steel workshop.
Granada: Visit the Alhambra Palace.
Gibraltar: Visit this British overseas territory
Seville: See Columbus’ tomb, the Cathedral, Bell Tower and Maria Luisa Park.
Lisbon: See the Monument to the Discoveries and Belem Tower.
Paris: scent of the Eiffel Tower by elevator to the second level. Visit of Les Invalides to see the tomb of Napoleon.
Chartres: Visit the cathedral.
Loire Valley: See the Château of Chambord, visit the Palace of Chenonceau.
Bourges: See the Palais Jacques Coeur, the cathedral and the archbishop’s gardens.
Lyon: Walking tour of the old city.
Chateauneuf du Pape: Visit a wine cellar.
Avignon: See the Papal Palace and famous bridge.
Nice: See the Promenade des Anglais and the Place Massena.
Monaco: Visit the Principality.
Cannes: See La Croisette and the Film Festival Centre.
Barcelona: Guided walking tour of the Gothic quarter.
Zaragoza: Visit the Cathedral of Il Pilar.
Toledo: Visit the synagogue, Santo Tome and steel workshop.
Madrid: See Plaza España, Puerta del Sol, Cibeles Fountain and Gran Via.
Dining HIghlights
10 hot buffet breakfasts.
2 three-course dinners.
‘Be My Guest’ speciality dinner with wine in a château near Tours.
Farewell Dinner with wine in Madrid.
Meals in total (see day-by-day itinerary)First Class Travel Highlights
All hotel service charges and tips, baggage handling fees and local taxes included.
Touring by luxury air-conditioned coach with reclining seats and a washroom onboard.
The services of one of Trafalgar''s top professional multi-lingual Tour Directors.
You''ll stay in twin-bedded rooms with private facilities.
A qualified local city guide in Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Seville, Lisbon, Paris, Lyon and Barcelona.
Airport transfers are provided on Day 1 and Day 9.
A stylish wallet, tour documents and map book journal.
Airport Transfers
London Gateways: Transfers can be expensive, particularly between the airport and your London hotel. But when you book your Trafalgar tour and take advantage of our land and air packages, we have included a FREE transfer to and from London’s airports and your Trafalgar London hotel. For passengers who have their own flight arrangements we offer you the opportunity to purchase inexpensive transfers to and from London’s Heathrow – Trafalgar has negotiated special rates for the Dot2Dot transfer from London’s Heathr
Important – Please Note: Passengers will only be entitled to transfers to and from London Airports providing the following conditions are met:
For included transfers: Your flights must be booked directly by Trafalgar no fewer than 21 days prior to departure. For chargeable transfers: Your Travel Agent provides detailed flight information to Trafalgar no fewer than 21 days prior to departure. Once transfers are booked they cannot be changed.
For London arrivals, you must stay at a London hotel booked by Trafalgar on the night of arrival and the night prior to your departure date.
Trafalgar only includes one inbound and one outbound transfer.
In the event of flight delays outside of Trafalgar’s control, the transfers will be deemed to be cancelled.
All transfers are based on group transfers. No refund is therefore available for missed transfers, or passengers not using this service.
In the event of unforeseen events (such as road or rail works, strikes or demonstrations), Trafalgar will not be responsible for delayed or cancelled transfers.
Heathrow Airport: National Express Dot2Dot will pick up and drop off in time to meet all flights to/from London’s Heathrow Airport. For guests arriving at the Dot2Dot desk after 22.00 hrs please make use of the courtesy phone to arrange your transfer to your Trafalgar hotel
Gatwick Airport Passengers who have booked Trafalgar’s Land and Air packages arriving at London’s Gatwick Airport are provided with a Gatwick Express train voucher. The Gatwick Express train journey from Gatwick Airport to London’s Victoria Station takes 30 minutes. Guests then need to make their way from Victoria Station to their Trafalgar hotel.
European Gateways: With Trafalgar all passengers will receive complimentary arrival and departure transfers on the scheduled arrival and departure day of their tour at the times specified below. Please ensure your Travel Agent reserves your flight to co-ordinate with the transfer times shown.
Trafalgar Bonus - Passengers who book Trafalgar''s Land+Air package and who arrive or depart outside of these specified times on the scheduled arrival and departure day of the tour will also be provided with a transfer.
Passengers arriving before or leaving after the scheduled tour days are not entitled to a transfer but may book and purchase one through Trafalgar providing that they also purchase the additional pre and/or post tour hotel night(s) from Trafalgar. Please ask for prices of transfers at the time of booking your extra night accommodation.
Land only passengers arriving or departing on the scheduled tour arrival or departure days but whose flights don''t coincide with the listed transfer times below may also book and purchase these transfers. Flight details must
Unless otherwise noted, fares do not include all applicable taxes, charges and government imposed fees. Click here for more information on air fees and taxes.
