16 days, from Friday, November 22, to Saturday, December 7, 2024
November 22 - December 07, 2024
Land only: $4,175. Single supplement: $1,000
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*If the tour is SOLD OUT, please contact us to be added to the waitlist.
Depart Toronto for Paris.
Morning arrival at Paris Charles
de Gaulle Airport, and connecting flight to Seville. Arrival in Seville and
short transfer to the great city of Cordoba, already an important city in
Antiquity, as testified by an impressive Roman bridge, but its golden age was
around the year 1,000 AD, when, as capital of a mighty Muslim caliphate, it was
one of the biggest and most beautiful cities in Europe where Moors, Christians,
and Jews lived together in peace and produced one of the most brilliant
civilizations of the Middle Ages. Dinner and overnight in the
first-class Soho Boutique Hotel or similar.
After breakfast, leisurely walking
tour of Cordoba’s very picturesque old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with
the ancient city walls, the Roman bridge, the Jewish Quarter, and as absolute
highlight our visit to the 1,000-year-old Mosque, a marvel of Islamic
architecture. supported by no less than 850 columns, featuring a Baroque
cathedral in the middle of the building! Afterwards there will be free time to
enjoy lunch, explore the town on your own, visit museums, and/or shop for local
specialties such as leather goods! Late afternoon departure from Cordoba and
short drive to Seville, the magnificent metropolis of Andalusia, Spain’s sunny
southern region. Check into the traditionally-Spanish first-class Hotel
Doña María,
superbly situated in the heart of Seville's old town, the picturesque
"Santa Cruz" district, formerly the Jewish Ghetto or
"Juderia", virtually next door to the Cathedral, the Alcazar, and
many of the city’s other major attractions. Welcome drink of Sangria, followed
by dinner in a typical restaurant.
Morning visit to Seville Cathedral, one of the biggest and most beautiful churches in the world; its 98 meter-high belltower, the "Giralda," a former minaret, is the most famous landmark of the city, and inside one can admire countless treasures as well as the mausoleum of Christopher Columbus. On for a leisurely walk to the university, formerly a tobacco factory where "Carmen," heroine of Bizet’s eponymous opera, is said to have worked. Entering Maria Luisa Park, we admire and photograph colourful Plaza de Espana, a world-famous icon of the city. On to the Arenal district, stretched along the scenic banks of the Guadalquivir River, Seville’s lifeline to the Atlantic Ocean, where we admire monuments such as the Golden Tower, the Plaza de Toros (bullring), and the Maestranza Theatre. This evening, in lieu of dinner, you may want to join your guide and go “grazing,” i.e., move from bar to bar to munch on “tapas”, cold and warm snacks such as stuffed olives, wedges of Spanish omelet, calamar, mussels, cheese of La Mancha, spicy Chorizo sausage, and of course the wonderful Spanish ham known as “jamon iberico”…Buen Provecho!
We start today’s program with a
visit to the Alcazar, a richly decorated medieval
palace built in the Moorish style, where Columbus is said to have met with the
King and Queen of Spain prior to his historical transatlantic voyage; the
interior is fabulous, but the Alcazar’s lush gardens also deserve a thorough
exploration. Across from the entrance of the Alcazar is the historic building
known as the India Archives, ranked as a UNESCO World Heritage Site together
with the Alcazar and the Cathedral. In the afternoon we explore the Santa Cruz/Juderia district, with sights such as the
picturesque Plaza de Santa Cruz, the Monument to Don Juan, the Murillo Gardens,
the Monument to Columbus, and the Church of Santa Maria La Blanca, a former
synagogue. Dinner in a typical restaurant.
After breakfast, visit to the Hospital of Charity, built by a local nobleman whose life inspired the story of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" opera; its baroque church is richly decorated with statues and paintings. Then we visit the city’s Museum of Fine Arts, located in a former monastery, reputedly Spain’s most important art gallery after the Prado Museum in Madrid, featuring works of art from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Baroque era up to the 20th century, mainly by Spanish artists such as Murillo, El Greco, Velásquez, Zurbarán, but also foreign painters such as Brueghel. This evening, we attend a traditional Flamenco show!
After breakfast, visit to Casa de Pilatos, built in the 16th century and arguably the most beautiful palace in Seville after the Alcazar. On to the “Mushrooms of Seville”, the world’s largest wooden construction, opened in 2011, a complex featuring a traditional market, restaurants, a rooftop terrace with panoramic views of the city, and an archaeological museum focused on the ruins of Roman and Arab buildings.
This morning we motor via the grounds of Expo 1992, organized in that year on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the New World, to the Atlantic coast in the vicinity of the Portuguese border in order to visit some fascinating sites associated with Columbus and his great voyage of discovery in 1492: the Franciscan Monastery of La Rabida, where Columbus lived and worked for a while; the neighbouring little seaport of Palos de la Frontera, from where he sailed on his first transatlantic crossing in August 1492; and the huge Monument of the “Faith of the Discoverers” overlooking the estuary of the Rio Tinto; these sites are collectively classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6080. Before returning to Seville, we also check out the village of Rocio, seemingly an outpost in America’s Old Wild West, with wide, sandy streets lined with houses complete with broad verandas and wooden rails for tying up horses; its annual pilgrimage draws masses of pilgrims, arriving either on foot, on horseback, or riding in decorated carts. Today, a group lunch is included.
Your last full day in Seville is entirely at leisure. If there is sufficient interest, a full-day optional excursion will be offered to Granada, including a visit to the magnificent Alhambra Palace of the Moorish Kings and the Cathedral with the Royal Chapel. The all-inclusive cost of this excursion is $150, and this trip must be booked prior to departure from Canada, as admission to the Alhambra is strictly regulated and must be booked well in advance! If interested, please notify our office as soon as possible.
Departure from Seville after breakfast. We motor south to the mouth of Seville’s lifeline to the Atlantic, the Guadalquivir River, to explore the quaint town of Sanlucar de Barrameda, nestled on the banks of the river very close to its mouth. This place is associated with Columbus and Manzanilla, a type of Sherry wine, and features sandy beaches, pine forests, and salt flats in addition to a medieval castle as well as churches and monasteries; visible just across the river is La Doñana, a vast national park and bird sanctuary. How about a walk along the waterfront, followed by a seafood lunch in one of the many local eateries? In the afternoon we continue to the pretty beach resort of Chipiona, whose lighthouse, the largest in all of Spain marks the spot where the Guadalquivir meets the Ocean. On to historically important Puerto de Santa Maria, situated in a region characterized by marshland, pine groves, and the first fine sandy beaches of the Costa de la Luz, which stretches from here via the Bay of Cadiz all the way to the Strait of Gibraltar. Late afternoon arrival in the great seaport of Cadiz, said to be Europe’s oldest city, founded around 1,000 BC by the Phoenicians, who appreciated its location at the tip of a peninsula overlooking a wide bay that provided a perfect natural harbour. Dinner and overnight in the centrally located first-class/four-star Senator Cadiz Spa Hotel.
Morning sightseeing in Old Cadiz, whose subsisting massive walls and forts
recall a 1596 attack of the city by the British; remains of a theatre and other
Roman ruins; the impressive Cathedral; the Oratorio de San Felipe Nerim Church,
where the first Spanish Constitution was signed; the Central Market, whose fish
section features an abundance of seafood from the Mediterranean as well as the
Atlantic; Caleta Beach, reputedly the best place in Spain to watch the sunset;
the botanical garden known as the Genoese Park; and the Torre
Tavira, an
ancient watchtower featuring a “camera obscura” allowing visitors to experience
superb views city and its surroundings through the lens of a camera that’s
mounted on top of the building! Afternoon at leisure, and dinner in a
typical restaurant.
- Return flight (with one suitcase of baggage allowance) from Toronto to Seville - Overland transportation by private coach - Accommodation in first-class/four-star hotels, based on double occupancy – the single room supplement is $1,000, but only a limited number of single rooms are available. - Breakfast daily and a total of 7 dinners (or full lunches) - All visits and sightseeing as outlined in the itinerary, including admission to museums and monuments mentioned.
- All items of a personal nature - Wine, beer, mineral water, and similar beverages with dinners - A gratuity for the coach driver(s) of 30 Euros - Travel Insurance - available on request.
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