Ronda, you look so fine…
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Highlights:
Consider this suggested journey and let us create a highly personalized exploration of Andalusia, visiting Moorish cities of culture and history like Cordoba, Seville, Ronda and Granada.
Finish up your journey in style in Marbella. This would make an ideal 'girls getaway' for up to six friends or a good chance for three couples to share a relaxing and informative trip.
Consider this suggested journey and let us create a highly personalized exploration of Andalusia, visiting Moorish cities of culture and history like Cordoba, Seville, Ronda and Granada.
Finish up your journey in style in Marbella. This would make an ideal 'girls getaway' for up to six friends or a good chance for three couples to share a relaxing and informative trip.
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Explore: Ronda
Customizable Itinerary - 12 Days (from $9,762 / person)
Day 1: Depart USA
Tonight you depart for the overnight journey to Madrid, one of Spain’s most stately and elegant cities.
Day 2: Welcome to Madrid
You land in Madrid and one of our drivers will be waiting to take you to your hotel. On the way you will get an orientation tour of the city including the famous squares and boulevards. You arrive at your boutique hotel where you have the rest of the day to relax.
Day 3: Cordoba and the Plains of La Mancha
After breakfast you will be transferred to the station where 1st Class seats will be reserved for the journey to Cordoba. You will be traveling over the plains of La Mancha made famous by Cervantes in his book, Don Quixote. Upon arrival in Cordoba you will be met by your guide who will take you to the old Jewish quarter which goes back to the days of the Romans and the Goths. You then visit what was the 3rd largest mosque in the world before conversion into a catholic cathedral in the 13th Century when the moors were expelled from Spain. Ironically, the mosque was, itself, built from stone and marble taken from pagan Roman temples. Breakfast and Dinner
Day 4: Carmona and Granada
Today you will drive to Granada. On the way you will stop in the City of Carmona which was a major defensive post at the time of Julius Caesar who actually visited the city. It was later occupied by the Moors which you will see as you enter the town through an old Moorish Gate. After a tour of the town you continue on to the university town of Granada.
Breakfast
Day 5: The Alhambra and the Generalife
Granada was first occupied by the Moors in the 8th Century. It was built on three hills situated at the foot of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada Mountains. Your guide will take you to the world-famous Alhambra one of the most palatial compounds ever built and the nearby Generalife an ornate water garden with fountains in abundance. You will have lunch in Albaycin, the old Moorish quarter offering impressive views of the Alhambra in the hills above. After lunch you have some time to explore on your own before returning to your hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 6: Seville…City of Operas
This morning you will be transferred to the station for the short ride to the Moorish city of Seville. This is a city steeped in romance; Carmen was set here as was Don Giovanni and not one but two Barber of Seville operas by two composers (Rossini and Paisiello). You will be met and taken on a tour through Maria Louisa Park, drive to the Plaza de Espana and the Baroque building that used to be the tobacco factory featured in Carmen.
Breakfast
Day 7: Jerez and Cadiz
After breakfast you will be taken to Jerez de la Frontera world famous for its horses, wines and flamenco. The English “anglicized” Jerez to Sherry probably because they drink more of it than anybody else. You will stop at a Bodega where some of the world’s best Sherry is created and taste different type of Sherries from very dry (excellent with seafood) to sweet. You will then proceed to the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art to see an authentic equestrian ballet performed by magnificent Andalusian horses. You then cross a causeway to the island of Cadiz which was the port from which many of the great explorers sailed.
Breakfast
Day 8: Sanlucar de Barrameda
Today you will visit Sanlucar de Barrameda which is the second town producing Sherry but less visited by tourists than its sister city, Jerez. It has a spectacular location at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River looking across the Donana national park to the Atlantic Ocean. It is because of this location that the town is equally known for its fine seafood. You will visit the vineyards where the grapes are grown and the bodegas where they are blended and fortified prior to maturing in wooden casks. You will enjoy some of the finest Manzanilla with a seafood and shellfish luncheon.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 9: The Scenic Drive to Marbella via Ronda
In the morning your driver will pick you up for a scenic trip to the Costa del Sol involving the white villages and highlighted by a visit to Ronda, one of the oldest towns in Spain. Leave Seville and drive through sunflowers and wheat fields to Zahara de La Sierra one of the “white villages”. Continue to Grazalema through a national park. Stop at one of the lookouts located at 3,800 feet and offering views all the way to Cadiz and Malaga. Stop in Grazalema for lunch surrounded by the town’s charming houses and colorful flowers. Drive through a scenic forest filled with cork and oak trees before arriving in Ronda. This town is located on two dramatic cliffs connected by the “New Bridge” dating back to the 19th Century. You have some time to explore on your own before descending to the coast and the resort town of Marbella.
Breakfast and Lunch
Days 10-11: Marbella at Leisure
You have two days to enjoy the best the “sun coast” has to offer. Spend a lot of time at the beach club, head up to the hills at Mijas or take in the jet set scene and Puerto Banus. No matter what you do it will be enjoyable.
Breakfast
Day 12: Return to USA
In the morning you will be transferred to the airport in Malaga where you board a flight that will connect with your return flight back to the USA.
Breakfast
Tonight you depart for the overnight journey to Madrid, one of Spain’s most stately and elegant cities.
Day 2: Welcome to Madrid
You land in Madrid and one of our drivers will be waiting to take you to your hotel. On the way you will get an orientation tour of the city including the famous squares and boulevards. You arrive at your boutique hotel where you have the rest of the day to relax.
Day 3: Cordoba and the Plains of La Mancha
After breakfast you will be transferred to the station where 1st Class seats will be reserved for the journey to Cordoba. You will be traveling over the plains of La Mancha made famous by Cervantes in his book, Don Quixote. Upon arrival in Cordoba you will be met by your guide who will take you to the old Jewish quarter which goes back to the days of the Romans and the Goths. You then visit what was the 3rd largest mosque in the world before conversion into a catholic cathedral in the 13th Century when the moors were expelled from Spain. Ironically, the mosque was, itself, built from stone and marble taken from pagan Roman temples. Breakfast and Dinner
Day 4: Carmona and Granada
Today you will drive to Granada. On the way you will stop in the City of Carmona which was a major defensive post at the time of Julius Caesar who actually visited the city. It was later occupied by the Moors which you will see as you enter the town through an old Moorish Gate. After a tour of the town you continue on to the university town of Granada.
Breakfast
Day 5: The Alhambra and the Generalife
Granada was first occupied by the Moors in the 8th Century. It was built on three hills situated at the foot of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada Mountains. Your guide will take you to the world-famous Alhambra one of the most palatial compounds ever built and the nearby Generalife an ornate water garden with fountains in abundance. You will have lunch in Albaycin, the old Moorish quarter offering impressive views of the Alhambra in the hills above. After lunch you have some time to explore on your own before returning to your hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 6: Seville…City of Operas
This morning you will be transferred to the station for the short ride to the Moorish city of Seville. This is a city steeped in romance; Carmen was set here as was Don Giovanni and not one but two Barber of Seville operas by two composers (Rossini and Paisiello). You will be met and taken on a tour through Maria Louisa Park, drive to the Plaza de Espana and the Baroque building that used to be the tobacco factory featured in Carmen.
Breakfast
Day 7: Jerez and Cadiz
After breakfast you will be taken to Jerez de la Frontera world famous for its horses, wines and flamenco. The English “anglicized” Jerez to Sherry probably because they drink more of it than anybody else. You will stop at a Bodega where some of the world’s best Sherry is created and taste different type of Sherries from very dry (excellent with seafood) to sweet. You will then proceed to the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art to see an authentic equestrian ballet performed by magnificent Andalusian horses. You then cross a causeway to the island of Cadiz which was the port from which many of the great explorers sailed.
Breakfast
Day 8: Sanlucar de Barrameda
Today you will visit Sanlucar de Barrameda which is the second town producing Sherry but less visited by tourists than its sister city, Jerez. It has a spectacular location at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River looking across the Donana national park to the Atlantic Ocean. It is because of this location that the town is equally known for its fine seafood. You will visit the vineyards where the grapes are grown and the bodegas where they are blended and fortified prior to maturing in wooden casks. You will enjoy some of the finest Manzanilla with a seafood and shellfish luncheon.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 9: The Scenic Drive to Marbella via Ronda
In the morning your driver will pick you up for a scenic trip to the Costa del Sol involving the white villages and highlighted by a visit to Ronda, one of the oldest towns in Spain. Leave Seville and drive through sunflowers and wheat fields to Zahara de La Sierra one of the “white villages”. Continue to Grazalema through a national park. Stop at one of the lookouts located at 3,800 feet and offering views all the way to Cadiz and Malaga. Stop in Grazalema for lunch surrounded by the town’s charming houses and colorful flowers. Drive through a scenic forest filled with cork and oak trees before arriving in Ronda. This town is located on two dramatic cliffs connected by the “New Bridge” dating back to the 19th Century. You have some time to explore on your own before descending to the coast and the resort town of Marbella.
Breakfast and Lunch
Days 10-11: Marbella at Leisure
You have two days to enjoy the best the “sun coast” has to offer. Spend a lot of time at the beach club, head up to the hills at Mijas or take in the jet set scene and Puerto Banus. No matter what you do it will be enjoyable.
Breakfast
Day 12: Return to USA
In the morning you will be transferred to the airport in Malaga where you board a flight that will connect with your return flight back to the USA.
Breakfast
