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Sintra and the Moorish Cities of Andalucía
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Highlights:
If you have had the pleasure of visiting Lisbon previously, this program gives you a relaxing stay in the hills, forests and coastline of Sintra the previous playground of Portuguese aristocracy.
From there your driver/guide will take you into the Alentejo to enjoy the hospitality of a working vineyard. You then enter into Spain using Seville as your base to explore some of the delightful cities of Andalucía and finishing at a resort on the Costa del Sol built around a stone bridge that once was part of the road from Cadiz to ancient Rome.
If you have had the pleasure of visiting Lisbon previously, this program gives you a relaxing stay in the hills, forests and coastline of Sintra the previous playground of Portuguese aristocracy.
From there your driver/guide will take you into the Alentejo to enjoy the hospitality of a working vineyard. You then enter into Spain using Seville as your base to explore some of the delightful cities of Andalucía and finishing at a resort on the Costa del Sol built around a stone bridge that once was part of the road from Cadiz to ancient Rome.
SKU:
Explore: Sintra & AndaLucÍa
Customizable Itinerary - 12 Days (from $5,683 / person)
Day 1: USA-Portugal
In the evening you depart for Portugal and your exploration of Sintra and the great cities of Spain’s Andalucía.
Day 2: Welcome to Portugal
Upon arrival in Lisbon you will be met and driven along the coast and into the Sintra Mountains and your exclusive resort located in the Sintra mountains in a 545 acre national park. In the evening you have a choice of eight restaurants with two of them each carrying a Michelin star.
Dinner
Day 3: Enjoying the Sintra Mountains
The resort has a 27 hole golf course but if you are not into golf you can walk the trail around the resort which offers both forest and ocean views. You can also spend time at the spa or take a shuttle to one of the beaches of Estoril or Cascais. In the evening you might want to dine at a restaurant on the beach. The restaurant is owned by the hotel.
Breakfast
Day 4: Pena Palace and National Park
After breakfast you will meet your guide who will take you to the Romanticist Pena Palace which sits in its own park within the Sintra Forest. Built in the mid-19th Century for the royal family the palace is known for its fairytale style and for its equally attractive gardens. After a guided tour you are provided with bikes for a leisurely ride along the trails passing the “cottages” owned by the affluent residents of Lisbon as a weekend getaway. Part of the experience will include an elegant picnic lunch in an agreeable spot.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 5: Evora and the Alentejo
In the morning your driver will be waiting to take you into the Alentejo one of the most scenic areas of Portugal with a history dating back to Roman times. This area is known for its wine, cheese and aromatic herbs and you will stop at a vineyard to have lunch along with a variety of their wines. After lunch you tour the city of Evora with its narrow lanes, many with restaurants and boutiques. A highlight is the 1st Century Roman Temple, well-preserved and dedicated to the Goddess Diana. You then check in to your hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 6: Scenic journey to Seville
After breakfast your guide will take you into Spain and the delightful city of Seville. You will stop for lunch and arrive at your hotel in mid-afternoon. The rooftop pool is a good place to cool off and to return for drinks as the sun disappears and the adjacent Seville Cathedral is illuminated creating the perfect backdrop.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 7: The Best of Seville
After breakfast you will be picked up at the hotel for a tour of the main highlights of the city. You will drive through Plaza de Espana with its government buildings and see the Palaces of San Telmo and Torre del Oro, two legendary landmarks. You then enter the Santa Cruz quarter to admire the colorful houses adored with window boxes. Stop for lunch and then take a tour of the bull ring of the Maestranza, scene of some momentous bullfights. In a change of pace you visit the bohemian neighborhood of Triana before boarding a boat for a scenic cruise on the Guadalquivir River before returning to your hotels. In the evening enjoy tapas and a flamenco performance.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 8: Sanlucar de Barrameda
Today you will visit Sanlucar de Barrameda which, along with its sister city, Jerez, is the foremost producer of Sherry. 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 also 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. Sherries can range from dark and sweet to light and dry like Manzanilla sherry which you with try with your seafood and shellfish luncheon. Return to Seville.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 9: Granada and the Alhambra
Your destination today is the university town of Granada. You will leave Seville and drive through the Andalucian countryside much as El Cid did in capturing Andalucía from the Moors. 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 visit the old Moorish quarter offering impressive views of the Alhambra in the hills above before checking in to your hotel.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 10: Ronda and the White Villages
Today you will head to the coast and the resort town of Marbella. The most scenic route is over the mountains as you drive through what are called the white villages. The main attraction will be Ronda which is famous throughout Spain for a gaping river gorge with a sheer drop of 360 feet which separates the medieval from the 18th Century parts of town. The two are connected by the “new” bridge, built in the 19th Century. Stop for lunch in Ronda and then continue your journey and stopping at Grazalema, one of the “white villages” and a source of superb olive oil. You arrive on the coast in Marbella and check in to your elegant hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 11: Your Personal Marbella
You have the whole day to enjoy the beach or the pool at the resort. There are twelve places to choose from for dining and the spa is highly recommended. If you still have a travel bug, Old Marbella is only fifteen minutes away.
Breakfast
Day 12: Return to USA
You are transferred to the airport in Malaga to begin your journey back to the USA where you arrive back the same afternoon.
Breakfast
In the evening you depart for Portugal and your exploration of Sintra and the great cities of Spain’s Andalucía.
Day 2: Welcome to Portugal
Upon arrival in Lisbon you will be met and driven along the coast and into the Sintra Mountains and your exclusive resort located in the Sintra mountains in a 545 acre national park. In the evening you have a choice of eight restaurants with two of them each carrying a Michelin star.
Dinner
Day 3: Enjoying the Sintra Mountains
The resort has a 27 hole golf course but if you are not into golf you can walk the trail around the resort which offers both forest and ocean views. You can also spend time at the spa or take a shuttle to one of the beaches of Estoril or Cascais. In the evening you might want to dine at a restaurant on the beach. The restaurant is owned by the hotel.
Breakfast
Day 4: Pena Palace and National Park
After breakfast you will meet your guide who will take you to the Romanticist Pena Palace which sits in its own park within the Sintra Forest. Built in the mid-19th Century for the royal family the palace is known for its fairytale style and for its equally attractive gardens. After a guided tour you are provided with bikes for a leisurely ride along the trails passing the “cottages” owned by the affluent residents of Lisbon as a weekend getaway. Part of the experience will include an elegant picnic lunch in an agreeable spot.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 5: Evora and the Alentejo
In the morning your driver will be waiting to take you into the Alentejo one of the most scenic areas of Portugal with a history dating back to Roman times. This area is known for its wine, cheese and aromatic herbs and you will stop at a vineyard to have lunch along with a variety of their wines. After lunch you tour the city of Evora with its narrow lanes, many with restaurants and boutiques. A highlight is the 1st Century Roman Temple, well-preserved and dedicated to the Goddess Diana. You then check in to your hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 6: Scenic journey to Seville
After breakfast your guide will take you into Spain and the delightful city of Seville. You will stop for lunch and arrive at your hotel in mid-afternoon. The rooftop pool is a good place to cool off and to return for drinks as the sun disappears and the adjacent Seville Cathedral is illuminated creating the perfect backdrop.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 7: The Best of Seville
After breakfast you will be picked up at the hotel for a tour of the main highlights of the city. You will drive through Plaza de Espana with its government buildings and see the Palaces of San Telmo and Torre del Oro, two legendary landmarks. You then enter the Santa Cruz quarter to admire the colorful houses adored with window boxes. Stop for lunch and then take a tour of the bull ring of the Maestranza, scene of some momentous bullfights. In a change of pace you visit the bohemian neighborhood of Triana before boarding a boat for a scenic cruise on the Guadalquivir River before returning to your hotels. In the evening enjoy tapas and a flamenco performance.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 8: Sanlucar de Barrameda
Today you will visit Sanlucar de Barrameda which, along with its sister city, Jerez, is the foremost producer of Sherry. 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 also 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. Sherries can range from dark and sweet to light and dry like Manzanilla sherry which you with try with your seafood and shellfish luncheon. Return to Seville.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 9: Granada and the Alhambra
Your destination today is the university town of Granada. You will leave Seville and drive through the Andalucian countryside much as El Cid did in capturing Andalucía from the Moors. 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 visit the old Moorish quarter offering impressive views of the Alhambra in the hills above before checking in to your hotel.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 10: Ronda and the White Villages
Today you will head to the coast and the resort town of Marbella. The most scenic route is over the mountains as you drive through what are called the white villages. The main attraction will be Ronda which is famous throughout Spain for a gaping river gorge with a sheer drop of 360 feet which separates the medieval from the 18th Century parts of town. The two are connected by the “new” bridge, built in the 19th Century. Stop for lunch in Ronda and then continue your journey and stopping at Grazalema, one of the “white villages” and a source of superb olive oil. You arrive on the coast in Marbella and check in to your elegant hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 11: Your Personal Marbella
You have the whole day to enjoy the beach or the pool at the resort. There are twelve places to choose from for dining and the spa is highly recommended. If you still have a travel bug, Old Marbella is only fifteen minutes away.
Breakfast
Day 12: Return to USA
You are transferred to the airport in Malaga to begin your journey back to the USA where you arrive back the same afternoon.
Breakfast