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9 Day | Best of Spain - Da'at Educational Expeditions
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9-Day Best of Spain

Air & Land
$4,405
Land Only
Spain Tours

Travel through Madrid and Toledo, Seville, Cordova and Granada, where you'll see architectural wonders that will transport you back in time. Enjoy the opportunity to view artistic masterpieces, soaring cathedrals and beautifully preserved statues that paint a picture of ancient Spain. Our journey through Spain also includes Da'at Encounters and tours of Jewish Spain, to see where scholar Maimonides lived, to walk through Jewish quarters and understand the effects and results of the Inquisition on the Jewish people of Spain.

Program Highlights Need to Know Register Now
 
Tour Highlights
  • Visit the El Prado Museum, Madrid
  • Enjoy the Royal Palace in Madrid
  • See the Plaza Mayor, which is a pure example of Spanish Baroque
  • Stop at the Samuel Halevi Abulufia Synagogue in Toledo
  • Visit to the Great Cathedral, burial place of Christopher Columbus
  • Walk through the Jewish Quarter in Granada including the Yehuda Halevi Square and the Statue of Maimonides

 


 

Trip Includes


  • 7 nights accommodation in selected hotels
  • 4 nights Madrid
  • 2 nights Seville
  • 1 night Granada
  • Breakfast daily and 5 dinners
  • Sightseeing per itinerary in a modern air-conditioned motor coach with panoramic windows, reclining seats and footrests
  • Services of a friendly and professional English-speaking Expedition Educator throughout the trip
  • Entrance fees per itinerary
  • Arrival and Departure airport Transfers
  • All hotel and airport portage and tipping included

DAY ONE: Wednesday
DEPARTURE

  • Depart the U.S. on your way to Spain.

Overnight: Flight


DAY TWO: Thursday
ARRIVAL

  • Arrive at Madrid International Airport.
  • Welcome by our representative and assistance with arrival formalities.
  • Transfer to the hotel, and check in. (A transfer from the airport to your hotel is included.)
  • Relax, unpack and settle in.
  • Meet your Expedition Educator and fellow travelers for dinner and orientation.

Overnight: Madrid


DAY THREE: Friday
THE ARTISTIC LEGACY OF SPAIN

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Introductory tour of the city and overview.
  • Morning visits:
  • Depart for a grand Neoclassical city tour of Madrid including the Gran Via Cibeles Square, Puerta de Alcala, Retiro Park, Paseo de Recoletos. Continue into modern Madrid with Columbus Square, the Castellana and the financial district with its skyscrapers and contemporary architecture. At Plaza Colon, known for its unique statues celebrating the voyages of Columbus, view the magnificent fountains of Poseidon and Cibeles.
  • After lunch on your own, visit the El Prado Museum that contains one of the world's finest collections of Spanish, Italian and Flemish paintings. It also houses the masterpieces of some of the most famous Spanish painters, including Velazquez, Murillo, El Greco and Goya, as well as the works of El Bosco, Rubens, Fray Angelico, Rafael, Tintoretto and Tiziano.
  • Da'at Encounter: Dinner with members of Madrid's Jewish community.

Overnight: Madrid


DAY FOUR: Saturday
THE GLORY OF MADRID

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • The Jews and Legacy of Spanish Jewry with Expeditions Tour Educator.
  • Visit to the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace was built during the 18th century and is housed in the building of the old Alcazar of Madrid. One of the best preserved buildings of its period, it is used by the Spanish Crown for official receptions, presentations and official events. Its rooms are filled with artistic works belonging to the royal family.
  • Conclude the morning at Plaza Mayor, a pure example of Spanish Baroque, and an historical site dating back to the time of the Inquisition. See Puerta del Sol, the heart of the city and the starting point of all roads in Spain, known as ‘zero kilometer.'
  • Spend the afternoon at the Reina Sofia Museum, with the famed Guernica work of Picasso, among other great masterpieces.
  • Free evening in Madrid on your own.

Overnight: Madrid


DAY FIVE: Sunday
TOLEDO

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Check out of hotel.
  • Drive to Toledo, ‘Spain's Jerusalem' and visit the market, the Jewish quarter, the Samuel Halevi Abulafia Synagogue that was turned into the La Sinagoga del Tránsito (Synagogue of the Dormition) Church, the Sephardic Museum and the Santa Maria La Blanca Church  (St. Mary of the White Synagogue Church).
  • View the painter Greco's famous masterpiece, The Burial of Count Orgaz.
  • Lunch at leisure.
  • Overview of the city and the Tagus River, which circumvents Toledo.
  • Return to Madrid.
  • Free time and dinner on your own.

Overnight: Madrid


DAY SIX: Monday
SEVILLE

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Early morning departure by speed train to Seville.
  • Lunch at leisure.
  • Visit to the Santa Cruz neighborhood, formerly Seville's Jewish Quarter, once known as Juderia, with its winding alleyways and remnants of Jewish life found within the contemporary city.
  • Visit to the Great Cathedral, burial place of Christopher Columbus.
  • Visit the Inquisition House and then continue to the Statue of Tolerance, sculpted by Eduardo Chillida.
  • Visit the Plaza España, Plaza Mayor and the Garden of Maria Luisa.
  • Visit the Alcazar Palace.
  • Visit to the La Giralda Cathedral, built in the 12th century and whose bell tower became the city's symbol.
  • Dinner at the unique Hacienda El Bulli.
  • Evening activity: Flamenco performance at the Casa el Andalus.

Overnight: Seville


DAY SEVEN: Tuesday
CORDOVA

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Drive to Cordova.
  • Guided visit in Cordova, birthplace of Maimonides and one of the world's most renowned centers of Islamic and Jewish culture and scholarship, where all of the three major Western religions once lived in relative harmony.
  • Visit the Jewish Quarter, the Plaza Tiberias and the Yehuda Halevi Square; continue on to view the Statue of Maimonides and then visit the small Moorish-styled building known as the Maimonides Synagogue, and Cordova's famous Cathedral-Mosque with 1,000 colored columns.
  • Da'at Encounter: Visit to Casa de Sefarad-Casa de la Memoria, dedicated to the history of the Sephardic Jews living in Cordova and Spain prior to the Inquisition and expulsion in 1492, and meet with the people responsible for the creation of this private historical venture in the Jewish Quarter.
  • Return to Seville.
  • Free time and dinner on your own in Seville.

Overnight: Seville


DAY EIGHT: Wednesday
GRANADA

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Depart for Granada.
  • From Granata Al Yahud To A Granada Without Jews: Discussion with the Expeditions Tour Educator.
  • Lunch at leisure in Granada.
  • Guided visit to the Realejo, the former Jewish quarter and the site of the original name of the city Garnata al-Yehud.  Explore the meandering streets and traditional neighborhood that has no physical remnants of the Jewish community, but that is abundant in stories.
  • Guided visit to the Cathedral, the first Renaissance Temple built in Spain, which has great dimensions and magnificent altarpieces.
  • Dinner and wrap-up conversation with group members.
  • Free time to wander around the Albaycn, an old Moorish neighborhood of narrow streets and charming white houses that is full of local color, and which has been declared a cultural heritage site by UNESCO.

Overnight: Granada


DAY NINE: Thursday
DEPARTURE

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Depart for the Granada Airport.
  • Transfer to the airport for your flight home. (A transfer is included from your hotel to the airport. Please allow a minimum of 2 hours for check in.)
  • Fly home anytime. 
  • Arrive in the U.S.A. on the same day.
Need to Know
  • Tour prices are per person in U.S. dollars. All hotel accommodations, motor coach transportation, special dinners, sightseeing, admissions, luggage handling and the services of local guides, drivers, and the Expedition Educator are included.
  • Hotel Accommodations: The tour price includes all hotel accommodations, in hotel rooms with private baths. Our standard is to provide the best available hotels while considering value. Although the level of the accommodations may differ slightly from hotel to hotel, we are committed to your comfort. Two-bed rooms are reserved in most hotels. Triples are two-bed rooms with a rollaway cot where available and are not recommended when considering the comfort of those in the room. King-size beds are not available in most hotels; what is considered king-size usually consists of two single beds pushed together and made up separately, but with one headboard. Some two-bed rooms may have two twin - not full- or queen-size - beds.
  • Meals are included as specified in the itinerary.
  • Expedition Educator: All trips are conducted by our Expedition Educators or local guides who remain with the group throughout the tour.
  • Gratuities Included: All gratuities for restaurant and hotel staff.
  • Luggage Responsibility: All tour packages allow one piece of luggage per person and one carry-on bag. Excess luggage will be subject to charge of up to $100 per piece. The Travel Agent and/or Tour Operator shall not be held responsible for any damage to or loss of luggage/personal items. All damage/loss must be reported at time of incident and documented in writing by local authorities for submission to your insurance company.


Not Included


  • Airfare to the tour departure point and from the tour ending point is not included. Airfare may be purchased from us for travel originating in the United States. Please see Flights tab in the right-side toolbar.
  • Personal Expenses: All personal expenses such as: laundry, valet service, cables, telephone calls and postage are not included.
  • Guide and Driver Gratuities:
    • 4 seater - $70  (i.e. 2 pax) - per day
    • 7 seater - $90 (i.e. 3-5 pax) - per day
    • 10 seater - $110 (i.e. 5-7 pax) - per day
    • 10-19 passengers: Guide $10, driver $5 - per participant per day
    • 20 passengers and more: Guide $8, driver $4 - per participant per day 


       

Additional Information


  • Airline Security Measures: In the U.S., you must provide identification in the form of a passport at the time of airport check-in for travel to international destinations. Your passport name must match the name on your tour reservation and airline ticket or you may be denied boarding.
  • If you are traveling from an airport outside the jurisdiction of the U.S, you will need to determine what travel documentation and identification is required for that particular airport.
  • Due to heightened security regulations, certain items such as a metal nail file, pocketknife, cigarette lighter or tweezers, and some liquid, gel, or aerosol items may not be permitted in your carry-on luggage. Please call your airline prior to departure to obtain current information on non-permissible carry-on items and recommended airport check-in times. You may also wish to visit the Transportation Security Administration website at www.tsa.gov to obtain more information on acceptable identity documentation and prohibited luggage items.
  • Holidays and Museum Closures - Museum visits and personal shopping time may be disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances or the many religious, state and local holidays locally observed in the destinations being visited.
  • Photography During Tours: We will occasionally use photographs taken by fellow guests or your trip director for promotional purposes. If you prefer that your photo not be used in any marketing activities, please notify us at the start of your tour.
 
9 Day | Best of Spain
2010Land OnlyStatus 
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