Magical Madrid & Southern Sights
8 Days
from
$3,350 per person in low season. Save over $300 per person (year-round) staying at Hospes 5* boutique properties in each location!
Highlights:
Spain
(Madrid)
,
Andalusia
(Cordoba, Granada, Seville)
Trip Start/End:
Madrid
/
Granada
Discover the cosmopolitan city of Madrid and the magnificence of Southern Spain; Andalusia, with its three sparkling jewels - Seville, Cordoba and Granada staying in the boutique Hospes 5* properties in each location and enjoying significant savings! Nowhere else in Europe is the Moorish influence so present in the architecture and ingrained in its everyday living. From the wonderful museums in Madrid to Seville with its grand, formal gardens of the Parque Maria Luisa and the Albazin castle in the gothic quarter, life seems to literally breathe in the streets. Cordoba has one of the most unique structures in the Mezquita - a former mosque - turned cathedral (which speaks to its colorful religious past). Granada, with its stately Alhambra Palace surveying the city below is and forever will be majestic. Spend your time wandering from place to place, at your own pace, with local guides in each city, explore in as much depth as you please. Que bueno!
Overview
| Day | Activities | Hotel |
- Day 1
- Madrid
| - Transfer - Private - Airport - Vehicle/Driver
- Spain - Welcome Package
- Lunch (not included)
- Dinner (not included)
| Hospes Madrid (5*)
Standard (B)
|
- Day 2
- Madrid
| - Private - 1/2 Day Walking Tour (3 hrs) - Guide
- Lunch (not included)
- Dinner (not included)
| Hospes Madrid (5*)
Standard (B)
|
- Day 3
- Madrid - Cordoba
| - Transfer - Private - Train Station - Vehicle/Driver
- Train - Madrid - Cordoba [2 hrs] - 2nd Class Train Ticket
- Transfer - Private - Train Station - Vehicle/Driver
- Lunch (not included)
- Private - 1/2 Day Walking Tour (4 hrs) - Guide
- Entrance to Mesquita Mosque/Cathedral
- Dinner (not included)
| Hopes Palacio del Bailio (5*)
Standard
|
- Day 4
- Cordoba - Granada
| - Transfer - Private - Train Station - Vehicle/Driver
- Train - Cordoba - Granada [2.5 hrs] - 2nd class Train Ticket
- Transfer - Private - Train Station - Vehicle/Driver
- Lunch (not included)
- Private - 1/2 d Walking Tour of Jewish, Christian & Muslim Granada - Guide
- Dinner (not included)
| Hospes Palacio de los Patos (5*)
Standard (B)
|
- Day 5
- Granada
| - Private - 1/2 Day Alhambra Palace (2.5 hrs) Guide only - Guide (no transfers to/from palace)
- Entrance to Alhambra Palace
- Lunch (not included)
- Dinner (not included)
| Hospes Palacio de los Patos (5*)
Standard (B)
|
- Day 6
- Granada - Seville
| - Transfer - Private - Train Station - Vehicle/Driver
- Train - Granada - Seville [3 hrs] - 2nd Class Train Ticket
- Transfer - Private - Train Station - Vehicle/Driver
- Lunch (not included)
- Dinner (not included)
- Entrance to Flamenco Show
| Hospes Casas del Rey de Baeza (4*)
Standard (B)
|
- Day 7
- Seville
| - Private - 1/2 Day Walking Tour (2.5 hrs) - Guide
- Lunch (not included)
- Dinner (not included)
| Hospes Casas del Rey de Baeza (4*)
Standard (B)
|
- Day 8
- Seville - Granada
| - Transfer - Private - Airport - Vehicle/Driver
| Depart
|
| B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, 1/2d = Half Day, Al = All Inclusive |
Trip Itinerary
Hospes Madrid
Day 1: Madrid
Meet your driver for a private airport transfer in Madrid.
A welcome package with your vouchers, a city map, train tickets (if relevant) and any other touristic information that we deem you may find useful will be waiting for you upon your arrival at your first hotel on your trip.
Accommodation: Hospes Madrid (5*) The five-storey hotel is located in a historic building on Plaza de la Independencia in the centre of Madrid, 200 metres from Retiro Park and 15 kilometres from the airport. Hospes Madrid's 42 modern guestrooms are decorated in warm shades, and include Egyptian cotton sheets, bathrobes, satellite television, wireless Internet, and pillow menus. The hotel spa offers treatments to relax and revitalize including massages and facials, and the onsite Senzone Restaurant and Terrace Bar provides a modern setting to enjoy cocktails.
Puerta del Sol
Day 2: Madrid
Your guide will meet you at your hotel and take you through the narrow and steep streets of the oldest part of Madrid, discovering the history and emblematic locations such as Plaza Mayor, Puerta de Sol and Plaza de la Villa. (No entrance fees included).
Accommodation: Hospes Madrid (5*) 
Cordoba
Hospes Palacio del Bailio
Day 3: Madrid - Cordoba
Meet your driver for a private train station transfer.
Enjoy your train ride from Madrid to Cordova. The train ride takes approximately two hours.
Mett your driver for a private train station transfer with vehicle and driver.
The best way to see the sights in Cordoba is by foot, so spend time with a local Guide who will introduce you on your private tour to see all of the highlights including the Mezquita, a unique work of its type, is the representation of Caliphal art, Alcazar of the Christian Kings with its sunken gardens and its magnificent Mossaics Hall, The Synagogue - the only one existing in Andalucia and the Jewish Quarter. (Entrance fees not included).
The entrance fee to Mesquita Mosque/Cathedral is included.
Accommodation: Hopes Palacio del Bailio (5*) Hospes Palacio del Bailio (5*) occupies a 17th-century building built on Roman ruins, this contemporary hotel unifies the ancient and the modern in the historic centre of Cordoba, 400 metres from Tendillas Square. Influenced by characteristic Andalusian decorative traditions, the 53 guestrooms all include minibars, air conditioning, and complimentary wireless Internet access. Hospes Palacio Del Bailio’s guests can enjoy spa treatments in the courtyard, and sip aperitifs overlooking ancient ruins; the hotel also offers two pools, a restaurant, and tapas bar.
Granada
Hospes Palacio de los Patos
Day 4: Cordoba - Granada
Mett your driver for a private train station transfer with vehicle and driver.
Enjoy the train ride from Cordoba to Granada. The train ride takes approximately two and a half hours. Multiple daily departures. Check your ticket for the exact time.
Meet your driver for a private train station transfer.
Take a private guided walk through the history of religion in Granada, looking at the lasting impact on the city’s fortunes made by the three “peoples of the book” – Jews, Christians and Muslims. Taking the year 1492 as the starting point, your guide will describe the city’s history before, during and after that seminal year as you visit some of the places and monuments that reflect the striking contrast of a shared cultural heritage and a bitter struggle for supremacy between the three religions and cultures. You will learn of the important role in the city’s early medieval history played by its community of Sephardic Jews, of the fate of the Moors who converted to Christianity after 1492, and the intriguing legends surrounding the figure of San Cecilio, the first bishop of Granada and its patron saint. (Tour includes entrance into a monument which will be chosen by the guide according to the itinerary, weather, timing, opening hours etc).
Accommodation: Hospes Palacio de los Patos (5*) This modern hotel is in the centre of Granada, 50 metres from the nearest shopping centre, 200 metres from the Renaissance cathedral, and 1.5 kilometres from the famous Alhambra. The 42 guestrooms are decorated in dramatic contemporary style with striking furnishings; rooms have wireless Internet, satellite television, and minibars with complimentary bottled water. Guests can enjoy international cuisine in the hotel’s restaurant, relax in the hotel’s bar, and unwind in the wellness centre with a massage, spa treatment, or a swim in the small pool.
Alhambra Palace
Day 5: Granada
Enjoy a private tour with a local guide as you visit the UNESCO world heritage site of the Alhambra palace and gardens. On a rocky hill, on the banks of the River Darro, protected by mountains and amongst the eldest quarter in the city, the Alhambra rises up like an imposing castle with its distinctive reddish stone in its ramparts that prevent the outside world from seeing the delicate beauty enclosed within. Originally designed as a military area, the Alhambra became the residence of royalty and the court of Granada in the middle of XIII century. The complex of monuments has also an independent palace opposite the Alhambra; The Generalife, which is surrounded by orchards and beautiful gardens which you will also visit. Please note that this tour does not include transfers to or from the palace. Your guide will meet you at the Alhambra ticket office (best to take a local cab from your hotel). At the end of your tour, you can either choose to walk back down the hill to explore the city, or return by taxi (payable by you locally). If you prefer us to arrange private transfers, please let us know.
The entrance fee to Alhambra Palace is included.
Accommodation: Hospes Palacio de los Patos (5*) 
Seville
Hospes Las Casas del Rey de Baeza
Day 6: Granada - Seville
Meet your driver for a private train station transfer.
Enjoy the train ride from Granada to Seville. The train ride takes approximately three hours.
Meet your driver for a private train station transfer.
Get into the local spirit this evening as you attend a Flamenco show! (Entrance included).
Accommodation: Hospes Casas del Rey de Baeza (4*) This traditional hotel in the historic centre of Seville is 100 metres from the nearest shops and Casa Pilatos, 300 metres from Barrio de Santa Cruz and two kilometres from the city’s cathedral. The 41 guestrooms combine contemporary style with traditional touches; rooms include air conditioning, satellite television, DVD players, and complimentary high-speed Internet connections. Guests can dine on Andalucian and Mediterranean cuisine in the restaurant, take a swim in the outdoor pool and relax in the rooftop wellness centre, with its spa treatments, fitness room, and sauna.
Calle Mateos Gago, Sevilla
Day 7: Seville
Embark on a Seville walking tour with your own private guide to check out the most important landmarks of the city. You will see La Torre del Oro (The Golden Tower), a Moorish-built tower dating from 1222, which formed part of the old defensive wall that protected the old city. You will also see Triana (this Gypsy district is the home of flamenco), Santa Cruz (the Old Jewish Quarter and a labyrinth of tiny alleys with white houses with traditional Moorish courtyards), Reales Alcazares (a Moorish palace-fortress which originally dates back to 913AD and has been the residence of various kings and boasts impressive gardens and fountains) and The Cathedral and Giralda, originally a 12th Century mosque, of which only the minaret (La Giralda) and the orange tree courtyard now remain. The cathedral is also Europe's second largest. If you have a particular interest in bullfighting, we can substitute some of the above for a visit to the Real Maestranza (The Maestranza Bullring). Built between 1767 and 1880 this famous bullring houses a museum dedicated to the world of bull fighting.
Accommodation: Hospes Casas del Rey de Baeza (4*) Day 8: Seville - Granada
Meet your driver for a private airport transfer.
Accommodation: Depart Depart from Granada International airport. End of itinerary.
Accommodations
- Hospes Madrid
Hospes Madrid (5*) - Madrid
The five-storey hotel is located in a historic building on Plaza de la Independencia in the centre of Madrid, 200 metres from Retiro Park and 15 kilometres from the airport. Hospes Madrid's 42 modern guestrooms are decorated in warm shades, and include Egyptian cotton sheets, bathrobes, satellite television, wireless Internet, and pillow menus. The hotel spa offers treatments to relax and revitalize including massages and facials, and the onsite Senzone Restaurant and Terrace Bar provides a modern setting to enjoy cocktails.
- Hospes Palacio del Bailio
Hopes Palacio del Bailio (5*) - Cordoba
Hospes Palacio del Bailio (5*) occupies a 17th-century building built on Roman ruins, this contemporary hotel unifies the ancient and the modern in the historic centre of Cordoba, 400 metres from Tendillas Square. Influenced by characteristic Andalusian decorative traditions, the 53 guestrooms all include minibars, air conditioning, and complimentary wireless Internet access. Hospes Palacio Del Bailio’s guests can enjoy spa treatments in the courtyard, and sip aperitifs overlooking ancient ruins; the hotel also offers two pools, a restaurant, and tapas bar.
- Hospes Palacio de los Patos
Hospes Palacio de los Patos (5*) - Granada
This modern hotel is in the centre of Granada, 50 metres from the nearest shopping centre, 200 metres from the Renaissance cathedral, and 1.5 kilometres from the famous Alhambra. The 42 guestrooms are decorated in dramatic contemporary style with striking furnishings; rooms have wireless Internet, satellite television, and minibars with complimentary bottled water. Guests can enjoy international cuisine in the hotel’s restaurant, relax in the hotel’s bar, and unwind in the wellness centre with a massage, spa treatment, or a swim in the small pool.
- Hospes Las Casas del Rey de Baeza
Hospes Casas del Rey de Baeza (4*) - Seville
This traditional hotel in the historic centre of Seville is 100 metres from the nearest shops and Casa Pilatos, 300 metres from Barrio de Santa Cruz and two kilometres from the city’s cathedral. The 41 guestrooms combine contemporary style with traditional touches; rooms include air conditioning, satellite television, DVD players, and complimentary high-speed Internet connections. Guests can dine on Andalucian and Mediterranean cuisine in the restaurant, take a swim in the outdoor pool and relax in the rooftop wellness centre, with its spa treatments, fitness room, and sauna.
Travel Info
Travel tips of Spain
VISA/PASSPORT
Spain is a party to the Schengen Agreement. As such, U.S. and Canadian citizens may enter for up to 90 days for tourist or business purposes without a visa. The passport should be valid for at least three months beyond the period of stay.
Citizens of other countries may require a visa. Please ask your Sales Advisor. These requirements change often and therefore it is best that you check with the Embassy of Spain for the most up to date visa information.
HEALTH
Health insurance is recommended. Medical facilities are good quality. We recommend that you see a health-care provider who specializes in Travel Medicine. The doctor or health-care provider will determine what vaccinations and medication you will need, depending on factors such as your health and immunization history, areas of the country you will be visiting, and planned activities. For more information on travel requirements, visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/spain.aspx
COUNTRY INFO
Capital: Madrid.
Government: Parliamentary monarchy since 1978.
Language: The principal language is Spanish (Castilian or castillano). Catalan (in the northeast, with variations spoken in Valencia and The Balearics), Galician (in the northwest) and Basque (in the north, bordering France) are also spoken.
Religion: There is no official religion, but the majority of the population is Roman Catholic.
Time: Mainland Spain/Balearics: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October). The Canary Islands: GMT (GMT + 1 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Electricity: 220 or 225 volts AC, 50Hz. Generally, round two-pin plugs and screw-type lamp fittings are in use.
Telephone: Country code +34.
Mobile Telephone: Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good throughout most of the country.
Internet: There is a variety of Internet cafes in most urban areas.
What's Included:
- Guaranteed departure - Accommodation, Activities, Transfers, Meals, Fees where indicated as per the itinerary - Local and international traveler assistance during your tour - Specialised and personalised services
What's not Included:
- Tips - Laundry - Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages unless explicitly noted - Optional activities/extras – Visas (unless noted) - Vacation insurance
Trip Terms & Conditions
- Your deposit is due immediately on booking (30% of program price, minimum $350). The balance is due 90 days prior to departure.
- Cancellations of confirmed bookings 90 days or more prior to departure will receive full refund minus a $350 (per person) administrative fee and any non-refundable paid fees (e.g. non-refundable airfare, cruise or hotel deposits). 60-89 days will be subject to loss of 30% of program price. 30-59 days will be subject to loss of 50% of program price. 29 days or less will be subject to loss of 100% of program price.
- Tour quotes do not include airfare to/from the trip start point unless noted on the itinerary
- Cost increases in currency exchange, government fees, taxes, surcharges or hotel/lodge tariff increases between quote date and start date are payable by the client.
- Availability cannot be guaranteed until booked. We will exercise best efforts to book hotels per the itinerary, however, in busy seasons and with client bookings made within 90 days of tour date we may be forced to offer substitutes.
- Payment of the program price constitutes your acceptance of the terms and conditions set out at www.kensingtontours.com/terms-and-conditions
- Living Standards and practices at destination may differ from those in North America with respect to provisions of utilities, services and accommodation.
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