Salida temprano de Madrid hacia Castilla. Efectuamos una breve parada en el Mirador de los 4 postes con su vista sobre las magníficas murallas de ÁVILA. Casi en la frontera con Portugal paramos en CIUDAD RODRIGO, un paseo para conocer su catedral, muralla y calles medievales. Continuamos hacia Portugal. OPORTO, llegada y alojamiento. Visita panorámica de esta ciudad, la segunda en población de Portugal conocida por sus vinos. Al final de la visita conocemos una bodega centenaria. Tiempo libre.

Nota: Si el número de pasajeros entre Madrid y Oporto es muy reducido podrá realizarse este tramo en avión, anulándose en este caso la parada en Ciudad Rodrigo.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Cable car ride to the Bom Jesus Sanctuary. Wine and Mussels tasting during the boat trip. Visit to Santiago de Compostela.

On this day we will travel through beautiful landscapes. In the city of BRAGA, we will get on the world’s oldest cable car to ride up to the Santuário do BOM JESÚS, where we will enjoy its gorgeous views. We recommend trekking back down in order to admire its beautiful stairway. Then, we will resume our trip and head to Galicia. We will visit the historic town of CAMBADOS in Rías Baixas where we will go on a glass bottom boat trip in which we will learn about the production of mussels and oysters. Wine and mussel tasting included. At lunchtime we will arrive in SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, where we will go on a guided tour with a local guide. This town was a famous pilgrimage destination since the Middle Ages.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Beautiful landscapes. Visit Oviedo. We will travel along the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) to Castile.

In LUGO we will have time to visit the historic town center and Roman walls, which were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will make a stop on route in O´CEBREIRO, a small Galician stone village. Arrival in LEÓN at lunchtime, where we will have time to visit the Gothic cathedral with its stained-glass windows and to stroll through the historic town center.

After that, we will cross the Cantabrian Range mountains on our way to Asturias. Arrival in OVIEDO in the mid-afternoon. We will include (occasionally on Tuesday mornings) an hour-and-a-half visit of the city with a local guide in which we will visit its 9th century cathedral, Calatrava Congressional Palace, Campoamor Theatre and Calle de la Rua.

We will travel to Picos de Europa. We will visit Basílica de Covadonga which is surrounded by beautiful scenery. We will resume our journey following the coastline to SANTILLANA, one of Spain’s most beautiful towns, and we will visit its well-preserved medieval quarter. We visit the National Museum and Research Centre of ALTAMIRA (ticket included) located in the vicinity of this town. We will later travel to SANTANDER, the region’s capital city, a coastal city with amazing vistas and beaches. We include panoramic city tour to discover this elegant city and its beautiful bay. NOTE: On some high difficulty dates (especially in summer from July to mid September), some groups can be accommodated in Bilbao.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Bilbao. Wine Museum in La Rioja. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.

We will follow the motorway along the Cantabrian coast; some of the scenery we will go through as we travel between the mountains and the sea is of special beauty. BILBAO. We will arrive in the Bask Country’s largest city and, upon arrival, we will go on a short tour of the city with a local guide which will cover: Guggenheim area, old quarter, Cathedral… then there will be free time for some “pintxos”. After lunch, we will leave Bilbao and head to Madrid where we will be arriving at around 21.00h.

Note: In case the group is small, the portion of the trip from Bilbao to Madrid may be done by train or regular transport.

End of our services. Please, check the time of your flight in case you might need an additional night.