Captivating Spain and Portugal

MEALS
(11 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 11 Indian dinners)
Breakfast: Continental
Dinner: Enjoy delicious Indian / Jain / vegetarian / non-vegetarian meals in Europe on Yatra group tours.


Day 1: Arrive in Lisbon
Meals: Indian dinner
Welcome to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Bathed in pure Atlantic light, crowned by the storybook St. George's Castle and straddling seven hills, Lisbon is one of Europe's most visually striking capitals. Looks aside, the city will surely win you over with its genuine friendliness and blissfully laid-back pace. Upon arrival you will be met by our experienced tour manager who will arrange for your transfer to the hotel. After checking in, you have the rest of the day at leisure. In the evening, Dinner will be served at an Indian restaurant after which you will head back to the hotel for overnight stay.

Day 2: City tour of Lisbon
Guided tour of Lisbon. Also visit Sintra, Cascias Bay, Estoril and Hell's Mouth (Boca do Inferno)
Meals: Breakfast and Indian dinner
After continental breakfast at the hotel, proceed for a guided tour of Lisbon. Henry the Navigator (1394-1460), one of the pioneers or Europe’s seaward expansion, made Lisbon the 15th-century ‘Mistress of the Seas’. The Belem Tower has been dedicated to his memory. The quadrangular Tower of Belém is a monument to Portugal's Age of Discovery. Erected between 1515 and 1520, the Manueline-style tower is Portugal's classic landmark and often serves as a symbol of the country. A monument to Portugal's great military and naval past, the tower stands on or near the spot where the caravels once set out across the sea. Apart from this, you will be taken to visit the Moorish Citadel, the impressive Black Horse Square, and other attractions. Later proceed to Sintra, Cascias Bay and Estoril and Hell's Mouth (Boca do Inferno) and take in views of the Atlantic Ocean on the drive along the Portuguese coast. Continue to the picture postcard-like town of Sintra to visit the enchanting Pena National Palace - a UNESCO World Heritage and one of Europe's most stunning palaces. At the end of the day, enjoy hone-style dinner at an Indian restaurant after which you can retire to your hotel in Lisbon for overnight stay.

Day 3: Lisbon to Seville
Guided city tour of Seville
Meals: Breakfast and local dinner
After continental breakfast at the hotel, check out and proceed via the modern Tagus Bridge and across the border to the Spanish town of Seville. Seville conjures up images of raven-haired flamenco dancers, bullfights and extravagant Mudéjar architecture. A hybrid of Islamic and European traditions, this fusion is best reflected in the splendor of the Alcázar, a palace still in use by members of the Spanish royal family. Seek out Casa de Pilatos, 16th-century palace of the dukes of Medinaceli and delight in its fountains and salons. The Sevillians' passion for bullfighting is visible on a tour of the Real Maestranza bullring and its onsite museum, which houses paintings and embellished matador costumes. On arrival proceed for a guided tour of the city that includes the immense cathedral, the burial place of Christopher Columbus, the slender Giralda Tower and the Santa Cruz Quarter with its flower-decked wrought-iron balconies. In the evening, you will be treated to a local dinner while being entertained by Flamenco dancers. This folk music and dance from the Andalicia region of Spain has gained worldwide popularity in recent years and has even been featured prominently in the Bollywood blockbuster, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. After the fun filled evening, retire to your hotel in Seville for overnight stay.

Day 4: Seville to Grenada
Granada City tour, Guided Visit to Alhambra Palace
Meals: Breakfast and Indian dinner
After continental breakfast, proceed to Granada, known the world over for the fascinating Alhambra Palace. Moorish Granada rightly conjures up visions of the fairytale Alhambra, the snowcapped Sierra Nevada and passionate gypsy flamenco -- but there's more. Get lost in the winding alleys of the medina-like Albaicín, the old Muslim quarter; nibble free tapas in hole-in-the-wall tascas; and sample some of Spain's hottest nightlife -- no mean feat in a country famous for its fiestas. You too, just like sultans some 800 years ago, will be smitten with this Andalusian city. Proceed on a guided city tour of the palace to see the Lion Court as well as the water gardens of the royal summer residence. At the end of the day, enjoy hone-style dinner at an Indian restaurant after which you can retire to your hotel in Granada for overnight stay.

Day 5: Grenada to Toledo and Madrid
City tour of Toledo including visit to the Toledo Sword Factory
Meals: Breakfast and Indian dinner
After continental breakfast, proceed to the legendary Spanish city of Toledo. Toledo is a magic place, probably one of the most spectacular cities in the world and fusion of three cultures. Surrounded on three sides by a bend in the Tagus River, Toledo stands atop a hill overlooking the arid plains of New Castile -- a natural fortress in the center of the Iberian Peninsula. It was a logical choice for the capital of Spain, though it lost its political status to Madrid in the 1500s. Toledo has remained the country's religious center, as the seat of the Primate of Spain. On arrival we proceed on a guided city tour of Toledo to visit the Alcazar, Cathedral of Toledo, Puerta Bisagra and other landmarks. Later we visit the famous Toledo sword factory which is said to have produced some of the finest blades in the world. After the tour is over, you will be transferred to Madrid, the capital of Spain. Upon arrival in the city, you will be taken for dinner at an Indian restaurant after which you can retire to your hotel in Madrid for overnight stay.

Day 6: Exploring Madrid
Guided tour of Madrid, Visit to Prado Museum
Meals: Breakfast and Indian dinner
Welcome to Madrid, the capital of Spain. The old and the new contrast vividly in Madrid, where narrow cobbled lanes and 17th-century chapels border modern boulevards and gleaming skyscrapers. Such is the diversity of modern Madrid, where locals revel in the centuries-old sport of bullfighting in the afternoon and then feast on sushi in the evening. And if you ask Madrileños about their favorite attractions, they're just as divided: The masterpieces of the Prado and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums vie with junk-shopping at the Rastro. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, proceed for a guided sightseeing tour which takes you along the elegant Paseo de la Castellana past Madrid’s most famous fountain in the Plaza de Cibeles. Drive down the Gran Via to the Cervantes Monument in the Plaza España and cross the Puerta del Sol. The highlight of your tour is a visit to the magnificent Prado Museum to admire the paintings of Velázquez, Goya and many other Spanish masters. At the end of the day, enjoy home-style dinner at an Indian restaurant after which you can retire to your hotel in Madrid for overnight stay.

Day 7: Madrid to Zaragoza and Barcelona
Guided tour of Zaragoza
Meals: Breakfast and Indian dinner
Today, your tour will lead you to the historic town of Zaragoza. Zaragoza (pronounced thah-rah-goh-thah) lies halfway between Madrid and Barcelona. This provincial capital, the seat of the ancient kingdom of Aragón, is a bustling, prosperous, commercial city of wide boulevards and arcades. Upon arrival in this historic city, you will be taken on an orientation tour of the city, which will include sights like the Basilica of Our Lady of El Pilar, Roman walls and the central historic square. After the tour of Zaragoza, proceed onwards towards Barcelona. Upon arrival in the city, you will be taken for dinner at an Indian restaurant after which you can retire to your hotel in Barcelona for overnight stay.

Day 8: Exploring Barcelona
Guided city tour of Barcelona
Boarding Mediterranean Cruise
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
A Gothic and Modernist marvel on the Mediterranean Sea, Barcelona is quirky, cosmopolitan and effortlessly cool. This city breathes life: from chefs foraging for fresh produce in La Boqueria Market at the crack of dawn to partygoers leaving El Born's pulsating clubs around the same time. Pause for a minute, and discover Barcelona's real charm in small details - the hidden courtyards of Barri Gòtic, the light catching Sagrada Família's wax-like turrets - all coming together to make the Catalan capital one of Spain's most livable and loveable cities. After a hearty continental breakfast, check out and proceed for a guided orientation tour of Barcelona. Start with a leisurely saunter down tree-lined La Rambla, dipping into the Barri Gòtic's maze-like alleyways to reach Santa Maria del Mar church. The iconic architect Antoni Gaudí has left his fantastical stamp on the city in the twirling spires of La Sagrada Família cathedral and sculpted greenery of Park Güell. The unmissable Picasso Museum displays Picasso's early sketches and Blue Period masterpieces. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred to the port to board your Mediterranean Cruise.

Day 9-11: On board Mediterranean Cruise (Free)
Meal: All meals
The next three days will be spent on board a cruise ship across the Mediterranean Sea, one of the most navigated seas in the world. It is known for its fabulous coastline and for being home to some of the most picturesque islands in the continent. During the course of this three day journey, the ship will dock at exotic destinations like Nice in France and La Spezia in Italy (from where you can explore Florence and Pisa) before returning to Barcelona.

Day 12: Depart from Barcelona
Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast, disembark from the cruise and arrive back at the fascinating city of Barcelona. Here you have the morning at leisure to explore the city. We recommend you go shopping. La Boqueria Market's iron gates lead to Barcelona's best grazing -- shop for Iberian ham, glossy olives and creamy goat cheese before lunch at a seafood bar. Two metro stops north, the stately Modernist Passeig de Gràcia is a catwalk to designer labels, near Avinguda Diagonal's department stores like Spanish giant El Corte Inglés. Local creatives have set up galleries and boutiques in El Born, El Raval and Barri Gòtic, selling quirky fashion, vintage clothes and used records. In the afternoon you will be transferred to Barcelona Airport for your flight back home.