[ Print This Page ]
15-Nights Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco - Classic Group from $5,525
Insight Vacations
OFFER ID 1597743
Treasures Of Spain, Portugal & Morocco - Classic Group
Traverse Spain, Portugal and Morocco on this 16-day guided tour. In Lisbon explore the Belém Quarter with a Local Expert and visit the National Coach Museum. Journey to Gibraltar, a territory under British control, visit St. Michael’s Cave; be sure to look out for the legendary guardians of the colony, the Barbary Apes. In Fes, tour the Medina and learn about renowned local crafts. Travel to the white-washed village of Alfarnatejo, then discover the oldest olive grove in the region, where you’ll taste freshly pressed oils and dine on a traditional meal in the home of a Spanish family. In Madrid, visit the Prado Museum and learn about the origins of the city with a Local Expert.
Dining Summary
- 6 Dinner (D)
- 15 Breakfast (B)
- 1 Lunch (L)
- Choose between two carefully selected activities
- Seville: Stroll through Barrio de Santa Cruz with a Local Expert and hear how the Jewish community has shaped the city's history.
- Seville: See the city's top sights on a panoramic tour with your Local Expert.
- Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
- Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
- We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
- From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
- Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
- If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
- Lisbon: Join your Travel Director at 18:00 for a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant and the opportunity to mingle with your fellow travelers.
- Lisbon: Delight in a taste of the famous Portuguese custard tart, Pastéis de Belém, made in a 19th century bakery with the original secret recipe.
- Alfarnatejo: Taste a selection of freshly pressed olive oils with locally made farmer bread when you stop at Almazara, the oldest olive grove in the region.
- Alfarnatejo: Join a local family for a Dine-at-Home lunch featuring traditional recipes. Learn about regional customs and culture through your hosts' warm hospitality and lively conversation.
- Madrid: Toast to your travels and enjoy local specialties in one of the city's elegant central neighborhoods.
- Seville: Stroll through Barrio de Santa Cruz with a Local Expert and hear how the Jewish community has shaped the city's history.
- Seville: See the city's top sights on a panoramic tour with your Local Expert.
- Granada: Visit the famous Alhambra Palace and Generalife Gardens. While others wait in line, you'll be exploring accompanied by a Local Expert, keen to share insights into this Moorish landmark.
- Madrid: Witness the world's finest collection of Spanish paintings, plus an impressive international collection, as you tour the Prado Museum with an art historian.
- Seville: The Cristina Heeren Foundation aims to promote the teaching and conservation of flamenco and is a beneficiary of a TreadRight Foundation grant. Meet the students of the foundation, learn some basic flamenco steps, and then feel the passion as they perform an emotional show. The school enables students access to cultural education that otherwise may not have occurred. TreadRights sponsorship has helped students to complete their studies in advanced guitar, singing and dance. As students complete their training, they will carry on and safeguard the traditional flamenco dance, contributing to the protection of Andalusia and Spain’s cultural heritage. The Cristina Heeren Foundation advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education and UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
- Lisbon: Step back in time and explore one of the world’s finest collections of traditional horse-drawn carriages. Once the exclusive domain of kings, queens, and nobility, these magnificent vehicles were more than just modes of transport-they were symbols of power, prestige, and artistry. Each carriage has a unique story to tell, offering a glimpse into a bygone era of elegance and grandeur.
- Seville: Visit the Seville Cathedral with your Local Expert. Pass the altarpiece dripping with gold and see the Tomb of Columbus, held aloft by four kings.
- Tarifa: Travel from Tarifa to Tangier on a ferry across the iconic Strait of Gibraltar.
- Fes: Led by your Local Expert, wander the maze of streets that make up the ancient Medina. See one of the world's oldest universities and pass hidden courtyards, mosques and workshops. Continue through the souks, an array of vendors selling food, clothes, leather goods and beautiful lights.
- Fes: Learn about the traditional craft of carpet making, gaining an insight to the designs the and the difference in materials.
- Marrakesh: Your Local Expert guides you past Jemaa el-Fnaa Square with its intriguing characters and through the seemingly entangled streets of the Medina with its many souks. See the protruding Koutoubia Minaret.
- Marrakesh: Built around a
15 nights from $5,525 per person
Insight Vacations: Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Morocco - Classic Group
Day 1 - Welcome to Lisbon
On arrival at Lisbon International Airport, there are complimentary transfers to your hotel. Settle in and relax before joining your Travel Director for dinner at a local restaurant. Enjoy the opportunity to mingle with your fellow travelers during a pleasant evening of good food and wine.
Accommodations: Corinthia, Lisbon
Meals: Dinner
Day 2 - Lisbon and the Age of the Great Discoveries Relaxed Start
Your guided sightseeing with a Local Expert takes you to see the Belém Quarter from where sailing ships once set forth to discover unknown lands. Enjoy a taste of Pastéis de Belém from the patisserie that has been using the same secret recipe for almost 20 years. Visit the National Coach Museum, which features one of the most prominent horse-drawn carriage collection in the world. The afternoon and evening are free to explore further as you wish. Perhaps decide to visit the Portuguese Riviera, or enjoy an evening of emotive 'Fado' music?'
Accommodations: Corinthia, Lisbon
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3 - To Seville, the City of Carmen
Visit Seville's Cathedral, the final resting place of Christopher Columbus. Explore the city with Insight Choice. Choose to walk through the old Jewish quarter and see La Giralda, the former minaret of the Great Mosque, which is now the bell tower of the cathedral. Alternatively, join a scenic drive and enjoy panoramic views of this enchanting city.
Accommodations: Catalonia Giralda Hotel, Seville
Meals: Breakfast
Day 4 - Free Time and Flamenco in Seville Relaxed Start
This morning is yours to completely relax or continue exploring this fascinating city. Perhaps join an Optional Experience to Córdoba and visit the magnificent Mezquita, an 8th-century mosque with a Christian cathedral built inside it? Later this afternoon, join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you visit the Cristina Heeren Foundation, a flamenco dance school and beneficiary of a TreadRight Foundation grant. Their mission is to promote the teaching and conservation of flamenco. Feel the passion behind the choreography as you put your rhythm to the test during a dance lesson before witnessing emotions come to life in a flamenco performance.
Accommodations: Catalonia Giralda Hotel, Seville
Meals: Breakfast
Day 5 - The Straits of Gibraltar to Fes
Set sail across the Strait of Gibraltar to reach Morocco, a historic land of deep-rooted tradition and compelling cultural character.
Accommodations: Marriott Jnan Palace, Fes
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 - Explore Fes Relaxed Start
Today, your Local Expert will guide you through the ancient Medina, teeming with hidden courtyards, beautiful mosques and local workshops. Sensorial delights await around every corner as you take in the historic grandeur of this walled city. Walk through the souks and pass one of the world’s oldest universities. Learn about the ancient craft of handwoven carpets, a tradition developed in this region over thousands of years. Gain insight into the exceptional skill and artistic symbolism applied to make each carpet unique.
Accommodations: Marriott Jnan Palace, Fes
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7 - On the Road to Marrakesh
During today's journey, see traditional mud-walled villages set against the vast arid plains. Glimpse the Atlas Mountains as you approach Marrakesh, a bustling hub of culture and trade.
Accommodations: Mövenpick Mansour Eddahbi, Marrakesh
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8 - Explore Marrakesh Relaxed Start
Join a Local Expert to explore the Medina, the historic heart of the city. See the Koutoubia Mosque, its minaret dominating the Marrakesh skyline with golden brickwork. Visit the intricately-decorated Palais Bahia, a 19th-century mosaic-laden masterpiece built to be the greatest palace of its day. Experience the city's captivating charm during time at leisure. Perhaps try your hand at haggling in the souks on Jemaa-el-Fnaa Square or visit one of the acclaimed museums.
Accommodations: Mövenpick Mansour Eddahbi, Marrakesh
Meals: Breakfast
Day 9 - Play It Again Sam in Casablanca Relaxed Start
Journey to the west coast of Africa to reach Casablanca. Did Humphrey Bogart really did say 'Play it again, Sam'? Your Local Expert will reveal the truth to this and other fascinating elements of this storied city. See the impressive Hassan II Mosque, the largest in the country. For those who came to Casablanca for the waters, the Corniche, a chic seaside strip, welcomes you with its trendy restaurants and cafes.
Accommodations: Gray Suites, Casablanca
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10 - Rabat and Tangier Relaxed Start
Travel north to Rabat to see the intricately-decorated Royal Palace and Hassan Tower with your Local Expert. Your journey continues to Morocco’s port of Tangier, overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean. You will be taken for a guided sightseeing tour of the city with a Local Expert. After dinner, enjoy an evening at leisure to relax in the comfortable surroundings of your hotel as the sun sets or take a stroll along Avenue d'Espagne on the Bay of Tangier.
Accommodations: Grand Hotel Villa de France, Tangier
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 11 - On to the Costa del Sol
Cross the water to Spain and continue on to Gibraltar, an overseas territory under British control since 1704. Meet your Local Expert for a guided tour of the Rock of Gibraltar, St. Michael’s Cave and see the Barbary Apes, legendary guardians of the colony. Your travels continue through Andalucía and on to the Costa del Sol, famous for its beaches.
Accommodations: Meliá Costa del Sol, Torremolinos
Meals: Breakfast
Day 12 - At Leisure on the Costa del Sol Relaxed Start
Enjoy the day at leisure on the sun-drenched Costa del Sol. Relax by the blue Mediterranean waters, stroll along the promenade, savor the specialties in the local restaurants, or consider exploring Málaga, the birth city of Picasso.
Accommodations: Meliá Costa del Sol, Torremolinos
Meals: Breakfast
Day 13 - Dining with Locals and the Alhambra Palace
Continue to Alfarnatejo, a quiet white washed village with a population of just 500 people, surrounded by stunning mountainous landscape. Travel to the oldest olive grove in the region and stop at the rural mill-factory of Alfarnatejo to taste a selection of different oils with locally made farmer bread. In small groups, you are invited into the home of a local family to join them for a delicious lunch made with fresh, local produce that showcases the flavors typical of the region. Continue to Granada, where overlooking the town stands one of the most remarkable fortresses ever built, the Alhambra. Led by your Local Expert, explore this exquisite palace built as a citadel by the Moors in the 13th century - a fantasy of arabesque gardens, fountains and stone cut like lace. Stroll through the elegant, exotic water gardens of the Generalife, the summer residence of the Spanish royals.
Accommodations: Gran Hotel Luna de Granada
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 14 - To Madrid in search of Don Quixote
Your journey continues to the north, through countryside immortalized by Cervantes' fictional hero, Don Quixote.
Accommodations: Barceló Emperatriz, Madrid
Meals: Breakfast
Day 15 - Madrid of the Bourbons Relaxed Start
Enjoy sightseeing with your Local Expert, as they guide you through the most historic neighborhoods in the Spanish capital. Your drive continues through the Old Quarter to discover the origins of the city. Visit the renowned Prado Museum with an art historian who will guide you through the collective works of Velázquez, Goya, Titian, Rubens and more. The afternoon is at your leisure to relax at a cafe, shop in the trendy boutiques or perhaps travel to beautiful Toledo with an Optional Experience. In the evening, join your Travel Director and newfound friends at a local restaurant in the heart of the city. Toast your adventures as you enjoy a delicious dinner of regional favorites, served with wine.
Accommodations: Barceló Emperatriz, Madrid
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 16 - Depart Madrid
Today, bid a fond farewell to your memorable journey through Spain, Morocco & Portugal as you transfer to the airport and reflect on the experiences and adventures you've had.
Meals: Breakfast
Vacation Details
* This departure has been designated a guaranteed departure by the operator, meaning that the minimum number of guests has been met, although still subject to weather and other conditions.
Fine dining, on-site bars or lounges and room service with extended hours are characteristic of deluxe establishments. Guest services usually include valet parking, concierge services, baggage assistance and laundry services. Other on-site facilities often include shops and boutiques, full service spas, full fitness facilities with pools and tennis courts. Business amenities may include available up-to-date technology and support staffs available for services. Attention to detail is apparent in the guestrooms which typically have stylish furnishings, quality bedding and bath products and often provide an evening turn down service.
All fares are quoted in US Dollars.
Reference this number when contacting our agency so we may better serve you. Also keeping this number handy will allow you to locate this document again quickly.
CruiseShopping.com
146 NW Central Park Plaza - Suite 201
Port Saint Lucie, FL 34986
USA
(305) 515-5690
(800) 799-0331