NORTHERN SPAIN AND THE DOURO VALLEY
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Itinerary
We look forward to immersing ourselves in the relaxed culture of Spain as our evening flight takes us to Dubai en route to Barcelona.
As soon as the plane touches down, we check in for the next three nights at El Palace Hotel, close to Las Ramblas, the heart of Barcelona, the capital of the Catalan region. The afternoon is for relaxation, or to explore the city on your own. Dinner will be served on the roof terrace, beside an organic garden with views of the Mediterranean and Sagrada Familia.
We begin our first full day in the oldest part of the city. The Gothic Quarter was once the centre of Barcino, as Barcelona was called in Roman times. In the maze of streets and squares, you can still see the remains of the temple of Augustus. Today, the neighbourhood...
Today, explore the region around Barcelona with one of these Your World experiences. This evening, we dine around the city. As is expected of Captain’s Choice, our guides are no less than the Aborígens, opinionated Catalan culinary journalists with encyclopaedic knowledge of their town.
We leave the region of Catalonia for Basque Country today. After a tapas lunch, a short flight places us in San Sebastián. We are in the Hotel Maria Cristina for one night. Dinner tonight will be a selection of the most traditional pintxos in the historic centre of town.
After lunch in San Sebastián, we drive to Bilbao, where we join the sumptuous El Transcantabrico Gran Lujo train, which has been privately chartered just for us. The crew welcomes us with drinks, then we begin the first leg of our journey, towards Villasana de Mena. A gourmet regional Spanish dinner awaits us in the evening and we overnight in town.
The train takes us back to Bilbao to discover the city. Ours is a classic El Transcantabrico Gran Lujo itinerary. In Bilbao, we visit the Guggenheim Museum, iconic for its architecture and the art inside. Once we return to the train, we continue our journey to Santand...
This morning our train drops us off at Unquera station. From here, we drive through the narrow gorge of La Hermida to the idyllic village of Potes. After exploring the town, pamper yourself at La Hermida Spa. Rejuvenated, we rejoin our train for the trip to Cabezón de...
The medieval town of Santillana del Mar welcomes us in the morning. It is also a stepping stone to the famed Cave of Altamira, where paintings from the Upper Paleolithic period, over 18,500 years ago, are to be found. Most remarkable are the images of bison – the arti...
Rugged mountains, green slopes and glacial lakes make up the breakthtaking scenery of Picos de Europa National Park – an invigorating start to the day. At the Shrine of Covadonga, hear how the Visigoths defeated the Moors. Oviedo is the capital of Asturias, and its co...
We continue our discovery of Asturian towns today. As in other parts of Northern Spain, the area around Avilés was probably already occupied in the Upper Paleolithic era. The charming old town dates from at least the 900s, when documents report the endowment of two ch...
Today, the Galicia region welcomes us. The train takes us to Ribadeo, where we follow the dramatic coastline to reach Las Catedrales Beach, so named for its numerous soaring rock arches and caves. Wander through the formations and don’t forget to look up to fully appr...
We savour our last breakfast on the train as we make the final leg of our journey to Ferrol. From here, we drive to Santiago de Compostela, a World Heritage-listed city. The city holds the remains of Saint James, one of the Twelve Apostles and patron saint of Spain. S...
Our discovery of the Douro Valley begins in earnest today. The morning starts with an informative talk about the river and the land it flows through. Steep terraced vineyards, whitewashed wine estate houses and gentle hills characterise the landscape. Lunch is at the ...
We leave our boat for a morning tour of the town of Vila Real and the fairytale Mateus Palace within it. Learn a little about Portuguese cuisine during a culinary demonstration today, then savour its flavours at dinner, which takes place at Morgadio de Calçada, a major wine house and producer of Port. After dinner, we enjoy a private vintage port wine celebration. We dock at Pinhão for the night.
High on a hilltop, the village of Castelo Rodrigo looks over the plateau that stretches into Spain, as well as the Douro that flows at its feet. It has been fought for and won by both Spain and Portugal, several times over. On our ship, we learn more about Portugal’s ...
Salamanca is an ancient Celtic city that has been under Carthaginian, Roman, Visigothic and Moorish rule. It is known for its ornate sandstone architecture, which, when bathed in sunlight, glows richly golden. Lunch here is accompanied by a flamenco show at the historic University of Salamanca, founded in 1218. Back on our vessel, we savour an authentic Portuguese barbecue at dinner.
Modern Portugal is a fascinating subject that scholars have written books about. This morning though, you will be treated to an abridged version that will be as entertaining as it is educational. After, enjoy an indulgent day of simply drifting on the river. Come dusk we’ll be admiring the sunset glows with a harbour cruise at Entre-os-Rios, before we retire here for the night.
Our ship returns us to Porto this morning, where we disembark for the last time. Today, we check in to the Palácio do Freixo, a fine example of Portuguese Baroque architecture - the government declared its façade a National Monument in 1910. Our home for two nights welcomes us with cocktails. Later that evening, we dine in.
We spend the day discovering two towns near Porto. Guimarães, a World Heritage-listed city, is known as the birthplace of Portugal. In 1128, Afonso Henriques fought a battle and crowned himself King, signalling a new Portugal, independent of Spanish influence. Braga i...
On route to Lisbon, we stop in Coimbra, Portugal’s medieval capital for a hundred years. Its old town is set on a hill, with buildings from every era. In Lisbon, we call the Lapa Palace Hotel, overlooking the scenic Tagus River, home. After a welcome reception, we tou...
Acquaint yourself with Lisbon and its surrounds with one of two Your World experiences. We bid Lisbon a fond farewell with dinner in the hotel’s historical room and commit those river views to memory.
Today, we leave Portugal and head home. Take a moment to consider our two momentous journeys, one by train and one by river boat. We catch our connecting flight in Dubai.
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The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
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