Istanbul–Valencia
Meeting with our valued guests at the International Departures Terminal of Istanbul Airport at least 3 hours before the flight. Following check-in, baggage, and passport procedures, we will depart for Valencia at 08:30 on Turkish Airlines flight TK 1301, arriving at 10:30.
Upon arrival, our city tour will begin. Valencia is a historic and modern city on Spain’s eastern coast, surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. As Spain’s third-largest city, Valencia attracts visitors with its rich history, culture, and art. During our city tour, we will see the City Hall, Gothic Cathedral, Bullring, City of Arts and Sciences, Mercado Central, and the historic Silk Exchange. Following the tour, we will transfer to our hotel, check in, and enjoy free time. Overnight at our hotel.
VALENCIA-GRANADA
After breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Granada. Guests who wish may join the optional Alhambra Palace Tour (€60), which will be organized by our guide (the tour is subject to the palace’s availability and excludes the harem). As the Alhambra accepts a limited number of visitors each day, it is known as Alhambra, meaning “Red,” because red bricks were used on its walls and red tiles on its roof. A surviving testament to one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture, the Alhambra Palace will be followed by a city tour of Granada.
Located in the heart of Andalusia, Granada is a city rich in history and culture. It is famous for its historical heritage, music and dance, breathtaking views, and the Alhambra Palace. The city is one of Spain’s leading tourist destinations and welcomes millions of visitors every year. During our city tour, we will see Gran Vía Avenue, Bib-Rambla and City Hall Squares, Granada Cathedral (from the outside), Madraza, Granada’s first university, the Silk Market, and the old Nasrid Caravanserai.
After the tour, we will transfer to our hotel. Guests who wish to spend the evening in an entertaining atmosphere may join the optional Sacromonte Night Tour (€60). During this tour, you will have the opportunity to watch a different interpretation of flamenco performed by the Gypsies living in Granada, in their stone houses. Overnight at our hotel.
GRANADA-SEVILLE
Free time after breakfast at the hotel. Guests who wish may join the optional Córdoba tour (60 Euros). In Córdoba, the Guadalquivir River will be the first to welcome us. We will enter the city by walking across the historic Roman Bridge and passing through the Roman Gate. We will visit the Great Mosque of Córdoba, the city’s most magnificent structure and one of the largest mosques in the world, rising on 850 columns. Accompanied by our guide, we will witness the grandeur of this magnificent work and learn fascinating information about it.
After our tour of the Mosque of Córdoba, we will continue on foot through the city’s immaculately preserved old streets, seeing the historic inns and houses of Córdoba, which reflect all the elegance of Andalusian architecture.
Following our Córdoba tour, we will continue to Seville. The places we will see include María Luisa Park, home to Plaza de España, Plaza América, Seville Cathedral—the world’s third-largest cathedral and the burial place of Christopher Columbus (outside)—and the Giralda Tower, located right next to the cathedral. The Giralda is the last remaining part of the mosque built by the Umayyad State of Andalusia, on the site of which the cathedral was later constructed. We will also see the Alcázar, the palace of the kings of Castile (outside).
We will then pass through the Archives of the Indies, where records of all maritime expeditions to the Americas from the Age of Discovery through the 19th century were kept, and reach the narrow old streets of the Santa Cruz district, known as “old” Seville. At the end of our walk, we will see the Torre del Oro, or Golden Tower, which was once an old tobacco factory, is now a maritime museum, and is used as the central campus of Seville University.
Guests who wish may join the optional Flamenco Night Tour (without dinner, including one drink; 60 Euros). Following the tour, we will return to Granada. Overnight at the hotel.
SEVILLE-MADRID
After breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Madrid. Upon arrival, we begin our city tour of Madrid. We start with the large square known as Plaza Mayor. This square has 136 buildings and 437 balconies opening onto the courtyard. In the past, bullfights and people burned by the Inquisition were watched from these balconies. The city’s heart, Puerta del Sol; Plaza Mayor; Plaza de Oriente, where the Royal Palace addresses the public; the Alcala Gate, built as an entrance to demonstrate how wealthy the city was; Gran Via, which impresses with its gallery-style rooftops; Plaza Colon; Cibeles Square and its fountain; and the Cervantes Monument are among the places we will see. Overnight at our hotel.
Madrid
Free time after breakfast at our hotel in the morning. During this free time, we will organize an optional Toledo and Cathedral Tour (€80) for guests who wish to participate. Located 70 km southwest of Madrid, Toledo is the capital of the Castile–La Mancha region and is undoubtedly one of the most important cities in Spanish history. With its distinctive appearance bearing traces of all the civilizations that have lived in Spain, it offers visitors unforgettable memories. Surrounded by the Tagus River, built on steep, well-protected cliffs, and enclosed by high walls, the city has always been a valuable settlement throughout history, from the Romans and Visigoths to Al-Andalus and the Kingdom of Spain.
Toledo was also the center of Judaism in the Iberian Peninsula until the end of the 15th century. It is home to many important structures, including Europe’s oldest surviving synagogue, dozens of churches converted from mosques, and the magnificent cathedral from which Spain was religiously governed. The city is practically a mosaic where the three monotheistic religions and their peoples came together. Toledo remained a political, cultural, commercial, and military center until the Empire moved its capital to Madrid in 1561. The city also inspired Cervantes’ immortal work, Don Quixote, and much of the story takes place in and around Toledo. For all these reasons, Toledo has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
During our tour, we will see the famous viewpoint, where you can photograph the city’s magnificent 16th-century appearance as if it were a painting; the San Martín Bridge, San Juan Monastery, the Jewish Quarter, Santo Tomé Church, Santa María Cathedral Square, the shopping street where you can find everything unique to the city, and the city center, Zocodover Square.
During the free time after the tour, you can taste Toledo’s traditional almond confectionery, Mazapán, and try Manchego, Spain’s internationally renowned aged sheep’s cheese named after this region. As souvenirs, you can browse traditionally crafted swords, knives, and accessories, made in the place known for producing the most famous steel of the Middle Ages and even used in Hollywood films. You can also purchase filigree products inherited from the city’s Andalusian period, known as damascening (Damasquinado), decorated with beautiful motifs made from gold wires of different gauges.
After our tour, guests who wish may join the optional Segovia and Outlet Tour (€60). During this tour, we will visit the cities of Segovia and Ávila, both of which have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. After passing through Ávila’s 11th-century walls, we will visit the old town, see the exterior of the cathedral and the Basilica of San Vicente, visit Plaza Mayor, and enter the birthplace of Santa Teresa de Jesús. Following the tour, we will depart for Segovia. There, we will see the massive Roman aqueduct, the exterior of Segovia Cathedral, Plaza Mayor, and the magnificent Alcázar of Segovia, a castle reminiscent of the one in Snow White. After the tour, we will go to Las Rozas Village, known as the largest outlet shopping center in the region. Following the free time provided for shopping, we will return to our hotel in Madrid. Overnight at our hotel.
MADRID–ISTANBUL
After breakfast at the hotel, we check out of our rooms. We then transfer to the airport. We depart for Istanbul Airport at 18:25 on Turkish Airlines flight TK 1860, arriving at 23:40, marking the end of our tour.