Cukurova-Madrid
Meeting our valued guests at the International Departures Terminal of Çukurova Airport at least 3 hours before the flight. Following the ticketing, baggage, and passport procedures, we depart for Madrid. Upon arrival in Madrid, we leave the airport and begin our city tour. We start with Plaza Mayor, meaning “the large square.” 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, the large square; Plaza de Oriente, where the Royal Palace addresses the public; Alcalá Gate, built as an entrance to demonstrate the city’s wealth; Gran Vía, admired for its gallery-style rooftops; Plaza Colón; Cibeles Square and its fountain; and the Cervantes Monument are among the places to be seen. After the tour, we transfer to our hotel and spend the night there.
Madrid
After breakfast at our hotel, free time. During this free time, we will organize an optional Toledo and Cathedral Tour (€80) for guests who wish to join. Located 70 km southwest of Madrid and serving as the capital of the Castile–La Mancha region, Toledo is undoubtedly one of the most important cities in Spanish history. With its appearance bearing traces of all the civilizations that have inhabited Spain, it offers visitors unforgettable memories. Surrounded by the Tagus River, built on steep, defensible cliffs, and encircled by high walls, the city has always been a valuable settlement throughout history, from the Romans and Visigoths to Al-Andalus and the Spanish Kingdom. Toledo was also the center of Judaism in the Iberian Peninsula until the end of the 15th century. It contains 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 virtually a mosaic in which the three Abrahamic religions and their peoples are intertwined.
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, much of which takes place in and around Toledo. For all these reasons, Toledo has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Among the places we will see during our tour are the famous viewpoint, where you can photograph the city’s magnificent 16th-century appearance as if it were a painting; the San Martin Bridge, the Monastery of San Juan, the Jewish Quarter, the Church of Santo Tomé, Santa Maria 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 famous 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 may also purchase filigree products inherited from the city’s Al-Andalus period, known as Damasquinado, decorated with beautiful motifs made using gold wires of varying thicknesses.
After our tour, guests who wish may join the optional Segovia & 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 our tour, we will depart for Segovia. We will see the enormous Roman aqueduct, the exterior of Segovia Cathedral, Plaza Mayor, and the Segovia Alcázar, a magnificent 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 the hotel.
MADRID-GRANADA
After breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Granada. Upon arrival, our panoramic Granada city tour will include sights such as Bib Lambra Square, the Christopher Columbus Monument, the City Hall, and the Cathedral (viewed from the outside). Following the tour, we will transfer to our hotel and have free time. Guests who would like to spend the evening in an entertaining atmosphere may join the optional Sacromonte Night Tour (602gs Euro). During this tour, you will have the opportunity to watch a different interpretation of Flamenco performed by the gypsies living in Granada in their traditional stone houses. Overnight at our hotel.
Granada
After breakfast at the hotel, free time. Guests who wish may join our optional Córdoba (mosque entrance included) and Seville tour (€100). In Córdoba, we will first be greeted by the Guadalquivir River. We will enter the city by walking across the historic Roman Bridge and through the Roman Gate. We will visit the most magnificent structure of this 2,000-year-old city, the Great Mosque of Córdoba, one of the largest mosques in the world, rising on 850 columns. Accompanied by our guide, we will witness the grandeur of this magnificent monument and learn fascinating information about it. After our tour of the Mosque of Córdoba, we will continue on foot to see the immaculate old streets, the historic inn reflecting all the elegance of Andalusian architecture, and the traditional houses of Córdoba.
Following our Córdoba tour, we will continue toward Seville. The places to be seen include María Luisa Park, where Plaza de España is located, and Plaza de América; Seville Cathedral, the world’s third-largest cathedral and the site of Christopher Columbus’s tomb (outside only); the Giralda Tower, the last surviving part of the mosque built by the Umayyad State of al-Andalus, beside the cathedral; and the Alcázar, the palace of the kings of Castile (outside only). We will then pass through the Archivo de Indias, where records of all maritime voyages to the Americas from the time of discovery until the 19th century were kept, and reach the narrow old streets of the Santa Cruz quarter, known as “Old Seville.” At the end of our walk, we will see the Torre del Oro, or Golden Tower, formerly an old tobacco factory, now used as the central campus of Seville University and a maritime museum.
Guests who wish may join the optional Flamenco Night Tour (€60, without dinner and including one drink). After the tour, we will return to Granada. Overnight at the hotel.
GRANADA-VALENCIA
After breakfast at the hotel, free time. Guests who wish may join the Alhambra Palace Tour, which will be organized as an optional excursion by our guide (€60). The Alhambra Palace tour will take place subject to the palace’s availability (excluding the harem). The Alhambra, which accepts a limited number of visitors each day, was named “Alhambra,” meaning “Red,” because red bricks were used on its walls and red tiles on its roof. Following our visit to the Alhambra Palace, a testament to one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture, we will depart for Valencia.
Guests who wish may join our optional Alicante City Tour (€40). During our Alicante city tour, we will explore Alicante, one of Spain’s oldest and most important port cities, bearing traces of Greek, Roman, Arab, and Christian civilizations and standing out with its unique location on the Mediterranean coast, historic buildings, and vibrant atmosphere. The sights to be seen during the city tour include Alicante City Hall (Ayuntamiento de Alicante), notable for its Baroque architecture; St. Nicholas Co-Cathedral, one of the city’s most important religious structures; the palm-lined Explanada de España; the historic Old Town (El Barrio); the lively Alicante Port; and panoramic views of Santa Bárbara Castle. Following our Alicante City Tour, we will depart for Valencia. Overnight at our hotel in Valencia.
Valencia-Barcelona
After breakfast at the hotel in the morning, we will depart for Barcelona. The capital of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and Spain’s second-largest city, Barcelona is home to the magnificent works of the famous architect Antoni Gaudí and attracts four times its population in tourists thanks to these remarkable landmarks. During our panoramic city tour, we will see La Sagrada Familia, also known as the “Unfinished Church,” Spain Square, Catalonia Square, Gaudí’s houses (Casa Batlló and Casa Milà), La Rambla, and Port Olímpic. Following the city tour, we will transfer to your hotel. In the evening, guests who wish may join the Barcelona by Night & Gothic Quarter Tour (€35), which will be organized as an optional excursion by our guide. During this tour, we will have the opportunity to see Barcelona, known as the city that never sleeps, illuminated at night. We will then head to the Gothic Quarter, which we have not visited before. After visiting Barcelona Cathedral, the Temple of Augustus, and Carrer del Bisbe, the area’s most famous street, we will have free time for dinner on La Rambla. Overnight at the hotel.
Barcelona
After breakfast, guests who wish may join the Girona & Figueras Tour (EUR 100), which will be organized as an optional excursion by our guide. We begin our tour in Girona, located on the banks of the Onyar River and reminiscent of Florence at first sight. As the wealthiest city in the region, Girona is a charming medieval city well worth seeing, with its narrow streets and cathedral. It is also the city where scenes from the film Perfume were shot. During our panoramic tour, we will see the Lion Statue, Cathedral Square, houses with mezuzahs, the Jewish Quarter, Rambla, and its famous shops. After some free time, we depart for the town of Figueras, enjoying views of the Pyrenees Mountains along the way. The town has such an impressive atmosphere that it inspired the world-renowned, boundary-defying painter Salvador Dalí throughout his life. Here, we will visit the museum house decorated by the famous surrealist painter Salvador Dalí himself. After visiting this museum, which houses mind-provoking works—including his paintings of his everlasting love, Gala—and where the value of each piece is expressed in millions of dollars, we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.
BARCELONA-ÇUKUROVA
Free time after breakfast. At the time determined by our guide, transfer to Barcelona Airport for our AJet special flight to Çukurova Airport, marking the end of our tour.