Spain and Portugal

You’ve arrived in Portugal! Upon arrival, you will meet your guide and board the bus.  We will tour Portugal’s capital, seeing the different districts such as Alfama, El Chiado, and La Baixa.

We will also visit Belem with the Hieronymites Monastery- pantheon to both the Royal family and Vasco da Gama. We will see the Monument of the Discoveries, where we will be enriched in Portuguese history.  We will travel to Fatima, check in to the hotel, and go to sleep.  

We begin our day in Fatima, a town transformed by the appearance of the Virgin in 1917, where millions make the pilgrimage every year. We will see the Neo-Baroque Basilica and the Chapel of Apparitions.  

In the afternoon, we will visit Valinhos and Aljustrel.  We also have the possibility of celebrating mass and participating in the religious activities and evening procession.  We then make our way back to the hotel for overnight.  

We begin our day in Coimbra, the former capital city of Portugal for more than 100 years, where we will see the oldest university of Portugal.  We will visit the university library and Romanesque Cathedral. To follow, we will stroll down the narrow streets to the Carmelite convent where Sor Lucia, one of Fatima’s shepherds, lived and died.  

Following a brief stop in the border town of Ciudad Rodrigo, we will arrive in Salamanca. We will enjoy an evening stroll and enter Salamanca from the South, crossing the Roman Bridge.  We will tour the lively city, including sites like the University, the Plaza Mayor, and two Cathedrals.  We then go to the hotel for overnight. 

We begin our day with a stop in the town of Alba de Tormes, where Saint Teresa died and is buried, and where the Discalced Carmelites preserve her memory.  Following our arrival to Avila, Saint Teresa’s birthplace,  we will see the Cathedral, the Saint Vincent Basilica and noble homes, and the Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation, as well as the house where Saint Teresa was born.  We have the possibility of celebrating or attending mass, then we continue to Segovia for overnight.  

we begin our day in Segovia, seeing its Roman aqueduct, and passing the Gothic Cathedral, making our way to the medieval citadel.  We will see noble houses, palaces, its Jewish Quarter, and countless Romanesque churches. Later, we will see the Fuencisla Sanctuary and the Discalced Carmelites Convent- the burial site of Saint John of the Cross, reformer of the masculine branch of the order.  

In the afternoon, we will make our way to Burgos, stopping in Aranda de Duero, capital of the Ribera del Duero wine region.  We have the possibility of visiting a local winery with  wine tasting.  We then check into the hotel in Burgos for overnight.  

We begin our day in Burgos, one fo the most important stops on the path of Saint James, where we see its marvelous Gothic Cathedral, a World Heritage site.  We have the possibility of celebrating or attending Holy Mass.  We will then travel to San Sebastian, where we can enjoy a walk along La Concha beach before heading towards France.  We have a possibility of organizing lunch in a traditional Sidreria.  We then make our way to Lourdes, and check into our hotel for overnight.

In the 19th century, a sanctuary was created in the Pyrenees Valley surrounding the Grotto where the Virgin appeared to Bernadette in 1858.  We will have an opportunity to visit the Neo-Gothic Basilica, the Rosario Church, the underground Basilica, the Via Crucis, and Saint Bernadette’s home. We end the day with a torch-led procession.  

We also have the possibility of celebrating or attending mass, as well as participating in the religious activities and evening procession.  We then head to the hotel for overnight. 

Be begin our morning by traveling along the French Pyrenean valleys, and crossing the mountain range by way of Andorra.  This tiny country has turned into a small commercial enclave.  Upon arrival to Spain, in the heart of Catalonia, we will se Montserrat, a geological formation declared a national park, picturesque from any angle.  Here we see the Marian Sanctuary of Montserrat with “La Moreneta”. We have the possibility of celebrating or attending mass as well as renewing wedding vows.  We then go back to the hotel for overnight. 

We will tour Barcelona, seeing the grand avenues of the Eixample district with its modernist buildings- notably the homes on the Paseo de Gracia such as Lleo Morera, Amatller, Batllo and Mila. We will see the Sagrada Familia, the masterpiece of architect Gaudi. 

After seeing another of his better known works, the Guell Park, we will visit the top of Montjuich with its breathtaking views of the city and the coast. We will explore the vast historical district on foot, visit the Santa Maria del Mar, the Gothic quarter, the Cathedral and Las Ramblas, the emblematic pedestrian walkway. We have the possibility of organizing a tapas lunch in Barcelona.  We then return to Montserrat for overnight.  

We will begin our day with a scenic tour of Madrid where we can appreciate the dimension and beauty of the city.  Our tour will include sites like Paseo de la Castellana, Gran Via, Alcala Street, and Plaza de España. 

Other places we will see include the Mile of Art, Prado Museum, the Reina Sofia Museum and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.  We will also visit its Cathedral La Almudena as well as the historical center with the Main Square and the Puerta del Sol.  We have a possibility of organizing a farewell dinner or attending a flamenco show.  We then go back to the hotel for overnight. 

We check out of the hotel and transfer to the Madrid Airport.