PRICE: FROM €2599 PP
WHEN: April to October
DURATION: 8 days
NEAREST AIRPORT: Madrid
Tour Summary
Madrid, one of the world's great capitals, has a cosmopolitan population but there are important differences: it's centuries old palaces, squares and works of art have largely escaped the ravages of war; it also mirrors of the passionate identities of the 13 provinces that stretch from the mountains of the north to the deserts of the south. After four days, we move on to La Rioja where the wine and culinary arts have established a reputation unsurpassed in Spain.
The first three days are spent discovering Madrid, both the Old Madrid, Los Austrias, and the newer Bourbon city, founded in the 18th century following the War of Spanish Succession in the area known as the Prado (meadow). In the old city, you will see the lavish Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor, the scene of the inquisition, a massive square decorated by small bars and restaurants around its perimeter.
The Bourbon city tour starts with a visit to one of European's most beautiful statues, the Goddess Cybele in her chariot. She stands imperially at the head of the tree lined Paseo Del Prado. From there, you can saunter to any of the great art museums - the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza, Reina Sofia and others.
The third day takes you to the Roman city of Toledo. A melting pot of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures, the city is concentrated around serpentine streets rich in history, art and architecture.
No visit to Madrid would be complete without a visit to the world's largest building, El Escorial, built in 1563. A fabulous treat - literally! It is at once a royal palace, a church, museum, monastery, art gallery and mausoleum of the kings of Spain.
The last three days are spent discovering the joys of La Rioja, its wine and gastronomic heritage. We start with a tour of the Dinastia Vivanco, the largest wine museum in the world. Then on to chateau-styled wineries, boutique and avant-garde producers; some well-established, some making a name for themselves; some in idyllic rural settings, some in the foothills of the Cantabrian mountains and one underground in a fortress city. There will be wine tastings, tapas and pinchos tours, traditional dining on regional specialities said to be the finest in Spain.
The tour will take you to Haro, where elegant wine mansions meet lively pavement cafees, Laguardia, a medieval town encircled by ramparts, and finally, Logrono with its broad boulevards.
You will eat at the finest restaurants and dine on the gourmet specialities of the region. In Rioja you will experience a unique combination of fine local produce and a heritage of haute cuisine. The difference is something to savour! The wines will be specially chosen by experts to compliment the food. In Rioja, you will also get a chance to pick your way through the infinite delicacies of tapas and pinchos
To mention just one of our selected hotels, Los Agustinos hotel, in Haro, is a protected building built around a quiet courtyard. You will enjoy the luxury of a spacious en suite room with all modern amenities.
In Logrono, you will stay at the Hotel Marques De Vallejo in the elegance of a de luxe en suite bedroom. The hotel is in the historic centre of the city, an easy stroll from the best tapas and pinchos in Northern Spain.
PLACES
Haro is a graceful town on the banks of the River Ebro. It has a lively old quarter where elegant wine mansions meet lively pavement cafees. Logrono, the regional's capital, has wide boulevards reminiscent of Bordeaux from where the migrate wine makers came. Laguardia is a medieval hilltop city with encircling ramparts, towers and fortified gateways. Its narrow cobbled streets are flanked by bodegas and tapas bars.
FOOD
Just as the wines of Rioja have a unique character, so does the regional gastronomy. Some say the food here is more sophisticated and varied than anywhere else in Spain. So, as you dine in fine restaurants, tapas bars and the famous gastronomic societies of Rioja, it will dawn on you how Rioja's food and wine really is a marriage made in heaven.
Day One - Madrid
Arrival in Madrid Airport. You are welcomed and escorted by our Representative to our carefully selected hotel in our vehicle. Evening at your leisure.
Day Two - Madrid
We will start our day with a private guided tour of main Madrid attractions including the Retiro Park, Moncloa, Plaza Mayor, Puerta de Alcala, Palacio de la Zarzuela, Austrian district and Cibeles, where Real Madrid supporters celebrate their team success.
Private guided visit of the magnificent Royal Palace, former residence of several Spanish Kings. Lunch around the Plaza Mayor, full of little bars and restaurants.
After lunch we will continue with our private guided visit of some of the most International museums in Madrid: Prado Museum, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Reina Sofia Museum. Our guide will advise about which museum to see subject to your clients preferences.
Day Three - Madrid-Toledo-Madrid
Private full day guided excursion to Toledo. One of the Spanish cities with the greatest wealth of monuments. Known as the city of the three cultures, because Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together there for centuries, behind its walls Toledo preserves an artistic and cultural legacy in the form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques and synagogues.
Our guide will inform and advise you of any Performances (Musicals, Zarzuela or Opera) held at the famous Teatro Real in Madrid.
Day Four - Madrid-El Escorial-Haro
We will visit one of the biggest buildings in the world and declared by Unesco world heritage: The Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Built by Juan de Herrera and ordered by the Spanish Monarch , Felipe II in the 16th century to commemorate the Battle of San Quintin.
Private transfer to Haro in La Rioja to start our 4 nights wine-culture adventure. Check-in in our Historic-design Hotel in Haro. Welcome drink in the spectacular courtyard. Free evening.
Day Five - Haro
Extraordinary guided tour to the world's largest wine museum, Dinastia Vivanco, experiencing the wine culture of centuries. A unique experience learning the history of wine not only in Spain, but in Europe.
Visit of one of the most important wineries in La Rioja such as Remelluri or Rioja Alta. Some of the wineries in La Rioja use modern technology to produce wines and many others use the wine-making traditional methods. Superb typical lunch.
Private guided walking tour of one of the pintoresque villages in the area, such as Haro, Briones or San Vicente.
Optional-Tutored wine tasting of a selection of the best wines of La Rioja conducted by a wine expert at a historic building. You will learn different techniques to taste wine as well as the unique characteristics of the wines of Rioja wine region. Free evening. Time to relax in your hotel or to enjoy the numerous bars and restaurants around the city.
Day Six - Haro-Logrono
Second visit to a renowned winery in La Rioja. Some of the wineries in the region are famous for their constant research in perfecting the Wines as well as experimenting with the Grapes, some are very modern and some are considered the oldest and prettiest wine estates in Europe. Spectacular guided tour to one of them followed by wine tasting.
Lunch at a traditional restaurant with a great variety of dishes and products from the region. Guided tour of the old quarter of Logrono, capital of La Rioja, visiting Calle Laurel one of the most famous gastronomic streets in Spain. A unique guided tour seeing hundreds of small bars, each one specialising in a different tapa (small portions of food, an authentic delicacy). Free evening in Logrono. Bars and restaurants recommended.
Day Seven - Logrono-Elciego-Laguardia-Logrono
Guided tour of one of the pioneers wineries in the Rioja wine region. Its wines have earned some of the most distinguished international awards. Wine tasting. Private guided tour conducted by local expert of one of the most astonishing medieval towns in Europe. Located on a hill, surrounded by a valley of vineyards, overlooking the back-drop of the Cantabrian Mountains.
Privileged visit to one of the best underground cellars in the medieval town of Laguardia. Gourmet lunch providing superb dishes based on fresh ingredients and excellent service. Back to Logrono, free afternoon. Time to relax in your hotel or go shopping in Logrono.
-(Optional) Guided tapas tour of the best tapas of the area some of them never seen before. You will sample authentic fresh food from the North of Spain, while you mix with the locals. Highly enjoyable.
Day Eight- Logrono-Airport
Private transfer back to Madrid airport or to Bilbao airport.
Optional. Visit to The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (subject to flight times and destination)
Tour Prices
Price Per Person: 2599 EUROS (*)
Duration - 8 days / 7 nights
(*) SPECIAL PRICES for groups
Hotel Supplements or Reductions
Upgrade of Accommodation on request.
Check for single supplement.
Departures
From April to October- Every Week.
From November to March- On request.
We can also organize a similar tour subject to your requirements of number of people and days, budget etc,
please e-mail us on [email protected].
BOOK NOW e-mail us at [email protected] with the departure date and number of people.
Price Includes
Private return transfer from Madrid and La Rioja by our executive vehicle.
Transport included either public in the cities or private car in the day excursions.
Personalized English/Spanish speaking guide throughout the itinerary.
Seven nights accommodation based on double occupancy with private bath.
Seven full buffet breakfast.
Private guided full day tour in Madrid visiting the Royal Palace and two museums.
Private guided full day tour to Toledo included entrances.
Private guided half day tour to El Escorial.
Transfers from and to Madrid.
Five exclusive wine estate visits.
Three wine tasting.
Three lunches including wine.
Visit to the world largest wine museum.
Three towns and medieval villages guided walking tours.
All taxes and surcharges.
Note: If any of the published accommodation, range of wineries or restaurants in the tour becomes unavailable,
others of similar category will be allocated.
Note: Upgrade of wineries and/or restaurants will have a supplement. Please request
What is not Included
Travel insurance.
Flights.
Tips.
Meals not specified.
Personal expenses.
Optional visits.
EXAMPLE OF ACCOMMODATION IN BARCELONA AND PENEDES
Hotel Villa Real (Madrid)
Small luxury hotel of the world, 5 star hotel (3 nights)
Location:
A traditional and at the same time, contemporary hotel, for those who enjoy elegance, good taste and exquisite service. The hotel is set in the cultural heart of Madrid at a walking distance to the most important museums such as the Thyssen-Bornemisza. The Plaza del Sol, Plaza Mayor and Retiro Park are also nearby.
General Facilities:
The best service, the most distinguished cuisine and its Roman mosaics, make the Villa Real a magnificent hotel. Facilities include a business centre, limousine service, car park, 24-hour room service , late breakfast up to 1 p.m. , complimentary national and international press, laundry and pressing service. Access to the Hotel Urban swimming pool (50 metres away).
Would you like to eat with Andy Warhol? At the Hotel Restaurant. The most delicious cuisine and the most delightful tapas.
Mosaics, original sculptures from Ancient Rome and a collection of Greek ampullas belonging to one of the most important private collections in Spain, make the Villa Real a distinguished hotel. All these works of art decorate the noble areas of the hotel, together with contemporary art by Guinovart, Warhol and TÃ pies, which illuminate the remaining areas.
The rooms:
115 bedrooms including suites and duplex suites, enabling you to separate leisure and business. Magnificent views of the city, the most distinguished service, pure luxury.
All parquet flooring bedrooms are totally soundproof and have direct telephone line, mini-bar , music centre, TV with Canal Plus and satellite channels, Safe box . There is also wireless internet access in each room and you will find a hair dryer in the bathroom as well as a welcome gift.
Hotel Los Agustinos (Haro La Rioja)
Historic Building, 4 Star
Location:
This four star property is located right in the historic centre of Haro, centre of the wine production in Rioja, surrounded by a valley of vineyards and the Cantabrian Mountains. Walking distance you can experience numerous and excellent tapas.
General Facilities:
Founded as a convent in 1373, Los Agustinos hotel is a beautiful and protected building, now its walls full of history play host to exceptionally comfortable facilities where it is a privilege to stay. It has an impressive courtyard where you can relax reading your favourite book or having a glass of Rioja.
Particular mention should be made of the Las Duelas Restaurant; the Bistrot de las Duelas; Bar-Cafeteria; 24-hour room service; and free WIFI throughout the Hotel. They offer conventional, modern and regional cuisine based on fresh products from the area and also having an outstanding wine-list and everything in historic surroundings.
The rooms:
There are 62 guestrooms, most of which are outward-facing, whilst the Hotel's most salient feature is the impressive, glass-domed cloisters, which are air-conditioned and enclosed. All rooms are decorated in a rustic style and enjoy all the modern comforts: satellite TV, wifi, private bathroom with hairdryer. Guests also have access to the hotel's fitness center.
Hotel Marques de Vallejo (Logrono-La Rioja)
Boutique Hotel
Location:
This boutique hotel is located right in the centre, in the historic and cultural heart of Logrono, at a walking distance of the main gastronomic streets, where you can find the best pinchos and tapas in northern Spain, the old part with the cathedral and numerous churches and the outdoor dining area full of terraces where you can have delicious meals accompanied by excellent wines.
General Facilities:
Built in 1911, was known popularly as Posada de las Animas (Inn of the souls). In May 2004, Hotel Marques De Vallejo had a meticulous work of restoration, interior design and decoration, always with the aim of offering a more comfortable and pleasant stay to our guest.
Nowadays they keep on working/betting on the innovation and the improvement of our services and facilities with the aim of satisfying each and every need of our guest.
The rooms:
The 50 contemporary rooms at Hotel Marques de Vallejo feature parquet floors and air conditioning. They contain an LCD TV, and the private bathrooms come with a hairdryer. Wifi access, safe and temperature controller as well as mini bar, are also available in the rooms.
(*)Accommodation will be in these hotels or in others of similar category. Will be confirmed when making the booking. Upgrade available on request.