Spain & Portugal in Depth

15 days
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Travel to Spain, a country that conjures images of rocky plains and whitewashed villages, rugged castles looming from distant hills, the windmills that taunted Don Quixote, bullrings, the fiery flamenco, and the strum of the guitar. Portugal brings to mind bold explorers, colorful ceramics, and close ties to the sea. You'll find all this and more on this esco...
From$2,895
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Overview

Trip type
Group Tour
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Highlights

    • Visit Madrid, the highest capital city in Europe
    • Visit amazing medieval Toledo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and capital of Spain until the 16th century
    • Experience walking tour of beautiful Cordoba, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
    • Visit one of the city's greatest attractions: the Prado Museum
    • Explore Malaga is the main city of coastal Andalucia.

What's this trip about?

    Travel to Spain, a country that conjures images of rocky plains and whitewashed villages, rugged castles looming from distant hills, the windmills that taunted Don Quixote, bullrings, the fiery flamenco, and the strum of the guitar. Portugal brings to mind bold explorers, colorful ceramics, and close ties to the sea. You'll find all this and more on this escorted tour of Spain as you sweep from the vibrant modern capital of Madrid through the olive-tree-filled hills of Andalucia and on to Portugal's Atlantic coast, following a route traced first by the Romans and Visigoths and, later, by the Moors.

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Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeStandard Group - 25 + people
Age rangeNo age restrictions
Flights and transportAll internal transport included (including local flights)
Start CityMadrid
End CityLisbon

Travel Themes

  • 50 plus
  • Cultural
  • National Parks
  • Nature & Wildlife

Destinations

  • Europe
  • Spain
  • Portugal

Attractions

  • Córdoba
  • Granada
  • Lisbon
  • Madrid
  • Seville
  • Toledo

Activities

  • Culture

Trip includes

    • Choose to purchase Grand Circle's airfare, and your airport transfers, government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges are included. Or, make your own air arrangements
    • Accommodations for 13 nights in comfortable rooms with private baths
    • 22 meals: 13 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 6 dinners (including 1 Home-Hosted Lunch)
    • 12 included features: 10 guided tours and 2 exclusive Discovery Series events: Home-Hosted Lunch • Horse-breeding farm visit
    • Exclusive services of a local Grand Circle Program Director (assigned to no more than 42 travelers)
    • Gratuities on your main trip for local guides and motorcoach drivers
    • Personal headset for all included and optional tours on your main trip
    • Private motorcoach land travel
    • Baggage handling for 1 piece of luggage per person, including tips
    • 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward your next Grand Circle trip—an average of $210

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Itinerary

Travel Map

Day 1: Depart U.S.

Fly from one of several U.S. gateway cities to Madrid, Spain.

Day 2: Arrive Madrid, Spain

Accommodations: Hotel Husa Princesa or similar

Arrive today:  in Madrid to begin your escorted tour of Spain. You are met at the airport by a Grand Circle representative and transferred to your hotel. You have the balance of the Day:  to relax after your overse...

Day 3: Madrid • City tour

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodations: Hotel Husa Princesa or similar

Vibrant Madrid—the highest capital city in Europe—may put you in mind of the paintings of Velazquez, with clear blue arching skies that gave rise to the phrase, "De Madrid al ciel...

Day 4: Madrid • Optional El Escorial tour  OPTIONAL TOUR

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodations: Hotel Husa Princesa or similar

Make your own discoveries this morning, or join us on an optional tour of the imposing El Escorial, a 16th-century architectural masterpiece completed in 1584 as a residence for the King of ...

Day 5: Madrid • Toledo tour • Granada

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodations: Hotel Carmen or similar

After breakfast this morning, you will begin your transfer to Granada. Just an hour along the route, however, lies a stop that is bound to be a highlight of your trip: medieval Toledo—a ...

Day 6: Granada • The Alhambra

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodations: Hotel Carmen or similar

This morning, you’ll tour the mighty Alhambra, one of Granada’s greatest sights. When the Moors crossed the Strait of Gibraltar in AD 711, they claimed a hillside city that had been found...

Day 7: Granada • Cordoba • Torremolinos

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodations: Hotel Sol Don Pedro or similar

Travel to Spain's southern coast after breakfast, stopping along the way for an  walking tour of beautiful Cordoba, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Once capital of the Western world, Co...

Day 8: Torremolinos • Optional Morocco tour  OPTIONAL TOUR

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodations: Hotel Sol Don Pedro or similar

You have the Day:  free in Torremolinos. Perhaps you'll take a walk to La Carihuela, the original fishing village that was once all there was to Torremolinos. today: , its many cafes and res...

Day 9: Torremolinos • Malaga • Home-Hosted Lunch

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

L Accommodations: Hotel Sol Don Pedro or similar

In the morning, enjoy a tour of the Old Town of Malaga. Malaga is the main city of coastal Andalucia, and retains a distinctly Spanish flavor, with twisting, narrow streets and a...

Day 10: Torremolinos • Ronda • Seville

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodations: Hotel Sevilla Center

Visit Ronda en route to Seville today . One of the oldest cities in Spain, lovely Ronda—nicknamed the "Dream City" by the poet Rainer Maria Rilke—enjoys a lofty setting on a promontory over...

Day 11: Seville • City tour • Flamenco show

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodations: Hotel Sevilla Center

Located on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, Seville is fabled to have been settled by Hercules, and its wealth of magnificent monuments and buildings attest to its long and storied hist...

Day 12: Seville • Horse-breeding farm visit • Lisbon, Portugal

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodations: Hotel Mundial or similar

Today , you'll ride through the sweeping Portuguese countryside on your way to Lisbon. Along the way we'll stop in the region of Alentejo, where you'll visit a working horse farm and enj...

Day 13: Lisbon • City tour

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodations: Hotel Mundial or similar

After breakfast, discover Lisbon on an  tour. Built on seven hills, Lisbon has been Portugal's capital since the 13th century, and the area around the steepest hill, Sao Jorge, was firs...

Day 14: Lisbon • Sintra & Cascais

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodations: Hotel Mundial or similar

This morning, embark on an  excursion to Sintra and Cascais. Begin at the Royal Palace in Sintra, dating back to the Middle Ages. During time on your own in Sintra, you’ll see why well-...

Day: 15 Return to U.S.

Meals: Breakfast

Early this morning, transfer to the airport for your flight home. Or begin your post-trip extension to The Island of Madeira, Portugal.

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Dates & Availability

Price From $2,895
Price per day$193
Last Updated: 7/16/2018

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Grand Circle Travel.

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.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

Grand Circle Travel Reviews & Ratings

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Andrea

Apr 2020

value and service outstanding

I've traveled with this company 4 times and find the value and service outstanding. If you are on a slim budget try the " last minute" opportunities. We got an inc...

V

Virginia

Apr 2020

each one has been wonderful

Have taken 12 trips overseas with this company and each one has been wonderful.

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Charlotte

Apr 2020

Excellent service

Excellent service on ship, considerate of their clients, wonderful discovery trips.

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Grand Circle Travel

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Grand Circle Travel offers distinctive international vacations for older Americans. Established in 1958 by Ethel Andrus, educator and founder of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), we view world travel as a powerful lever for lifelong learning. We make it accessible through trips that deliver unmatched discoveries, leisurely pacing, more travel choices, and comprehensive value.

Our values are the foundation upon which our company is built. They are what our beliefs and actions are derived from. Our values shape our decisions, give direction to our growth, and allow us to measure our progress.

Teamwork: We believe in groups of people who work together to create excellent results, solve difficult problems, support each other personally and professionally, and recognize their success. In a fast-paced and rapidly changing environment each member of the team is critical for success. Empowered teams are committed to taking the necessary actions to ensure that the team will reach its goals. Every member must be fully accountable for the team’s and one’s own personal results.

Thriving in Change: In these times of rapid change, global competition, and high volatility in the travel industry, we must be prepared to change course and move forward. Being well organized may sometimes be less important than moving quickly. The goal is for each of us to maximize our effectiveness, and ultimately our success, in an unpredictable and ever-changing environment.

Quality: Our decisions must be made and actions taken in accordance with high standards of quality and service. Quality can be subjective, and in our business quality often involves a compromise between speed and perfection. When the level of quality required is in question, we will operate to the high standards expected by our customers. Excellence in our quality will continually enhance our repeat business and ultimately our financial performance.

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Logistics

Accommodation

,Hotel Husa Princesa Madrid, Spain This Superior First-Class hotel is located in Downtown Madrid and is within walking distance of some of the city’s impressive landmarks, like the Royal Palace, Opera House, and Temple of Debod. The building offers wireless Internet access, laundry service, and an on-site restaurant. Each air-conditioned room includes a private bath with hair dryer, in-room safe, cable and satellite TV, and a reproduction of a famous painting from the Prado Museum behind the headboard of each bed.   Hotel Carmen Granada Spain Located in Granada’s historic city center, with easy access to shopping and dining, the Moderate First-Class Hotel Carmen features free wireless Internet throughout the hotel, an on-site restaurant and lounge, and a panoramic terrace for scenic city views. Each air-conditioned room includes a flat screen TV, safe deposit box, telephone, and private bath with hairdryer.   Hotel Sol Don Pedro Torremolinos, Spain  Rating: Superior Tourist Class Located along the seafront, Sol Don Pedro hotel provides up-close views of Torremolinos’ golden beaches. Amenities include several outdoor pools, a number of on-site restaurants and bars, a spa, and a salon. Each room includes a telephone, TV, air conditioning, safe, minibar, and private bath with hair dryer.   Hotel Sevilla Center Seville, Spain  Rating: Superior First Class Built in 2003, this centrally located, Superior First-Class hotel offers travelers panoramic views of the city and easy access to local landmarks, including the Seville Cathedral and La Plaza de Espana. Hotel amenities include a bar and restaurant, an outdoor pool, currency exchange, laundry/dry-cleaning services, and gift shop. Your air-conditioned room features a telephone, TV, safe, and minibar.   Hotel Mundial Lisbon, Portugal  Rating: Moderate First Class The Moderate First-Class Hotel Mundial is located in the Baixa Pombalina district of the city center. It is close to the historic Praca do Rossio, one of Lisbon’s main squares since the Middle Ages, making it a good base for exploring the city. The hotel features two restaurants—one of which offers a panoramic view of the Old Town—and a bar. Your air-conditioned room includes telephone, satellite TV, radio/alarm, safe, minibar, and private bath with shower and hair dryer.
Cancellation policy

If you need to cancel your trip for any reason, please call us as soon as possible, and follow up in writing. You are also required to return any airline tickets that may have been issued to you. Cancellation refunds will be calculated as of the date we receive your written cancellation. We will issue your refund in the manner in which we received your payment. If you paid your deposit by credit card and your balance by check, your refund will be divided accordingly. Refunds are generated manually by our accounting department to ensure accuracy. Please allow for a 30-day processing period before receiving your refund

 

Cancellation Charges for Land Tours

Prior to departure and Charge

90 days or more will be charged $300

89-60 days will be 10% of selling price or $300—whichever is greater

59-30 days is of 65% of selling price

29 days–departure is of 100% of selling price

Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your country of destination. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements. For a handy tool that can help you quickly find the requirements, please visit this link .
Meals Included

13 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches and 6 Dinners

Age Requirements
No age restrictions
While we specialize in vacations for travellers over 50, you can bring children aged 13 and older on Grand Circle trips. Please note, however, that our land-based programs often include lengthy motor coach sightseeing tours that may not be enjoyable for younger travellers.
Optional Activities

Post-Trip Extension: The Island Of Madeira, Portugal

5 nights from only $895

After visiting Portugal’s mainland, discover the lush Atlantic island of Madeira, known as the “floating garden of the Atlantic.” From your base at a seaside hotel in Funchal, the island’s capital, you’ll enjoy a tour of this flower-bedecked and culturally rich city. Later, you can explore the east and west sides of the island on optional tours, or seek out the vineyards where Madeira wine is made.

 

It's Included:

  • Air transportation from Lisbon, Portugal, to Funchal, Madeira
  • Accommodations for 5 nights
  • 5 meals: 5 breakfasts
  • Included tour: Funchal
  • Gratuities on this extension for local guides and motorcoach drivers and all optional tours
  • Exclusive services of a Grand Circle Program Director
Additional Information
Physical Requirements Walk 4 miles unassisted and participate in 3-4 hours of physical activities daily, including stairs Not accessible for travelers using wheelchairs or scooters Travelers using walkers, crutches, or other mobility aids must travel with a companion who can assist the then Program Directors reserve the right to modify participation or send travelers home if their limitations impact the group’s experience   Climate Daytime temperatures range from 51-85°F during touring season June-August are the warmest months November and December weather can be unpredictable and change quickly
Trip ID
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