 AMAZING ANDALUCIA
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Departure dates throughout 2008 & 2009
From 5 day durations
From 4 nights in a 3 star hotel
Half board throughout
Comprehensive excursion options
FRE insurance on selected departure dates SAMPLE ITINERARYDay 1 - Depart from your chosen departure points and travel to the airport to take the flight to Malaga where you will board your transport for the transfer to your hotel. On arrival you will check into the hotel where you will have time to unpack and can familiarise yourself before dinner this evening. Day 2 - Full day excursion to Granada including a visit to the Alhambra Palace (with pre-booked tickets), which gives complete access to the Alcazaba, the Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife gardens. This afternoon there is also an included guided city tour, which usually begins by visiting the Royal Chapel commissioned by the Catholic Monarchs and built in flamboyant Gothic style. Here you will find the mausoleums of Isabel and Ferdinand and their children Phillip "The Beautiful" and Joan "The Mad". The Cathedral stands next to the Chapel and is considered as the first renaissance church in Spain. Continue along Gran Via passing the Gardens of Triunfo and Hospi tal Real, to reach the Carthusian Monastery, a Baroque masterpiece, started in 1505 and spanning over three centuries, highlighting the Sanctum Sanctorum (Holy of Holies) and the Sacristy. Your journey will continue to the old Moorish Quarter of the Albaycin, through its narrow streets until reaching Saint Cristobal Mirador de San Nicholas (depending on time and traffic). From here, you can experience the beauty of the Alhambra, Granada and the Sierra Nevada, followed by a visit to the Sacromonte, a typical and ancient quarter of cave dwellings, where the Gypsy population live (entrances payable locally). We return to the hotel later in the day. Day 3 - Full day excursion to Cordoba which starts with an included a guided walking tour through the streets of Cordoba will really allow you to get to know the history and traditions of this intriguing city, with its beguiling mix of  Roman, Arabic and Spanish history. See the magnificent Cathedral, converted within an original mosque when the Christians conquered Cordoba in 1236. Modifications took 234 years, so the original Gothic style is combined with Baroque and Renaissance elements. Remarkable are the Cardinal's Chapel and its treasure, including a monstrance of Enrique de Arfe, an ivory crucifix of Alonso Cano and important sculptures and paintings. You may also visit the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, the Palace of the Christian Kings, built in 1328 by Alfonso XI. In the interior of the palace there are remarkable Arabian baths, Roman mosaics and a sarcophagus of marble from 3rd Century. Here you can find also one of the few synagogues existing today in Spain, this one built in 1315. Close to it there is the Bullfighting-Museum. (All entrances payable locally). The rest of the day will be free for you to sightsee at your own pace and you will be returned to the hotel later today.  Day 4 - Today is a more leisurely day as we travel north into the National Park area with its stunning scenery for a more leisurely day. We visit the picturesque village of Zuheros where glaring bright light reflecting from chalk white walls, in harmony with the Mediterranean blue sky, is everybodys image of a "pueblo blanco". It was originally settled by the Ibericos Pleno to protect an ancient roadway known as the Camino de los Metedores, the smugglers track. The Romans followed shortly afterwards, leaving behind them relics found in the Las Cuevas de los Murcielagos and elsewhere, some of which can be seen in the museum just opposite the castle. The village became really established during the 10th century under the reign of the Muslims at which time the first castle was constructed, the last Moorish fortifications were completed in the 12th century. The territory around Zuheros was finally conquered by Fernando 3rd in 1241 and the castle was refortified in the 14th century. At this time then castle became an important element in the Christian defence of their territories against the last outpost of Muslim rule that came from Granada. Lunch has been pre-booked today at a rural establishment here (payable locally approx Euro 12.00pp). We return through some of the most spectacular scenery in this region to Priego de Cordoba where you will have some free time to explore at your leisure. Day 5 -Full day excursion to Seville where we start with a included guided tour. Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Christians, Sevilla is a mosaic of civilizations, cultures and races which have left behind wonderful examples of their art, roman walls, arabic fortifications and mosques, christian conv ents and churches. A passionate adventure for those who wander around its streets and monuments. Discover the history of a city which is universal, (entrances payable locally) traditional and modern at the same time. After this tour you will have some free time before a one hour cruise on the river Guadalquivir with commentary, before returning to the hotel. Day 6 - Having checked out, you depart the hotel at around 9.00am and travel into Malaga. Here, the day is at your leisure to do some last minute sightseeing or shopping before your coach transfer to the airport for check in. PRICES & SUPPLEMENTSPrice on application
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