Paradors of Northern Spain (14 Days starting from $4,990)

Paradors of Northern Spain

A 14-Day tour starting from $4,990

Length:	14 Days
Type:	Deluxe Tour
Category:	Spain Tour
Operator:	Tauck
Tour Code:	TKSPN2009

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About This Tour

Travel from Barcelona into the dramatic Pyrenees and along Spain's northern coast, with stays historic paradors; continue to San Sebastián, Bilbao, León, and the incomparable Santiago de Compostela; Tauck's Spain tour ends and a Portugal tour begins with a journey down the Portuguese coast to Porto and Lisbon.

What's Included
Itinerary
Dates & Prices
Sightseeing
Details

Featured Dining: 13 Breakfasts, 8 Lunches & 9 Dinners

Unique and Distinguished Hotels in the Best Locations:

Night 1,2 Le Méridien Barcelona: Barcelona, Spain

Night 3,4 Hotel El Castell de Ciutat: Seu d’Urgell, Spain

Night 5,6 Hotel Maria Cristina: San Sebastían, Spain

Night 7 Parador de Fuente Dé: Fuente Dé, Spain

Night 8 Parador de León: León, Spain

Night 9 Parador de Santiago de Compostela: Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Night 10,11 Sheraton Porto Hotel & Spa: Porto, Portugal

Night 12,13 Tivoli Lisboa: Lisbon, Portugal

Insightful Tour Directors

During your travels, you have the pleasurable advantage of being with a Tauck Tour Director who is fully knowledgeable about the destination, its history and its culture. You can relax knowing that you are accompanied by a professional who manages the flow of events... a problem-solver (in the unlikely event a problem should arise)... an insider who saves you precious time... and a friend who will help transform your trip into a truly memorable journey.

Every Travel Expense is Included: When you travel with Tauck, you’ll save up to 40% on the cost of traveling the same itinerary on your own. What’s more, virtually every major travel expense is included: Along with most meals, your hotel accommodations, cruises, sightseeing, admissions to museums, galleries and theaters – even taxes and port charges – are built into the price of your trip. Guests are often delightfully surprised at how much is included. You can practically leave your wallet at home! A Tauck vacation offers you both superb quality and extraordinary value.

Day 1. Arrive Barcelona
Tour begins: 6:00 PM, Le Méridien Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. Welcome to Barcelona! A transfer is included from Barcelona Airport to your first night’s hotel, Le Méridien Barcelona, ideally located on Las Ramblas. Join us for a welcome dinner tonight.
Meals D

Day 2. Art and Architecture in Barcelona
Walk to the city’s beautiful Cathedral in medieval Barrio Gótico, then take a drive to architect Antoni Gaudí’s extraordinary unfinished masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia – it is truly Europe’s most unconventional church. Continue on to Montjuïc to see the Olympic Stadium, situated high above the city with the harbor glistening below, before visiting the Picasso Museum. Spend the remainder of the day at your leisure.
Meals B

Day 3. Country Roads of Catalonia
Discover the rural charms of Catalonia soon after you depart Barcelona. Travel along picturesque Yellow Roads to the spectacular mountaintop monastery at Montserrat, Catalonia’s holiest place and one of the most scenic pilgrimage sites in Spain, en route to Cardona. Dating back to the 9th century, it is today inhabited by Benedictine monks. Enjoy a taste of authentic Catalan cuisine during lunch in the medieval dining room of a 9th-century castle, the Parador de Cardona, before driving along the western edge of the Sierra del Cadi to tiny Castellciutat, near historic La Seu d’Urgell. Spend the next two nights indulging in the majestic beauty of the Pyrenees from one of the region’s most elegant resort hotels, where recreational activities and stunning views abound.
Meals BLD

Day 4. The Incomparable Pyrenees
Visit the 12th-century cathedral in La Seu d’Urgell this morning, one of the only preserved Romanesque cathedrals in the Catalan Pyrenees. You have a choice of activities this afternoon that includes a Catalan cuisine cooking demonstration, a pampering visit to the spa or a whitewater river-rafting trip. Feast on a 7-course dinner this evening at a hilltop 9th-century castle on the grounds of your hotel.
Meals BLD

Day 5. The Heart of Basque Country
Travel through wondrous mountain scenery to San Sebastián, in the heart of Basque country, for a two-night stay at one of the most spectacular Belle Époque hotels in all of Spain. Stop for lunch in Pamplona, site of Spain’s annual running of the bulls, enjoying free time to explore on your own. Your first view of Spain’s popular seaside resort is from the top of Mount Igueldo, providing a picture-perfect overview of the small city, shell-shaped bay and Cantabrian coastline.
Meals BD

Day 6. Enjoy Seaside San Sebastián
Join us for a walking tour of Old Town before experiencing San Sebastián, the aristocratic summer capital of Spain, as you wish. Stroll down the narrow medieval streets of La Parte Vieja (old town), sampling typical Basque food, and enjoy the city’s waterfront attractions. Its beaches are popular with surfers from around the world.
Meals B

Day 7. Art in Bilbao / Parador de Fuente Dé
Visit the world-renowned Guggenheim museum in Bilbao to view works of modern art and continue on to medieval Santillana del Mar. Drive into the impressive Picos de Europa, through gorges, remote villages and emerald valleys, en route to Fuente Dé. Overnight at a modern parador located in the foothills of the Picos amidst classic mountain-style decor.
Meals BLD

Day 8. Castile / Parador de León
Cross the Cantabrian Cordilleras on the way to the high Meseta Plateau of Central Spain. The mountains are now behind, with the endless flats and wheat fields of Castile ahead. Visit one of the finest gothic cathedrals in Spain when you arrive in León for an overnight stay at the ornate Parador de León.
Meals BLD

Day 9. Parador de Santiago de Compostela
Follow in the footsteps of pilgrims on the Camino of Santiago to Santiago de Compostela; take a guided walking tour of its narrow streets, and visit the cathedral. Stay the night at the Parador de Santiago de Compostela, one of Spain’s oldest and most beautiful hotels.
Meals BLD

Day 10. Journey to Porto, Portugal
Spend the morning at your leisure, before driving across the border to Porto, Portugal’s medieval port city, nestled on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
Meals BLD

Day 11. Sightsee Porto
Giving its name to its important export, port wine, it’s not surprising that the city’s historic sights are entwined with its many wineries. You’ll be able to sample this locally produced product during a wine tasting lunch, a fitting finale for your morning sightseeing excursion.
Meals BL

Day 12. Coimbra / Fatima / Lisbon
Portuguese history comes alive today as you journey to Lisbon, taking the time to visit Coimbra, home to the Portugal’s oldest university, founded in 1210 by King Dinis, and Fatima, world famous for reported sightings of the Virgin Mary in the early 20th century.
Meals BL

Day 13. Sightseeing in Lisbon
Portugal’s capital city intrigues with reminders of the “Great Period of Discoveries,” vividly chronicled on this morning’s sightseeing tour. See Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, the Tower of Belém and the Discoveries Monument. Join us for a farewell dinner tonight.
Meals BD

Day 14. Journey Home
Tour Ends: Lisbon, Portugal. A transfer from the Tivoli Lisboa to Lisbon’s Int’l Airport is included. Allow a minimum of 2 1/2 hours for flight check-in.
Meals B

To speak to one of our live, experienced travel consultants, Call us now at 1-800-942-3301. Airfare Disclaimer A NOTE ABOUT AIRFARE: We encourage you to buy your airfare from the tour operator, because if your tour cancels then your airlines tickets will be covered. Purchasing flights separately at a lesser rate and incorporating it with a Non-Guaranteed Departure Date can result in loss of total cost of your flight investment. Depending on the fare rules, flights may be Non-Refundable and/or Non-Transferable. Neither the tour operator and/or Atlas Cruises & Tours will be held responsible for loss if a tour is cancelled for Lack of Participation. If you would like to check for discounted fares on Guaranteed Departures or for competitive pricing on air and hotel packages, we invite you to follow this link. Documents TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Necessary Travel Documents such as Passports and Visas is the responsibility of the traveler. Passports must be valid six months from your return travel date

Touring Date	Land Only	Land + Air	Single (Land Only)	Single (Land + Air)
4/17/2009 - 4/30/2009	$4,990
5/1/2009 - 5/14/2009	$4,990
5/15/2009 - 5/28/2009	$4,990
6/5/2009 - 6/18/2009	$4,990
6/12/2009 - 6/25/2009	$4,990
6/19/2009 - 7/2/2009	$4,990
7/3/2009 - 7/16/2009	$4,990
7/31/2009 - 8/13/2009	$4,990
8/28/2009 - 9/10/2009	$5,670
9/11/2009 - 9/24/2009	$4,990
9/18/2009 - 10/1/2009	$4,990
9/25/2009 - 10/8/2009	$4,990
10/2/2009 - 10/15/2009	$5,670
10/9/2009 - 10/22/2009	$4,990
10/16/2009 - 10/29/2009	$5,670
10/23/2009 - 11/5/2009	$4,990

Small Group Departures with no more than 26 Tauck guests are available on June 5, August 28 and October 2 & 16; they are specially priced from $5670 per person double. Specific dates apply – see below or inquire at time of booking for additional dates and information. 2009 Price per Person Double Single Triple $4990 $6368 $4769 International Airfare is additional. Call Tauck for special rates on international air for travel originating in the U.S. (subject to availability). Please ask at time of booking about additional hotel nights before your tour begins and about our comprehensive Guest Protection Plan. Note – Please note that dinner in Spain is usually after 10:00 PM. We’ve arranged for special availability as early as 8:30 PM in most restaurants. All prices are per person in U.S. dollars.

Tauck’s Yellow Roads:
Experience the culture and spectacular scenery of northern Spain as you travel along the Yellow Roads for overnight stays in historic paradors – authentically restored castles, palaces, and monasteries in stunning settings.

Medieval Castle Feast in La Seu d’Urgell:
Step back in time to medieval Spain in La Seu d’Urgell, one of the most historically important towns in the Catalan Pyrenees, where a 7-course feast in an ancient castle includes cultural entertainment and regional cuisine.

Mountain-Top Montserrat Monastery:
Indulge in outstanding scenic views of the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean during a visit to the beautiful Benedictine monastery atop saw-toothed Montserrat, renowned as the religious center of Catalonia and home to the shrine of La Moreneta, the Black Virgin of Montserrat.

Small Group Departures with no more than 26 Tauck guests are available on June 5, August 28 and October 2 & 16; they are specially priced from $5670 per person double. Specific dates apply – see below or inquire at time of booking for additional dates and information.

2009 Price per Person
Double Single Triple
$4990 $6368 $4769

International Airfare is additional. Call Tauck for special rates on international air for travel originating in the U.S. (subject to availability).

Please ask at time of booking about additional hotel nights before your tour begins and about our comprehensive Guest Protection Plan.

Note – Please note that dinner in Spain is usually after 10:00 PM. We’ve arranged for special availability as early as 8:30 PM in most restaurants.

All prices are per person in U.S. dollars.

Note: All prices are per person, double occupancy, subject to availability. These pages are not endorsed or supported by the tour operator in any way. All information presented is based on promotional material provided by the tour operator. All prices, itineraries, accommodations and dates are subject to change without notice and at any time by the tour operators. Availability is limited and must be reconfirmed at time of booking. The prices on this website are not guaranteed. We are not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes in pricing. Please call us toll free at 1-800-942-3301 to confirm availability and pricing.