Madrid Museum and gallery visits Trips

Highlights were Opera night with singing waiters, Flamingo and Fado plus Toledo and the Black Madonna at Montserrat. Our tour guide was excellent- very knowledgeable, articulate and caring. Our group was incredible compatible and we had great fun together.

Great trip to learn about the history of Spain Big country and drives between cities are long, but fantastically comfortable buses and frequent rest stops Really loved this trip and was a great guide It was also really great to have local expert guides at many of the sites Only 28 people on the trip… got to know them all well

Madrid was the perfect starting point, Our family of six embarked on a whirlwind two-week adventure through Spain and Portugal, a journey filled with ancient history and a unforgettable surprises from our travel director, Patrick Davis. The Alhambra was magical, Seville is pure energy, we went to a flamenco show. Seeing the Mezquita-Carhedral in Cordoba was truly inspiring. The only think is there are long periods in the bus but again our travel director ensured that we were not bored.

My daughter and I had a fantastic time on this very thorough tour of Spain. The itinerary was fast paced but we still had time to explore at our leisure in each city. The 3 days in beachy relaxing Costa Del Sol was a welcome break from the early morning starts and it was in the middle of the itinerary to that was nice. If you want to learn about the history, art, architecture and people of Spain this is the tour for you. Very educational and interesting. Our tour director Lydia was exceptional and our drivers were top notch. We also enjoyed the mix of group dinners and on our own meals. During the group meals we got to experience many foods that we probably wouldn't have tried on our own. I highly recommend this tour.

The trip was magnificent with just a a few tiny hiccups one would normally expect but in no way did they detract from the overall experience. , our tour director, and , our driver, handled all situations quickly, professionally and with aplomb! We learned so much of about beautiful Northern Spain, and a touch of Basque France as well. The accomodations and tour bus were first rate. Being older, my wife and I would sometimes start getting a little tired but we always had opportunities to relax, have a glass or two of excellent Spanish wine and enjoy the endless choices of local foods. The scenery from beautiful Barcelona, Montserrat, the running of the bulls in Pamplona, the ageless beauty of the coastal city of San Sebastian, the excursion across the border to see Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Bilbao, Covadongo, Oviedo, Santiago de Copostela, Zamora, Salamanca and Madrid. We knew we would not have time for an in depth visit to each location. It was somewhat of a whirlwind but we loved getting a taste of it all. It allowed us to think about returning to different areas for a longer excursion where we could take our time in a smaller area. As with any experience, not everything is perfect. Some of the meals did not meet my own personal expectations but again, that is just one opinion. While I may have rated a meal provided on the tour as a 6 or 7, others easily gave it a 9 or 10. Again, that is just a personal preference and in no way did a couple of the meals detract from the trip. The other meals and choices and the fantastic breakfast buffets at each hotel more than made up for any shortcomings. Overall, it was still a fantastic experience. The Trafalgar team was just top notch. They took care of everything!! One potentially rough experience turned out to be a bucket list experience of a lifetime. As we were arriving in Pamplona, we were informed that the bus would not be able to drop us off at the hotel because the streets were closed to local traffic.....because of the festivities surrounding the Festival San Fermin and the running of the bulls! As we approached the hotel with our baggage, the crowds grew larger and larger. Basques in tradition white outfits, red sashes and bandanas. The music, the smells of wonderful food, the sights of the old city blending with a joyous crowd. We couldn't wait to join in and be able to walk the street we see each year crowded with revelers running with the bulls. We were able to see the actual event the next morning, second running of eight they have over the course of the festival's eight days. It was truly a magical time to be part of this wonderful even and provided us with so much insight in to the event. Lemon to lemonade in one fell swoop. The Trafalgar team made the entire journey a truly memorable experience ane we look forward to booking with them again for some great memories to come.

The Mediterranean Highlights tour was an absolutely wonderful experience. Traveled solo and celebrated my 80th birthday on the trip. Tour director was great. She was informative, helpful and thorough with attention to detail along with being fun Bus driver was amazing and faced many challenges in tight places. I thought the itinerary was well designed and included many must sees.