Madrid

Length: 7 days  
Guaranteed Dates Available
 

Madrid Educational Tour | Flamenco Dancers
 
Map of Madrid Educational Tour
 
Madrid Educational Tour | Students Overlooking Countryside
 
  • Day 1 Start Tour
  • Day 2 Hola Madrid
    Meet your Tour Director and check into hotel
    Madrid City Walk 
    Puerta del SolPlaza MayorPlaza de España
    Details: Madrid City Walk
    Life in Madrid is centered around talking, toasting and tapas-eating. In a walk through this crowded and social city, your Tour Director will help you get to know the lay of the land. Then stroll over to the Puerta del Sol, the bustling city center. Next, you'll relax at the Plaza Mayor, a grand square where every sort of human drama has taken place-trails of faith, public burnings of heretics, royal marriages, the canonization of saints and countless balls and bullfights. End at the Plaza de España for a stop at an outdoor café.
    Details: Prado visit
    Visit the Museo del Prado, home of works by Spain's great masters, including Francisco Goya, Diego Velázquez, and El Greco. Please note that on some occassions the Prado could be substituted for the Reina Sofia Museum, featuring works from Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí amoung others.
  • Day 3 Madrid Landmarks
    Madrid Guided Sightseeing Tour 
    Calle MayorGran ViaCibeles fountainAlcala GateColumbus squareRoyal Palace visit
    Details: Madrid Guided Sightseeing Tour
    Take a taste of Spain's cultural, political, and economic center with a tour led by a licensed local guide. See Madrid's mix of traditional and modern as you visit the Royal Palace, an 18th-century masterpiece. The enormous Baroque palace currently has more rooms (2,800) than any other European palace, but it was originally supposed to be four times as large. The palace is dripping with porcelain, jeweled clocks, amazing ceiling frescoes — the most magnificent, in the Throne Room, was done by the Venetian artist Tiepolo when he was in his seventies. Next take a look at the Neoclassical architecture of the Prado Museum and the Puerta de Alcala triumphal arch, built to honor Carlos III’s entry into Spain.
    Details: Flamenco evening
    Originating from gypsy music and dance in Southern Spain, flamenco dancing has become a Spanish institution. Dancers use intricate footwork and elaborate arm gestures to convey the mood of the music, which can range from lamentation to celebration.
  • Day 4 El Escorial & Segovia
    Optional  El Escorial, Segovia & Valley of the Fallen Guided Excursion   $75
    El Escorial visitValley of the Fallen visitSegovia Alcazar visit 
    Details: Segovia Alcazar visit
    A castle fit for a king! This stone fortification rises up imposingly from a rocky crag in the old city of Segovia. See its towering round turrets, spindly spires, luxurious throne room and fully stocked armory.
  • Day 5 Toledo & Tapas
    Toledo Guided Excursion 
    CathedralChurch of Santo ToméSt. Mary’s Synagogue
    Details: Toledo Guided Excursion
    Long the spiritual capital of Spain, Toledo still captures the heart with its spectacular surround of ocher-colored mountains. El Greco created some of his greatest works here, including his most famous painting, "The Burial of Count Orgaz." You’ll also see the city's cathedral, St. Mary's Synagogue, and the Church of Santo Tomé.
    Details: Tapas dinner
    Tapas purportedly originated when bartenders set a small plate ("tapa") over patrons' glasses of sherry and wine to keep the flies out. The bartenders starting piling the plate with cold cuts, olives, or salad, and the bite-size snack was born. (We're unsure how they kept the flies out of the cold-cuts... maybe that's how the sandwich was invented?) Over time these working-class snacks have become more elaborate, with each region adding its own specialties and cooking techniques to create unique tastes and combinations.
  • Day 6 Avila & Salamanca
    Farewell dinner
  • Day 7 End Tour
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    Tour Includes:
    • Round-trip airfare
    • 5 overnight stays in hotels with private bathrooms
    • Full European breakfast daily
    • Dinner daily
    • Full-time services of a professional Tour Director
    • Guided sightseeing tours & city walks as per itinerary
    • Visits to select attractions as per itinerary
    • Tour Diary™
    • Tapas Dinner
    • Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided