DAY 01 SYDNEY– BARCELONA

Arrival at Sydney airport 3 hours before the flight to Barcelona.

DAY 02 BARCELONA

Reception at Barcelona airport, where your guide will be waiting. Transfer to the hotel. Free time to get acquainted with the beautiful city of Spain. We will continue our tour with a panoramic visit, including the historic hill of Montjuic, the Olympic Stadium, the Joan Miró Foundation, the National Art Museum of Catalonia, Plaza de España, Plaza de Cataluña, Paseo de Gracia, the Columbus Monument, and an external visit to the Sagrada Familia. After the panoramic tour, we have free time in the city. Accommodation.

DAY 03 BARCELONA

Breakfast. Free day for personal activities or optional activities. Accommodation.

DAY 04 BARCELONA – MANRESA – MONTSERRAT – NARBONNE-CARCASSONNE

Breakfast at the hotel. We will head to Manresa, the place of Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s conversion. We will have a panoramic visit to the Cathedral and the Holy Cave, where Saint Ignatius spent a lot of time fasting, praying, meditating, and writing. Next, we will go to the Basilica of Montserrat, an important Marian pilgrimage destination. In Montserrat, we can admire La Moreneta, the patroness of Catalonia. Passing near the city of Perpignan, crossing the Pyrenees, we will reach Narbonne, and then continue to Carcassonne. Arrival in Carcassonne. Accommodation.

DAY 05 CARCASSONNE – TOULOUSE – LOURDES

Breakfast. Free time to visit the city on your own or take an optional activity. We will continue our journey to the city of Lourdes, passing through the Midi-Pyrénées region and Toulouse. Toulouse is known as the pink city due to the number of pink-colored buildings, making it a reference city in Europe for its architecture. Free time to explore the city and visit attractions like the Basilica of Saint-Sernin or the cloister of the Convent of the Dominicans or Jacobins. Later, we will head to Lourdes, arrival, and accommodation.

Optional Excursion:

Visit to Carcassonne It’s important to note that Carcassonne is large, and our hotel is in the modern part of the city, some distance from the fortified Citadel. In the optional excursion, the transfer to the historic part is included, and there is a return at the end. Alongside it, we will explore every corner, reminisce about jousting tournaments, discover the uses of battlements, and learn the history of the beautiful Basilica of San Nazario. We’ll take a stroll along the wall, discovering some of its nine towers, two of which date back to the Visigothic era. We’ll feel like protagonists in a medieval knights’ movie or even indulge in the illusion of being in one of the castles from the Game of Thrones series. After the visit, there will be free time to explore the Citadel.

DAY 06 LOURDES

Breakfast at the hotel. We will take a panoramic tour of the town of Lourdes, where the Sanctuary stands, part of the Marian Route. We will have free time to attend the Torchlight Procession (on applicable days) and visit the Holy Grotto, where the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous 18 times. Accommodation.

DAY 07 LOURDES – BILBAO – BURGOS

Breakfast. We will depart in the morning, crossing the border into Spain, entering the Basque Country. We will continue to Bilbao, the economic capital of the Basque region, and an international reference for art and culture thanks to the famous Guggenheim Museum. Bilbao, with its avant-garde architecture and the Puppy dog, has become the city’s most international symbol. Here, we will have a panoramic tour. Later, we will head to Burgos. After entering the province of Burgos, where its imposing Gothic cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stands out, and where the remains of El Cid rest. Free time. Accommodation.

DAY 08 BURGOS – COVADONGA – SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

Breakfast at the hotel. We will pass through the Picos de Europa, with its dreamlike landscapes, where we can see the famous lakes and the Sanctuary of Covadonga. We will discover the Sanctuary and the famous Cave of the Virgin of Covadonga, whose Basilica was completed in 1901 and represents the origin of present-day Spain, as it was the starting point of the Reconquista. In the second part of our journey, we will arrive in Santiago de Compostela. Accommodation.

DAY 09 SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

Breakfast at the hotel. Free day for personal visits or optional activities. Accommodation.

Optional Excursion:

Visit to A Coruña A Coruña, one of the largest cities in Galicia, has grown around its port. In the old town, we will see the Plaza de María Pita, a porticoed square from the 19th century that houses the Municipal Palace and is named after the heroine who fought against the English army. We will walk through the streets, palatial houses, and reach the Medieval Church of Santiago, the starting point of the English Way to Santiago. In the San Carlos Gardens, we will learn about its history and the place where gunpowder was stored for the defense of the city, while enjoying its century-old trees and the monument to the English general John Moore. We will enjoy the views from the viewpoint, offering a magnificent panoramic view of the port and the coastal façade of the city. We will reach the San Agustín Market, with its parabolic cover, a symbol of modernity when it was built in 1932, and located in front of Independence Square, where you can discover the reason for its name. If you want to delve deeper and learn more about A Coruña, you have the option to extend the guided tour and include the city’s most significant monument, the Tower of Hercules, a symbol of the city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After our visit, return to the hotel.

DAY 10 SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA – PORTO – FATIMA

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to Porto, passing through one of the greenest regions of Spain, reaching the famous Portuguese city. Porto is located on the right bank of the Douro River and is the second most important city in Portugal. We will take a panoramic tour of its historic center, recently classified as a World Heritage Site. Highlights include the Cathedral and the city’s main attractions: Av. dos Aliados, Torre dos Clérigos, Av. da Boavista, Foz district, Arrábida Bridge, and D. Luis Bridge. The tour ends at a Port Wine Cellar. Discover the Stock Exchange Palace and the Church of San Francisco, a masterpiece of Baroque art. After our visit, we will continue towards Fatima, arriving at the hotel. Accommodation.

DAY 11 FATIMA

Breakfast at the hotel, and a free day in Fatima for personal activities or an optional visit. Accommodation.

Optional Excursion:

Visit to Obidos Obidos is waiting for us. Walls, towers, castles, sand, houses, medieval market; all are history in this incredible city, and a journey back in time awaits you in Obidos.

DAY 12 FATIMA – LISBON

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, enjoy free time to visit one of the most recognized pilgrimage centers in Christianity, where the Virgin appeared to the shepherds. We will then continue the journey to the capital of Portugal. A panoramic tour of its main avenues, squares, and monuments awaits you. You will visit the Jerónimos Monastery, the Alfama District, the Tower of Belém, etc. Free afternoon. Accommodation.

Optional Excursion: FADO Show with Dinner

Enjoy a Fado show, Portuguese folklore music, in a unique setting. Fado is a song of melancholy with deep and heartbreaking lyrics accompanied by a guitar (dinner and drinks included).

DAY 13 LISBON

Breakfast at the hotel. Free day for personal activities or optional activities. Accommodation.

Optional Excursion: Visit to SINTRA CASCAIS AND ESTORIL

Following the Tagus River, we will reach the city of Estoril, where we will make a brief stop at the Casino and Gardens. Continuing along the coast, we will arrive in Cascais. Upon arrival, we will take a panoramic tour with a brief stop at the Cliffs of Boca do Inferno for photos, capturing the place in our memory. We will return to the city for lunch and, later, continue to Sintra for a walking tour of the historic center. Return to Lisbon.

DAY 14 LISBON – MERIDA – MADRID

Breakfast at the hotel. We will head to the city of Merida, traveling along the Silver Road, an ancient Roman road that crossed western Hispania from Emérita Augusta to Astúrica Augusta, also constituting in more modern times the most important route of the Camino de Santiago in its southern peninsular branch. Arrival in Merida and free time to explore its impressive historical center, which preserves a great heritage from the Roman era, or take an optional city tour. Later, we will continue the journey until we reach Madrid. Accommodation.

Optional Excursion: Visit to the Monumental Complex of Merida!

The city was founded by Emperor Octavio Augusto in 25 B.C. with the name Augusta Emerita, and important archaeological remains from the Roman era are preserved, such as its impressive entertainment buildings, houses, mausoleums, bridges, aqueducts, etc. We will visit the magnificent buildings of the Theater, Amphitheater, and Circus, in addition to knowing the urbanism of the Roman city with its streets and houses in the archaeological area of Morería, the House of Mitreo, and the Alcazaba, as well as funeral areas such as the Columbaria and the Crypt of the Basilica of Santa Eulalia.

DAY 15 MADRID

Breakfast at the hotel. This day will feature a panoramic tour of the city, where you will visit the main avenues, squares, and monuments. You will discover places such as Plaza de España, Gran Vía, the Fountain of the Cibeles, the Puerta de Alcalá, the famous Las Ventas bullring, etc. Continuing through the modern area, the tour will end in Madrid de los Austrias. Iconic places such as Plaza Mayor and Plaza de Oriente will be the final spectacle on this tour of the capital of Spain. Free afternoon to enjoy the city or take the optional excursion. Accommodation.

Optional Excursion: Visit to the city of Toledo Half Day with Cathedral

Located 70 km from Madrid, Toledo is known as the “City of Heritage.” It is a museum city of great artistic beauty and one of the oldest in Europe, also called the “City of the Three Cultures” because Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived here. Its buildings span almost all periods of history (Arab, Gothic, Mudejar, Renaissance, and Baroque). El Greco, a great painter of the 16th century, resided here. We will take a panoramic tour of the city, including its most important monuments through its narrow streets and admiring the famous damascene art (inlaying precious metals into steel).

Optional Excursion: Flamenco Show with Dinner:

DAY 16 MADRID – ZARAGOZA – BARCELONA

Breakfast. Departure to Zaragoza, where we will make a brief stop to admire the oldest Marian temple in Christendom: the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, which is part of the enormous square of the same name. We will then continue towards Barcelona. Accommodation. 

DAY 17 BARCELONA

Breakfast. Free day to enjoy some optional excursions.

Optional Excursion: Visit Girona & Figueres/Dali Museum:

In our optional excursion, we will visit Girona and Figueres today. Girona is an incredible historic city and one of the main locations for the famous Game of Thrones series. City walls, cathedral, Roman road and gate, Arab baths, Jewish quarter, La Rambla; historic market area, Independence Square are some of the places we will see in the city. After Girona, we will continue to Figueres to visit the wonderful Dalí Museum. Here, you can see paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and the tomb of this surrealist artist. We will return to Barcelona in the afternoon and provide free time in the city center. After free time, we will go to our hotel in Barcelona to rest.

DAY 18 BARCELONA – SYDNEY

Breakfast. At the indicated time, transfer to the airport for the flight back to Sydney.