ITINERARY NO.1 Madrid to Leon OR San Sebastian
Day 01 (Wed) MADRID – EL ESCORIAL – SEGOVIA
Today you will be met by your private chauffeur and travel north to visit San Lorenzo de El Escorial which is not only a monastery, but a church and a palace as well. It was built between 1563 and 1584 in honour of St Lorenzo. Travel on to Segovia for some free time to admire the magnificent 1st C Roman aqueduct before heading to La Granja where you will enjoy free time on arrival at the beautiful Parador, 11km from Segovia itself. Overnight.
Day 02 (Thur) SEGOVIA – PEDRAZA – PEÑAFIEL – LERMA – COVARRUBIAS – BURGOS
Breakfast. Depart Segovia and continue north to Burgos stopping for a visit of Pedraza and into Peñafiel, for a wine tasting. This is the heart of wine country and will provide a lovely stop before continuing on to pretty Lerma and the medieval town of Covarrubias. Free evening in Burgos. Overnight Burgos.
Day 03 (Fri) BURGOS – LEON or SAN SEBASTIAN
Breakfast. Begin your leisurely drive to Leon, where you will be dropped off at your accommodation and farewell your chauffeur. Spend the rest of the day at leisure. León owes its name to the Legio VII Gemina, which the Roman Emperor Gala installed on the banks of the River Benesga in 68CE.
San Sebastian is the gastronomic capital of the country and is famous for its beautiful Concha promenade and lively old quarter. Overnight Leon or San Sebastian.
Day 04 (Sat) LEON or SAN SEBASTIAN
Breakfast. Today you will join your El Transcantabrico train journey to Santiago de Compostela.
END ITINERARY!
ITINERARY NO. 2 Santiago de Compostela to Madrid
Day 01 (Sat) SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
Today you will complete your El Transcantabrico train journey and spend the rest of the day at leisure in this beautiful city. In the Middle Ages, Santiago de Compostela was Christianity's third most important place of pilgrimage, after Jerusalem and Rome. Around the Praza do Obradoiro is an ensemble of historical buildings. With its narrow streets and old squares, the city centre is compact enough to explore on foot. Overnight.
Day 02 (Sun) SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA – ZAMORA – SALAMANCA
Breakfast. Today you will be met by your private chauffeur and journey to Salamanca via Zamora. Zamora's most important monument is its unique cathedral, a 12th century structure built in Romanesque style but with a number of later Gothic additions. Continue to Salamanca, a wonderful University town with great traditions and a magnificent old quarter. Overnight Salamanca.
Day 03 (Mon) SALAMANCA
Breakfast. Today you private tour of the city with a local guide. Salamanca is called La Dorada in Spanish, or the Golden One, owing to the colour of its sandstone buildings. The great university city of Salamanca is Spain's finest showcase of Renaissance and Plateresque architecture. Overnight.
Day 04 (Tues) SALAMANCA – AVILA – MADRID
Breakfast. Travel to Avila where you have some free time to visit the city and perhaps enjoy lunch at the Parador. Avila de los Caballeros is the highest provincial capital in Spain. The centre of the city is encircled by the finest-preserved medieval walls in Europe. Built in the 11th century, the walls are over 2km long and they are punctuated by 88 study turrets on which storks can be seen nesting in season. In the afternoon continue back to Madrid where you will be transferred to the airport / hotel and farewell your chauffeur.
END ITINERARY!
- Spain
- Tours
- Great Train Journeys
- Paradores
- Rustic and Rural
- Hotels
- Apartments
Land of Contrasts
Appropriately called the 'Bull's Hide' by Roman geographer Strabo in 29-27BC, the landmass of Spain with its 505,000 sq. km, provides the traveller with an opportunity to experience the great diversity within its borders, bounded by sea, except for Portugal to the west and France to the north-east.
Iberia has charmed travellers for centuries, but it was not until the early19th century that the first romantics brought Spain into world recognition. Richard Ford along with many others of his time, describing the country as a 'land of miracles, anomalies and contradictions'.
Spain today embodies all of the contrasts of yesteryear. With its rich and varied culture and language, Spain's 17 autonomous regions offer many unexpected architectural, geographical, cultural, gastronomic and climatic differences; all contributing to the many delights and pleasures of the visitor.
Once Spain was one of the most powerful nations on earth with far flung dominions wielding great influence on world political and commercial affairs. The Spain of today is an energetic member of the European Community with a population of 45 million and a universally appreciated culture, individuality and language.
Download our 2012 brochure!
Tours
Ranging from short Fully Escorted coach tours to Private itineraries with your own driver, we have a tour to suit your time frame and budget. Here are a few examples of some of our most popular touring options...
| Self Drive Tours: | A GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE IN NORTHERN SPAIN -- ROMANTIC ANDALUCIA -- WORLD HERITAGE ENCOUNTER |
| Fully Escorted Tours: | ANDALUCIA AND MEDITERRANEAN COAST -- ANDALUCIA AND MOROCCO -- ANDALUCIA AND TOLEDO -- CASTILLA, PORTUGAL AND ANDALUCIA -- GREEN SPAIN -- NORTH OF SPAIN -- SALAMANCA AND PORTUGAL |
| Small Group Tours: | GOURMET SPAIN |
| Tours with Private driver: | SEVILLA AND THE WHITE VILLAGES OF ANDALUCIA -- SEVILLA, CORDOBA AND GRANADA |
| Walking Tours: | EL CAMINO DEL NORTE -- EL CAMINO PRIMITIVO -- SHORT BREAK PICOS DE EUROPA -- THE ALPUJARRAS - MOORISH SPLENDOUR -- WALKING THE PICOS DE EUROPA |
| Unique Spain: | BARCELONA AND ORGANIC WINE IN THE PENEDÈS -- BARCELONA AND THE MEDIEVAL VILLAGES OF CATALONIA -- A GOURMET'S GRANADA -- BARCELONA AND THE GENIUS OF DALI -- GRANADA -ORIGINS OF FLAMENCO -- SEVILLA AND THE PUEBLOS BLANCOS - A CULINARY ENCOUNTER -- THE MOORISH LEGACY IN GRANADA |
The Great Train Journeys of Spain
IBERTOURS is the sole GSA in Australia and New Zealand for the Great Train Journeys of Spain. These marvellous journeys attend to the needs of the traveller who is keen to savour the travel delights of yesteryear and who is enticed by the notion of a special journey by rail.
"El Transcantabrico" explores the rugged mountains and seascape of the northern coast in an 08 day gastronomic adventure. There are 2 very special and itineraries to select.
The "Espreso de la Robla" takes one on an enjoyable 4 day regional rail experience between Bilbao and Leon, as well as Gijon and Santiago de Compostela.
The legendary "Al Andalus" returns in 2012 in a luxurious 6 day adventure through historical Andalucia, from Sevilla to Sevilla, visiting Cordoba, Granada and Jerez along the way.
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EL EXPRESO DE LA ROBLA | EL TRANSCANTABRICO - 8 DAY JOURNEY AL ANDALUS
Unique Historic Accommodation
IBERTOURS TRAVEL is the Official Representative of Paradores in Australia and New Zealand.
The concept of utilising these unique establishments as selected accommodation for tourism goes back to 1926, when the royal tourist commissioner, the Marques of Vega-Inclan, sought Royal Approval for the extraordinarily far sighted idea of setting up State run Paradores as lodgings for nature lovers and hunters around the country.
Rustic and Rural Spain with Rusticae
Rusticae is a network of boutique properties and guesthouses that are often old farms, mills and homes, transformed into small hotels. Rusticae has currently has over 160 hotels spread across Spain, Portugal, France and Argentina divided into two main types of accommodation, Metropoli and Tradition.
The Metropoli range incorporates a selection of small, boutique hotels inside major cities including Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba, Palma de Mallorca and Bilbao.
The Tradition range is the most extensive and has a wide selection of hotels and manor houses located in small villages in the countryside.
There are around 140 of these properties in Spain alone and each possesses its own individual charm and style, reflecting the history and traditions of the region and its people.
Spanish Hotels
Stopovers can include 2 and 3 night packages in all major cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and San Sebastian, plus many other smaller regional cities such as Granada, Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca, Santiago de Compostela and so on... In fact, with our extensive experience and contacts we can develop stopover packages for almost any city or town in the Iberian Triangle, for any length of time, to suit your requirements. Here are some examples...
View a selection of hotels by region:
Northern Spain and the Pyrenees / Madrid and Surrounds / Extremadura and Castilla La Mancha / Valencia / Andalucia / Balearic Islands /Canary Islands
Apartments
If you are planning a stay of 3 nights or more, why not consider an apartment? Live like the locals do in the centre of one of Spain's vibrant and emblematic cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, and others. Ideal for an extended stay, an apartment gives you the freedom and choice to shop with the locals at the market and cook up your own Spanish fusion! All we need to know is how many people, what city and when and we can find one perfect for you! Just ask us to add an apartment to your creative itinerary.