This tour is advertised without flights so you can combine it with your own independent flight arrangements and stay in the Europe.
If you have not purchased flights through Cosmos Tourama, then meet at the hotel. If you have purchased flights through Cosmos Tourama, transfers between overseas airports and hotels are included. Ask for a quote from the UK which includes flights. Flights usually from major UK airports with various airlines, some direct and some with one stop.
DAY 1: UK - Madrid.
Fly to Madrid where you'll be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel for overnight. (D)
DAY 2: Madrid - Salamanca - Coimbra.
West to fortified Avila, then on to Salamanca where you can wander around the Plaza Mayor, reputed to be the most beautiful square in Spain. Then head westward to Coimbra, strategically situated on a hill overlooking the Mondego River for an overnight stay. (B, D)
DAY 3: Coimbra - Fatima - Lisbon.
First today, enjoy an included orientation drive in Coimbra. Then it's on to Fatima where you'll visit the Sanctuary which was made famous by the Virgin's apparition to three shepherd children on the 13 May 1917. A few more miles for a stop in Obidos, a fortified city still flanked by round towers and bastions overlooking the countryside dotted with windmills. Continue to Lisbon, the capital and Portugal's largest city, for the next two nights. (B)
DAY 4: Lisbon.
Situated on the North banks of the Tagus River, Henry the Navigator made Lisbon the 15th century 'mistress of the seas'. You'll see his eye-catching monument, the Belem Tower, the Moorish Citadel, the impressive Black Horse Square and other highlights on your sightseeing excursion with a local guide. Your afternoon is free, so you can explore this fascinating and diverse city at your own pace. Why not spend it in the Alfama's tile-decorated streets, or take an optional excursion to coastal Estoril and Cascais? (B)
DAY 5: Lisbon - Seville.
After breakfast this morning, you'll drive southwest through the verdant Portuguese countryside into the Alentejo, with its undulating plains. Then it's onto the border at Vila Verde and cross into Spain for the journey into Andalucia. You'll enjoy quite different scenery as you skirt the Sierra de Aracena, one of Spain's most unspoilt and beautiful mountain regions, before reaching delightful Seville, the capital of Andalucia, for two nights. (B)
DAY 6: Seville.
You have the whole day to yourself to enjoy this lovely city, located on the Guadalquivir River plain, with its array of monuments, museums and historical sights. Perhaps you'd like to spend the morning enjoying an optional sightseeing tour, which includes the main highlights of the city, giving you plenty of ideas for the afternoon. (B, D)
DAY 7: Seville - Cordoba - Madrid.
Today, drive by way of Carmona, an old world country town dominated by an ancient Alcazar, to Cordoba and its impressive architectural heritage. This is perhaps Spain's most Moorish city with its great mosque, one of Islam's greatest pieces of architecture outside the Arab world. It has been a catholic cathedral since 1236. Later you'll head into the very heart of La Mancha, famed for its castles and windmills, before arriving in Madrid for two nights. (B)
DAY 8: Madrid.
Not only because it is the capital of Spain, but because it is situated 2,180 feet above sea level, the Spaniards say Madrid is the nearest thing to heaven. Here you'll find a multitude of delights from palaces and museums to shopping and colourful gardens and squares. Enjoy the main highlights of this cosmopolitan, sophisticated city on your included sightseeing excursion with a local guide. You may like to join the optional trip to Toledo, and experience another of Spain's great cities. (B)
DAY 9: Madrid - Flight to UK.
A short drive to the airport for your flight to the UK. (B)