Seville, Cordoba, Granada
After an absence of two years we are delighted to welcome back to the
brochure one of our most popular tours. The three great cities of Moorish
Spain combine to offer an unforgettable journey through the history
and architecture of the most advanced culture in the Medieval world,
from the unique cultural splendour of Cordoba through the emergence
of Seville and culminating in the final glorious flowering of Islamic
Spain in Granada. In addition, of course, each city continued to flourish
after the surrender of Granada in 1492 and their cathedrals, churches
and renaissance palaces evoke another – later – Golden Age.
Our programme is carefully organized to make optimum use of our time
in each of the cities. We shall spend four nights in the excellent Hotel
Inglaterra in Seville and three in the legendary Hotel America in the
Alhambra in Granada. Travelling on the super-fast AVE we spend Day 3
in Cordoba.
DAYS 1, 2, 3 & 4: Flying to Seville, we settle in to our hotel which
is perfectly located two hundred yards from the Cathedral. Our first
full day will be devoted to the historic centre of the city and its
unique sights: the biggest gothic cathedral in the world, the stunning
Mudéjar Royal Palace and the unforgettable alleys and squares
of the Santa Cruz district. On Day 4 we venture out into lesser-known
Seville visiting the superb Museum of Fine Arts and the palaces and
churches of the most extensive 16th-century quarter in Western Europe.
On Day 3 we travel in the AVE express which will take us to the centre
of Córdoba in 40 minutes. The great Mosque is possibly Moorish
Spain’s single most important building; in addition, we shall
visit the lovely gardens of the Royal Palace, the synagogue and the
atmospheric streets of the Jewish Quarter. We take lunch in one of Spain’s
finest tapas bars and spend an hour in the magnificent Archaeological
Museum. We return to Seville by AVE.
DAYS 5, 6 & 7: Setting out from Seville our route takes us first
to the majestic Baroque town of Osuna whose main street is classed by
UNESCO as the second most beautiful in Europe! We arrive in Granada
late afternoon and make straight for our home for three nights: the
exquisite Hotel América in the heart of the Alhambra.
Our two full days in Granada give us plenty of time to enjoy every aspect
of this wonderful city.
Needless to say we spend much of Day 6 in the Palaces and Gardens of
the Alhambra. It is impossible to do justice with mere words to the
sumptuous beauty and elegance of the architecture and the gardens. The
Alhambra is simply one of the world’s greatest monuments to the
creative genius of Man.
On Day 7 we see something of post-Moorish Granada: the exquisite Royal
Chapel, the extraordinary Baroque Carthusian Monastery, the sophistication
of the 19th and 20th-century city.
DAY 8: We take our return flight.
THIS TOUR WILL DEPART: 18th October
2010
OUR HOTELS: The splendid Hotel Inglaterra
in the centre of Seville; the legendary Hotel América in Granada
NUMBER IN PARTY: 12-16
THE PRICE OF THIS TOUR: £1520
(single supplement £175)