Trying to cover the entirety of this vast peninsula in a single trip is seemingly insurmountable and possibly insane; it contains two whole countries, Portugal and Spain, and the tiny principality of Andorra. Insight Vacations is taking a stab at it, preparing a fascinating itinerary over the course of ten days, covering essential highlights from $1,099 per person. However, if you can book by September 30, they take off another $100 per couple.
You begin and end in Madrid, then visit Toledo, home of an inspiring Gothic cathedral and the Church of Saint Thomas, where El Greco's masterpiece, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, proudly hangs. You journey next to Granada, former capital of the Moorish Kingdom of Spain, where you will appear at the enchanting Alhambra Palace, with its stone-cut lace and arabesque gardens. While here, you stay in the first-class Hotel Saray.
In Seville, you'll take in the Giralda Tower, the magnificent cathedral, the awe-inspiring Alcazar and the charming Santa Cruz quarter. You cross the border then into Portugal, where you visit Lisbon and its Monastery of Jeronimo, the Art Decoish Monument to Discoveries and the Belem Tower. Later, you may want to see the Basilica of Fatima (this is not where the Virgin appeared to the peasant children, that spot being far outside the capital city). You then return to Spain via Salamanca, where you should not miss the Royal Palace, the Plaza de Espana and the statue of Cervantes (author of Don Quixote, among other tomes). On the final evening of the tour, you indulge in a regional farewell dinner.
The $1,099 price is per person, based on double occupancy, with departures out of New York. Additional gateways at additional costs are available. The tours depart now through March 28, 2003.
For more information and to make reservations, contact your local travel agent. To order brochures or to look at other Insight offerings, go to their Web site, www.inusa.insightvacations.com.
