Arrive in Madrid on suggested flights and make your way to the hotel. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including travel insurance (a condition of travel), private hotel transfer, or accommodation before or after the tour.

At 18:00, join your tour leader Lorraine Kypiotis and fellow travellers for a welcome briefing at the hotel, followed by dinner.

(D)

Following a talk by Lorraine, visit the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. Highlights of the museum include important works by Spain’s foremost 20th century masters, such as Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso, author of the celebrated Civil War painting Guernica (1937). The Reina Sofía also has fine collections of work by Juan Gris, Julio González, Eduardo Chillida, Antoni Tàpies, Lucio Muñoz and many other significant artists.

After lunch at a local restaurant, return to the hotel for the remainder of the afternoon and evening at leisure.

(BL)

Today enjoy a full-day excursion to Toledo, known as the ‘city of the three cultures’ for the centuries-long coexistence of Christians, Arabs and Jews, leaving a distinctive artistic and cultural legacy. Explore Toledo’s main sights including the Gothic Cathedral, El Tránsito Synagogue and Santa María la Blanca, as well as El Greco’s house and museum.

Return to Madrid in the late afternoon and enjoy the evening at leisure.

(B)

This morning, visit the Museo del Prado, home of one of the world’s greatest art collections. Opened in 1819 to display the royal collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative arts, the Prado houses the world’s largest collection of Spanish painting featuring works by Vélazquez, El Greco and Goya, as well as an extensive display of Italian and Flemish works. The Prado boasts the largest and finest array of paintings by Titian and Hieronymus Bosch in the world.

The remainder of the day is at leisure to relax or to further explore Madrid at your own pace.

(B)

After a talk by Lorraine, enjoy a walking tour of old Madrid, from the Puerta del Sol to the Plaza de Oriente, ending in the architectural and social heart of the city, the 17th-century arcaded square of Plaza Mayor.

After lunch at a local restaurant, continue to the Joaquín Sorolla House museum. Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida was a leading Spanish Impressionist whose former early 20th-century studio-mansion, with a beautiful garden designed by the artist himself, has been preserved as an artist’s museum.

(BL)

This morning, visit the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, based on the collection assembled from the 1920s to 1992 by Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and his son Hans Heinrich. Spanning seven centuries and representing the history of Western art from the Italian Renaissance through to the 20th century, the presentation superbly complements works held by Madrid’s other two great art museums.

This afternoon, enjoy a second visit to the Prado Museum to explore other parts of the museum’s impressive collection.

(B)

Today, depart Madrid on a high-speed train to Córdoba, once the prosperous capital of the Islamic world in the West and now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Explore Córdoba’s ‘patio gardens’ which, with their abundant arrays of flower pots, fragrant blossoms and vibrant colours, have become true works of art.

Dinner this evening is at a local restaurant.

(BD)

This morning, visit the Mezquita (Great Mosque), which embodies the power of Islam on the Iberian Peninsula. Dating from the 8th century, the Mezquita evolved over centuries, with many additions and elaborations, especially in the 10th century (under Hakam II) and during the 16th century, when the cathedral with an Italianate dome was built in the heart of the reconstructed mosque. Stroll through the Juderia, or Jewish quarter, to visit the Old Synagogue and finish with a visit to the gardens of the Alcázar (fortress) of the Christian Monarchs.

In the early afternoon continue to Seville, the fourth-largest city in Spain and capital of Andalusia. Located on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, Seville is a city characterised by a combination of fascinating vestiges of Moorish culture, medieval and baroque Christian monuments, grandiose remnants of the 1929 Exposición Iberoamericana and a thriving modern industrial urban centre.

(BD)

After a talk by Lorraine, spend the morning exploring the historical heart of Seville with a walking tour of the Santa Cruz quarter. As the Jewish district in the Middle Ages, it benefited from the protection of the Crown after the Reconquista, but at the end of the 14th century it was taken over by the Christians who converted the synagogues into churches. Visit the immense 15th century Gothic Cathedral and admire La Giralda, originally a minaret which became the Cathedral belfry, housing the tomb of Christopher Columbus.

This afternoon, visit the Museum of Fine Arts with an important collection of predominantly religious art from the Spanish Golden Age, including works by leading artists, Zurbarán, Murillo and Ribera, as well as works by late 18th/early 19th century artist Francisco Goya.

Tonight, attend a flamenco performance in one of Seville’s renowned tablaos.

(BD)

This morning, enjoy a tour of the Real Alcázar, the royal residence dating from 1364. The ornate Moorish-inspired rooms are decorated with complex patterned tile and plasterwork, complemented by extravagant gardens laid out with terraces, fountains and pavilions in diverse styles, including French, Italian and Arab.

Then, spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure to relax or to further explore Seville at your own pace. Take the opportunity to visit the Archive of the Indies, a vast national archive whose museum depicts Seville’s role in the colonisation of the New World. Included in the permanent collection are over 8,000 hand-drawn maps and charts as well as letters from Christopher Columbus, Magellan and Cortes.

(B)

Depart Seville and travel to Granada, stopping en route at the historic Andalusian city of Antequera, dominated by the 14th century Alcazaba.

Arrive in Granada in the late afternoon. First occupied by the Moors in the 8th century, Granada reached a Golden Age under the Nasrid Dynasty (1238-1492). Following the end of the Reconquista in 1492, Granada blossomed in full Renaissance splendour. After an evening talk with Lorraine, enjoy dinner at the hotel.

(BD)

Today explore the Alhambra (red fortress), occupying a dramatic hilltop position overlooking the city of Granada. Built in the 14th century by the Sultans of the Nasrid, the Alhambra was the last Moorish stronghold in Spain until 1492. Designed to reflect the very beauty of Paradise itself, it comprises gardens, fountains, streams, a palace and a mosque, all within an imposing fortress wall flanked by 13 massive towers.

After lunch at a local restaurant, continue to the 14th century Generalife (‘the garden of lofty paradise’), the country estate of the Nasrid rulers and one of the oldest surviving Moorish gardens in the world. The Generalife features the Water-Garden Courtyard, thought to be the best-preserved medieval garden design in Al-Andalus.

(BL)

This morning, embark on a tour of the imposing Granada Cathedral and the Royal Chapel, both built in the early 16th century on the orders of the Catholic Monarchs to herald the return of Christianity. The Gothic-style Royal Chapel was completed in 1517 and served as a royal mausoleum. The Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand and their immediate successors are buried under magnificently sculpted Renaissance marble tombs.

Following an afternoon at leisure, celebrate the conclusion of the tour with a special farewell dinner with Lorraine and fellow travellers.

(BD)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast.

For those returning home today, make your way to Granada Airport for suggested flights to Australia or New Zealand. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour, private airport transfers and travel insurance (a condition of travel).

(B)