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Spain & Portugal Christmas tour
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Summary
Experience Portugal and Spain in a unique light as you travel over Christmas and New Years! Celebrate a Spanish Christmas in Seville, one of Spain’s most charming towns. Explore the colourful towns of Toledo, Granada, Salamanca, Avila and Ronda. Walk the streets of the capitals, Madrid and Lisbon. And taste delicious tapas, seafood and real Port in Porto. Christmas season on the Iberian route feels surreal as you celebrate with with blue skies and warm winter son. A truly eclectic and electric sensory experience!
Photos of the Tour
Why this Trip
- All tour dates are guaranteed to depart.
- No minimum numbers required.
- FREE Wi-Fi in hotels.
- Services of your Expat Explore tour leader.
- Only 10% deposit or minimum $110.00 required and no booking fees.
Itinerary PrintView full Itinerary here
DAY 1: Arrive in Madrid
Welcome to Madrid and the start of your Spain and Portugal Christmas tour! On arrival, make your way to the hotel to meet up with your tour leader and fellow travellers. Depending on your arrival time, take the opportunity to explore Madrid, or take a rest in your hotel room. This evening, sit down for an included welcome dinner. Enjoy your first taste of Spain and get to know your fellow explorers! Today marks the official start of Christmas celebrations in Spain. Today is the day that the Spanish Christmas Lottery, ‘El Gordo’ or the ‘Fat One’, takes place. It’s the biggest lottery draw in the world!
DAY 2: Toledo - Granada
Travel south to the UNESCO World Heritage town of Toledo. Known to be Spain's spiritual capital, the Gothic architecture and beautiful cathedral will leave you speechless. We then drive on to the Moorish city of Granada. Your tour leader will take you on an orientation tour to see the most famous sites and learn more about it’s Moorish influences, including a view across the valley of the iconic Alhambra citadel.
DAY 3: Ronda - Seville
Travel through Andalusia and its beautiful landscapes. If you've heard of Flamenco, matadors and bullfighting - this is what the region is famous for. First we stop in Ronda, one of the oldest cities in Spain! Take in views of the famous ‘Puente Nuevo’ bridge and stunning scenery of the surrounding countryside. We then make our way to Seville - the city of siestas, tapas and some of Europe's most amazing fiestas. End the day exploring the old town accompanied by an expert local guide. Seville is known as the home of tapas, small plates of hot and cold dishes, and this evening we will enjoy a selection of them at our included dinner.
DAY 4: Seville - Free day
Merry Christmas or “Feliz Navidad” as the locals say! You have a free day to explore Seville in all its festive glory. As it’s Christmas day, look out for Spanish Christmas bread, Roscón de Reyes. It's topped with crushed almonds and candied fruit! You’re bound to also see Tió de Nadal, a jolly Christmas log decorated with a smiley face and stick legs. We can highly recommend the Seville cathedral and the Plaza de España.
DAY 5: Algarve - Lisbon
It’s boxing day and we’re crossing the border into Portugal and heading for Lisbon, the capital! En route you will see the incredible landscapes of southern Portugal glide past, and we’ll make a stop on the south coast, where you’ll have free time to have lunch, explore the local town or relax on the beach. On arrival in Lisbon your Expat Explore tour leader will take you on a driving tour of the city. You will get to see the Tagus river and some of the most famous attractions in the city, such as the Belém Tower and the Padrão dos Descobrimentos monument.
DAY 6: Lisbon - Free day
Discover Lisbon at your leisure today! Highlights include the Monument to the Discoveries, Belém Tower or the hilltop district of Bairro Alto. The streets are lined with dozens of restaurants and bars! Listen out for Fado music streaming from open windows. The music is known for its lyrics of longing. And if you want to do some Christmas souvenir shopping for your friends and family back home), head to A Vida Portuguesa. Definitely try some Pasteis de nata, delicious Portuguese egg tarts, as you go. Or consider the option of a day trip to Sintra, the town of mountains, palaces, parks and medieval residences.
DAY 7: Obidos - Porto
On our way to Porto this morning we’ll stop off in Obidos, a classic fortified town with narrow cobbled streets, picturesque houses and an imposing hilltop castle. We then carry on to Portugal's second-biggest city, Porto. Once you arrive, an expert local guide will take us on a driving and walking tour to see sights including the Cathedral, Sao Bento train station, Clerigos Tower, the Luis I bridge and many more. Later this afternoon we’ll sit down for a quintessential Portuguese experience and one of its most famous exports: a tasting of Port wine.
DAY 8: Guarda - Salamanca
This morning we make one more stop in Portugal before we arrive back in Spain. Guarda was founded in the 12th Century by King Sancho I, and much of the fortified towers and defensive walls he built survive to this day. This afternoon we’ll arrive in Salamanca. After some time to freshen up at the hotel your tour leader will take you an on orientation tour of Spain’s Golden City. You’ll have some free time to explore the historic city centre before we meet up again for a farewell dinner on our last night of the tour, offering three courses of delicious food from around the province of Salamanca.
DAY 9: Avila - Madrid
It’s the last day of your Spain & Portugal Christmas holiday. The final stretch of the tour takes us from Salamanca to Avila and then on to Madrid. The ancient town of Avila is most known for its century-old city walls that have been remarkably well-preserved. It's also home to some spectacular Romanesque churches, monasteries and palaces. We then continue back to Madrid where the tour concludes this afternoon.
What's Included
- 8 nights' accommodation in twin rooms with private en-suite facilities. Single travellers have the option to pay a single supplement to ensure a private room.
- Services of your Expat tour leader, who will be on hand with advice and tips to ensure that you get the most from your trip. You can also book any of the optional excursions available during your tour with your tour leader – please see the 'Essential Information' tab for more details.
- 8 breakfasts, 4 dinners
- All taxes and fees
- Any public transport used as part of the tour (excludes free days)
- Modern air conditioned coach with reclining seats, TV for showing DVDs, and toilet.
- 12 Experiences (including guided walking tours, orientation walks, driving tours of cities plus other exciting experiences)
- Free Expat Explore tour souvenir – a memorable gift of your once in a lifetime trip.
Optional Excursions
Optional excursions are payable in cash currency to your tour leader whilst on tour.- Sintra Half-Day Trip
- Algarve Beach Lunch
- Flamenco Dinner Show
- Douro River Cruise
Return customers get 10% off!
If you have traveled with us before you qualify for a 10% rebate. To claim your rebate, simply type your previous Booking Number in the "Special Notes" box at the final Payment step of the checkout.
Save - without compromising on quality - by booking directly with the leading tour operator
How we make awesome trips affordable
- No intermediary: You book directly from the tour operator so you don't have to pay any travel agent.
- As a Europe leading bus tour operator we have 11 years of experience finding the best hotels for your budget and continuously optimizing our selection based on customer feedback.
- We book our hotels well in advance so we get great value rates that we can pass on to you!
- Thanks to the great number of people who travel with us each year, we can negotiate great deals that would be quite impossible for you to find on your own.
Detailed Info Pack
- Tour start & end points
- Pre-departure information
- Pre-tour accommodation
For more information on, starting points & times, emergency contact details, budgeting for your tour & much more you can download our information pack here.
Helpful Pre-Trip Info
Visa
Certain nationalities may require a visa(s) for this tour. Please see our visas page for more information. It is your responsibility to contact the relevant embassies to confirm your visa requirements. We can provide the support documentation upon request - please contact us.
On tour costs
Please refer to the tour itinerary for full details of what activities are included, which meals are included and what is excluded. We would recommend budgeting €25-€40 per day (this excludes optional excursions).
Room Sharing
Please note, all rooms are twin bed as standard.
- Partners: When you book for more than one person, we will by default group you together in a room (unless you specifically request us not to). If you are unequal numbers (3, 5, 7 etc.) and we are unable to secure a triple room then the remaining traveler will be roomed with another passenger of the same gender.
- Single Travelers: If you are travelling alone there is no compulsory charge - you will share a twin room with another passenger of the same gender. There is an optional single supplement/private room upgrade available for single travellers who wish to have a private room. This can be added at the time of booking or by contacting our customer services team. Please note that the room provided may be a single room with a single bed.
- Triple Room requests: We can generally provide a triple room on request; however it is not guaranteed to be available in every destination. Please contact our customer services team to request a triple room. Please note that in some hotels, the triple may be a double and a single bed, or the third bed may be a pull-out or bunk-bed. Where we cannot provide a triple room the rooming will consist of one twin room and the third passenger sharing with another single traveller of the same gender.
Free-time
In some destinations you will have a full free day, where you can choose to join our optional excursions or explore on your own.
Meeting Point
Your tour starts and finishes in Madrid. Please have a look at our essential tour information page for detailed information.
Passport
This should be valid for at least six months after you have returned home from your trip. You should also have several blank pages as Visas and entry/exit stamps can take up a whole page.
