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Experience a different side of Spain on this enriching extension to Catalonia. A distinctive region with its own language and unique Catalan culture, Catalonia also hosts the glittering Costa Brava and the mountainous outpost of Montserrat. You’ll begin this journey enraptured by the seaside splendor of Barcelona, where tapas, ancient Roman ruins, and Antoni Gaudí’s grand masterworks fuse into a global cultural capital and the ultimate foodie destination. Barcelona reared a young Pablo Picasso, who regarded this Catalonian hub as his true home, and the city continues to be a beacon in a region still living on the cutting edge of design, art, and molecular gastronomy.
Depart home
An overnight flight takes you to Barcelona today.
Settle into beautiful Barcelona
Arrive today and settle into your hotel before a Welcome Briefing and included dinner, where you’ll meet other travelers joining you for enriching discoveries.
Included meals:
Panoramic tour of Barcelona, La Sagrada Família, and exploring Las Ramblas
Get acquainted with this beautiful Mediterranean city on a panoramic tour, where you’ll see examples of Antoni Gaudí’s distinctive art and architecture — seven monuments including the soaring La Sagrada Família, collectively classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stroll Las Ramblas, a tree-lined pedestrian mall stretching 1.2 kilometers, filled with monuments, shops, and yes, tapas restaurants (perhaps you’ll stop for a bite and enjoy a chance to sip cava sparkling wine independently!). Included Feature:
Explore Barcelona at your own pace
Today is free for you to take in the sophisticated culture of Barcelona. You might spend time along the Passieg de Gràcia, the city’s most beautiful street, to explore some of its most notable modernisme structures, three of them located in the “Block of Discord,” so named for the ways in which these buildings shattered artistic conventions of their day. The Casa Batllo is Gaudí’s eerily fascinating “House of Bones.” Next door, the gabled Casa Amatller features Renaissance touches; it was designed for a local chocolatier. And the Casa Lleó Morera is one of the city’s best examples of modernisme architecture for its seamless natural and organic motifs.
Head to Madrid via high-speed train
This morning, enjoy breakfast at your hotel before departing on the high-speed train for thrilling Madrid, where you’ll meet other travelers on your base tour.
Featuring year-round balmy weather and a trademark fortified wine, the Portuguese island of Madeira also boasts a lushness that earned its label as the “Floating Garden of the Atlantic.” During your stay in the lovely capital of Funchal, you’ll enjoy a half-day city tour and immersion into local island life. Peruse the covered market at the edge of the Old Town and visit a traditional wine cellar to savor the island’s titular Madeira wine. Raise a glass to this oceanic outpost — the perfect complement to your cruise across the mainland!
An overnight flight takes you to Madeira, Portugal, today.
Arrive in Madeira and settle in
Arrive today and settle into your hotel before a Welcome Briefing, where you’ll meet other travelers joining you for enriching discoveries. Dinner is on your own tonight.
Tour Madeira’s marketplace and Old Town
Set out this morning for a half-day city tour. Browse the fragrant stands of the marketplace brimming with produce carted in from all over the fertile island and stroll the cobbled lanes of the Old Town. Then ascend to the town of Monte, 1,800 feet above the sea. Splendid views greet you from here, but you might thrill more to the mode of transport you’ll use to return to Funchal: a traditional two-seater wicker toboggan or “basket sled.” A pair of pilots — skilled and expert carreiros — guide you downhill for the steep mile-long journey. Back in the city, head to one of Madeira's oldest wine cellars for a tasting, before enjoying the rest of your afternoon at leisure. This evening, experience more of Funchal on your own with a night at leisure.
Explore Madeira on your own
Today, craft your own itinerary with a day at leisure.
Fly to Lisbon and join the base program
This morning, enjoy breakfast at your hotel before flying to Lisbon, where you’ll meet other travelers on your base tour.
Embark a high-speed train to Barcelona
Enjoy breakfast at your Madrid hotel before departing on the high-speed train for thrilling Barcelona. Settle in before enjoying dinner this evening at your hotel.
Panoramic tour of Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia, and exploring Las Ramblas
Return home
This morning, enjoy breakfast at your hotel before departing for the airport and returning home.
Fly to Madeira, and an orientation walk through Funchal
This morning, transfer to the airport for your flight to Madeira, Portugal. Then, join your Vantage City Host for a briefing and an optional short orientation walk in the capital city of Funchal. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure, perhaps exploring the highlights of this lovely town, including its cathedral or the scenic Santa Caterina Park.
After breakfast, depart for the Funchal airport for your flight home.
