Grand tour of Spain

This was our first tour. We have been on European Business and Vacation Trips for many years and are experienced travelers. Typically we just go and don't plan other than a broad agenda. When I saw this trip It was an exact match for what we wanted to do on our own. A bit skeptically, we signed up. However, I have to say the we had a great experience, the hotels were mostly 4 star, the breakfast were all included and the other meals were good. The entry to all of the tour sites made it easy and no trouble. Our tour Director, Laura was fantastic. In all our trip was both above our expectations and a great value. I highly recommend this trip for anyone wanting a comprehensive overview of Southern Spain. Cary and Denny McGovern Metairie, Louisiana, USA

Well chosen

We wanted to see Spain's south and chose Go Ahead, hoping we would have a nice vacation and trip. We could not have chosen any better. The sites chosen by you were the landmarks of the cities we visited; well chosen The hotels chosen were top notch; well chosen The tour director, Laura, was superb. She kept our interest in the incidental views on the roads. Excellent person and very informed of Spain as a whole. She deserves an accolade. We enjoyed her attitude and concern for the personal well being of some of the travelers. Juan Carlos, the driver, was the most courteous and very gentelmanly person I have met in some time. As I said above, well chosen by us as well. Thanks.

Educational

Our Tour of Spain was a eye opener as to the art and architectural elements in Spain. We appreciated the experience of having some of the provided meals outside the hotels. The optional excursions were not pushed on you to do and visiting 'tourist traps of local handicraft' was limited compared to other tour company's that we have gone with.

a warm and embracing tour

A very encompassing tour filled with history and intrigue and color and spice. oh yes and of course 'the food'!!!! Also a fulfilling learning and fun experience of the rich past and present that is Spain, The Country and people who opened the door to the New World

A Grand Experience

An exciting two weeks to learn, understand and experience the grandeur of the Spanish countryside, its people and culture. The tour provided an overview of all the highlights in grand fashion. We particularly enjoyed the trip to Morrocco, the evenings of wine and tapas and a unique evening with Placido Domingo at a Calatrava designed Opera House in Valencia. Remarkable! All lifetime experiences. This tour is a must if you have never experienced the Spanish culture and its people.

Spain, A Beautiful Surprise

This was our 1st trip to Spain and one we will treasure for a lifetime. We were pleasantly surprised by the beauty and cleanliness of all the cities we visited. The people were extremely friendly and willing to help, even though at times there was a language barrier. We can't say enough about our experienced and knowledgeable tour director, Rafael Lugo. He was the best tour guide we have ever had on our visits to Europe. He was wonderful, very caring and attentive to our needs and was always available to give us advice and ideas of things to see, during our free time. We would definitely do another tour with Rafael. We did all of the optional tours, except Morocco, as we wanted to enjoy sometime in Marbella. We truly enjoyed the optional "Traditional Spanish Evening" and Toledo and Monserrat were well worth the visit. One should not miss the "Flamenco Evening & Carriage Ride" when visiting Seville. It was one of the highlights of our tour. Our bus driver, David was very friendly and did an excellent job getting us safely to each destination. Our local tour guides were very knowledgeable and were willing to answer questions. Our favorite cities were Madrid, Seville, Marbella and Barcelona. Unfortunately, we did not have enough free time to enjoy Granada to it's fullest, as we're sure that would have been a favorite. The AVE train ride was a wonderful experience. We learned allot of Spanish history and visited many historic sites. It was a wonderful experience for the value of this trip. We look forward to returning to beautiful Spain in the future.

Spain is "The Best Kept Secret in Europe"

The Grand Tour of Spain was great. It was our first time to Spain and it was truly a wonderful experience. The Tour was very educational and the local guides were very eager to share their knowledge of Spain with us. The Tour Director, Raphael was outstanding in taking care of all the details, and was very attentive to our needs, and very helpful in giving advice as to what to see and do in our free time. He was one of the best Tour Directors that we ever had. All in all, we highly recommend this Tour with GAT, and we look forward to booking with this tour company again in the future. The visits and tours to Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, Barcelona and Montserrat were our favorites. The AVE Train ride was a positive highlight as well. Thanks for a great trip, one that we will have memories to cherish forever.

Wonderful trip!

This is my second Go-Ahead tour, and I would definitely use them again. Tour director on each of the trips has been accommodating and knowledgable. Looking forward to the next trip!

Value and Adventure Combined

We just returned from our Grand Tour of Spain last night and I couldn't wait to tell everyone about it. I normally don't take the time to submit reviews, but I was so impressed with our Go Ahead tour and tour director (Rafael) that I am making an exception. We have travelled alot on our own, but have hesitated travelling with a group. We know from experience that organizing your own travel and arrangements is time consuming and stressful, especially if there is a language barrier. It was such a pleasure to arrive at our home airport for departure and literally have every detail taken care of until we arrived home at the same airport 2 weeks later. During our Go Ahead tour we had a group of 45, but everything worked with precision. We had the perfect mix of free time and planned tours or activities. We took advantage of all of the optional excursions and are glad we did as they added a dimension and local flavor to the tour that shouldn't be missed. The cost of the optional excursions is reasonable and well justified. Even during the planned activities, there is generally the flexibility to leave the group and explore on your own. The hotels were of very good quality and location and our included meals were generally excellent and are designed to showcase the local specialties or foods. As we reflected on our adventures in Spain, we are amazed at the tremendous value of this tour. There is no way we could have organized all of the locations, travel and excursions on our own and even come close to the cost. We would have missed the local customs and information as well that you can't get in a travel book. The tour director and local guides were knowledgeable and provided a lot of information, history, and details that added a rich dimension to the tour. The travel agenda was perfectly developed to see all of the major sites in the area and to see the subtle differences in local culture and history between the various locations. It is also a comfort to travel with the tour director who can interpret the language and answer questions or give tips. Our tour director Rafael went above and beyond with each of us in the group. My husband and I both have specific interests/hobbies that we wanted to explore while in Spain (old coins and cooking). We asked Rafael for recommendations and in advance of arriving at different locations Rafael would identify local stores that would possibly have what we were looking for so we could explore during our free time which allowed us to even more fully personalize the trip. Our tour director did a wonderful job of explaining the countryside, customs, agriculture, or historical details of the areas we travelled through so you gained tremendous knowledge as you went. We were so impressed with our Go Ahead tour that we are going to start planning our next adventure.

Whirlwind Tour

The Grand Tour of Spain was an excellent in that we saw as many sights and cities as possible in the 12 days we were there. It was very busy even without adding side excursions. Wonderful trip, but we would not take a tour that was this active again. We'd prefer more quality time in fewer locations. It was exhausting and we were the youngest travelers in the group!