Food & Wine: A Taste of Spain

Board your overnight flight to Barcelona today.

Welcome to Spain! Meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers at a welcome dinner featuring regional wines.

Get to know the Catalan capital on a guided sightseeing tour this morning.

• Step inside La Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s famous masterwork-in-progress
• Drive along Passeig de Gràcia, past Gaudí’s “House of Bones”
• Stop at Montjuïc, where the 1992 Olympic Games took place, and stroll Mirador de l’Alcalde Park
• Pass Plaça d’Espanya and the soaring monument to Christopher Columbus

Enjoy a free afternoon in Barcelona or add an excursion.

Try your hand at preparing an authentic Spanish meal during a cooking lesson.

• Tour the Santa Caterina Market in search of fresh ingredients
• Pass through the Gothic Quarter and stop at an olive oil shop as you make your way to a culinary school
• Prepare your own lunch of traditional Catalan dishes with the help of a professional chef and relax while enjoying it with a glass of wine

This afternoon, travel to the Cava wine region to visit a winery and sip this sparkling Spanish specialty.

Board a train and travel through Basque Country to Pamplona, the famous setting for the Running of the Bulls, on your way to San Sebastián. Get to know the old city on a walking tour.

• Sit down to a traditional tapas lunch in the city
• Pass Plaza de Toros and walk along the Running of the Bulls route
• Admire Pamplona Cathedral and Pamplona City Hall

This evening, enjoy an included dinner featuring region wines in San Sebastián.

A local guide leads this morning’s tour of San Sebastián, a town bordered by green mountains and roaring ocean.

• Pass by Playa de la Concha and make your way through the Old Quarter
• At Plaza de la Constitución, gaze at the balconies that once held the ringside seats for bullfights
• Get a taste of Basque culture as you eye the fresh catches at the fish market
• Pop into a bar for Basque-style tapas with txakoli, a locally-produced white wine

Travel west along the scenic Costa Verde to Bilbao.

• Admire the architecture in Bilbao’s Old Quarter, known as Casco Viejo with your tour director
• View the unique architecture of the Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum, a showplace of modern and contemporary art with a local guide
• Enjoy regional fare and wine during an included lunch inside the museum

Spend the morning exploring the villages of La Rioja region, then head to a winery for a tasting.

• Enter the Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture in Briones to learn about wine history on a self-guided tour with an audio guide
• Drive through the Ebro River Valley and take in views of the beautiful vineyards and landscape

In the afternoon, enjoy free time in the quaint village of Laguardia, which is known for its medieval architecture and city walls. Then, enjoy a tour and tasting in Rioja’s wine region.

• Visit the City of Wine complex at the Marqués de Riscal wine cellars
• Take a tour of the gorgeous vineyards and view the hotel designed by the innovative architect Frank Gehry
• Sip several Rioja tempranillo wines while nibbling on traditional Spanish tapas

Transfer to Aranda de Duero, the capital of the Ribera del Duero region, to discover the town’s interconnected wine cellars during a tasting of the region’s classic tempranillos. Tonight, enjoy a vineyard dinner and wine tasting.

Travel south to Madrid. After arriving, enjoy a free afternoon to sample the city’s local flavors or add an excursion.

Begin your day following a local guide on a citywide tour.

• Discover the artwork of the Prado Museum, which began as the private collection of the Spanish monarchy
• Pass some of the city’s main squares including Plaza Cibeles, Plaza Neptune, and Plaza de España, where you’ll view the Don Quixote statue
• Pass by the Temple of Debod, a reassembled temple from ancient Egypt
• Enjoy a walking tour through the city’s historic district from the Royal Palace to Plaza Mayor
• Finish your tour with wine and tapas at San Miguel market

Bid farewell to your fellow travelers over a traditional Castilian dinner at a historic Madrid restaurant.

Transfer to the airport for your flight home or continue on to Seville.