EL EXPRESO DE LA ROBLA
04 & 02 Day Train Journeys
This new train, sister to the famous El Transcantabrico 8 day service, is a shorter and more
affordable version offering 3 separate itineraries: one in spring & autumn through Castilla & Leon, another in summer through Galicia & a new itinerary through Asturias and Galicia.
It is designed to cater for the traveller who does not have the time for the longer journey, but who still wants the opportunity to experience an organised train itinerary in the region within a more affordable price range and category....
El Expreso de la Robla has three lounges and four couchette wagons, where each modern
double sleeping compartment has its own fully-equipped bathroom, air-conditioning and all the latest technical features. It is designed to afford the best of comforts for the passenger and to maximize enjoyment in the sheer pleasure of travelling by rail as one observes the beautiful passing countryside along the route through the train's generous windows. At night, the train stops at one of the stations so that the passengers can spend a pleasant evening on or off the train and can get a good night's sleep.
A coach is always provided to take the passengers to those off-train places not immediately on the train's route. A professional guide also accompanies the passengers, who is able to point out the varied characteristics of the many interesting places visited along the route. Breakfast is served on board the train every morning at a time when it sets off along the next stage of the route. Lunch and dinner are served at previously selected typical restaurants enroute.
The itineraries...
* The Robla Itinerary departs on Thursdays at 1545hrs, from Bilbao FEVE station and
returns to Bilbao on the Sunday at around 1800hrs.
* The St James itinerary departs on Thursdays at 1545hrs, from Gijon FEVE station and
returns to Gijon on Sunday at around 1930hrs.
* The Porta Norte itinerary departs on Tuesdays at 0845hrs, from Gijon FEVE station and
returns to Gijon on Wednesday at around 2030hrs.
(contact us for departure dates in 2011)
LA ROBLA ITINERARY (CASTILLA Y LEON)
04 DAYS / 03 NIGHTS
Day 01: (Thursday) Bilbao - Espinosa de los Monteros - Vado Cervera
The train leaves the Bilbao FEVE station at 1545 hours and the passengers can check in
between 13.30 and 15.30 hours. Once on the train, you can settle into your accommodationand you will be shown around the lounge areas. Espinosa de los monteros is the first stop along the route, where the coach will take you to visit Kárstico de Ojo Güareña, at Sotoscueva, one of the largest cave complexes in the world. The train will later leave from Sotoscueva for Cervera de Pisuerga where it will stop for the night at the FEVE station. Dinner at the Fuentes Carrionas Parador and overnight stop at Vado-Cervera.
Day 02: (Friday) Vado Cervera - Matallana - León - San Feliz
While you enjoy a tasty breakfast on board, the train will arrive in Matallana, where you will take the coach to the Caves of Valporquero, famous for its stalactites and stalagmites. In the afternoon, train travel to reach San Feliz before taking the coach to Leon, a city founded by the Romans. Visit of León Cathedral, San Isidoro, the old town and San Marcos. Dinner at its famous Prieto Picudo winery and overnight stop at San Feliz station.
Day 03: (Saturday) San Feliz - Guardo - Carrión de los Condes - Frómista -
Mataporquera - Espinosa de los Monteros
Breakfast on board as the train arrives in Guardo, where the coach will take you to visit the
Romanesque art of Palencia; Carrion de los Condes, Fromista and Villalcazar de Sirga. Lunch in Fromista. Later, you depart from Mataporquera towards Espinosa de los Monteros where you will enjoy dinner and spend the night.
Day 04: (Sunday) Espinosa de Los Monteros - Medina del Pomar - Balmaseda - Bilbao
After a delicious breakfast, you will visit Espinosa de Los Monteros and Medina de Pomar,which is noted for its Alcázar de los Condestables castle and its old town. The train will then take you to Balmaseda to visit the La Encartada Basque beret factory and enjoy a typical meal. In the afternoon, the train will then go on to Bilbao where your trip will end at around 18.00 hours. END OF TOUR
HOLY SAINT JAMES ITINERARY (GALICIA)
04 DAYS / 03 NIGHTS
Day 01: (Thursday) Gijón - Ribadeo
The train leaves the Gijón FEVE station at 15.45 hours and passengers can check in between 13.30 and 15.30 hours. Once on the train, you can settle into your accommodation and you will be shown around the lounge areas. The first stop will be in Galicia on the banks of the River Eo estuary. Dinner in the Parador and overnight stop at Ribadeo.
Day 02: (Friday) Ribadeo - Cedeira - Ortigueira
After a good night's sleep and while you have breakfast, the train will take you to visit Viveiro, a beautiful walled city with exceptional views from Mount San Roque. The route then takes you to Ortigueira, where a coach will take you to Cariño. Lunch in Cedeira. After lunch, the coach trip continues to Cabo Ortegal, a headland with impressive cliffs and the views from the most northern part of Spain are unique. You then continue on to San Andrés de Texido chapel and from there to Cedeira, before returning to Ortigueira for dinner and to spend the night.
Day 03: (Saturday) Ferrol - Santiago de Compostela - A Coruña - Ferrol
After a delicious breakfast on board, the coach will take you to Santiago de Compostela, the destination of so many pilgrims. You will visit the old town and Cathedral. After lunch, the visit will then continue to La Coruña, where the Hércules Tower, promenade and Plaza de Maria Pita square will delight you. In the afternoon, the day ends in Ferrol with time for a brief visit and where you will spend the night. Dinner in Ferrol.
Day 04: (Sunday) Ferrol - Mondoñedo - Gijón
In the morning, the trip continues through the mist and along the cliff tops to Foz and you will then visit Mondoñedo, where the Cathedral looms up over the town. Then, there will be time to visit the beaches of Marina Lucense. Lunch in Rinlo. In the afternoon, back on the train in Navia to return to Gijón, where your trip will end around 19.30 hours. END OF TOUR.
PORTA NORTE ITINERARY (ASTURIAS & GALICIA)
02 DAYS / 01 NIGHT
Day 01: (Tuesday) Gijón - Ribadeo
The train leaves the Gijón FEVE station at 08.45 hours and passengers can check in between 08.00 and 08.30 hours. Once on the train, you can settle into your accommodation and you will be shown around the lounge areas. The first stop will be in Ribadeo on the banks of the River Eo estuary, for a guided tour of the old quarter. After lunch, you will visit the Mirador de la Santa Cruz, a lookout which offers one of the very best views across the estuary. You will also see the old Coal Loader, the beautifully situated lighthouse and then some free time to enjoy the nightlife of the town. Overnight.
Day 02: (Wednesday) Ribadeo - Gijón
After a delicious breakfast on board, the coach will take you to Mondoñedo to visit the
Cathedral and the craftsmen's quarter. The next stop is a natural 'monument', such as the
"Cathedrals beach" and the fishing port of Rinlo. After lunch at a local restaurant, you travel by coach to Ribadeo where the train awaits to return to Gijón, where your trip will end around 20.30 hours. END OF TOUR.
INCLUSIONS:
- bed and breakfast aboard El Expreso de la Robla
- lunches and dinners in select restaurants as per the itineraries
- Journeys by train with complimentary excursions by coach
- Entrance fees to monuments visited
- Accompanying guide throughout
- On board security
- Daily newspapers and magazines
- Spain
- Tours
- Great Train Journeys
- Paradores
- Rustic and Rural
- Hotels
- Apartments
Land of Contrasts
Appropriately called the 'Bull's Hide' by Roman geographer Strabo in 29-27BC, the landmass of Spain with its 505,000 sq. km, provides the traveller with an opportunity to experience the great diversity within its borders, bounded by sea, except for Portugal to the west and France to the north-east.
Iberia has charmed travellers for centuries, but it was not until the early19th century that the first romantics brought Spain into world recognition. Richard Ford along with many others of his time, describing the country as a 'land of miracles, anomalies and contradictions'.
Spain today embodies all of the contrasts of yesteryear. With its rich and varied culture and language, Spain's 17 autonomous regions offer many unexpected architectural, geographical, cultural, gastronomic and climatic differences; all contributing to the many delights and pleasures of the visitor.
Once Spain was one of the most powerful nations on earth with far flung dominions wielding great influence on world political and commercial affairs. The Spain of today is an energetic member of the European Community with a population of 45 million and a universally appreciated culture, individuality and language.
Download our 2012 brochure!
Tours
Ranging from short Fully Escorted coach tours to Private itineraries with your own driver, we have a tour to suit your time frame and budget. Here are a few examples of some of our most popular touring options...
| Self Drive Tours: | A GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE IN NORTHERN SPAIN -- ROMANTIC ANDALUCIA -- WORLD HERITAGE ENCOUNTER |
| Fully Escorted Tours: | ANDALUCIA AND MEDITERRANEAN COAST -- ANDALUCIA AND MOROCCO -- ANDALUCIA AND TOLEDO -- CASTILLA, PORTUGAL AND ANDALUCIA -- GREEN SPAIN -- NORTH OF SPAIN -- SALAMANCA AND PORTUGAL |
| Small Group Tours: | GOURMET SPAIN |
| Tours with Private driver: | SEVILLA AND THE WHITE VILLAGES OF ANDALUCIA -- SEVILLA, CORDOBA AND GRANADA |
| Walking Tours: | EL CAMINO DEL NORTE -- EL CAMINO PRIMITIVO -- SHORT BREAK PICOS DE EUROPA -- THE ALPUJARRAS - MOORISH SPLENDOUR -- WALKING THE PICOS DE EUROPA |
| Unique Spain: | BARCELONA AND ORGANIC WINE IN THE PENEDÈS -- BARCELONA AND THE MEDIEVAL VILLAGES OF CATALONIA -- A GOURMET'S GRANADA -- BARCELONA AND THE GENIUS OF DALI -- GRANADA -ORIGINS OF FLAMENCO -- SEVILLA AND THE PUEBLOS BLANCOS - A CULINARY ENCOUNTER -- THE MOORISH LEGACY IN GRANADA |
The Great Train Journeys of Spain
IBERTOURS is the sole GSA in Australia and New Zealand for the Great Train Journeys of Spain. These marvellous journeys attend to the needs of the traveller who is keen to savour the travel delights of yesteryear and who is enticed by the notion of a special journey by rail.
"El Transcantabrico" explores the rugged mountains and seascape of the northern coast in an 08 day gastronomic adventure. There are 2 very special and itineraries to select.
The "Espreso de la Robla" takes one on an enjoyable 4 day regional rail experience between Bilbao and Leon, as well as Gijon and Santiago de Compostela.
The legendary "Al Andalus" returns in 2012 in a luxurious 6 day adventure through historical Andalucia, from Sevilla to Sevilla, visiting Cordoba, Granada and Jerez along the way.
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EL EXPRESO DE LA ROBLA | EL TRANSCANTABRICO - 8 DAY JOURNEY AL ANDALUS
Unique Historic Accommodation
IBERTOURS TRAVEL is the Official Representative of Paradores in Australia and New Zealand.
The concept of utilising these unique establishments as selected accommodation for tourism goes back to 1926, when the royal tourist commissioner, the Marques of Vega-Inclan, sought Royal Approval for the extraordinarily far sighted idea of setting up State run Paradores as lodgings for nature lovers and hunters around the country.
Rustic and Rural Spain with Rusticae
Rusticae is a network of boutique properties and guesthouses that are often old farms, mills and homes, transformed into small hotels. Rusticae has currently has over 160 hotels spread across Spain, Portugal, France and Argentina divided into two main types of accommodation, Metropoli and Tradition.
The Metropoli range incorporates a selection of small, boutique hotels inside major cities including Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba, Palma de Mallorca and Bilbao.
The Tradition range is the most extensive and has a wide selection of hotels and manor houses located in small villages in the countryside.
There are around 140 of these properties in Spain alone and each possesses its own individual charm and style, reflecting the history and traditions of the region and its people.
Spanish Hotels
Stopovers can include 2 and 3 night packages in all major cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and San Sebastian, plus many other smaller regional cities such as Granada, Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca, Santiago de Compostela and so on... In fact, with our extensive experience and contacts we can develop stopover packages for almost any city or town in the Iberian Triangle, for any length of time, to suit your requirements. Here are some examples...
View a selection of hotels by region:
Northern Spain and the Pyrenees / Madrid and Surrounds / Extremadura and Castilla La Mancha / Valencia / Andalucia / Balearic Islands /Canary Islands
Apartments
If you are planning a stay of 3 nights or more, why not consider an apartment? Live like the locals do in the centre of one of Spain's vibrant and emblematic cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, and others. Ideal for an extended stay, an apartment gives you the freedom and choice to shop with the locals at the market and cook up your own Spanish fusion! All we need to know is how many people, what city and when and we can find one perfect for you! Just ask us to add an apartment to your creative itinerary.