NORTH OF SPAIN
CODE: E-178
TOUR: 08 DAYS / 07 NIGHTS
DEPARTURES: SUNDAYS FROM APRIL 1 - OCTOBER 21 2012
Day1 MADRID - ZARAGOZA - SAN SEBASTIAN
Departure from our bus terminal (San Bernardo, 5-7) at 0800hrs, towards Zaragoza known as 'the City of the Four Cultures'. Enjoy a short stop before continuing to San Sebastian, one of the most beautiful coastal cities of the entire peninsula. Dinner and accommodation.
Day2 SAN SEBASTIAN - BILBAO - SANTANDER - SANTILLANA - COLOMBRES
Breakfast and departure to Bilbao. Short Panoramic Tour to admire the building of the Guggenheim museum. Continue onto Santander for some free time before departing in the afternoon to Santillana del Mar. The entire town of Santillana has been declared a National Monument. Short visit and then continue along the Cantabrian Coast to Colombres. Dinner and accommodation.
Day3 COLOMBRES - COVADONGA - OVIEDO
Breakfast and departure to the religious sanctuary of Covadonga via the 'Picos de Europa'. This sacred place is set in a beautiful valley surrounded by green mountains and it was from here that the reconquest of Spain over the Moors was launched. Free Time. Continue to Oviedo, the capital of the principality of Asturias, a city of great charm and class. Dinner and accommodation.
Day4 OVIEDO - GIJON - LUGO
Breakfast. Continue to Gijon, Asturias' second largest city. Brief Panoramic tour. Continue onto Luarca, Ribadeo and Lugo in Galicia. Dinner and accommodation.
Day5 LUGO - LA CORUÑA
Breakfast. Morning departure to La Coruña. Brief Panoramic Tour of the city. In the afternoon, optional excursion to the Rias Altas (Upper Estuaries), via the typical towns to Pontedeume and Betanzos, where you will see many inlets offering some of Spain's most well hidden and beautiful beaches. Dinner and accommodation.
Day6 LA CORUÑA - SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
Breakfast. Departure to Santiago de Compostela the legendary pilgrims city and one of the jewels of Spain. Morning city tour of the spectacular old quarter including the magnificent 11th century Cathedral erected on the site of the tomb of St James and the adjoining, historic Plaza del Obradoiro. Afternoon free. Dinner and accommodation.
Day7 SANTIAGO - RIAS BAJAS - VIGO
Breakfast and departure for the area of the Rias Bajas (Lower Estuaries) through splendid landscapes. Visit the beautiful La Toja Island and the picturesque Ria de Arosa which is the widest of all the estuaries. The Ria de Pontevedra offers the visitor a chance to see some of the more typical fishing villages before arriving in Vigo, the nation's most important fishing port. Dinner and accommodation.
Day8 VIGO - SALAMANCA - MADRID
Breakfast and departure to Zamora and Salamanca. Short stop to visit the Plaza Mayor. Continue to Madrid. Arrival at our bus Terminal. END OF TOUR.
- 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.