Itinerary - 2 weeks in Spain
June 18th - Leave for Madrid
June 19th - Arrive in Madrid throughout the morning. Rent a car and drive to Toledo. Night tour of Toledo. We will walk around the city walls and at night and enjoy the evening lights across the Tagus River.
June 20th - Enjoy the beautiful stained glass in Toledo's Cathedral. Head to the Alcazar (15h century Palace that inspired Cinderella's castle). Visit a medieval sword factory and visit the streets of artisan shops. Dinner and drinks on a rooftop. Attend the laser light show at the Cathedral.
June 21th - Begin in the Roman baths and see ruins that date back to 1200 AD. Spend a few moments contemplating Spain's darkest time at the Museum of the Holy Inquisition. Experience the lives of the Knights of the Templar at the Templar Museum. See how Toledo became Spain's 2nd model of social and religious tolerance before the Age of the Catholic Kings as you go through the Sephardic (Jewish) quarter. Free evening to explore or to attend a show ($70)
June 22nd - Leave Toledo.
Drive to Villa Romana de Noheda near the city of Cuenca. See the ruins of the 2nd largest Roman Villa in Europe. Then drive 45 minutes to La Ciudad Encantada and the Serranía waterfalls at the National Park. Overnight in affordable and lovely Cuenca, to marvel at the hanging houses and landscape at night. I'd love to do a night walking tour. Guide to Cuenca Cross the very interesting bridge, check out the Archbishop's Palace. Gorgeous cathedral and the hanging houses. During Franco's (dictator) time, many artists came here to escape persecution.
June 23rd - Walk around Cuenca in the morning. Drive to Valencia (2 hours). Check into our apartment by beach. Tour Old Town Valencia. See the Holy Grail, the beautiful Silk Exchange and the central market. Afternoon shopping or siesta. Celebrate Noche San Juan near beach. Music, bonfires, fireworks. Overnight in Valencia.
June 24th - Fallas Museum and the City of Arts and Sciences. Tour Aquarium, Science Museum and Hemispheric. Overnight in Valencia.
June 25th - Head to Valladolid. Stop in Guadalajara and visit the Palacio Infantado, home to the powerful Mendoza family. Grab lunch in Guadalaja? Continue to Valladolid. Valladolid Main Attractions Visit Cathedral, Church San Pablo, Columbus house. Night tapas crawl in Calle de las Tapas and the best wine Spain offers (so they say!). Overnight in Valladolid.
June 26th - In the morning, we visit the National Sculpture Museum of Spain. Lunch in the Plaza Mayor. Afternoon tour of the Palace of the Holy Cross and Casa de Cervantes. Overnight in Valladolid.
June 27th - Drive 90 minutes to Salamanca. Visit the iconic Plaza Mayor, the Cloisters, library and lecture halls and auditorium of the Spain's oldest university, dating back to the 1200's. Evening in one of the dozens of Irish pubs in town. Enjoy overnight in Salamanca.
June 28th - Using our Salamanca Tourist Card, we we visit the Casa de las Conchas, the Pontifical University and the Clerecía Towers. Then a pleasant walk along the Calle Compañía, stopping off at the San Benito Church, the Monterrey Palace, owned by the Duchess of Alba, and the La Purísima Church, with its famous portrait of the Inmaculada by Ribera. We then go on to the Las Úrsulas Convent and the house where Miguel de Unamuno, Vice-chancellor of the University, once lived. In the afternoon we visit Zara, Spain's main department store that's housed in an old cathedral.
June 29th - Drive to 1 hour to Cuatro Postes, Avila to take pics of walls and have breakfast at Gloria Bendita. Continue another hour to Segovia. After dropping off the car, we'll admire the Roman Aqueduct, then do a self guided walking tour Casa de los Pinos, walking through the Jewish quarter. As we stroll, we will enjoy the many arts and specialty shops, especially for fine leather goods. We will visit the Cathedral last and spend our evening relaxing with a glass of wine watching sunset over the Alcazar. The Alcazar is what inspired the design of Cinderella's Castle in Disneyland. Overnight in Segovia.
June 30th -
July 1st - Wake up in Madrid - We spend the day at the Royal Palace. We tour the Palace and the Armory, then head to the Almudena Cathedral. Templo of Debod for snacks and sunset.
July 2nd - We visit the Prado Museum and the Reina Sofia. These world renowned art museums are not to be missed. From here we will visit Retiro Park and enjoy an evening walk on Grand Via. This should get us ready for a nap! THEN, tapas.
July 3rd - It's our last day in Madrid. I'd love to take this 3 hour Exceptionally Reviewed Tour of El Escorial. I've been to El Escorial before. It is amazing. I didn't have a guide and I promise, it needs a lot of explaining. If we take an early morning tour, we can visit the Valley of the Fallen after and still have time for shopping, tapas, or whatever we want to do before leaving Madrid.
July 3rd - To airport to fly to.....????