12 Day Jewish Spain Heritage Tour
Tour operates with min 10 passengers
Day 1 | Monday, November 11, 2024
Overnight flight from North America to Spain
Overnight flight from North America to Barcelona.
Day 2 | Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Welcome to Barelona
Arrival flights from North America
Upon arrival, panoramic tour of Barcelona including: Plaza España and the mountain of Montjuic, site of the Olympic Ring, the main stadium of the 1992 Summer Olympics, Passeig Maritim with its Columbus monument, Monumental former Bullring arena & the former Olympic village by the sea. Next we will head for the famous Gaudi’s unfinished Church of the Sagrada Familia, monument to the human spirit.
Welcome group dinner in the evening.
Overnight: Barcelona
Day 3 | Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Barcelona
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning Modernist-style tour of Passeig de Gracia Blvd with its iconic grand Houses & famous street tiles.
We then head for the Ramblas area of Barcelona. Lunch on own at the Boqueria Market.
Visit the Medieval Synagogue discovered in the Call Quarter (Jewish).
Comprehensive walk through the Gothic Quarter where according to archaeological evidence, there was a sizable Jewish community in Catalonia as early as the beginning of the Common Era.
Visit Casa Adret & conversation with residents, this is one of the oldest continuously inhabited houses in the Gothic, nowadays home to “Mozaika” a Cultural Jewish Association promoting Jewish Heritage.
Free evening.
Overnight: Barcelona
Day 4 | Thursday, November 14, 2024
Girona & Besalu
Breakfast at hotel.
Depart the hotel for Girona, one of the most important Jewish historical sites in Spain.
Tour medieval Girona which was famous for its Kabbalists. It was also the home of the great sage Nachmanides, who defended the Jewish faith in the 1263 Disputation of Barcelona. Visit the Jewish Quarter, which dates back to the 12th century.
This visit will stop for a special visit at the city´s fascinating Jewish Museum, the Centre Bonastruc ça Porta.
Enter Casa Cundaro in Girona and have a glimpse at a former Jewish home from the Medieval days.
Lunch on own.
Continue on to Besalu, a picturesque medieval town that features one of the best preserved Mikvaot (ritual baths) in all of Europe.
Return to Barcelona. Free evening.
Overnight: Barcelona
Day 5 | Friday, November 15, 2024
Seville
Breakfast at hotel.
Depart for Barcelona Airport and take a flight South to Seville.
Begin exploring Seville with a walking visit to the Santa Cruz neighborhood, formerly Seville's Jewish Quarter, once known as La Juderia, with its winding alleyways and remnants of Jewish life found within the contemporary city.
Attend a traditional Flamenco show.
Free evening.
Overnight: Seville
Day 6 |Saturday, November 16, 2024
Seville
Breakfast at hotel.
We continue to explore Seville, a city shaped by many cultural influences.
Begin with the sight of the iconic Plaza de España, an impressive plaza built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.
We walk towards the Alcazar, the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe and a superb example of Mudejar architecture- this palace is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After lunch, we may visit the 12th century Great Cathedral, burial place of Christopher Columbus, and La Giralda, whose bell tower became the city's symbol.
Free evening.
Overnight: Seville
Day 7 | Sunday, November 17, 2024
Lucena & Granada
Breakfast at hotel
Depart for Lucena, a town that during the period of Muslim rule was known as “The Jewish city.” By the 12th century Lucena ("Eliossana") had become the cultural center of Andalusian Jewry. We will visit its Jewish Necropolis.Continue by bus on to Granada.
We will arrive after lunch to Granada, the last stronghold of the Moors before it fell to Isabella and Ferdinand in 1492. Tour of the Alhambra Palace and Generalife Gardens. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the most significant and well known Islamic complex in Spain.
Free evening.
Overnight: Granada
Day 8 | Monday, November 18, 2024
Cordoba
Breakfast at hotel.
Bus transfer to Cordoba.
Explore the fascinating and famous Cathedral-Mosque, La Mezquita de Cordoba, with its 1,000 colored columns.
Visit the Jewish Quarter, including Plaza Tiberias and the Yehuda Halevi Square.
Visit Casa de Sefarad, dedicated to the history of the Sephardic Jews in Córdoba and Spain prior to the Inquisition and the expulsion of 1492.
Free evening
Overnight: Cordoba
Day 9 | Tuesday, November 19, 2024 3 June
Toledo
Breakfast at hotel.
Early morning visit to the small yet atmospheric Moorish-styled building known as the Maimonides Synagogue.
Next we will board the bus and depart for Toledo, a long ride ahead.
Upon arriving in Toledo, we will begin with a panoramic overview of the city.
The center of Toledo remains much as it was in the 16th century, explore this majestic city, including the Jewish Quarter, the Samuel Halevi Abulafia Synagogue (later a church known as Nuestra Señora del Tránsito), and the Santa Maria La Blanca Church (formerly the Grand Synagogue).
Group dinner with panoramic views of Toledo.
Overnight: Toledo
Day 10 | Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Madrid
Breakfast at hotel
Bus transfer to Madrid
Upon arrival we will visit the Prado Museum and view the masterpieces of artists such as Velazquez, Goya, Bosch, Rubens, Titian, and other great European painters.
After lunch, we will begin at the 17th century Plaza Mayor, the center of historic Madrid, sight of festivals and bullfights, but also the place where Jewish history marks the great trauma of the many auto-da-fe’s that took place at this site.
Visit the Plaza de la Villa, home to the city hall and the 15th century Tower of Los Lujanes, the site of the original Arab shuk of Madrid.
We will stroll the main streets of Madrid’s oldest quarter & the Literary area, the original site of Madrid, called “Austrias,” with its small plazas and narrow streets.
Free evening
Overnight: Madrid
Day 11 | Thursday, November 21, 2024
Madrid
Breakfast at hotel.
Day at Leisure.
Overnight: Madrid
Day 12 | Friday, November 22, 2024
Madrid Departure
Breakfast at the hotel & check out.
Bus transfer to Madrid Airport.
Departure flight home.
INCLUSIONS
-Deluxe air-conditioned bus according to itinerary & proportional to size of the group (between 30 to 50 seats per bus)
-Escort throughout itinerary (days 1 - 11)
-10 nights’ accommodation at - 4* hotels
-3 Nights – Hotel Negresco Princess or similar (Barcelona)
-2 Nights – Hotel Melia Lebreros or similar (Seville)
-1 Night – Hotel Abades Recogidas (Granada)
-1 Night – Hotel Las Casas de la Judería (Córdoba)
-1 Night – Hotel Parador (Toledo)
-2 Nights – Hotel Riu Plaza España (Madrid)
Entrance fees as mention on itinerary
Meals plan as follows:
- Daily buffet breakfast
-Day 1 (dinner, Restaurant, Madrid) *transfer on foot
-Day 8 (dinner, Hotel, Toledo)
Miscellaneous:
-Audioguides throughout itinerary (Day 1 to 10)
-Porterage in & out at all hotels
-Bottles of water (2) per person & day when using long-distance/full day buses
-All tips for local service providers: waiting staff, guides & drivers
-Tip for tour leader
NOT INCLUDED
-International flights
-Domestic flight Barcelona to Seville (estimated around 130,00-140,00€ per person including one 25kgs checked bag & 1 carry on)
-Donation to any Jewish institution (Barcelona, Seville or Madrid)
-Personal expenses
-Personal/medical insurance