Madrid, Barcelona, Paris City Splendour Odyssey

Welcome to Madrid. On arrival at the airport, we transfer you to your hotel. You have free time until the tour begins – please check the information board in reception for the welcome meeting with your guide and fellow travellers. In the evening, we provide a transfer to Plaza Mayor and La Latina, classic areas for nightlife and tapas. You choose where to dine, with plentiful options spanning Spanish, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern cuisines.
Please note: This tour may have travellers joining or departing at various points along the route, meaning group composition can change during the tour. Please also be aware that depending on group composition, guiding may be in additional languages as well as English.

This morning we set out on a comprehensive tour of central Madrid, taking in Paseo del Prado, Cibeles, Neptuno, Puerta de Alcalá, Plaza de Colón and Plaza Mayor. We then stroll through Retiro Park to see the lake and the Palacio de Cristal. Admission is included to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid. You have the afternoon at leisure. In the evening, we provide a return transfer to the hotel.

We travel across Castile with a short stop in Zaragoza to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar. After lunch, we continue to the Monastery of Poblet – admission included – set within ancient walls amid beautiful scenery and considered one of the best preserved medieval monasteries in the world. We then continue to Barcelona, arriving in the late afternoon.

In the morning we enjoy a panoramic tour of Barcelona, a Mediterranean city celebrated for Gaudí and modernist architecture, its lively Ramblas and the legacy of past World Expositions and the Olympic Games. The tour ends at Maremagnum, a contemporary waterfront complex by Columbus Square, where you can stroll by the sea. You have the afternoon free. We return to the hotel at the end of the day.

At the scheduled time we transfer you to the station for your high speed train journey from Barcelona to Paris – included in your trip. In just over six hours of comfortable travel you arrive at your destination, where we arrange a further transfer to your hotel. Your guide will contact you in the evening, or you can check the information in reception. Note – this train journey is unescorted by a tour guide.

We delve into French history at the Palace of Versailles – admission not included – renowned for its magnificent gardens. Returning to Paris, we visit Montmartre, the bohemian quarter known for its artists, painters and cabarets. To appreciate the city’s grandeur, we continue with a panoramic tour led by a local guide, showcasing its grand avenues and emblematic monuments. We then return to the hotel.

We begin in central Paris with a visit to the Eiffel Tower and go up to the second floor – tickets included. Afterwards, we enjoy a relaxing cruise on the Seine lasting around one hour and fifteen minutes. You have the afternoon free to explore at your own pace – transfer back to the hotel not included. Note – if waiting times at the Eiffel Tower are very long, we may reschedule the visit for a different time or on Sunday. Our journey ends here with wonderful memories. Please check your flight time in case you need an additional night.