MEDITERRANEAN HIGHLIGHTS
Price
Duration
Min People
Tour Type
Tour Code
TFL-MHH
Overview
Ease into the local love of life and good food. Sun-kissed days and sizzling nights guide you along this Mediterranean trip through coastal Spain, France and Italy. Enjoy lunch with sisters Sandra and Antonella on their Tuscan agriturismo near Vinci.
Included/Excluded
- An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
- Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
- All porterage and restaurant gratuities
- All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
- Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
- Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras
- Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
- Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
- Optional Experiences and free time
- On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilised.
Day 1: Welcome to Madrid (Dinner)
- Settle into the passionate embrace of fiery Madrid, your launch pad to an epic journey through Spain, France and Italy, filled with unforgettable flavours and soul-stirring encounters.
- This evening, join your fellow travellers and Travel Director for a Welcome Reception and orientation drive past some of Madrid’s most iconic sites.
Arrival Transfer: Depart Madrid-Barajas airport at 10:30, 13:00, 15:30
Included Experience: Madrid Orientation
Day 2: Discover Fiery Madrid (Breakfast)
- We join aโฏLocal Specialist this morning for a sightseeing tour of the Spanish capital, during which weโll see the Royal Palace, the former residence of the Spanish royal family and the Cibeles Fountain.
- Enjoy an afternoon on your own exploring the world’s best collection of Spanish art at the Prado Museum and shopping on Gran Vรญa, or consider joining an Optional Experience to the imperial city of Toledo.
Included Experience: Madrid City Tour
Optional Experience: Spectacular Toledo: Spain’s Ancient Capital / Dinner and Discovery in Downtown Madrid
Day 3: Journey to Gaudรญ’s Barcelona (Breakfast)
- Leave Europe’s highest capital behind, bound for the Costa Dorada and the sun-kissed shores of Barcelona.
- We venture to the pretty banks of the Ebro River and to mystical Zaragoza, whose centuries of heritage have been shaped by the Romans, Moors and Christians.
- Continue to Barcelona and enjoy some time to recharge siesta style.
- Later, dive into the indelible sights, sounds and flavours of this enchanting city on your free evening.
Included Experience: Zaragoza Orientation
Day 4: Explore Vibrant Barcelona (Breakfast)
- Join your Local Specialist this morning for a sightseeing tour, soaking up the Mediterranean atmosphere of Catalunia’s capital city.
- See the monument to Christopher Columbus and vibrant Las Ramblas, before stopping outside Antonio Gaudรญ’s unfinished masterpiece, La Sagrada Famรญlia to admire its unique architecture.
- Enjoy the rest of your day at leisure indulging in the fantasy world of Gaudรญ or strolling through the hidden lanes and peaceful squares in the city’s Gothic Quarter.
- You could consider joining an Optional Experience to the mountain-top monastery of Montserrat, home to the mystical Black Madonna, the patron saint of Catalonia.
Included Experience: Barcelona City Tour
Optional Experience: Mystical Montserrat / Flamenco Spectacular with Dinner
Day 5: Pass the Pyrenees to Arles and Avignon (Breakfast)
- We journey via the foothills of the Pyrenees into France.
- Stop in Arles, where Vincent Van Gogh found inspiration for so many of his paintings, before a visit to the UNESCO-listed Pont du Gard Aqueduct.
- Later this afternoon we arrive in the Provenรงal city of Avignon, where weโll view the Gothic Papal Palace and the bridge made famous in the song ‘Sur le Pont dโAvignon’.
Included Experience: Arles Orientation, Avignon Orientation, and See the Ancient Bridges of Pont du Gard
Day 6: Venture through Pretty Provence to Nice (Breakfast/Dinner)
- Our journey today takes us through the picture-perfect fields of Provence, immortalised in the works of Van Gogh & Cรฉzanne.
- Weโll Dive Into Culture in theย Provenรงal town of Aix-en-Provence, founded by the Romans over natural hot springs.
- Here you can shop for local produce such as wine, olive oil, herbes de Provence and saffron.
- Later, we visit the tiny Principality of Monaco and see the cathedral where Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly were married.
- This evening, the glitz and glamour beckon as you join your new friends for a memorable dinner in this playground of the rich and famous.
Included Experience: Discover the Delights of Aix-en-Provence and See Monaco Cathedral
Day 7: A Day to Enjoy the Riviera (Breakfast)
- Today, kick back and enjoy a well-deserved morning at leisure on the glorious French Riviera.
- Soak up the holiday atmosphere at the beach, or perhaps join an Optional Experience to hilltop Saint-Paul-de-Vence, one of the oldest towns on the French Riviera.
Optional Experience: Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Corniche Drive, Perfumery and Meal
Day 8: Onwards to Colourful Cinque Terre and Pisa (Breakfast/Dinner)
- Cross the border into Italy and join a Local Specialist for a visit of the dramatic UNESCO-listed Cinque Terre, a series of centuries-old seaside villages which cling impossibly to rugged cliffs that plunge into the Ligurian Sea.
- Admire the expanse of pastel pink, yellow and orange faรงades that jostle for sea views.
- Later, we head to Pisa where tonight, you’ll dine in your hotel.
Included Experience: Cinque Terre Visit
Day 9: Off to Renaissance Florence (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
- View Pisa’s Square of Miracles, where we’ll see the famous Leaning Tower.
- Next, your introduction to Tuscany is an exclusive Be My Guest experience where youโll Connect With Locals over traditional lunch fare and the legendary hospitality for which the region is renowned.
- Continue to the birthplace of where we’ll dine at our hotel this evening.
Included Experience: Enjoy an Exclusive Lunch at the Agriturismo Borgo Vigna Veechia in the Tuscan Hills and See Pisa’s Landmarks
Day 10: Uncover Florence’s Treasures (Breakfast)
- Join your Local Specialist this morning for a sightseeing tour of magical Florence. View the multi-coloured Duomo and the almost 700-year-old Ponte Vecchio.
- Then, walk through what was once the political hub of the city, the Piazza della Signoria, a veritable open-air treasure trove featuring wonderful sculptures andโฏpalazzi.
- Spend the rest of the day on your own exploration of Florenceโs iconic and unexpected sights.
Included Experience: Florence City Tour
Optional Experience: Discover Palazzo Vecchio / Dinner in the Tuscan Hills
Day 11: All Roads Lead to Rome (Breakfast)
- Journey through the rolling hills of Tuscany and Umbria, past the hilltop villages of Orvieto and Orte, before arriving in Rome, the ‘Eternal City’ โ our home for the next two nights.
Included Experience: Scenic Drive through Tuscany
Optional Experience: Piazzas and Fountains / Roman Evening with Dinner
Day 12: Discover Ancient Rome and the Vatican City (Breakfast/Dinner)
- This morning, weโll visit the Vatican City and see the imposing St. Peter’s Basilica, where Michelangelo’s sorrowful Pietร has been admired by millions.
- We venture into Ancient Rome with a Local Specialist and explore the remnants of Roman rule, enjoying views of the Colosseum and Circus Maximus.
- On your final afternoon, enjoy some free time to indulge in la dolce vita.
- Perhaps, sit on the Spanish Steps, visit the Vatican Museum and admire the exquisite frescoed ceiling in the Sistine Chapel or toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain to secure your speedy return to Rome.
- Join your fellow travellers and Travel Director for an unforgettable Farewell Dinner.
Included Experience: Visit St. Peter’s Basilica
Optional Experience: Inside the Vatican & Roman Forum
Day 13: Arrivederci Italy (Breakfast)
- For now it’s a fond farewell to Rome and your newfound friends as your holiday through Spain, France and Italy comes to an end.
Departure Transfer: Arrive at Leonardo da Vinci airport (FCO) at 07:00, 09:30
- Day 1 – Day 2: AC Hotel by Marriott Cuzco
- Day 3 – Day 4: Barcelona Condal Mar Affiliated by Melia
- Day 5: Mercure Avignon Gare TGV
- Day 6 – Day 7: Novotel Nice Centre Vieux Nice
- Day 8: NH Pisa
- Day 9 – Day 10: Grand Hotel Mediterraneo Florence
- Day 11 – Day 12: Crowne Plaza Roma – St. Peter’s Rome
- Explore Madrid, Barcelona, Cinque Terre, Florence and Rome with a Local Specialist.
- Discover Arles, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Monaco and Pisa.
- Visit Pont du Gard in Avignon, the French Riviera, Piazza della Signoria in Florence and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
- View La Sagrada Famรญlia, the Papal Palace, the Palace and Cathedral in Monaco, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio in Florence and the Colosseum in Rome.
- See the Royal Palace and Cibeles Fountain in Madrid, Las Ramblas in Barcelona and the towns of Orvieto and Orte.