The tour included the highlights I was looking for. The entire country is shut down, there is conflicting information coming from the U.S., 50% of our tour has left, the rest are trying to figure out how to get out of Spain and back home, anxiety is running at peak levels and this is the best Vermouth I have ever tasted!". Instead of simply dining, we were treated to a cooking class which brought us together in small groups as we worked on individual dishes. Madrid was very stately. Each day brought new and exciting adventures.". Special guides also very informative. "Having drinks from a rooftop above Barcelano. I would do it again. After orientation and transportation lessons, be able to navigate in cities on your own. A very comprehensive overview of history, art, food and culture in Barcelona, Madrid, and Toledo. Our 3rd Rick Steves tour and it was an amazing tour from start to finish. Sagrada Familia. The flamenco dancing in Madrid was another 'wow'.". My guide, Fredirico, was an amazing storyteller, knowledgable, and a fun guy. Note: This was our second Rick Steve's tour having just completed the Best of Paris tour prior to this one. "Definitely visiting Sagrada Familia - the church is just breathtaking! We had local guides to visit the sights, the walking tours went on far to long with the guides going on and on with information that did not interest us while walking for 4+ hours. We will never look at art the same way since Federico's interruption and explanations. "La Sagrada Familia...it would take more than 500 characters to describe it. "Seeing Picasso's Guernica and getting a different perspective on this painting from our local guide, Monica.". "We saw so many impressive cathedrals, but the Sagrada Familia was by far the most amazing. To request advance notification of when a tour will be available for booking, please select ‘Notify Me’ next to the departure date and join the list. This tour was very well organized. Gaudi. "Dining on pig's ears was a rare delight but walking into a room full of Stradivarius violins was a sight to behold, I could have spent the morning in that room gazing and awestruck, WOW!!!!!!". Helen, our tour guide, was well organized, had a wonderful sense of humor, and most importantly gave us the flavor, character and experience of being with the locals. And Guernica at the Rena Sofia, with our local guide's chilling personal story around this time in Spain's history.". We will only be submitting one. I had the room to myself for 10 minutes. "I wish I could be original, but getting off the Metro and turning around and seeing the La Sagrada Familia was breath taking. Our tour guide, Amanda, was great. Amazing. It was incredible to see. ▲ Casa Batlló Gaudí-designed home topped with fanciful dragon-inspired roof. Both the tour and local guides were
He had a wealth of information and suggestions that were outstanding. Javier was a great guide and we had a great group with us. The tour was well planned and executed. I can hardly wait to return once it's finished, and spend an entire day there, taking it all in.". Inside Rick Steves Barcelona you'll find: Comprehensive coverage for spending a week or more exploring Barcelona Otherwise, I suspect that some of the sites would have been simply overwhelming and we certainly would not have learned as much.". There were many others.". By Rick Steves. Javier was an amazing guide, his ability to work under pressure and remain calm as he tried to navigate unforeseen circumstances was impressive. Our RS guide and the local guides were outstanding. "The glory of the Sagrada Familia fulfilled our expectations. All in all, the biggest wow for me was probably seeing the stunning details in Toledo's cathedral - the gold, silver, and jewel monstrance, the sacristy's masterpieces, the massive gold altarpiece, and the most surprising of all - the window to the heavens, the Transparente!". ", Tour guide made the experience more valuable. The tour was a good mix of activities. I've let them know how much we appreciated it. I'm excited to choose our next trip in Europe. This trip was complete joy from start to finish! Centrally located at Portal de l'Angel 17 it is clean, reasonable and in the heart of town. Most tour members arrange to fly into Barcelona (BCN) and out of Madrid (MAD) — choose "multicity" on flight-booking websites. We loved some of the "tasting" opportunities such as the wine tasting and tapas tasting. Rick's 48 itineraries include Italy, France, Turkey, Ireland, Britain, Spain, and much more! Mitch's presence was a plus for our group. Thank you! The check-in process at the hotels was simple, the tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly, the food at the group meals was tasty, and the tours of the attractions were beyond anything that I expected. Starting out early in the day it seemed to be a quiet, picturesque village with so much history. Our local guides were both informative and fun, and particularly excellent in teaching us about the historic areas of Barcelona. We are very happy we did! Supplement $575. I was especially moved at the end of the tour when Ana thanked us, the American people, for keeping this work safe during Franco's reign.". We walked a lot but it was nice to come back to a great hotel at the end of the day. The last evening group dinner was lovely. Barcelona and Toledo were close too.". "The day trips to Monserrat Abbey and Toledo were memorable. Her love for this area of Spain was obvious in a way that rubbed off on us all. Breakfast in Madrid needed much improvement. "For me, the use of the highly knowledgeable local guides for each of the main program activities - to deepen and enhance our understanding of the art, history and culture - was the most pleasant surprise throughout the Tour. Second was Federico's color coordinated outfits, especially his rain gear.". I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Our tour leader (David) lived in Madrid, so provided an intimate exposure to small, excellent cafés & wonderful food & wine in addition to the art and culture of the city & neighborhoods. "Picasso was totally unexpected. Very good group of travelers. Would love to travel with him again as a guide. Very impressed in changes in Barcelona over time. He went way out of his way to act as concierge, helping us plan our free time and extra days. Walking some of the streets mentioned in Carlos Ruiz Zafon's Cemetery of Forgotten Books series, which I read before, during and after the trip, made Barcelona seem even more magical.". One has to consider the tour group when taking them on such an excursion. Our accommodations were in great locations and they were very comfortable after a long day of sightseeing. And now, we are trying to decide where to visit next! That and, of course, virtually every meal !!!! My wife and I are filling out this evaluation form for the both of us. We had a wonderful group and everyone just get along. The group of people we travelled with were great. He has an amazing ability to teach through story telling and drama. Whatever he and the rest of the company are doing to make these tours comfortable and enjoyable experiences, please continue... we'll be coming back for another tour next year! I had a wonderful time! The hotels were perfectly located and offered the right degree of comfort. See our FAQ | Call On the normal tour the art museums were the highlight.". Strenuous walking: 2–8 miles throughout the day with lots of hills, stairs, and uneven terrain. "There were so many highlights an every day felt like a highlight and probably the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona was the most mind blowing and we aren't even Catholic.". The beauty of Sagrado Corazon and its continued construction was just amazing to look at. The quality and quantity of food was also most enjoyable. "Although Sagrada Familia is a never-to-be-forgotten element, Toledo with its location and history was a particular highlight for me. All the guides are excellent. His mission: to empower Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. The activities were given sufficient time with many opportunities to return to some sites with no additional payments (e.g., The Prado and the Reina Sofia). The tour was very well run. In a word, amazing. Spain was a very good starting point. We'd lived through a hard winter in MN and appreciated the perfect weather. One that stuck with me was visiting the Goya room at the Museo Nacional del Prado and seeing all the painful scenes. And ... the best part was that I barely incurred addition costs. I do not know if the Easter weekend was different than normal weeks, but being in a busy city was a new experience.".
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