Lemon Valley Holidays

Self-drive tour of Madrid, Toledo, Segovia and Salamanca

Introduction

During the past few years the historic cities of inland Spain, with their stunning setting and unique monuments are being discovered by the more discerning traveller who is comfortable with being immersed in the "real Spain". This tour of the medieval cities around Madrid will leave you in awe of how carefully all has been preserved for hundreds of years with Spanish daily life just going on amidst these world class monumental treaures. In Andalucia the romance is attached to tales of Moorish Kings, dark eyes and the passion of flamenco but in Castile the story is more associated to Don Quijote with fairy tale castles surrounded by deep moats, maidens in distress, crusading Knights and duals at dawn. The guided tours help to bring the cities to life and for your free time we arm you with everything you need to make your own trail of discovery as you travel around each beautiful city, staying in traditional hotels in the historical centre and with many recommendations for side trips to find crumbling castles, rural villages and even 20,000 year old rock paintings along the way. You will finish off your own crusade with 2 nights in Madrid where you will be given a tour of the best tapas bars of the city and entry into the Prado Museum

Madrid, Toledo, Segovia & Salamanca Self-drive Itinerary

This holiday can start on any date you request and can also be taken by train.

Day One - Arrive Madrid airport, collect your hire car and transfer to Segovia for 1 night

The UNESCO World Heritage city of Segovia is a stunning completely over the top example of Castilian architecture built to further solidify the success of the conquering catholic monarchs. The Alcazar is a fairy tale structure which it is said to have been the inspiration for the Disney Castle logo with Rapunzel type turrets and a deep moat, and the cathedral is an immense structure of flying buttresses and towering peaks which took almost two hundred years to complete. Probably the most famous sight of Segovia is the Roman Aqueduct, built around the first Century AD and comprises of over 880 metres of granite featuring 166 arches, 120 pillars and reaching its highest point at over 30 metres over the Plaza de Azoguejo. Segovia is surrounded by a magical air of witchcraft and wizardry; a perfect setting for folklore music, dancing and other cultural events; the medieval markets and candlelit concerts attract local visitors from all over the area.

A traditional Segovian dinner

Thetraditional meal in Segovia is Roast Suckling Pig and tonight in your hotel you will served a superb meal with local specialities that will stand you in good stead for making the right choices in other restaurants as you travel around the area.

Day Two - Transfer to Salamanca for 2 nights

Just outside Segovia, on the way to Salamanca you can make a stop at La Granja; a summer palace built by King Felipe V the first Bourbon King of Spain.

Salamanca

Salamanca is probably the most elegant city in Spain and for four centuries is was the seat of one of the most prestigious universities of the world. It was also where Columbus was turned down for the first time as he tried to get backing for his voyage to the New World. One of the most obvious features of Salamanca are the majestic buildings created with sandstone which give off a warm golden glow, spectacular when seen floodlit at night.

Early evening is a lovely time to wander around the Casco Historico (historical centre), where there are many pavements cafes and bars just perfect for soaking up the atmosphere and watching the world go by. Be sure to try some wine of the Ribera del Duero - a region now rivalling Rioja for Spain finest and also most popular wine.

Day Three - Private walking tour of the old city and its monuments.

For this morning you will be met by your own personal, local guide who will be best to help you discover the old quarter of the city which is a living museum of architecture in all different styles and eras. As you wander around the town your guide will bring the city to life and explain many interesting facts such as how the sand stone, composed of iron hardens and rusts in contact with the air, so with the passing of time it takes on the beautiful golden hue. Your guide will also give you all the facts and stories about the university which was built in 1218 by order of King Alfonso IX - where the very soul of Salamanca is to be found in its faculties and libraries; the envy of the world for over 400 years.

For the afternoon you will be free to explore alone and our guide pack can help you to search out the more hidden gems of the city including Baroque churches, small plazas and convents.

Day Four - Transfer to Toledo for 2 nights via Avila

It is said that there were once 10 thousand castles in Spain and this area south of the Duero is particularly good for a castle spotting drive, stopping off at the best along the way. If you are interested not far away from Salamanca is the UNESCO site of Siega Verde, a peaceful, rural area where you can see the world's best example of open air pre-historic rock art - 20,000 year old drawings spread over 1 mile of the left bank of the river.

Avila

A tour of this area is not complete without a visit to Avila; a lesser known town to tourists from abroad but it is has been an essential destination for Spaniards for many years to see the stunning city walls which surround the town, making it one of the best preserved walled cities in Europe and also the shrine to the mystic writer Santa Teresa the focus of a major religious pilgrimage. As you approach the town you will be amazed by the breath-taking views of the Sierra de Gredos and the magnificent sight of the wall with 88 towers that surround this fortified old city.
We will give you guidance notes for a short walk around the top of the city walls where you can uncover some mysteries of this medieval age which was built in the 11th Century by Moorish slaves captured when Alfonso VI recaptured the city in 1090.

Toledo for 2 nights

As Granada is to Andalucia Toledo is to the province of Madrid. The whole city is a UNESCO site and is set in a breath-taking position atop a rocky mound, rising up from the stark landscape with the Rio Tajo looping around the city down below. Every inch of the outcrop is covered with churches, synagogues, mosques and houses and is an inspiration for the world today to see how these three religions lived together in a golden age of prosperity and tolerance. The city was captured in 1085 with the help of the notorious El Cid, and the city became the capital of Castile and the base for many campaigns to recapture territory further south. The city has been immortalized by El Greco who lived and worked here, and in the evening, when the day trippers have left the floodlit city resembles one of his dramatic moonlit paintings.

Day Five - Morning walking tour of Toledo

For this morning you will be given a guided walking tour of the medieval streets of Toledo where strolling through narrow streets and enchanting squares, your guides will tell you of local legends and traditions that transport you back to the an age of Quijote style maidens and knights, impossible love affairs and moonlit duels.

After lunch, be sure to visit the imposing Alcazár (fortress) which has played an active part in the city's history and has been destroyed on a number of occasions, the most recent being in 1936 during the Republican siege of Franco's forces. The famous artist El Greco settled there in 1577 and his works are scattered around the city. His masterpiece El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz (The Burial of Count Orgaz) can be seen in the Iglesia de Santo Tomé.

Day Six - Transfer to Madrid for 2 nights, via Aranjuez

Aranjuez is an oasis of Old Castile where the 18th Century Burbon Kings attempted to create a Versailles in Spain as their countryside retreat. The palace has hundreds of exotically designed and furnished rooms from The Porcelain room covered in decorative ceramics from Madrid and The Smoking room fashioned in the style of The Alhambra in Granada. The palace is surrounded by beautiful gardens and river walks and you can also take a boat from a small jetty by the bridge.

Now to Madrid which is probably Europe´s most passionate city and the heart of all that you have seen on this magnificent tour of Castilian Spain. Just step outside the door of your central hotel and you will right in th thick of things and for your first evening you will meet with a guide and small group of people to have a guided tapas tasting tour.

Guided walking tapas tour

For your first evening you will have an excellent introduction to the city! Experience the gastronomy, culture and history of Madrid and Spain on a great fun walking tapas tour that takes you off the tourist track and gives you the opportunity to experience with a local, the most atmospheric tapas bars of Madrid. On this tour you will discover what Madrid really is all about whilst feasting on the local specialities.

Our guide offers you a personal and friendly service, combining an introduction to the real Madrileño lifestyle with traditional Spanish food and drink. Not just a tapas tour, the aim is to leave clients with a real and lasting feeling for the capital and its people, while eating and drinking really well, and to prepare them for the rest of their stay in and around the capital.

Day Seven - Your day to explore Madrid

There is so much to see and do but from our guide pack to the city you should be able to easily plan a fulfilling, yet certainly not stressful day! A visit to The Prado Museum is a must and these tickets will be booked for you in advance to avoid the queues and you will have plenty of free time to simply wander and get a feel the capital which also the very centre of Spain.

Day Eight - Transfer to Madrid airport and say "hasta luego" to Madrid!

What is included in the holiday

Accommodation

7 nights bed and breakfast in carefully selected 4 star hotels in the historical centre of each city, within a very short walking distance of all the major sites
• Breakfast is included in all hotels
• All rooms are en-suite and have air conditioning/heating

Activities
• Traditional dinner in Segovia
• Private guided tour of Salamanca
• Guided walking Tour of Toledo
• Guided Walking Tapas tour of Madrid
• Visit to The Prado Museum

Transport
• 5 days hire of a Seat Ibiza type model with air conditioning and a GPS navigation system (we do not recommend taking your car into Madrid for the last 2 nights of your trip, best leave it and use the metro) *please note this holiday can also be taken by train

Plus
• A comprehensive guide pack for your trip including city maps, historical information, opening times for museums, art galleries and monuments plus recommended restaurants, pretty plazas, parks, view points and much more...
• A Tom Tom GPS system plus back up driving maps and directions of how to reach the hotel and parking information
• Access to our 24 hour telephone helpline if you need any assistance whilst you are in Spain
• A Spanish Phrase book
• All your pre-holiday and arrival information will be sent to you by email and your complete holiday guide pack will be waiting for you at your first hotel