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Spain

Let us help you design a personal car tour of Spain, guided by the person who is also your driver.
This great, square-shaped country, protected from the rest of Europe by the Pyrenees, the mountain range Spain shares with France, is washed to the east and south by the Mediterranean, with the Atlantic to the north, while Portugal nestles on Spain's western frontier. The Moors dwelt in areas of Spain for 700 years until 1500 A.D. -- the period of history known to Spain as the Re-conquest. The Moors had a massive influence in giving character to the Spanish scene, still sensed and seen today.

Why not plan to fly to Madrid where we can meet you to begin your pre-planned, personally designed guided car tour of Spain?

Madrid:This spacious, royal city lies at the heart Spain. Life here is extremely pleasant, relaxed, unhurried; the air is dry and mountain-clear. Spend a day or two exploring the city.
After a tour by car reviewing all there is to see, start an hour's walking at the Plaza Mayor to explore the old town, or make the Plaza the place to relax; it can be an oasis of peace after shopping round the Puerta del Sol.
Even if you are not a great art lover, you can hardly miss half a day in the Prado, discovering some of its priceless treasures -- paintings by Velazquez, Murillo and El Greco, the latter having made his studio and home in nearby Toledo.

In every direction radiating from Madrid, roads will take you to one or more of Spain's architectural treasures. Below we list some destinations, some nearby and suitable for a day trip, others further away, but depending on you own preference, they can be fitted together to make a fascinating tour. It is very easy to tour in Portugal from Spain.
Clients of ours have enjoyed "zig-zag" tours passing between one country and the other as they cross and recross the border acording to what interests them on either side.

Toledo, with its incomparable site, lies about 40 miles to the south of Madrid. It is a city where, in the Middle Ages, three cultures mixed and came together: Christian, Jewish and Moorish. Too it is the town which El Greco made his home.
You can sense the evidence of this merging as you stroll through the ancient, narrow streets. Go shopping for Toledo damascene, a black steel inlaid with gold, silver and copper wire. Damascene has been renowned for centuries, and articles made of it, such as scissors or paper-knives make excellent souvenirs.

Segovia, to the north-west of Madrid, is perched on a plateau. Its striking Roman aqueduct is still intact, while amongst its treasures are ancient Romanesque churches. Beyond Segovia is the University town of Salamanca. Hannibal was here; so too were the Romans, who built the bridge that strides above the river Torres, the waters of which flow below the town.

El Escurial, Philip II's great palace and monastery, lies due west from Madrid. Nearby is the Valle de los Caidos-- the Valley of the Fallen, a spectacular monument to those who died in the Civil War of the 1930's.

Keep heading west and soon the ancient walled city of Avila comes into view. The east end of the great Basilica forms a bastion of the walls.

Hotels in all parts of Spain can be found which have been converted from old buildings, be they castles, convents or palaces. Many of these are Paradores -- hotels owned by the government and specialising in regional cooking; they make excellent stopping places whilst you are on tour. There is none more intriguing than the former convent of St. Francis, situated in the grounds of the Alhambra at Granada in Andalucia, the colourful region of southern Spain that boasts the cities of Seville and Cordoba.

Wherever you begin your tour, we can be there to meet you. Let us introduce you to this great country, or renew for you regions you have visited in the past.

Please contact us to begin the planning of your tour.