Castro de Borona on the coast of Galicia
	Santa Eufemia Church in the Douro Valley
	Guimaraes Castle
	Blue-tiled church façade
	port boats on Douro River
	Abandoned church above the Douro
	View across Douro River
	Don enjoying "slow" lunch at DOC
	Douro Valley
	Main plaza in Guimaraes
	Roman bridge at Ponte da Lima
	Castro de Borona
	Hotel Maria Cristina, San Sebastian
	Guernika's Guernica in tile
	roofline of the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
	Tasting txacoli wine with the vineyard owner

Monday, June 6

• Depart from USA for Porto, Portugal

Tuesday, June 7

• Arrive in Porto about noon
• Met at airport for transfer to Hotel Palacio das Cardossas
• Afternoon free to settle into your room and walk around the Old Quarter of Porto, where our hotel is located
• Walk to opening dinner at a nearby restaurant

Wednesday, June 8

• Full day tour of Porto, including Porto's historic center and a Rabelo boat trip on the Douro River
• Lunch included
• Dinner included
• Overnight at Hotel Palacio das Cardossas

Thursday, June 9

• Morning walking tour of Porto including the Bolhao Market and Santa Catarina
• Lunch on your own
• Afternoon free
• Dinner on your own
• Overnight at Hotel Palacio das Cardossas

Friday, June 10

• Day in Douro Valley, including Pinhao, D'Origem olive oil factory and winery
• Slow lunch at DOC restaurant, overlooking the Douro River
• Port tasting with the owners' families at Quinta Santa Eufemia
• Check in to Hotel Casa da Calcada in Amarante
• Dinner on your own on Casa da Calcada's terrace overlooking the river and old town square or in the village

Saturday, June 11

• Full day tour of region, including Guimaraes, Viana do Castelo, Ponte da Lima
• Lunch included
• Dinner included in Amarante
• Overnight at Hotel Casa da Calcada

Sunday, June 12

• Cross the border into Spain for drive to the famous pilgrimage town of Santiago de Compostela along Spain's Galicia coast, with a stop at Castro de Barona, an ancient Celtic fortification built around 200 BC on a rocky promontory of the Atlantic Coast
• Lunch included
• Visit Noia and Ponte Maceira before continuing on to Santiago
• Check in to Parador de Santiago de Compostela, adjacent to the medieval cathedral
• Walk to dinner through the cobbled alleyways to a local tapas restaurant. Stroll back to the parador, stopping to listen to the opera singers entertaining travelers in the plazas and under medieval archways

Monday, June 13

• Morning guided sightseeing in Santiago de Compostela
• Lunch on your own
• Afternoon free to wander the old city
• Dinner on your own
• Overnight at Parador de Santiago de Compostela

Tuesday, June 14

• Drive to Playa de Ribadesella
• Visit the old cities of Coruna, with its beautiful central square, and Oviedo on the way
• Lunch included
• Check in to Hotel Villa Rosario
• Dinner included
• Overnight at Hotel Villa Rosario

Wednesday, June 15

• Free day for hiking or exploring the town or enjoying the beautiful beach at Ribadesella
• Lunch on your own
• Dinner on your own
• Overnight at Hotel Villa Rosario

Thursday, June 16

• Drive to San Sebastian along the Basque Coast visiting the charming old villages of Santillana del Mar and Lekeitio on the way
• Lunch included
• Check in to Hotel Maria Cristina
• Dinner will be a private tour of pintxos (like tapas) bars with local wine tasting in the Old Quarter of San Sebastian
• Overnight at Hotel Maria Cristina

Friday, June 17

• Morning sightseeing in San Sebastian, including the market, Old Quarter, beaches and spectacular view points above the city
• Lunch included
• Afternoon free to wander the old city or shop
• Dinner on your own
• Overnight at Hotel Maria Cristina

Saturday, June 18

• Day tour of mountain and fishing villages near San Sebastian, including tasting the local txacoli (prounounced cha ko lee) wine, the fishing village of Gitari and a walk along the cliffs above the Atlantic if time permits
• Lunch included
• Dinner included
• Overnight at Hotel Maria Cristina

Sunday, June 19

• Drive to Bilbao in morning for tour of the city, with stop in Guernika (inspiration for Pablo Picasso's masterpiece, "Guernika")
• Lunch on your own
• Afternoon free to visit the Guggenheim Museum (right across the street from our hotel) and walk along the river
• Closing dinner included
• Overnight at Hotel Gran Domine Bilbao

Monday, June 20

• Transfer to Bilbao airport for flights home to USA

Services End

Cost of the trip:

The ground cost for the trip per person (based upon double occupancy and not including international airfare) will be:
10 travelers or more (not including us)                  $8,870
9 travelers or less (not including us)                       $9,970

The trip price includes 5-star, or the best available, hotels, most meals, ground transportation, guides, admissions, transfers, and tips. Not included are international air fare between the U.S. and Europe, alcoholic beverages, excess baggage charges, independent airport transfers, incidentals (such as internet access, laundry, phone and fax calls), passport and visa fees (no visas required), and medical expenses. We will have our own private guides and busses or vans exclusively for our group.

Please note that we may change the itinerary based on natural disaster, availability of hotels, or other circumstances requiring such changes.

Refund Policy

Deposits and any payments are fully refundable, less a $300 per person cancellation fee, until 120 days prior to departure. After that date, refunds can be made only if the program is sold out and your place(s) can be resold, in which case a $1,000 per person cancellation fee will apply. After February 8, 2016, we cannot make any refunds unless we must cancel the trip because of circumstances outside our control (i.e., war, natural disaster). In that case, your payments are fully refundable. We recommend trip-cancellation insurance and, if the trip insurance doesn't include it, medical evacuation insurance.

Currency Fluctuation Policy

We reserve the right to adjust the cost of the trip if exchange rates negatively affect the value of the dollar against the local currencies, thereby increasing our costs significantly.

Trip cancellation

We reserve the right to cancel the trip if we do not have at least 6 people participating or if circumstances beyond our control (i.e., war, quarantine, etc.) require it. In the case of cancellation by us, we will refund your entire payment.

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