In the following itinerary, you will find the days numbered as they are in the Djoser, Netherlands program, departing from Amsterdam. This will avoid confusion when you coordinate your day schedule with the tour leader and other travelers. Below we will denote travel days to and from the United States, which will make your trip 1 day longer than the Dutch trip. This will insure that you are on the “same page” as your fellow travelers when determining your daily schedule.
During the tours there are a wide variety of potential excursions. We have provided a condensed impression of what you can see and do on a Djoser tour through Spain and Portugal. The countries have enormous and varied natural, historical and cultural treasures.
The Djoser formula guarantees plenty of freedom on the tour. We do not have a planned moment-to-moment itinerary. Instead, the tour leader will offer you choices. On most days the tour leader will suggest one or more activities, but you never have to feel obliged to participate. Optional activities are always planned with the group. This gives you plenty of room for your personal explorations and unexpected events such as a spontaneous picnic. a walk or visit to a small village. Please keep in mind that due to unforeseen circumstances, the program might have to be altered and some activities cannot take place.
Madrid
+1 Day Depart U.S.
Day 1 Arrive Madrid
Day 2 Madrid
After the occupation by the Moors, Madrid was and important center and chosen as the capital by King Phillip II. The city has grown into a modern metropolis with a very lively nightlife. From the centrally located hotel you can quickly walk to the Plaza Mayor, the center of the old city. On this city square in the past executions as well as bullfights were held. Now, especially around the statue of Carlos III you find many terraces and cafes where you can enjoy vital Spanish nights. In the old center you also find many churches and cloisters dating back to the 17th and 18th century. If you would like to get away from the bustle can take refuge at the Parque del Retiro where you can interact with the locals in the rose garden or rent a rowboat to spend time on the lake. Madrid is rich with majestic buildings especially the imposing architecture from the beginning of the 20th century such as the Gran Via and the Plaza Espana. You will also find magnificent museums such as the Prado (with many works of El Greco, Velazquez and Goya) and the Reina Sofia where Picasso’s famous painting “Guernica” depicting the destruction of the Basque town. In the north of the city you find Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the home base of the world-famous Real Madrid Soccer Club. The club museum is the most visited museum in Madrid.
Maybe in the afternoon you will have some time to take the train to Toledo. Toledo is located approximately one hour south of Madrid and is beautifully situated on a hill. It is surrounded on three sides by the river Tajo. Inside the walls is a labyrinth of little streets dating back to the middle ages with Muslim neighborhoods with mosques, a Jewish neighborhood with synagogues and a gigantic gothic cathedral, with a somber mood, like most Spanish churches.
Salamanca, Leon
Day 3 Madrid - Salamanca
Day 4 Salamanca – Leon
From Madrid we drive northward over the Sierra Guadarrama to the town Avila that is beautifully situated on a hill and is still completely surrounded by her 11th century walls. The military character of this period can be recognized in the cathedral where the apse is the central part of the city wall. From the Alcazar gate you can walk over part of the walls and enjoy a spectacular view. Of course you find a great many churches along the middle age alleyways as well a many royal residences. The most famous citizen was the 16th century saint Teresa for whom a cloister was built on the site of her birthplace. Through the dry landscape of the high plains we drive to the university city, Salamanca. The center of this lively city is formed by the baroque 18th century Plaza Mayor, one of the most beautiful squares in Spain. In addition the late middle age cathedral and university buildings are definitely worth a city walk. Actually the city overflows with the different styles of architecture: Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, Plateresque. Over the river Tormes you find a Roman bridge. The next day we drive via Zamora about one hundred twenty miles north to the bishops’ city Leon where Gaudi built one of his rare structures outside of Barcelona, the Casa de Botines. Also in Leon the cathedral with its stained glass windows is worth a visit. The church is considered one of the most beautiful gothic churches in Spain. In the Roman San Isidoro you find the remains of all early middle aged kings of Leon and Castillo.
Picos de Europa
Day 5 Leon - Cangas de Onis
Day 6 Cangas de Onis (Picos de Europa)
On the way northwards we make a stop in Oviedo, which was damaged during the Spanish civil war. Some years earlier some thirty thousand people were killed during a miners’ revolt however the Church of Oviedo possesses a ninth century cross. Nearby you find the Picos de Europa with jagged hills and deep valleys, one of the most fun walking areas of Spain. We spend the night in the small town Cangas de Onis that in 722 was the origin of the newly created kingdom Asturia. After the first victory over the Muslims near Covadonga, which started the reconquista, King Pelayo made his base here. The village was already a holy place in ancient history proven by a grave dating back to the new Stone Age that can now be viewed in the crypt of the Santa Cruz chapel. The most visited place in the Picos is the lakes of Covadonga, which is a great area for walks. The starting point of these walks is from Cangas, which can be reached in about one half hour with the bus.
Santiago de Compostela
Day 7 Cangas de Onis – Santiago de Compostela
Day 8 Santiago de Compostela
After a day in the rugged nature we drive along the coast to Galicia where on the way we make a stop in the picturesque small fisherman village Luarca. On the way to Santiago de Compostela, in the afternoon we make a stop. We take a long walk along the most famous pilgrims’ route of the middle ages. At the end of the day you will see from Monte do Gozo in the distance, the towers of Santiago. The pilgrims’ route originated when in 1813, a hermit led by the stars, discovered the grave of the apostle Jacob the Great. In 44 AD, after his execution, his body was supposedly brought by a stone boat to Galicia and after landing near Padron, was buried about twelve miles inland. Hence the name Santiago de Compostela was derived from Sanctus Jacobus de Compus Stellae (the holy Jacob in a field of stars). From all over Western Europe, religious pilgrims traveled by foot to Santiago. The grave is still the final destination of modern trekkers. The large cathedral on the Plaza do Obradoiro dates back to the 11th century and has an amazing interior. Several different ceremonies are connected with the pilgrimage. During a Mass you hopefully will be able to experience the swinging of the botafumeiro.
Porto
Day 9 Santiago de Compostela – Braga - Porto
Day 10 Porto
After the visit to Jacobs’ grave we cross the border river Miño and enter Portugal. In Braga stands the oldest Cathedral of the country and on the central plaza from the cafes under the arcades you can see life passing by. Our next stop is in the city Guimarães, which considers itself to be the “cradle of Portugal”. The collection of medieval streets and shaded little squares at the foot of the 11th century castle illustrates this. Then we reach Porto, the famous city of Port. We spend two nights in this harbor town of hard workers that lends the country its name. In the oldest part, the neighborhood Ribeira you find many cafes and restaurants located by the river on cozy cobblestone streets. Many churches and cloisters are decorated with azulejos, glazed tiles, the calling card of Portugal. The Douro River has created many levels throughout the city. Five bridges, all architectural highlights, cross the river. In the neighborhood, Villa Nova de Gaia on the other side you find the warehouses that store the port that has been made world famous by British traders starting in the 17th century. The trade was created because of the economic war between Great Britain and France forbidding the import of French wine. The British, who at the time traded olives and cork, added a touch of brandy from the Douro Valley to the already sweet wine, and shipped it to England where it rapidly became popular with the elite.
Nazare
Day 11 Porto – Coimbra – Nazaré
Day 12 Nazaré
On the way to the south we stop in Coimbra, charmingly situated on the Mondego. The old university buildings dominate the heart of the city. Therefore in the center you find many students that create a lively atmosphere with many terraces and bars. The old Roman cathedral still breathes the atmosphere of the struggle against the Muslims. We also pass the pilgrim’s town of Fatima. In 1917 three shepherds’ children saw an appearance of the Virgin Mary that led to a surge of millions of pilgrims who journey to the area. The last miles to the holy spot is filled with people traveling on their knees. Later in the afternoon we arrive in the fisherman’s town Nazare on the coast where we spend two nights. Every day the fishermen sail on their small colorful crafts and on their way back lay out the catch of bacalhau to dry in the sun. On the free day you can explore the little town and maybe climb the three hundred fifty foot high Sitio for a magnificent view or you can relax on the beach.
Lisbon
Day 13 Nazaré – Lisbon
Day 14 Lisbon
Day 15 Lisbon
Day 16 Lisbon - USA
On the way to Lisbon we have the opportunity to view the incredible cloister in Alcobaca. In the 12th century Santa Maria cloister you find the beautifully detailed graves of the tragic lovers Pedro and Ines. Don’t forget to take a look at the large kitchen with the tile-covered mantle and the water canal of the river that runs straight through the kitchen. Several miles further up the road we make a stop in the picturesque little mountain city Obidos. It is a medieval fortress city where you may wonder through the cobblestone streets with their whitewashed houses.
We also pass through the place of pilgrimage, Fatíma. In 1917 three shepherd’s children witnessed an appearance of Maria here that caused an influx of millions of pilgrims. Many even cover the last miles over the square to the holy spot on their knees. The last days we spend the capital Lisbon where from the Praca do Comercio offers a broad view of the wide mouth of the river named Tejo. Around this incredible square you find the new neighborhood Baixa where structures were built in a uniform style in 1755. In this year the city was totally destroyed by three earthquakes and a tidal wave. A monumental public elevator, the Santa Justa dating back to 1902, can reach the bordering neighborhoods located on the hills Chiado and Bairro Alto. In Chiado you find posh stores and the ruins of the destroyed church Convento do Carmo dating back to 1755, the Bairro Alto is the neighborhood with a very lively nightlife. On the east side of Baixa you find the neighborhood Alfama with a village atmosphere, which you reach by a clattering tram. From the walls and towers of the Sao Jorge castle above Alfama you have a fantastic view over the city landscape below. The next day we fly back to the States.
