Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona tour, added comfort

Planet

Where possible we choose to travel by land rather than air. By minimizing the use of flights on our trips, we are making journeys more stimulating and more sustainable for travelers. This trip through Spain does not include any flights, providing all transport by private vehicle, train and boat. We ensure our vehicles are fuel-efficient and well maintained with regular servicing. We use vehicles that are an appropriate size to suit the group size. Trains are a comfortable and efficient way to cover Spain’s vast landscapes – a scenic journey, an efficient way to travel between city centers, and a lower environmental impact.

We continue to search out activities that are suitable for our travelers, while also finding experiences that highlight the natural beauty of a location and the conservation efforts that are going into preserving it. This trip includes a day trip to Albufera, a freshwater lagoon near Valencia. This National Park is a welcoming home for many native flora and fauna. The area has also been used to grow rice for the past four hundred years, providing a home to some species that have disappeared from the lagoon itself. Travelers will visit one of the lagoon islands to see the unique architecture of local homes, discover the history of paella and learn about the natural ecosystems of the area while sailing across the lagoon.

People

Tour leaders provide travelers with a Spanish language sheet when they join this trip. Leaders conduct a quick lesson to help travelers become more confident with commonly used words and phrases. Travelers can then be polite and friendly in their interactions with locals, using greetings, please and thank you to show their respect.

The best folk to show you the heart of a destination are the ones that live there, which is why we work exclusively with local leaders. Our leaders are not only travel experts, they’re teachers, travel gurus and enthusiastic purveyors of grassroots experiences. They’ll just as easily steer you through the laneways of a city as help you strike up a conversation with the locals – and all with a smile. On this trip through Spain, travelers will also be joined by local guides in several places. In each location these guides will bring to life the destination, its history and what makes it special. That might be the markets of Barcelona, the long history of the Alhambra, or how to choose the right olive oil in Seville.