TRIP ITINERARY TO MADRID, SEGOVIA, AND TOLEDO

                                 Day 1
Depart for your transatlantic flight to Madrid, Spain.

                                          Day 2
Arrive in Madrid in the morning. You will be greeted at the airport by your bilingual ETS representative for a transfer to the hotel. After checking in at the hotel, enjoy a guided walking tour of Old Madrid, including the Plaza Mayor. Your escort will pick you up and join you dinner. Overnight in Madrid.  D                              

                                                      Day 3
After breakfast, your guide will take the group to the Prado, for a guided visit. View a large selection of paintings from the Spanish school: El Greco, Velasquez and Goya; as well as Reubens, Botticelli and Rembrandt. Also, spend some time in the annex called Cason del Buen Retiro, devoted solely to the 19th century Spanish artist. In the afternoon, enjoy a guided tour of the Royal Palace, an imposing building that was the home of Spain's royal family until 1931. Your escort will meet the group at the hotel to walk you to dinner and then to a Flamenco show. The bus will return the group to the hotel after the Flamenco. Overnight in Madrid.  B/D

                                                   Day 4
This morning, your guide will pick you up at your hotel for a walking tour of Madrid. Walk along the Botanical Gardens designed by Juan de Villanueva and Gomez Ortega in 1781, to the fountain of Neptune. Continue on to the Atocha railway station and the Reina Sophia Art Center. Then walk to the Plaza de Espagna, with its monument to Cervantes and the statues of Don Quixote and Sancho. Then continue along the busy central street, Grand Via, to the Puerta del Sol. Enjoy dinner this evening when the escort picks the group up for dinner. Overnight in Madrid.  B/D

                   Day 5
Depart from the hotel, with your luggage and your guide, for the 2,000 year old city of Segovia, where Isabella was proclaimed queen. Enjoy a guided tour of Segovia, including the Cathedral, and the Alcazar. Next, drive through the Sierra de Guadarrama to visit the palace at El Escorial, with its Royal Apartments and the Pantheon of Kings where almost all the kings of Spain are buried since Charles Quint. Then go to the Valley of the Fallen, a monument to the victims of the Spanish Civil War. Continue on to Toledo, where the escort will meet you at the hotel for check-in and dinner. Spend the night in Toledo.  B/D

                                                     Day 6
The guide will pick up the group at the hotel for a guided walking tour. Today, explore Toledo with its Cathedral, the Santo Tome Church and the home and museum of El Greco. Visit the Museum de Santa Cruz and Transito Synagogue. Continue to explore the city of Toledo. The escort will bring the group to dinner in the evening. Overnight in Toledo.  B/D

                                                                                               Day 7
This morning, depart for Madrid. With your escort, visit the Museo Sorolla. Then in the afternoon, pass through the Alcala Gate to the Retiro Park with its monument to Alphonse XII and the beautiful Crystal Palace. This evening, your escort will pick you up at the hotel to enjoy dinner. Overnight in Madrid. B/D

                                Day 8
Transfer to the Madrid airport with your escort for your transatlantic flight home.  B