Day
1 - Saturday: Leon to Cistierna. Meet
at noon in Leon at the Parador de San Marcos, a magnificent 16th-century building
with an exquisitely ornate Plateresque façade, a cloister and a chapel.
City tour and lunch in Leon. Board the train and settle in while traveling to
Cistierna in the Esla Valley, where you can visit the Iron, Steel, and Mining
Industry Museum of Sabero. Dinner and overnight in Cistierna.
Day
2 - Sunday: Cistierna to Villasana de Mena.
During breakfast the train travels to Guardo. From there, continue by motor coach
for a tour of the Roman Villa in La Olmeda and the Romanesque architecture of
Palencia, Carrion de Los Condes, Villalcazar de Sirga and Fromista. Lunch in Villalcazar.
In the afternoon, take the train from Mataporquera to Villasana de Mena. Enjoy
the scenery as the train curves around the rim of the impressive Ebro dam and
the beautiful marshland region of Las Merindades. Dinner and overnight in Villasana
de Mena.
Day
3 - Monday: Villasana de Mena to Santander. Breakfast
on board as the train winds its way through the Mena Valley and the Basque Country
to Bilbao, a bustling modern city on the Atlantic Ocean. The tour of the city
includes a visit to the famous Guggenheim Museum (July and August only, as the
museum is closed on Mondays the rest of the year). Visit the classic car museum
in the Loizaga Tower of the medieval castle of Concejuelo in Galdames. The museum
has 75 classic cars, including 43 Rolls Royce models. Lunch and afternoon train
ride to Santander, capital of Cantabria, a beautiful coastal resort with an enchanting
past. Tour of the city and dinner. Optional excursion to the local casino after
dinner.
Day
4 - Tuesday: Santander to Arriondas.
During breakfast the train will reach Cabezon de la Sal. From there, the coach
will take you to Santillana del Mar, a beautiful medieval village frozen in time.
The tour includes a visit to Altamira, a replica of the nearby Stone Age caves
that have become world-famous because of their rare and unique prehistoric paintings.
After lunch, continue by train to the province of Asturias, where you'll tour
the beautiful seaside resort towns of Llanes, Ribadesella, and Arriondas. Later,
enjoy dinner in Cangas de Onis. Overnight in Arriondas.
Day
5 - Wednesday: Arriondas to Oviedo.
Today you'll travel through the heart of Asturias. The coach will take you up
to the magnificent National Park "Picos de Europa" to see the beautiful
lakes and the sanctuary of Covadonga, site of the first military victory of a
Christian king over the Moors, marking the starting point of the Reconquista in
the early 700s. During lunch, continue by train to Oviedo, the capital of Asturias.
Dinner and overnight in Oviedo.
Day
6 - Thursday: Oviedo to Luarca. Continue from Oviedo to Candas and
the seaside city of Gijon for lunch. Then on to Luarca, the "White Village"
of Green Spain. Dinner and overnight in Luarca.
Day
7 - Friday: Luarca to Viveiro. This
morning you'll head along the coast to the province of Galicia and the city of
Ribadeo, located on the estuary of the Eo River. The region along the coast is
called the "Rias Altas" (Upper Estuaries) and is stunningly picturesque.
Visit Las Catedrales Beach, where the rocks form natural arches resembling a cathedral.
Lunch in Ribadeo. In the afternoon, continue by train to Viveiro, a beautiful
walled city. Dinner in Viveiro.
Day
8 - Saturday: Viveiro to Santiago de Compostela.
For your last journey by train, travel from Viveiro to Ferrol (near A Coruña).
Board the coach for Santiago de Compostela, your final destination (and that of
millions of pilgrims following the Way of St. James). A city tour will take you
to the quaint old quarter and the Obradoiro Square in front of the wonderful Cathedral
with its interesting mixture of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque styles. The program
ends at approximately 1 pm.
This
itinerary is subject to change without notice. This tour also operates in the
reverse direction from Santiago de Compostela to Leon. The reverse itinerary includes
the Guggenheim Museum visit all year.
Departures
from Leon at the Parador de San Marcos (12 noon)
Departures from Santiago
de Compostela at the Parador de Los Reyes Católicos (12 noon)
[top]
Highlights
- Sabero:
Iron, Steel and Mining Industry Museum
- Roman
villa of La Olmeda
- City
tour of Bilbaos, with visit to the Guggenheim Museum - July and August only (see
above)
- Classic
car museum in Galdames
- Santander:
city tour and casino night
- The
prehistoric caves of Altamira
- The
rugged coast of "Green Spain" with its fishing villages
- The
"Picos de Europa" mountains
- The
sanctuary and basilica of Covadonga
- Oviedo:
pre-Romanesque monuments
- Ribadeo:
Las Catedrales Beach
- Walled
city of Viveiro
- Santiago
de Compostela (end point of "The Way of St. James" pilgrimage route)
