Day
1 - Saturday: Santiago de Compostela to Viveiro. Meet
at noon at the Parador de los Reyes Catolicos in Santiago de Compostela. City
tour including the famous cathedral, the destination of pilgrims from all over
Europe following the Way of St. James. After lunch, you will go by motor coach
to Ferrol, where you will board the train and start your "cruise on rails."
The first stop will be Viveiro, a beautiful walled city. Dinner and overnight
in Viveiro.
Day
2 - Sunday: Viveiro to Luarca.
Breakfast on board while traveling to Ribadeo, on the boundary between Galicia
and Asturias. Visit Las Catedrales Beach, where the rocks form natural arches
resembling a cathedral. Then on to Ribadeo for lunch and afternoon travel to Luarca,
the "White Village" of the Green Coast. Dinner and overnight in Luarca.
Day
3 - Monday: Luarca to Oviedo. Entering
the Principality of Asturias, the train heads to Candas and then Gijon for a visit
and lunch. On to Oviedo, where you will see the most remarkable Pre-Romanesque
monuments in Spain. Dinner and overnight in Oviedo.
Day
4 - Tuesday: Oviedo to Llanes.
Today you will visit the heart of rugged, mountainous Asturias: the National Park
of Picos de Europa. Continue on to the Sanctuary of Covadonga, the site of the
first military victory of a Christian king over the Moors, marking the starting
point of the Reconquista in the early 700s. You'll also see the Covadonga Lakes
and Cangas de Onís, with its hump-backed Roman bridge over the Sella River.
After lunch, continue on to the picturesque fishing village of Llanes. Dinner
and overnight in Llanes.
Day
5 - Wednesday: Llanes to Cabezon de la Sal.
Entering Cantabria, travel by motor coach through the Gorge of La Hermida to the
6th-century Sanctuary of Santo Toribio de Liébana, one of the oldest shrines
in Spain. After lunch in Potes, continue on the train to Cabezón de la
Sal for dinner and overnight.
Day
6 - Thursday: Cabezon de la Sal to Santander. Morning tour of Santillana
del Mar, a medieval town with a Romanesque church. 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 in Santillana
del Mar, continue by train to the port city of Santander, where you will have
dinner and spend the night.
Day
7 - Friday: Santander to Balmaseda. Today
go by train from Santander to Bilbao, where you can visit the Guggenheim Museum.
Lunch on board the train on the way to Balmaseda. Dinner and overnight.
Day
8 - Saturday: San Sebastian.
After breakfast, tour the old quarter of San Sebastián. The program ends
at approximately 1 pm.
This
tour also operates in the reverse direction, from San Sebastian to Santiago de
Compostela. The itinerary is subject to change without notice.
Departures
from Santiago de Compostela at the Parador de Los Reyes Católicos (12 noon)
Departures from San Sebastian at the Hotel Londres & Inglaterra (12 noon)
[top]
Highlights
- Santiago
de Compostela (end point of "The Way of St. James" pilgrimage route)
- Walled
city of Viveiro
- Ribadeo
and the "white village" of Luarca
- Oviedo:
pre-Romanesque monuments
- The
"Picos de Europa" mountains
- The
sanctuary and basilica of Covadonga
- Gorge
of La Hermida
- Sanctuary
of Santo Toribio de Liebana
- The
rugged coast of "Green Spain" with its fishing villages
- The
prehistoric caves of Altamira
- Port
city of Santander
- City
tour of Bilbaos, with visit to the Guggenheim Museum
- City
tour of San Sebastian
