Culinary & Wine Tours> Spain> The Flavours of Spain

Spain: The Flavours of Spain
Barcelona, Madrid and Castilla y Leon, Spain - 6 nights

You will begin your stay in Barcelona where a charming hotel awaits you with a warm welcome. During the first three days you will see some of Gaudí's creations, the Gothic Old Quarter, the oldest food shops and markets, and most importantly, you will discover a cuisine that is unique, imaginative and varied. Through combinations called "Surf and Turf' or fish and meat the Catalan chefs are able to marry both worlds resulting in sophisticated dishes which would seem to have been designed by Dalí himself!

Madrid, the vibrant and modern capital of Spain, will surprise you with its majestic historical quarters and magnificent avenues, monuments, gardens, with a large variety of cultural activities and excellent taverns and restaurants.  

Just an hour from Madrid lies the impressive city of Segovia. You will be amazed at the monumental size of the 2,000 year old Roman aqueduct. This city is home to the most peculiar “Asadores” where you will taste delicious Castilian specialties cooked in huge wood fired ovens. 

We will  also journey north to Castilla y León, Spanish leader in wine and birthplace of one of the most acclaimed Designations of Origin for wine, “Ribera del Duero”, that will surprise you with beautiful historic and medieval towns with massive castles and ancient fortifications dating to Roman times. We will visit the IXth century Peñafiel Castle which rises on what in the Middle Ages was the border between Arab and Christian lands, on a hill overlooking the Duero. Inside its Wine Museum we will show you an interesting display on the culture of wine. 

During this culinary route you will also enjoy some cooking classes at prestigious cooking schools to bring you up to date on the most traditional recipes of  Spanish cuisines. We will also enjoy tapas tours, to learn about this famous Spanish way of enjoying small portions of many different specialties accompanied with wine or refreshing beer. Snacking and drinking your way from bar to bar is incredibly Spanish and lots of fun! 

SIX NIGHT STAY

Day One - Arrival in Barcelona 

Our chaffeur will meet you at Barcelona airport to take you by private transfer to our small and charming hotel situated right in the centre of Barcelona next to Plaza Cataluña, within five to ten minutes walking distance of Gaudi’s Pedrera and Casa Batlló, the Ramblas street, the Liceu Opera House, the Picasso Museum and much more. Dinner on your own. 

Day Two - Cultural and Tapas Tour in Historical Old Quarter 

Our guide will welcome you at the lobby of your hotel. We will then head to Casa Batló, 5 minutes walking from your hotel, an amazing Gaudi creation just in the center of Barcelona, where our guide will meet you. This morning we will go for a lovely walking tour among the magical medieval narrow streets at the Gothic old historic quarter, visiting the amazing cathedral and its surroundings which include the Romanesque church of Santa Llúcia, the City Hall. Antique dealers, bookshops, restaurants and unusual shops maintain the activity of this historical district.

17:00 – 20:00 2nd Cooking Class and Dinner 

Day Three- Visit to the Boquería Market & Cooking Class  

11:00 – 14:30 Our meeting point will be the Boqueria Market, just 10 minutes from your hotel. Situated in “ Las Ramblas”, a famous cheerful pedestrian street with traditional shops, the fresh market of “La Boqueria” is one of the most spectacular and nicest food markets in Spain. It is famous for the quality and diversity of its produce which comes from around the world. It is located on a site originally intended to be used as the courtyard of the church of Sant Josep. We will meet our chef to buy the ingredients for our cooking class. 

Then we will go to our prestigious cooking school, just 5 minutes from the market, and put on our aprons. The workshop will last about three hours and will consist of a complete menu- first and second dish and dessert -based on regional or other typical Spanish recipes you may wish to learn how to cook such us: 

• Gazpacho, tomato soup with garlic, olive oil and other vegetables
• Spanish omelet, with  potatoes, onions and more Mediterranean ingredients
• Famous rice dish: PAELLA
• Desserts: Catalan cream.

We will finish with a delicious supper based on what we have prepared accompanied with excellent Spanish wine.   

Afternoon free to explore fascinating Barcelona, with Gaudís creations, Sacred Family church, Park Gúell, the beautiful fishing port and Columbus Plaza, the shopping Paseo de Gracia street just next to the hotel. Suggestions for dinner will be given. 

Day Four - Flight to Madrid (Three night stay)

Transfer to airport or train station in Barcelona. We will pick you up when you get to Madrid and take you to your fabulous  hotel, set in the chic, gastronomic and leisure centre of Madrid.  

19:00 Legends, old taverns and tapas tour in historical old quarter. 

From the amazing Royal Palace, just in the beautiful Opera plaza, our guide will lead you on a private walk through some interesting sites which currently form part of what is known as the Madrid of the Hapsburgs, in the area surrounding the beautiful arcade Main Square (Plaza Mayor), and visiting gorgeous bars and cheerful old taverns at the most famous tapas quarter, telling you fantastic legends of the history of Madrid.   Anything from shrimps cooked in garlic, clams in sherry sauce, ham croquettes with a béchamel sauce, stuffed peppers, pickles on cocktail sticks, cheeses and hams, can be enjoyed as a tapa!  

Day Five - Wine day - Ribera del Duero D.O. region 

Today we are invited to visit a wineries in Ribera and to enjoy a unique experience and a tutored tasting at one of the best wineries in the region, the one who produces one of the red wines that Pope Joan Paul II chosen for Christmas.  

Traditional Castilian dinner, delicious slow cooked in huge wooden oven.

We will then go to Peñafiel, home of kings and nobles, to visit its Castle which spectacularly rises on a hill overlooking the Duero and whose ancient, battle-scarred history has left behind a historical and architectural heritage of great value and beauty. We will visit its fantastic Wine Museum inside the castle . We will also take a scroll around the beautiful Plaza del Coso where bullfighting festivals have been held since the middle Ages and with their unique balconies that display lovely wooden arabesques.

Back to Madrid. Dinner on your own. 

Day Six - Excursion to Segovia. Discover Castilian Cuisine. 

Arrival to Segovia an hour from Madrid. The arrival at this noble and millenary town brings us back to remote times. You will find yourselves entering under a spectacular Roman aqueduct (the best preserved in the world). You can visit the beautiful cathedral and the Alcázar, a castle that seems to have come out of a story book. Let's take a stroll in this lovely city to find a magnificent view towards the most placid fields of Castile and Leon and its majestic Alcazar.

Afterwards we head towards the cobblestone village of Pedraza through an arch in its walls, passing through noble houses to reach its nice medieval castle from which we will enjoy exceptional sights of the valley. We will have a fabulous Castilian meal.

Transfer to Madrid

Free afternoon to explore the intensity of this city (visit some of its great museums of EL Prado, Reina Sofia or Thyssen, have a nice walk at The Retiro Park or get a boat at its lake, or just go shopping at the fancy shops in the lovely Barrio de Salamanca, or main Gran Via street. Suggestions will be given for dinner on your own.

Day Seven- Breakfast - Transfer to airport.