Madrid and Barcelona- 7 days

Madrid and Barcelona- 7 days

B- breakfast L- lunch D-dinner

7 days- Madrid 3 nights and Barcelona 3 nights in selected hotel

Minimum number of participants: 2 pax

Available all year round subject to availability

We propose a trip full of contrasts, to visit Madrid, the capital of Spain and queen of Spanish gastronomy, and Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, the gateway to Europe and the Mediterranean Sea.

Madrid, a city that never sleeps. Vibrant and modern, it will surprise you with its majestic historic neighborhoods and magnificent avenues, monuments, gardens, and a great variety of cultural activities, as well as excellent taverns and restaurants. It is the European capital that has most absorbed the regional cuisines of its country.

Located on the banks of the Mediterráneo, Barcelona is a cosmopolitan city with a great cultural, commercial, financial and touristic importance. It is one of the most visited European cities, but not only for its art, but also for its sunny beaches combined with a suggestive and excellent gastronomic offer.

During these days we will enjoy a cooking class in both cities to learn the most Madrid and Catalan recipes, tasting the peculiarities of each one, having fun in authentic tapas route also discovering curious taverns and bars in the neighborhood. Gothic Barcelona and Hapsburg Madrid and learn from our expert guides about Gaudí's art or about the Court and palace history in Madrid...

We will also go to the outskirts of these capitals to visit Toledo, which has been declared a World Heritage Site and known for being the city of the three cultures because Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together. We will also visit the famous fishing and artistic village of Sigtes.

A unique and unforgettable gastronomic and cultural explosion.

Itinerary

Day 1- L or D

Arrival at Madrid Barajas airport (the airport of arrival can be Barcelona if the client prefers).

Welcome and private transfer to the fabulous and centrally located hotel of your choice in Madrid.

Welcome dinner or lunch according to arrival time.

Day 2 - B/L Cultural walking tour and tapas tour of old Madrid. 4hours

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Your guide will be waiting for you in the hotel lobby. You will start a private walking tour through some interesting sites that today are part of what is known as “the Madrid of the Austrias“, in the area surrounding the beautiful arcaded Plaza Mayor, the amazing Royal Palace next to the beautiful Opera Square, and we will tell you fantastic legends of Madrid's history. We will take you to the most famous tapas district, to magnificent bars and cheerful old taverns that we Spaniards visit, and to the beautiful Mercado de San Miguel, the meeting place for tapas time.

You will be amazed with the bars full of tapas and pinchos... Any delight, from prawns with garlic, clams in sherry sauce, ham croquettes, pickle and olive banderillas, cheeses and Iberian ham, .... They can be enjoyed as a tapa and accompanied by a glass of wine or a glass of beer... simply delicious!

Free afternoon and dinner on your own (recommendations will be given, reservations upon request).

*optionalGourmet tour and chocolate tasting. If you wish, you can enjoy a very special tour. Taste and learn a little about the history and origin of chocolate, or from the hand of a master chocolatier, and visit several gourmet establishments, from a local fresh produce market, a gourmet store and even a pastry shop. A real temptation.

Day 3- - B/L Excursion to Toledo- 8 hours

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Only 33 minutes away by AVE (high speed train), Toledo is a must visit. It is one of the Spanish cities with the greatest wealth of monuments. Known as the “city of the three cultures”, because Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together for centuries, behind its walls Toledo preserves an artistic and cultural legacy in the form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques and synagogues. This great diversity of artistic styles turns the old town of the capital of La Mancha into a real open-air museum, which has led to its declaration as a World Heritage Site.

Your guide will explain the great history and legends of this magical place, visit its majestic Cathedral, the Synagogue, the famous painting of “el Greco” and the church of San Juan.

We will culminate the tour with the pleasure of tasting the famous handmade “marzipan” of Toledo. A very tempting sweet delicatessen.

Lunch in a restaurant where you will taste some specialties of the region, Castilla, some typical dishes such as partridge "a la toledana", "pisto manchego" or "sopa castellana".

Rest of the afternoon free for shopping.

Return to Madrid. Free afternoon and dinner on your own.

Day 4- B/L Local market and 1st cooking class. 4 hours

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

We will start the day visiting a fresh produce market where you will be surprised and learn about the great variety of seafood and fish that our seas offer us, or the great quantity of cheeses, Iberian products and oils that we produce or curiosities such as the products of casquería. Afterwards we will enjoy a cooking class in a prestigious cooking school in Madrid (optional if the group is 6 maximum, an exclusive class and lunch at the home of a Spanish cook).

The participatory workshop will last approximately two and a half hours and will consist of a complete menu of first and second course and dessert, based on typical Spanish recipes such as gazpacho or omelette, paella, pears in wine, etc.. We will finish with a delicious meal based on the dishes we have prepared and washed down with a good Spanish wine.

Travel by AVE (high speed train to Barcelona). 2 hours and a half. Transfer to the hotel and check in.

Dinner on your own.

Day 5 - B/L Gaudi Day and tapas tour of the Gothic Quarter .5-6 hours.

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Your guide will be waiting for you in the hotel lobby to start the tour that will show you the fascinating works of Gaudí, the Park Güell, the impressive Sagrada Familia and the Casa Pedrera and Batló. You will then discover the magical Gothic Quarter and get lost in its narrow, medieval streets to hear its history and legends.

Antique shops, bookstores, taverns, and unusual stores keep the activity of this neighborhood alive 24 hours a day. During the walk, we will enjoy a meal based on tapas, so you will learn about this famous Spanish way of eating in various tascas and bars, small portions of different specialties accompanied by wine or a refreshing beer ... Any dish, from Iberian ham and other Catalan sausages, bread with tomato, mussels with “vinaigrette”, anchovies, prawns with garlic, etc., can be tasted as a tapa. Simply fun and delicious!

Afternoon at leisure and dinner on your own (recommendations will be given, reservations upon request).

Day 6 - B/L Excursion to Sitges (optional visit to Masía winery). 5 or 7 hours.

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Sitges has always been a place that has enchanted artists, tourists and, in general, visitors from all over the world. For many, the secret is its light and the almost 300 days of sunshine a year, as painters, sculptors and writers who settled there at the end of the 19th century found. Sitges has preserved important medieval and old fishing village references, and offers visitors an important architectural heritage that our private guide will show us during a pleasant walking tour through its cobbled streets.

Lunch in a fabulous restaurant with breathtaking ocean views.

In the afternoon OPTIONAL: visit with Manel Aviñó winemaker and oenologist for his spectacular estate and winery in the Montgros Valley. This consists of 45 hectares of forest and 16 hectares of vineyards surrounding the winery in a beautiful Masia, where they produce their own wines from native varieties such as xarel.lo or malvasia de Montgros.

Sitges in white; sumoll, cariñena and tempranillo in blacks. We will enjoy a peculiar, friendly and exclusive visit and taste very special wines.

Day 7 - B/L Boqueria Market and cooking class.

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Today we will meet with our chef to shop and learn about the ingredients we will use in our cooking class.

Located on “Las Ramblas”, a famous pedestrian street lively with traditional stores, the fresh produce market of “La Boqueria” is one of the most spectacular and best food markets in Europe. It is famous for the quality and diversity of its products, which come from all over the world. It is located on a site originally intended to be used as the courtyard of the church of Sant Josep.

Next, we will head to our cooking school, just 5 minutes from the market in the heart of the old town. We will put on our aprons and get down to work. This is a fully participatory workshop and will consist of a full menu based on typical Spanish recipes such as: Gazpacho, potato omelette, seafood paella and the typical Catalan dessert, the delicious Crema Catalana. We will finish with a delicious meal based on what we have prepared along with an excellent Spanish wine.

End of services.

Culinary Spain wishes you a safe return trip.

Includes

WHAT IS INCLUDED:

• Private transfers airport - hotel - airport.
• Ave Ticket Madrid -Barcelona or vice versa
• 6 nights accommodation (3 in Barcelona and 3 in Madrid) with buffet breakfast, in the hotel of your choice in standard double room (double occupancy), unless you book a single or superior room.
• Lunches or dinners specified in the itinerary. Unless otherwise specified, a bottle of wine for every two people and water are included. Any extra drinks are at the client's expense.
• Private cultural and tapas tour in Madrid with specialized guide including tapas lunch and drinks.
• Private cultural and tapas tour in Barcelona with specialized guide including entrance to Sagrada Familia and Park Güell, tapas lunch and drinks and necessary cabs or minibus.
• 2 participatory cooking classes at cooking schools in Madrid and Barcelona including lunch or dinner and drinks.
• Guided visit to the Boqueria Market.
• Excursion to Toledo and walking tour with specialized guide including train ticket or minibus for groups, lunch with wine and tickets to the Cathedral, El Greco, the Synagogue and the Church of San Juan.
• Excursion to Sitges with guided tour, including train ticket or minibus for groups, including lunch with wine in a prestigious restaurant, local taxes.
• Dossier of recipes
• Travel documentation.

IMPORTANT:

• The menus are not à la carte but fixed in advance by us. They include a bottle of wine for every two people or water. Any extra drinks are at the client's expense. If you are allergic or can not take any food or have any dietary restrictions, please let us know when making the reservation. Thank you
• The order of days in the itinerary or schedule of activities can be modified by Culinary Spain. The client will receive the confirmed itinerary prior to the trip.

OPTIONAL:

• Extra nights
• For groups between 2 and 6 pax, car rental with or without driver for the excursion to Sitges or Toledo or cab transfers to the train station.
• Visit to a winery and tasting of regional wines in Sitges.
• For groups between 2 and 6 pax, cab transfers to the cooking class.
• Gourmet tour and chocolate tasting in Madrid
• Dinner with Flamenco show in Madrid or Barcelona
• Reservations in restaurants of your choice for dinners or lunches not included
• Travel insurance.

NOT INCLUDED:

• Airline ticket.
• For groups between 2 and 6 pax transfers to cooking class or train station (optional)
• Extra drinks or extra bottles of wine or unspecified meals
• Personal expenses or tips

More information

For prices and availability, reservations or more information, please do not hesitate to contact us: contact us at.