Custom Concert Tour Sample DestinationsNew York City
"...I want to thank you and your staff for a truly wonderful tour. Your company did an outstanding job putting together this custom tour package for us."
Lindy Rust, Choir Director |
SPAIN
DAY 1: DETROIT, MICHIGAN TO MALAGA, SPAINDepart Detroit, Michigan on an Air France flight to connect in Paris, France on your way to Spain. Meals and refreshments will be served on the flight. DAY 2: MALAGA, SPAIN—COSTA DEL SOL—WELCOME TO SPAIN! Upon arrival in Paris, France, change planes and depart on another Air France flight bound for Malaga, Spain. When you arrive in Malaga, your Music Contact International tour escort will greet your choir in the arrival's area. Together, load your motor coach and begin your exploration of lovely Andalusia with its white-washed towns, Moorish heritage and scenic vistas. Check into your hotel near Spain's Costa del Sol—sunny coast—and settle in before joining your tour escort on an orientation walk of the surrounding neighborhood. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner arranged for your choir this evening. DAY 3: ANDALUSIA AND THE COSTA DEL SOLFollowing breakfast in the hotel dining room, spend the day absorbing the ambiance of Spain's coastal towns. Visit places such as Frigiliana, the village in the Axarquia region of Spain known for its true Moorish style of architecture visible in its small, whitewashed houses, churches and government buildings. Frigiliana has won numerous awards from the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Tourism for its continual beautification of the village. Take a stroll through this lovely village with your escort and local guide, and learn about its rich history. Visit Nerja, a scenic resort with sweeping views from its rocky coastline. Enjoy lunch in one of the many cafes and restaurants along the promenade. Possibly visit las Cuevas de Nerja, natural caverns where paintings about 20,000 years old adorn the walls. Return to your hotel with time to refresh before joining your group for dinner. DAY 4: GRANADA AND THE ALHAMBRA • HOLY THURSDAY PROCESSION Enjoy breakfast in your hotel this morning and check out before transferring to the great cultural city of Granada. Upon arrival, a local guide will take you on a tour of the fabulous Alhambra. The Alhambra, surrounded by woods and mountains, was originally designed as a military complex with natural and man-made fortifications. It later developed into an estate for Spanish royalty. Many Spanish generals and members of the royal family used the gardens surrounding the Alhambra, known as Generalife, for thought and relaxation. The gardens have been well-preserved and are an attraction on their own. There will be ample time to visit the Alhambra, enjoy lunch and take photos. There may also be an opportunity to participate in an Easter procession in Granada for Holy Thursday (pending confirmation and availability). In the afternoon, transfer to your Granada hotel and check in. There will be time to relax and refresh before enjoying dinner and a Flamenco show. Granada is well known for its pure and dramatic flamenco dancing in its Sacromonte Quarter. Flamenco dancers from all over Spain come here to learn from the masters. It will be an evening to remember! DAY 5: GRANADA—TOLEDO-MADRID • CONCERTEnjoy breakfast in the hotel restaurant this morning. Check out of the hotel and load the motor coach to depart for Toledo en route to Madrid. Toledo is known as the spiritual and intellectual capital of Spain. Upon arrival in Toledo, a local guide will show you the highlights. Due to its strategic location, Toledo was a natural battleground in need of fortresses. The famous castles of Castilla are found here: Maqueda, Guadamur, Oropesa, to name a few. Toledo became the hub of art and culture and home to three major religions—Christianity, Islam and Judaism—which successfully co-existed. See the Synagogue, the Cathedral and the house of the famous painter "El Greco" who lived there from 1572 to his death in 1614. The medieval Alcazar fortress hovers over the town imposingly and stands as a memorial to the military led by Franco. This is no surprise as it was Franco who had the fortress rebuilt after his victory in the 1936 Civil War. Your choir will be invited to sing a short, informal concert in the Toledo Cathedral on this day (pending confirmation and availability). There will be free time for lunch in Toledo before continuing onto Madrid. Upon arrival in Madrid, check into your hotel and settle in for the night. Dinner is arranged for your group this evening in the hotel dining room. DAY 6: MADRID Enjoy breakfast in the hotel before meeting a local guide from Madrid for a city tour of Spain's capital. See the highlights of Madrid including Fuente de la Cibeles at the Plaza de la Cibeles. Sybil, the Wife of Saturn, is situated atop the fountain driving a chariot driven by lions. This fountain, beautifully lit at night, has become a symbol of Madrid. Visit the Plaza Colon, named for Christopher Columbus. Directly behind the Plaza is Calle Serrano, which has the city's best shopping. The city center, around the Puerta del Sol, is considered a main shopping area and is the center of Spain's road network. This square was once the original eastern entrance to the city, occupied by a gatehouse and a castle. Today, the half-moon shaped square offers the visitor a lively stage of cars, people and atmosphere to enjoy. The tour includes a visit inside of the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace in Madrid is actually owned by the King of Spain. The Palace was built on the site of a former Alcazar that burned down in 1734, It took 26 years to complete. A visitor to the Palace today gets to see 50 of its 2800 rooms. There will be time for lunch in the lively cafes of Plaza Mayor, the famous square of Madrid, and former site of bullfights, executions, pageants, and the infamous Spanish Inquisition trials. Today, Plaza Mayor is where lively outdoor cafes and tabernas are filled with vivacious locals known as "Madrilenos." After lunch, enjoy a visit to the Prado Museum, the largest art gallery in the world. It exhibits sculptures, drawings, coins and other works of arts, but it is undoubtedly its large collection of paintings which has given it fame worldwide. It houses more than 8,600 paintings, from Goya, Picasso and others, of which they exhibit less than 2,000 because of lack of space available. Many museums throughout the world have less artistic riches in their halls than the Prado Museum has in storage. After your visit to the Prado, return to the hotel. There will be time to relax and refresh before enjoying dinner featuring Tapas arranged for your group in a local restaurant. Originally eaten between meals, Tapas became a staple in Spanish culture when King Alfonso the Wise ordered all places serving alcohol to also serve small portions of food. These small portions gave the customer a chance to sample many different dishes. After your Tapas dinner, return to your hotel for the evening. DAY 7: MADRID—SEGOVIA • MADRID CONCERT Enjoy breakfast in the hotel this morning. Depart for Segovia (approximately 1 hour) and perform the parts of mass in a local church (pending confirmation and availability). There will be an opportunity to sing a short concert following the service. A secure area will be arranged for you to change clothes before enjoying lunch on your own and embarking on a city tour of Segovia. Segovia was once an important military town during Roman rule, and later a major textile center under Arab rule. See the Church of Vera Cruz, a Romanesque structure built in 1208 for the Knights Templar. Also, see the Roman aqueduct, one of the greatest surviving examples of Roman engineering, among other highlights. Following your tour, return to Madrid for the evening. Dinner will be arranged for your choir. Following, there may be an opportunity to see a Zarzuela Opera this evening (pending confirmation and availability). DAY 8: MADRID—ZARAGOZA—LLORET DE MAR CONCERT After breakfast in the hotel restaurant, check out and load the motor coach. Depart for Zaragoza en route to Lloret de Mar along the Costa Brava. Zaragoza is situated along the Ebro River Valley in a very picturesque setting. It is a town with an impressive landscape, old traditions and popular customs. Upon arrival in Zaragoza, visit the Basilica "El Pilar." This church is one of the most popular destinations for pilgrimage in all of Spain, consecrated to the "Holy Virgin of Pilar," patroness not only of this town but of all Spanish-speaking countries. So the annual celebrations to the "Day of Pilar" in October are of great importance. The baroque building of 1681 is flanked by four towers. Some parts, as the neoclassical main-facade, were added in later periods. In its interior the wall-paintings in the cupola, works of Goya and Bayeau, are of particular interest. In the church's museum you can see a large collection mainly of religious arts. After your visit of El Pilar, enjoy some free time for lunch and shopping. Continue on to Lloret de Mar and arrive in the evening. Check in to the hotel. Dinner is arranged for your group this evening in the hotel restaurant. DAY 9: LLORET DE MAR—MONTSERRAT—GIRONA—LLORET DE MAR • CONCERTS After breakfast in your hotel, depart for Montserrat Monastery. Enjoy a tour of this historic site with a local guide. The Benedictine monastery of Saint Mary of Montserrat lies among the rounded crags of Montserrat, a mountain in northern Spain. The monastery holds an icon of the Virgin Mary and is a major pilgrimage site. It also offers remarkable views of the surrounding Catalan countryside. You may have the opportunity to sing a short concert, one or two songs, at the main altar. After your tour, enjoy lunch on your own and some free time for shopping. Continue on to Girona (approximately 2 hours), a delightful town badly damaged by French troops in 1809. Presently, however, it boasts many interesting sights. Upon arrival, embark on a city tour of Girona. This beautiful ancient city has had a rich and vibrant history with a settlement existing on the site for over 2,500 years. Visitors to this splendid inland city discover a diverse heritage that combines Roman, Moorish and Jewish influences in a uniquely Catalonian style. The most prominent features offered by Girona are on the east bank of the River Onyar within the oldest section of the city, known as La Força Vella. Defensive walls and towers that have protected Girona against attack for thousands of years surround this ancient district. The main road within the ancient city gates is the Carrer de la Forca this leads to narrow medieval streets and alleyways, steep staircases and finally beautiful churches, historic buildings and houses built high on the hillside. La Forca Vella's most notable monument is the remarkable 14th Century Cathedral de Girona that boasts the widest Gothic nave in the world and the Museo Capitular; an area within the cathedral dedicated to exhibiting significant religious artworks. Also located on Cathedral Square are the Episcopal Palace, which now contains the major collections of the Museum of Art (Museo de Arte), the Church of Sant Feliu and the 12th Century Arabic baths of Baños Árabes. There may be an opportunity to arrange a Friendship Concert with a local choir in Girona (pending confirmation and availability). After your visit to Girona, return to your hotel for the evening. Dinner will be arranged either at the hotel or in a local restaurant. DAY 10: LLORET DE MAR—BARCELONA EXCURSION Enjoy breakfast in the hotel and depart for Barcelona (approximately 1 hour drive). Upon arrival, enjoy a city tour of Barcelona and its surroundings. See the dramatic works of the modernist architect Antoni Gaudi. His fanciful Casa Mila and Palau Guell, have become symbols of the city's unique, colorful and contemporary character. From private residences to public parks and even his famous cathedral, La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's organic Art Nouveau style was all his own. After your city tour, enjoy lunch on your own and some free time for shopping before returning to Lloret for the evening. A group dinner will be arranged. DAY 11: LLORET DE MAREnjoy breakfast in the hotel this morning. Depart for Barcelona for a visit to the Picasso Museum. The genius of the young artist is revealed through the more than 3,500 works that make up the permanent collection. The Picasso Museum also reveals his relationship with Barcelona: an intimate, solid relationship that was shaped in his adolescence and youth, and continued until his death. After your Picasso Museum visit, there will be some time to have lunch on your own and to do some last minute shopping before returning to Lloret de Mar. Enjoy a Farewell Dinner in a local restaurant in Lloret de Mar featuring Catalan specialties this evening. DAY 12: LLORET DE MAR—USAEnjoy breakfast in the hotel restaurant and check out. Load your motor coach and depart for the Barcelona Airport for your trip home. This tour was designed as a concert tour for a high school choir and ran in 2006. Please let us know if you would like us to research prices for this tour for 2007 or if you would like to discuss an alternative itinerary. Go to top of page to request more information on your customized Concert Tour. |
