Valencia & the Orange Grove Coast

Discover Spain’s unspoilt Orange Grove or Orange Blossom Coast, from the vibrant city of Valencia. This tour takes us to Moorish towns and hilltop villages, through the Albufera lagoon and into the rocky interior plateau, with the region’s lush orange groves as a backdrop.

Valencia’s futuristic City of Arts & Sciences

Fly to Valencia or Alicante. On arrival, transfer to the hotel. This evening we enjoy an informal drinks reception followed by dinner. (D)

Valencia’s centrepiece is the ribbon of green that curves its way from the port to the riverside Parc de Capçalera. Once the Turia riverbed, this urban park is now a series of manicured gardens, wooded areas, water features, and handsome bridges. During our tour by coach, we’ll see the City of Arts and Sciences,designed by world-famous local architect, Santiago Calatrava. We’ll also follow a local guide on a walking tour through the old town, seeing the striking Gothic Silk Exchange and Art Nouveau market hall, which you might opt to explore during the afternoon when you have free time to explore. Tonight we will enjoy dinner at a portside restuarant with views over the fine golden sands of the city beach and out over the mediterranean sea. (B,D) + Included Experience – Guided tour of Valencia

Elche is a fascinating mix of the Moorish legacy of its 10th-century Arab occupiers with additions from the Christian conquerors who ousted them

As this is a single-centre tour, we stay at the same hand-picked hotel in Valencia for seven nights, with breakfast and four dinners.

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Please note: The use of air-conditioning in hotels in Italy is at the hotel’s discretion and is normally restricted to the summer months (mid-May to mid-September), depending on the temperature. Where hotels feature an outdoor swimming pool, this will be open during the summer months (weather permitting).

from their Vila Murada home three centuries later. During our tour we’ll see this east-meets-west amalgamation, in the ornate Spanish-Baroque Basilica de Santa Maria, which sits between the Arab fortresses of Calaforra and Altamira.

See the Huerto del Cura botanical gardens and the vast Palmeral palm grove - the date palm orchards were planted by Arab settlers. Our tour ends at the Huerto del Cura, ‘Priest’s Orchard’ with its amazing collection of tropical plants, and we’ll also taste some datebased delicacies.

The rest of the day is free before we enjoy dinner in a local restaurant. (B,D) + Included Experience – Guided tour of Elche.

We travel to Spain’s ‘interior plateau’ and Aragon is our first stop to discover Gothic and Islamic architecture, fused in the distinctive Mudéjar style, and ornate Arabesque buildings. The towers of San Martin and San Salvador are especially beautiful, so too the UNESCO cathedral, with its bell tower and colourful mosaic tiling. Perched on a precipitous outcrop above a bend in the Gaudalaviar river is picturesque Albarracin. We walk with a local guide through narrow lanes passing stone cottages, the village cathedral and red-clay houses. At the very top of town, we see the crenelated city walls that snake their way even higher across the mountain ridges and a

KEY Arrive Depart

Albarracin Teruel

Manises

Albufera Valencia

Xativa

Elche Hotel Eurostars Rey Don Jaime

charming casa gives us a glimpse back to the 17th century. (B) + Included Experiences – Guided walking tour of Albarracin and visit to Aragon

Perhaps visit the excellent science museum, before joining the locals on a stroll through the Turia gardens to the arched viewing point overlooking the lake of the Parc de Capçalera. The Church of Saint Nicholas may have a modest façade, but its interior is a wonderland of colourful frescoes, often compared to the Sistine Chapel and the Cathedral is an undeniable highlight with a decorated dome, soaring tower and intricate façades. Visit the city’s Fallas Museum, which takes a lighthearted look at Valencia’s springtime fiesta in which colourful sculptures transform the streets or simply unwind over a glass of sangria and a plate of tapas. (B)

We visit the nearby town of Xativa, dominated by its hilltop castle. Hannibal is said to have stayed here en route to his daring attack on Rome. In the Middle Ages Xativa rose in prominence as the home of two of the infamous Borgia popes and the town is dotted with numerous grand villas and churches which we’ll see on our guided tour before free time.

Returning to Valencia we stop at Albufera, a large freshwater lagoon, to take a cruise on a typical shallowbottomed boat. Keep an eye out for birdlife and even flocks of pink flamingos. We stop at a traditional Valencian barraca, a triangular thatched house, to learn about the lives of the farmers of the Albufera. (B) + Included Experiences – Guided tours of Xativa Cruise in Albufera

Renowned for its traditional ceramic crafts, we explore the narrow streets of Manises with our guide, passing pastel-coloured houses, leafy squares and the occasional whitewashed church. A pottery workshop visit is followed by free time for lunch.

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• Return flights from a selection of regional airports and transfers to and from your hotel, plus porterage of one item of luggage • Seven nights’ accommodation in a four-star hotel, inclusive of local taxes • A welcome drinks reception to meet your fellow travellers • The services of our experienced and insightful tour manager

(B) Daily Breakfast, (D) 4 Dinners For departure dates, prices and flights, please call or visit our website.

YOUR EXPERIENCES • 5 guided tours including Valencia,

Xativa, Elche, Albarracin and Manises • Cruise the Albufera lagoon • Enjoy a tasting of the Moorish town’s date-based delicacies • See ceramic handicraft-making in action at a pottery workshop in Manises

The afternoon is at leisure, so you may wish to indulge in some souvenirshopping on the tree-lined Carrer de Colón or peruse the stalls at the grand Art Nouveau Mercado de Colón.

This evening we visit a nearby masia, a traditional farm villa where we have dinner amongst fragrant gardens and orange groves. (B,D) + Included Experiences – Guided tour of Manises with pottery workshop visit

Transfer to the airport for your return flight. (B)

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