Europe travel guide 2012 pdf

If you want to have some drinks in a relaxed atmosphere, go to Caseta del Migdia. Bernardino of Siena preaching to Alfonso V of Aragon. History of the Basilica de San Francisco el Grande This treasured Spanish heritage has been through multiple incarnations, the earliest of which goes back to the 13th century.

Legend has it that when Saint Francis of Assissi passed by Spain on his pilgrimage to the tomb of the St. James the Apostle in Compostela in , he built a modest home for himself and his companions near a hermitage where the church stands today. From these humble beginnings, the structure was expanded and enriched over the years, and eventually exceeded the splendor of all the churches in Madrid, until it was completely demolished in in order to build an ever bigger and more beautiful church to replace it.

The ambitious work was then assigned to a Franciscan monk, Fray Francisco Cabezas, who had envisioned a dome covering a circular temple housing several chapels. He worked on it for seven years until the project was suspended because of a disagreement over the proposed plan for the dome.

Museum highlights Once you step through the doors of the Basilica, it is impossible to not be awestruck by its floor-to-ceiling opulence and assembly of art under one dome. Each of these chapels have a different theme and is a mini museum unto itself, featuring altars surrounded by large oil paintings depicting religious scenes, mosaics, and intricately carved moldings. The Chapel of St. Bernardino of Siena preaching to Alfonso V of Aragon, which was commissioned in While visiting the main church area is free during morning Mass hours, it is certainly worth paying for a ticket 5 euros, from Tuesday to Friday to access the museum in the inner sacristy.

It is no less opulent inside — the hefty carved seats, mahogany and oakwood floors, gold candelabras and ornate ceilings could make you pause and wonder just how far the church has come from its humble origins. One room of interest is the ante-sacristy, a red-painted sanctum bordered by 17th century walnut-carved benches with Plateresque style backs. A guided tour in Spanish is offered during these times and is included in the ticket price. If you happen to find yourself here on a Sunday, you could also catch the year old flea market, El Rastro, or take part in a favorite local pastime — a Sunday tapas crawl along the cobblestone streets, in particular Cava Baja, long after the sun sets.

Its coliseum-like arena can seat a little over 23, people, making it the largest bullring in Spain and one of the largest in the world. Bullfights regularly take place here during the season, which runs from mid-May to September, while daily fights occur during the week-long San Isidro festival, held each May.

A visit to the Museo Taurino Bullfighting Museum at the back of the bullring offers a comprehensive look at the history and evolution of this divisive Spanish tradition. The stadium was built in and officially inaugurated in with a charity bullfight. However, the area surrounding the plaza remained a shanty town. A mass clean up operation, coupled with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in , meant that the Plaza de Toros was officially re-inaugurated in , a decade after its initial construction.

Apart from the annual roster of bullfights during the season, the Plaza de Toros has also hosted opera performances, weddings, traveling circuses, car shows and rock concerts — this is where the Beatles held their first concert in Spain when they came to Madrid in Other high-profile artists who have performed here include Prince, Sting and B.

Outside the arena are several statues paying tribute to important figures in the Spanish bullfighting world. Curiously, standing alongside these icons of the bullfighting world, is a bronze bust of Scottish doctor Alexander Fleming. The monument includes a statue depicting Fleming, and a matador tipping his hat to the scientist in appreciation of his work. The rather uncomfortable stone seats are distinguished in price according to the amount of sunlight each gets, with the most expensive seats being in the sombra shade , the cheapest under the sol sun and the midrange ones in the sol y sombra, or partial shade.

The most diehard bullfighting aficionados sit in Tendido 7, under the sun. Three large rooms exhibit fancy bullfighting dresses, accessories, busts and portraits of famous bulls and toreros, as well as the original posters advertising historic fights.

Guided tours Guided visits in English and Spanish will take you out onto the sand and into the royal box. Tours must be booked in advance through Las Ventas Tour.

Access to the Museo Taurino is free of charge. Now everyone can enjoy the ornate fountains, statues of Spanish writers and heroes, gazebos and stylistic exhibition spaces found in this sprawling, acre hectare green space. A walk through the park reveals various landscaping styles, from French-inspired manicured lawns to craggy tree-lined pathways and romantic rose gardens.

Among the grounds are several landmarks including Monument to Alfonso XII , a grand colonnade overlooking a central lake, and The Fallen Angel , the world's only publicly commissioned statue of Lucifer. Madrid's oldest tree, planted in , can also be found here. An expansive palace complex, the Palacio del Buen Retiro, once stood to one side of the park before it was destroyed by a fire in the 18th century.

In , the garden was opened to the public as a municipal heritage park, which it remains today. It housed animals brought back from Spanish colonies, including leopards, hyenas, polar bears and elephants. Sadly, many of the animals perished when Madrid was bombed during the Spanish Civil War in King Alfonso XII was a much-loved monarch who ruled from to and died young at The equestrian statue honoring him was made by Spanish sculptor Mariano Benlliure.

Fuente Egipcia On the southern end of the lake is a curious structure decorated with sphinxes called the Fuente Egipcia. Legend has it that an enormous fortune of Felipe IV was buried here in the midth century. It dramatically depicts the Morning Star as a winged youth in agony at his fall from grace, entangled by a seven-headed serpent pulling him to hell.

It is mounted on a fountain that shoots streams of water from gargoyle heads. To add some fuel to the hellfire — the statue stands at meters above sea level. It is noted as one of the few, albeit modest, examples of Romanesque architecture in Madrid. All that remains of the 13th-century structure is part of the wall, a side entrance and some of the apse. They were restored in Palacio de Cristal Glass Palace Hidden among verdant trees is the Palacio de Cristal Glass Palace , an architectural marvel of iron and glass, reflected magnificently on the waters of a surrounding lake.

It was built in to house flora brought over from the Philippines, then a Spanish colony. Today, it serves as an exhibition space. The oldest tree in Madrid Just within the Puerta de Felipe IV, the monumental gateway into the Parterre formal gardens, is thought to be Madrid's oldest tree. The Mexican conifer was planted in during the construction of the former Retiro Palace.

La Rosaleda Garden Towards the southern end of the park is the La Rosaleda Garden, a romantic little enclave with over roses. They are in full bloom from May to June. La Rambla is a tree-lined boulevard featuring a wide array of architectural delights, beautifully decorated flower stalls and particularly talented and certified human statues.

Foodies will definitely enjoy the tapa joints at Mercat de la Boqueria, considered by many to be the best gourmet food market in Europe. It is infamous for the incredible numbers of both pickpockets and tourist-first restaurants serving mediocre paella, but there is plenty to see and appreicate. In the 15th century, the Barcelona Council wanted to extend its city walls by including El Raval district.

For that, they had to divert the stream, so it could flow outside of the walls. This is a great way to get to know your group and enrich your travel experience! If you would prefer a little more privacy, a single supplement can be paid, which will guarantee you your own room for the duration of the tour. Please contact our Travel Experts to arrange this. Expat Explore can provide airport transfers for passengers, however, they are not included in the tour cost.

Please contact our Customer Support team to arrange this. Tipping is entirely voluntary and up to you, however, Expat Explore recommends approximately EUR2-EUR4 per day per person travelling for your crew, but this is only a recommendation. The nature of group tours is that they are fast-paced, with full itineraries. Unfortunately, a lot of European cities and sights that group tours visit are not very wheelchair friendly.

If you are aware of all the possible obstacles and the nature of group tours in Europe, let the customer support team know and we can ask the tour operator if they would be able to accommodate you. The twin room accommodations mean that you will be sharing a room with another traveller on your tour of the same gender.

The size of the bed would depend on the accommodation each night. Unfortunately, Expat Explore does not release the exact list of hotels that will be used on tour until 5 days prior to the departure. Log In Sign Up. Ask a Question Check Availability. Start and end in Rome. Tour Operator: Expat Explore Travel.

Max group size: Age range: 10 to Operated in: English. Tour id: Private available: Request as Private. Check Availability. Pay over time with smaller, interest-free instalments. Book once and share the cost with split payments. Start planning your tour Download Brochure Ask a Question. Sankt Goar. Open map popup View Destinations. Start and end in Rome! With the Explorer tour Europe Escape - 12 Days, you have a 12 days tour package taking you through Rome, Italy and 15 other destinations in Europe.

Europe Escape - 12 Days includes accommodation, an expert guide, meals, transport and more. Want to read it later? Download Brochure. Cancellation Policy A transparent overview of applicable fees. Additional Services. Where You'll Stay. Paris - Ibis la Defense or similar. Tuscany - Hotel Massimo d'Azeglio or similar. Rome - Hotel Cristoforo Colombo or similar.

Venice - Elite Residence Hotel or similar. Rhine Valley - Rheinlust or similar. Amsterdam - Hampton by Hilton Schipol Airport or similar. Customer Photos See all.

Customer Reviews. Overall Rating. Tour Operator. Most Recent. Most Popular. Highest First. Lowest First. Amazing safaris at Europe. Trip date: September Luke is king of the good times, but he is also super informative and engaging when helping travelers immerse themselves in a new culture and forgotten history. Highly recommend. Best tour guide ever. Trip date: May Follow in the footsteps of football legends from past and present by taking a tour of the stadium and then visiting the FC Barcelona Museum to learn all about the club's history, see its trophy collection, the press room, the presidential box, and the locker room.

The permanent collections contain more than 3, works, and this is one of the most popular and most visited museums in Barcelona. This historic and colourful market is one of the city's main attractions, and it offers everything when it comes to food — from fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and sweets to meat, fish, and cheese. The place is also popular for lunch, a quick bite, or a refreshing glass of cava. La Rambla Barcelona's most well-known street is unofficially not just one uninterrupted stretch but five — hence the name "Las Ramblas" — each containing attractions of its own.

A tree-lined, pedestrian-only walkway running through the street's central section, with street artists, souvenir vendors, bars and restaurants competing for visitors' attention. Read more. From the modernist buildings and the great cuisine to the Olympic city and the Mediterranean sea: it's all Barcelona! The air-conditioned double-decker open coaches travel all around the city, stopping at the most famous attractions including the Sagrada Familia and the Arc du Triomf.

There is a multilingual audio guide system and individual headphones as well as free Wi-Fi onboard. Hop on or off wherever you choose from one route to another. Because it can be very busy at the ticket offices, buy your ticket online now and hop on at the location of your choice! Parc de la Ciutadella Parc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona's "green lung", is not only the most central park in the city but also a park that includes a zoo, a lake, a large fountain, and a couple of museums.

In the centre of the park, you will even find the building where the Catalan Parliament is seated. So take a walk, have a picnic, and enjoy this very lusciously green and well-maintained park.