Options

Paradors of Northen Spain tour 2014. Itinerary question

mel0849mel0849
in Paradors of Northern Spain
Hello.

I'm thinking of doing this tour in May 2014 with my mother who has just retired.. but I wonder how active it is ? or if you feel like it's very relaxed?, I travel alot on my own and like to know the culture of the countries I visit. I try to see as much as possible in every city and I do not think there are many visits to museums or time to know the historical center in each city. ( like in Barcelona: No visit to the Guel park or the pueblo spanol or the Palaces) I live in seattle and the latitude of northern spain is similar.. so I wonder if this trip is more for people to enjoy the nature and scenary of northern Spain , and possibly enjoy the outdoor activities like , hikking, waking etc. ..
I appreciate any information.
I'll be in Barcelona one day before the your stars and stay two extra days in Lisbon to compensate.

Thanks.

Comments

  • Options
    bknochbknoch
    We have done 6 trips with Tauck, and by far this is rated the worst. Traveled over 1200 MILES by bus. Each day was at least from 9 AM to 6PM . On other trips we have flown, or went by boat, with nominal bus rides. Accomodations were excellent, but we felt very tired at end, even though we went in 1 day earlier and stayed 1 day later at Lisbon. Unless you are a devout Catholic, I would not recommend the trip. Have been with Tauck to China, South Africa, Cuba, Rhone river, and South America--so we are familiar with what their trips can and should provide. This trip did not meet our expectations.
  • Options
    joyceswjoycesw
    While I completely agree with the previous poster about the long bus time, I have to disagree about the value of this trip. We loved seeing the various areas of A more rebellious Northern Spain. From Catalonian, to Basque to Galacian, we found the cultures enlightening. We absolutely loved San Sebastián, we played golf in the Pyrenees, we took food and wine tours in both San Sebastián and Barcelona, walked the running of the bulls in Pamplona, and meandered through a craft and food medieval fair in Leon! This was our 11th tour with Tauck, and we, too, have more recently done the more exotic tours ...Peru/Galapagos, Australia/new Zealand, Southeast Asia, Treasures of the Aegean...when bus time is very limited and tolerable. With that said, I am not sure this particular trip could be done in any other way...the Picos de Europa were beautiful and the gondola to the summit at Fuentes de gave us stunning views. I'm not sure what being a devout Catholic ( we are neither devout nor Catholic) has to do with the trip, other than the cathedral at Santiago de Campostale, and that was totally optional. In short, the bus time was a drag and tiring, but the trip did have value.
  • Options
    PeregrinatorPeregrinator
    Very relaxed? No, I wouldn't call it that. Active? I'm not sure that describes it either. The days are full, and although not physically exhausting, people who have difficulties walking or climbing stairs might not enjoy this trip. We covered a lot of territory, but to me that was a plus. I doubt I'll be able to return to Spain, so by taking these two comprehensive tours, I feel like I will always have a new appreciation for Spain, and a different understanding whenever I read news of happenings in that country.

    My wife and I actually took two back-to-back Tauck tours in Spain last year. We thought both trips were excellent!
    We wrote reviews that perhaps you will find helpful; here are links to them:

    Paradors of Northern Spain

    Spain and Portugal


    I don't understand the comment in post #2 about not recommending the trip unless you are a devout Catholic. We are neither, and do not see how that had any bearing on our trip whatsoever.
This discussion has been closed.