and LOVED Ronda!) I don't think would have found the same hotels on our own. Rick's 48 itineraries include Italy, France, Turkey, Ireland, Britain, Spain, and much more! This was our second RS tour and our first "My Way" version. From Gaudí and El Greco to tapas and flamenco, this tour captures the energetic diversity of Spain. We met a great bunch of people and had a great time! Loved our guide Andrew who was personable, respectful, patient and humorous. And finishing up with Seville and The Alcazar was just perfect.". Our guide was amazing, helpful and calm. They danced, played music, tossed candy, squirted water, lit fireworks. Spain was so beautiful, our group was great and our tour guide was amazing. Tonight, you might enjoy a performance of sultry, swirling flamenco. 425-608-4217, from $2,395 Today we'll wind our way between olive groves and pueblos blancos on our way to the flamboyant and atmospheric city of Sevilla. Photographing/Experiencing Gaudi's Casa Batllo and Sagrada Familia. There were just enough interactions with Pal, the tour leader, and the group as a whole that I felt well-supported without being smothered. Everything was very well organized - the "Buddy System", time frames for the buses and train. Pål was a superb tour manager. Helen leads Rick Steves tours in Spain and represents her artist husband, Rachid Hanbali, and his oil paintings. Seeing the Alhambra and then the Alcazar was impressive. We very much enjoyed the My Way experience -- the hotels were outstanding, the breakfasts were terrific and generous, our host, Amanda, was lots of fun and very friendly. This was my first Rick Steves tour, and I am already trying to figure out which one to do next. I was in awe from the moment I stepped outside of the metro stop and turned around and saw it for the first time!". We've been on both types of RS tours now. Andrew was amazing. Great hotels in fantastic locations combined with easy travel logistics. It truly glows red and with the snow covered mountains in the background its stunning. I loved the combination of having all of the travel details taken care of and just being able to focus on what I wanted to do in each city we visited. Churros.". The My Way travel format is perfect as there are no worries of lodging or transportation between locations. We saw areas of Grenada that we wouldn't have known to explore. We flew to Barcelona a few days early to start the journey, stayed at the same tour hotel and began the fun. Wonderful in every respect: guide, sights, bus, hotels and traveling companions. The orientation walks Andrew lead helped me to get oriented and were informative. The easy way to get free eBooks every day. ... "My Way" Rick Steves tour of Portugal. But, overall we had a great trip! What an unexpected pleasure. Rick Steves' money-sa... Read more, ©2020 Rick Steves' Europe, Inc. | "One of our favorite was moments was the little sleepy town of Ronda. I just wish we had more time in each city.". Doing it this way allowed us to see everything we wanted to but at our pace, which seemed to be the norm for a good part of our amazing travel partners. The MyWay approach fit us very well as we like to be independent. If I had to choose just one "wow" it would be viewing the Alhambra at sunset from San Nicholas viewpoint. You have the entire day and evening free to explore this remarkable city. Our host also helped fill in any local information needed in each city. Not having to worry about lodging and transportation combined with the freedom of "doing our own thing" was a great combination for us. Would like to have had another day in Granada and Ronda. moments. The view of the Alhambra from the outside balcony where we were seated for dinner was absolutely awesome! What an amazing complex. The choice of different cities and towns visited by the tour and the amount of time spent at each was just about perfect. I'll focus on things Rick Steves Inc has control over: The fact that the accommodations and transportation was taken care of was exactly what we were looking for. The format of the my My Way tour was perfect for us! In the evening, we stood on the bridge and tried to absorb the immensity of sunset above the gorge - hundreds of ink-black swifts detached themselves from the cliffs and performed an arabesque against the sky. Our My Way tour of Spain was outstanding. Spain is a wonderful country, and I've already been thinking about what I want to see when I return. "Goodness! I double it. I liked being able to focus my sightseeing on things that interested me and enjoyed my own pacing. Rick Steves on cafe chitchat, chocolate cake and the Vienna opera The grand European city is renowned for its high culture — and decadent desserts. Exceptions were the tapas crawl & farewell dinner. Her suggestions were in line with what we wanted to see and experience. Time in each city was well scheduled, and travel was smooth. Love the "no grumps" tour ethic and smaller size of tours. We did not want to be locked into a tour where you follow, ducking like, a pennant on a pole in a group of twenty plus. The My Way Spain tour was a terrific experience overall with the logistical planning for where to stay and how to get from city to city already done; we planned the fun part - what to see and do! He also was available each morning to answer any questions and provide tips. So helpful, kind and funny I enjoyed learning about the history of Spain. 3. 1- a fantastic meal and 2- who could beat the view of the Alhambra. Discover the latest and greatest in eBooks and Audiobooks. Rick Steves on BPR | Oct. 30, 2020 Throughout his decades-long career, history lover and travel guru Rick Steves has opted to stay away from political commentary. The first time we ever did a group tour. Also, we really enjoyed Sagrada Familia.". Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona. It was outstanding. So, only negative from trip was that we wished we would have known that the tour guide had arranged the event (it was a flamenco guitar duo who came to the hotel as opposed to we had booked to go to flamenco guitar venue, so we didn't miss anything we had planned to do, per se). Barcelona's Eixample Walk. "So many to choose from! see our FAQ. The tour leader, Amanda, was wonderful. Costs not covered: As this is not a guided tour, you will be responsible for the cost of all your lunches, dinners, drinks, admissions, sightseeing, and non-group transportation. And you can also watch a video clip related to this story: Just visit Rick Steves Classroom Europe and search for Camino.) "I loved Andrew sharing his personal story with the group (towards end of tour), and Segrada Familia was truly spiritual (I am agnostic). The hotel in Ronda was fabulous.". Rick Steves' money-savin... Read more, Your vacation to France starts by following a route that connects France's must-see sights — from monumental Paris to sunny Nice, with the Loire Valley, Lyon, Annecy, the French Alps, the ... Read more, This trip delivers endless opportunities for fresh-air thrills — from Austria's Sound of Music country to flower-carpeted meadows in Italy's Dolomites, fairy-tale castles in G... Read more, Your vacation to Spain begins in beautiful Barcelona and ends in sensual Sevilla — with the cultural delights of Madrid, Ronda, and Granada laced together in between. "Seeing the Roman Aquaduct in Segovia & it's Alcazar. It's cheap and easy to hop on a Spanish bus for a day trip to the old capital city of Toledo for its magnificent cathedral, the Synagogue Santa Maria la Blanca, and Santo Tomé Chapel — or to Segovia for its thrilling Roman aqueduct, Gothic cathedral, and imposing Alcázar (r). The tour was well run from start to finish and met our expectations. He skillfully guided the group from the cities and hotels on the tour. I never thought I'd see it again especially after the Met correctly returned it to Spain. The intricate detail on all the facades was amazing. You could start with a visit to the beautifully Moorish-style Alcázar palace (r), the Sevilla home of the Spanish Royal Family for the past 500 years. Rick Steves makes it easy to see more of Europe's best sights in one trip with his My Way® European vacation packages. Our tour manager Rich gave us excellent information to be able to navigate Spain's transportation on our own as we took a day trip from Madrid to El Escorial via the regional train and then on to Valley of the Fallen via taxi where we negotiated an hour's wait and return taxi pickup. Well organized and Rich Earl was a great tour leader. We will definitely go back to Spain, as now we have some favorite areas we would like to spend more time at.". The lighting focused on Alhambra made the view so impressive and dramatic. She knew a lot and she seemed very excited to include everyone in activities whenever possible. Andrew was a thoroughly prepared, readily available and extremely resourceful guide. There is one for Spain but not for Portugal. "The flamenco show! Excellent seating on the trains, "Rich did add his special flair in every city that we visited. Even the temperature of 106 in Madrid did not decrease our experience. Our escort, Richard, was great - very knowledgeable and helpful and friendly. Might as well just rent a (insert country of choice) video. Rick Steves makes it easy to see more of Europe's best sights in one trip with his My Way® European vacation packages. We are thinking of taking the My Way Spain tour in 2020. For me it was probably Sevilla, which I thought was a charming city, including the flamenco show which Amanda arranged for our group.". “I feel pretty strongly that the best way for me to celebrate thanksgiving this year is to do it on a screen with my loved ones,” Rick Steves said. The kind of gems we never would have found on our own. Your tour manager will give an overview of the days ahead, answer your questions, and offer a quick orientation to our neighborhood and Barcelona's public transportation system. The My Way Spain tour was the perfect blend of European tour planning and individual free time to explore, eat and shop at our own pace. He talked about what we were going to see on the bus. Waste of money. Spaniards on-the-job wear pants.". This was my first RS tour. We had always traveled on our own. What an amazing experience. Every move, check in or transport was easy and adventurous since I didn't have to plan, schedule, or execute the move. Our tour manager, Andrew, was wonderful! Our guide Andrew was exceptional and just the right amount of guidance. We had an incredible time on the Rick Steves My Way Spain trip with Amanda Z!! That is equally a special treat.". well arranged transportation and good hotel choices and locations. I've traveled extensively and this is one of the most spectacular man-made sites I have ever seen.". I also loved the Alhambra and could have stayed another day in Granada. But with less than a week until Tuesday's presidential election, Steves used a Friday interview on Boston Public Radio to argue that the question over whether Joe … Our tour companions were excellent and fun to travel with and to share stories. Needs to be added to Rick Steves guidebook as an outstanding eating experience & owner Paco delivers personalized experience to each of the guests at his 7-table restaurant. He was skilled at bringing the group together and I am sure that many of us will keep in touch due to his fine structuring of get togethers. Seeing it from the towers and watching the workmen was interesting. It exceeded all our expectations! The tour covered the cities I wanted to visit - the length of stay within each city was perfect, with the exception of Ronda - perhaps add another night in this charming location! The experience was excellent. see our FAQ. Our tour guide Andrew Lyons was excellent at giving us the information we needed to navigate in each city, as well as highlighting the areas of interest. This was our first tour of any kind, and so my husband and I opted for a My Way tour as we wanted help with hotels and transport but once in a place wanted to do our own thing. We fell in love with Spain thanks to My Way tours. Welcome to Barcelona, one of Europe's most dynamic and diverse cities. Spring and fall are the best times to take a My Way Spain tour with good weather, lighter crowds, long days, and plenty of tourist and cultural activities. "Ronda! To walk out of our first hotel, catch a bus that was waiting for us, bringing us to the train station, having our tour manager walk us to the train, no stress, no language barrier, like I said, priceless. (This story is excerpted from my upcoming book, For the Love of Europe — collecting 100 of my favorite memories from a lifetime of European travel, coming out in July. "Touring the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, and attending a guitar/flamenco concert. Every offering she made turned out incredible and we had such a great time. Our tour manager Pal was knowledgeable, and very accommodating. Favorite was being seated for dinner at Restaurante Las Tomasas Granada El Albaycin after months of unsuccessful attempts to visit Alhambra. Way too much to describe in 500 characters.". It was just ourselves and the tour guide. "I enjoyed all the cities, sites, and the people were friendly. Rick Steves London 2020 by Rick Steves & … We were very happy with our hotels and with the well-organized transportation between the locations we visited. We spend about 9 days in Portugal on our own and then flew to Barcelona to hook up with the "My Way tour. Our last meal together was in Sevilla at a culinary school. Everything about the tour was fantastic. If you haven't been there, you can't understand.". "A place and a tour guide. 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