FANTASIA Mediterranean Dream: Italy - Spain 17 Days / 16 Nights Rome > Barcelona

Day 1:

Welcome to Rome! Meet your driver at the airport and enjoy your included transfer to the hotel. Use your 1-day Hop-on Hop-off ticket for the I Love Rome City Tour. Ride the open-top panoramic bus to admire Rome’s landmarks with audio commentary in 12 languages. Hop on and off at your leisure across eight stops. It’s the perfect way to explore the Eternal City independently. Spend the rest of the evening at your own pace. Return to the hotel on your own. Overnight stay in Rome.

Day 2:

Depart at 7:15 a.m. by deluxe coach to Assisi, a medieval town surrounded by ancient walls. Visit the Basilica of St. Francis, featuring frescoes by Giotto and Cimabue and enjoy a lunch in Assisi. Continue to Siena, UNESCO-listed and famous for its shell-shaped Piazza del Campo and Palio horse race. Later, travel through Tuscany’s countryside to reach Florence. Check in at your hotel. Overnight stay.

Day 3:

Explore Florence, cradle of the Renaissance. Visit the Duomo, Brunelleschi’s Dome, Giotto’s Bell Tower, and Baptistery. See Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, and Santa Croce Basilica. Enjoy lunch in a traditional Tuscan restaurant. In the afternoon, choose between free time in the city or an optional visit to Pisa, with its Leaning Tower and Piazza dei Miracoli. Dinner is at leisure. Overnight stay in Florence.

Day 4:

Travel to Bologna, a city rich in culture and culinary excellence. Walk from Piazza Malpighi to Piazza Maggiore, admiring San Petronio Basilica and the Palazzo del Podestà. Delight in a light local lunch, savoring regional specialties. Stroll the medieval streets, arcades, and markets. In the afternoon, continue to Venice. Upon arrival, check in at the hotel and relax. Overnight stay.

Day 5:

Transfer to Piazza San Marco and discover Venice’s highlights with a guided tour. Visit Doge’s Palace (outside) and cross the Bridge of Sighs. Afterward, enjoy a glass of spritz or prosecco with cicchetti, traditional Venetian snacks. Relax and soak in the atmosphere. Spend the afternoon exploring the city’s canals, artisan shops, or quiet corners on your own. Return to your hotel. Overnight stay in Venice.

Day 6:

After breakfast, travel to Montepulciano, in the heart of Tuscany. Known for its medieval charm and panoramic views, the town is a perfect mix of history and beauty. Enjoy a traditional Tuscan lunch in a local restaurant. Take some time to stroll through the historic center before rejoining your group. In the late afternoon, head to Rome where the escorted tour ends. Overnight stay. Depart Venice and travel through Tuscany to Montepulciano, a hilltop town known for “Vino Nobile” and stunning views. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, paired with a glass of fine Tuscan wine. After lunch, take some free time before heading back to Rome, where the escorted tour ends. Check in at the hotel and overnight.

Day 7:

Begin your morning with an included “Skip the Line” tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Square. Discover the Galleries of Tapestries and Maps, Raphael’s Rooms, and Michelangelo’s masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel. The visit ends in St. Peter’s Square, where you can view the Basilica’s majestic exterior. Spend the rest of the day at your own pace or join an optional tour. Overnight stay in Rome.

Day 8:

Breakfast at the hotel and morning at your disposal. Meet your driver at 7:30 pm for your transfer to Civitavecchia port (Terminal Grimaldi Lines) and board on the Cruise Ferry to Barcelona. Departure at 11:00 pm. Overnight on board.

Day 9:

Breakfast and lunch on board. During the crossing, you can enjoy the wide range and quality of onboard services offered by these latest-generation ferries: large outdoor areas with swimming pool (adults and children), sun loungers, bar; lounge; disco; video game room; café (open 24 hours); self-service restaurant; à la carte restaurant; boutique; Internet room; health center and Technogym-equipped gym.  Arrival in Barcelona at the end of the day, disembarkation and transfer to the hotel. Overnight stay. 

Note: The scheduled arrival time in Barcelona is approximately 10:00 pm; we suggest taking this into account when planning your dinner on your own.

Day 10:

After breakfast at the hotel, departure southwest through an industrial and agricultural area of significant importance in Europe. Arrival in Zaragoza, capital of Aragón, located on the banks of the Ebro River, the largest river in the Iberian Peninsula. Known as Caesar Augusta during the Roman period, Zaragoza played a very important role in Spanish history. Free time to visit the impressive Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar. Continue to Madrid. Overnight at the hotel.

(*) For operational reasons, the Barcelona - Madrid journey may be made by coach with the group or by high-speed train without an accompanying guide.

Day 11:

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure south through the land of Don Quixote, “The Man of La Mancha,” passing the typical Don Quixote inn in Puerto Lápice. Through the natural pass of Despeñaperros, we reach Andalusia, a region with an immense heritage from a glorious past. Arrival in Córdoba. Visit its impressive Mosque/Cathedral, followed by a stroll through the narrow streets of the Jewish Quarter. In the afternoon, after a short drive of about two hours, arrival in Seville. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 12:

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, a panoramic and monumental city tour, including entrance to the Cathedral, the second largest in the Catholic world after St. Peter’s in Rome. We will also visit the typical Santa Cruz Quarter, the setting of Carmen and the birthplace of the Don Juan legend, María Luisa Park, and Plaza de España. Free afternoon to discover different perspectives and flavors of this vibrant, light-filled city. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 13:

Breakfast at the hotel and departure east along the Caliphate Route into the heart of Andalusia, passing endless olive groves. Arrival in Granada and its astonishing monumental surroundings, the last stronghold of the Nasrid Kingdom until 1492. Visit the world-famous Alhambra complex and the Generalife Gardens—fountains, gardens, and courtyards whose views and sounds inspired authors such as Washington Irving in his Tales of the Alhambra. Overnight at the hotel. Optional Zambra Flamenco show in the evening.

Day 14:

After breakfast at the hotel, departure toward the Levante to reach Valencia, one of the main capitals of the Mediterranean coast, with its modern City of Arts and Sciences architectural complex, composed of six buildings: Hemisfèric, Umbracle, Science Museum, Oceanogràfic, Palau de les Arts, and Ágora. Valencia is also the birthplace of the internationally renowned “Paella.” Overnight at the hotel.

Day 15:

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, a city tour of this bright city, visiting the old town and then the former Turia riverbed, followed by a visit to the most avant-garde complex, the City of Arts and Sciences, to admire its iconic buildings from the outside. In the afternoon, departure north along the Mediterranean coast toward Catalonia via Tarragona, the Roman Tarraco. Arrival in Barcelona, the main city of the Mediterranean and birthplace of the famous architect Antoni Gaudí, symbol of Catalan Modernism. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 16:

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, a city tour of Barcelona, world-famous for the 1992 Olympic Games, driving along the main avenues with Gaudí’s impressive  modernist buildings and admiring his most emblematic works: Casa Milà (La Pedrera) and Casa Batlló, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Visit Montjuïc Park  with spectacular views over the city and the port, the Olympic Ring, and the Columbus Monument. The afternoon is at your leisure to continue discovering the city's attractions and its varied, exquisite gastronomy. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 17:

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport.