SUNDAY JUNE 26TH, 2011 - MADRID OVERVIEW - PANORAMIC TOUR
Duration: 3 hours
MORNING TOUR: 9:30 a.m. to p.m.12:30
On this overview tour you will see Madrid’s most popular shopping district, impressive administrative and cultural buildings commissioned by illustrious monarchs and the Modernism that inspired the changes in the financial area at the start of the 20th century. Beautiful streets, avenues, squares, fountains and gardens fill this area, where its historical cafés and taverns, outdoor bars and shops reflect the openness of the city and its inhabitants. This route takes you along some busy roads. The ambiance of each grand avenue is such that there is still an air of calmness and tranquility, unusual for such a busy city. The period of the Bourbons was a great one, and the architecture from this time is some of the most impressive in Madrid. Learn about Madrid’s wall and the improvements carried out by Carlos III. Museums, gardens, gates and fountains… This is the grand Neo Classical city tour of Madrid. You will cross over the fascinating Plaza de Cibeles, with its beautiful central fountain of the Roman Goddess Cybele. Looking out over the plaza is the colossal building, the Palacio de Comunicaciones (The Communications Palace), today Madrid’s city hall. Make sure you take your camera for the Puerta de Alcalá. This is a mammoth ancient gateway to the city that is sculpted entirely from granite. The largest Spanish bullring, Las Ventas, is one of the most outstanding examples of the neomudejar architecture. We will drive along the aristocratic Castellana Boulevard and the Financial District with its skyscrapers and contemporary architecture. This tour uncovers the most emblematic spots in the city, allowing visitors to experience and enjoy the richness of the capital. Before getting into the old town, we will have the chance to see the bustling Gran Vía Avenue, lined up with stores and theaters. After taking a picture of Don Quixote in the Spanish Square we will continue to Principe Pío’s Hill, an historical site with a great view over the ancient town of Madrid.
The following sites will be included during the sightseeing tour (no visits inside):
• Paseo del Prado y Paseo del Arte
• Fuentes de Cibeles, Apolo & Neptuno
• Caixaforum
• Puerta de Toledo
• Estación de Atocha
• Parque del Retiro
• Puerta de Alcalá
• Barrio de Salamanca (El Ensache)
• Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas
• Estadio Santiago Bernabeu
• Puerta de Europa
• Las Cuatro Torres
DEPARTURE AND RETURN POINT: The tour will depart from the Lobby of the Hotel MELIA CASTILLA located on Captian Haya, number 43. Metro Dark blue line 10 – Cuzco metro stop or Plaza Castilla stop Bus line 5, 27, 147 – (Paseo Castellana-rosario Pino stop) or 149 (Capitan Haya-rosario Pino stop).
INCLUDES:
Round trip transfer via coach and English speaking guide
All Taxes.
One bottled water per person
Minimum 30 people – maximum 350 people
What to wear: Comfortable walking shoes and casual attire
Cost:
Per person 22,50€ (Euros)
MONDAY JUNE 27TH, 2011 – REINA SOFIA MUSEUM
Duration: 3 hours
MORNING TOUR: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Standing at the southernmost end of the Avenue of Art is the Art Center that proudly bears the name of the present-day Queen of Spain: the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia National Museum. Although the King and Queen inaugurated the permanent collection on the 10th of September 1992, it was actually born in 1986 as a center primarily intended to act as a venue for temporary exhibitions. The Reina Sofia is situated in one of Madrid’s busiest hubs, the Glorieta de Carlos V, commonly known as “Atocha”. It is housed in one of the city’s most historic buildings: the erstwhile General Hospital. The Original 18th Century building was left unfinished by Francisco Sabatini, King Charles III favorite architect. The restoration of the building, begun under the direction of Antonio Fernández Alba, has respected the plans of the period and the overall architectural design.
A further enlargement of the museum was built in the last decade, and the famous French architect Jean Nouvel was commissioned to enlarge the building. The result is a spectacular addition, where many very important temporary exhibitions take place year round.
The permanent collection is filled with masterpieces of the early 20th Century Spanish avant-garde artists, with Picasso, Miró and Dalí at the forefront.
Artworks by Dalí, Miró and Juan Gris hang alongside Picasso's Guernica in a riveting survey of Spanish Art History. Dalí, Miró and Picasso, the most influential 20th-century Spanish artists, form the backbone of the permanent collection.
Throughout his long career, Pablo Picasso was a painter, sculptor, ceramist, set designer, poet, playwright and director of the Prado Museum during the Civil War. As an essential member of the avant-garde, his chameleonic personality influenced all arts and styles. He was a Classicist, Primitivism and Cubist and was always fascinated by myths, the circus and bullfighting. One of his key artworks, El Guernica, is displayed in the MNCARS and could be described as a synthesis of the avant-garde movements.
Joan Miró's artistic career started in the Mediterranean, and then set sail for Paris and at a later date returned to its origins. He would use the smallest elements -an insect, a poppy or a bird- to address major topics, like stars, Earth or humanity. The museum is now home to a complete selection of his artworks.
Salvador Dalí correctly defined himself as a controversial and contradictory genius. He had a prodigious talent for drawing and throughout his career; he became an increasingly bigger supporter of figuration. His art lives on in his creations, manifests, guest star appearances on television and his furniture and jewelry designs. Dali's universe achieved full poetic coherence for the first time in the painting El gran masturbador (The Great Masturbator), on show at the MNCARS.
INCLUDES:
Round trip transfer via coach and English speaking guide
Entrance fee into the Reina Sofia Foundation.
All Taxes.
One bottled water per person
Minimum 30 people – maximum 120 people
What to wear: Comfortable walking shoes and casual attire
DEPARTURE AND RETURN POINT: The tour will depart from the Lobby of the Hotel MELIA CASTILLA located on Captian Haya, number 43. Metro Dark blue line 10 – Cuzco metro stop or Plaza Castilla stop Bus line 5, 27, 147 – (Paseo Castellana-rosario Pino stop) or 149 (Capitan Haya-rosario Pino stop).
Cost:
Per person 36,00€ (Euros)
TUESDAY JUNE 28TH, 2011 -WALKING TOUR OF MEDIEVAL MADRID
Madrid during the reign of the Hapsburgs
Duration 3 hours
Depart hotel at 9:30am Return to hotel approximately at 12:30pm
The purpose of this tour is to give the visitor an up close, first hand, chance to experience the oldest district in Madrid. The Madrid of the Hapsburgs is the oldest area of the city with enchanting discoveries around each corner. Legends and stories of Madrid’s early days will be recalled during our visit.
We start our walking tour in Plaza Mayor, the social and commercial hub of Madrid for many centuries. The Plaza Mayor is the authentic physical and emotional center of old Madrid. Centuries before and after its construction this site was a market and important public events were also held here. This Plaza, inaugurated in 1620, has been partially destroyed by fires and later rebuilt. Today the Plaza Mayor is full of small bars and traditional shops. The square is a pure example of Spanish Baroque, a site that has seen a lot of public burnings of heretics during the Inquisition, royal marriages, bullfights and much more. In its surrounding streets we discover the origins of the city, remnants of the Medieval Ages, the glory of becoming the Capital of the Spanish Kingdom and the changes that took place with the arrival of a new dynasty. A past that has remained engraved in the city’s monumental buildings, squares and narrow streets, fiestas and social and cultural celebrations. This tour in Madrid takes you through Madrid during the 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Next to the Plaza Mayor is the Palacio de Santa Cruz, nowadays Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was originally a prison. Going down the Calle Mayor you reach the Plaza de la Villa, a lovely area enclosed by buildings. The Casa de la Villa, which used to be Madrid’s Town Hall, was built between 1640 and 1650, although later it was reformed during the following Century.
You’ll see the central point of Puerta del Sol, which is now the official centre of Madrid, the heart of the city and the starting point of all roads in Spain, known as “zero kilometer".
The second part of the tour focuses in the time period of the famous writer Cervantes which is a wonderful theme for this walking tour in the Old Madrid. You will walk the streets of an area, which at one time was awash with great composers, writers, comics and poets: the district of the Muses. It would be so easy to walk through Las Letras without realizing what special and important people have lived here, unless you follow your Tourist Guide’s explanation, which is full of tidbits of intriguing information. Miguel de Cervantes, our most renowned writer, unveils the essence of the Literary Quarter, where culture has a hundred faces, from the intellectual to the more popular one.
The following sites will be included during the walking tour (no visits inside):
• Plaza Mayor
• Plaza de la Villa
• Iglesia de San Nicolás
• Plaza de Ramales
• Plaza de Oriente
• Palacio Real
• Catedral de la Almudena
• Palacios de Uceda y Abrantes
• Calle Mayor
• Iglesia de San Ginés
• Puerta del Sol
• Plaza de Santa Ana
• Casa de Cervantes
• Mentidero de la Villa
NOTE: Though there are no heavy hills to climb, please consider that we will be walking and stopping, but not sitting, for 3 hours.
INCLUDES:
An English speaking guide (one per maximum 20 persons)
One bottled water per person
All Taxes.
Minimum 20 people - maximum 240 people
What to wear – Comfortable walking shoes and casual attire.
Age requirements – None –Not recommended for people with mobility problems.
DEPARTURE AND RETURN POINT:
THE PLAZA MAYOR OF MADRID IN FRONT OF THE TOURISM OFFICE. Bus Line 3 – stop Mayor No. 21. Or metro Light blue Line 1, red Line 2 or yellow line 3 – SOL STOP.
Cost:
Per person 16,50 Euros.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 29TH, 2011 – TOLEDO HALF DAY TOUR
The city of the three cultures: Muslims, Jews and Christians
Duration 5 hours
DEPART 9:00 a.m.
RETURN 2:00 p.m.
Drive to Toledo, “Spain’s Jerusalem”. The silhouette of the city stands out in sharp contrast against a background formed by the crest of the encircling hills and more distant mountain ranges.
Toledo is a 2000 year old masterpiece created by various cultures including the Romans, Moors, Jews and Christians. The city attained its glory during the last quarter of the 15th Century and the first half of the 16th. Its heyday was in the 16th century when it became the capital of the mighty Spanish empire. Toledo lost its status as capital of Spain to Madrid in 1561 under the reign of Philip II. The beautifully preserved buildings of this ancient town provide striking testimony of Toledo’s rich and colorful past.
In 1085 Alfonso VI captured Toledo, ending the era of Muslim dominance. The city grew and thrived as a political and cultural capital. Tolerance was extended to both Moorish and Jewish communities and Toledo became the first Hebrew city in Spain with no less than 12000 Jewish residents. Of the many synagogues that once were, only two remain: Santa María la Blanca and El Tránsito, one of which will be visited during the tour. The two synagogues, which stand in the city today, are powerful reminders of that period of religious tolerance before the Spanish Inquisition.
The 13th century saw a major cultural revival in Toledo with the establishment of the School of Translators under King Alfonzo X, called “El Sabio” (the Wise one) because of his love of learning. Great academic and philosophical works were translated from Arabic and Hebrew into Latin, bringing vast stores of knowledge to Europe for the first time.
Nowhere but in Toledo can one find such a splendid range of architectural monuments dating from nearly every period, so that the city itself resembles an amazingly rich museum. All styles mingle well and blend together here: Arab, Mudéjar, Gothic or Renaissance. The accumulation of artistic gems of different centuries is one of the paramount features of the place, and it forms a picturesque ensemble of rare perfection. The most important of monuments is the Cathedral its silhouette standing out like a huge cube. It was begun in 1226 and certain features of the building make it the most unusual and genuinely Spanish of all the cathedrals built in Spain during the Gothic period.
About the year 1577, the painter Domenikos Theotokopoulos, better known as "El Greco", arrived in Toledo. His encounter with the city's stormy horizons, its magic and mystery, was to be a great event for Spanish art. El Greco painted and bequeathed to Toledo his best works. We will admire together the painter’s famous masterpiece, The Burial of Lord of Orgaz.
Inside visits include:
• Santa María La Blanca Synagogue
• Cathedral of Toledo
• Santo Tomé Church (The Burial of Lord of Orgaz, by El Greco)
INCLUDES:
Round trip transfer via coach and English speaking guide
Entrance fee into the Cathedral of Toledo, Santo tome Chapel and Syangogue.
All Taxes.
One bottled water per person
Minimum 30 people – maximum 300 people
What to wear: Comfortable walking shoes and casual attire – Please note that we will be visiting a Cathedral and hence long shorts and shirts with covered shoulders are recommended as appropriate attire.
DEPARTURE AND RETURN POINT: The tour will depart from the Lobby of the Hotel MELIA CASTILLA located on Captian Haya, number 43. Metro Dark blue line 10 – Cuzco metro stop or Plaza Castilla stop Bus line 5, 27, 147 – (Paseo Castellana-rosario Pino stop) or 149 (Capitan Haya-rosario Pino stop).
Cost: Per person 50,50€ (Euros)
BOOKING CONDITIONS
PAYMENT
Expenses incurred for these optional tour and activities will be the responsibility of the delegate. Please see the costs below and include your credit card information with your reservations.
REGISTRATION
Full descriptions of the activities and the Registration Form can be found below. Please review the information and complete the registration form and submit to MTZ by June 6th, 2011 via email to mtz@mtz.es or fax MTZ at +34-91-3509566.
• Your activity selection will be confirmed via email within 72 hours upon receipt of your registration form and credit card information. Should you not receive your confirmation or if you have questions, please contact Fay Taylor at MTZ. Phone - + 34-91-3598584 Fax - +34-91-3509566 Email: mtz@mtz.esHours: Monday to Friday from 10:00am to 7:00pm Standard Spanish time.
• The earlier MTZ receives your information, the sooner they will be able to confirm your reservation. All requests will be on a first-come first-served basis. Tour sign ups will also be taken on site on a space available basis, however if we don’t receive enough pre-registrations for a particular tour or activity it will be cancelled.
• Note, if you have questions the preferred method of communication is via email and MTZ will respond within 72 hours.
RESERVATION CONDITIONS/LIABILITY:
MTZ, S.L. Acts as an agent for and makes arrangements with companies providing transportation services by land, sea or air, and other independent parties to provide you with tour options. Although great care is taken to select suppliers, we are unable to directly control them and therefore cannot be responsible for their acts or omissions.
MTZ, S.L. cannot assume responsibility for any claims, losses, damages, costs or expenses arising out of injury, accident or death, loss, damages of property, delay, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment, upset, disappointment, or distress or frustration, whether physical, mental or otherwise.
CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY:
If tour minimums are not met, the tour will be cancelled, and you will be contacted to make another selection. All payments are non-refundable unless the operator cancels your selected tour or the tour minimums are not met. Refunds will be granted within the parameters of the cancellation policy. Guests wanting to cancel a paid pre-registered tour must provide written notice to MTZ, S.L. via email or fax by June 20th, 2011.
Payment for all tours/activities will be processed at confirmation of the tour when the minimum requested number of participants has been reached.
|
|