Lisbon to Madrid Con Brio 2016conbrio.org/Lisbon to Madrid Con Brio 2016.pdf · 2014-11-26 · Con Brio Choral Society Performance Tour to Spain and Portugal Proposal/November 19,

Con Brio Choral Society Performance Tour to Spain and Portugal Proposal/November 19, 2014 Cultural Tour Consultants, Kalamazoo, Michigan USA • Telephone 1-866-499-3799 Page 1 of 10

CCOONN BBRRIIOO CCHHOORRAALL SSOOCCIIEETTYY European Tour to Portugal & Spain – Lisbon to Madrid MMAAYY 1199 –– JJUUNNEE 33,, 22001166

Thursday, May 19 Fly from JFK or Newark Airport to Lisbon Check in for your flight and depart.

Meals served on board your transatlantic flight.

Depending upon the airline chosen, there will be a connection either on the eastbound route or on the return westbound route. Available flight schedules and fares will be discussed with client before confirming the group air booking approxmately 10 months before departure.

Friday, May 20 Arrive in Lisbon (Lisbon) Morning Arrive at the Lisbon Airport. Meet your

Cultural Tour Consultants Tour Manager in the Arrivals Hall, board bus and depart for central Lisbon.

A licensed guide will board the coach and provide you with a short orientation tour of Lisbon.

HHOOTTEELL Arrive at your centrally-located hotel: Hotel Barrio Alto (or comparable): http://www.bairroaltohotel.com/pt/

Evening Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant.

Saturday, May 21 Belém district of Lisbon (Lisbon) Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

Transfer to the Belém district of Lisbon, located at the mouth of the Tagus River from where ships set sail to discover new worlds. Belém is inextricably linked to Portugal’s golden age of discovery and its monuments celebrate the former greatness of the nation.

Arrive at the JJeerróónniimmooss MMoonnaasstteerryy,, a UNESCO World Heritage site. You will enter to view the Manueline architecture of the cloister and the spectacular valuting in the church, contemplating the contrast of this architectural extravagance with what you saw yesterday in the austerely decorated Cistercian Abby. You will also view the magnificent tomb of Vasco da Gama.

259 East Michigan Ave., Suite 206A Kalamazoo, Michigan 49007 U.S.A. Telephone: (269) 343-5667 (866) 499-3799 – toll free Facsimile: (269) 432-0505 Email: [email protected] www.culturaltourconsultants.com


CONTINUED FROM Saturday, May 21

Then transfer to the BBeelléémm TToowweerr where you will visit the former fortress dating from the early 16th century. This monument more than any other became a symbol of Portugal’s era of expansion.

En route back to central Lisbon, you will drive by the PPiinnkk PPaallaaccee - former royal palace now residence of the Portuguese President – and the BBoottaanniiccaall GGaarrddeenn.

Afternoon Lunch on your own.

Remainder of day at leisure for independent exploration of the Baixa district and the docks. At first glance, the Baixa looks like any other downtown shopping area but behind many of the 18th century facades you’ll find charming shops, many open for close to a century or longer complete with original fixtures, and specializing in everything from hats and gloves to buttons and fine jewels.

You may want to take a ride to the top of the iconic ironwork structure, the Elevador of Santa Justa for a splendid view across the Baixa and Alfama district to the Castelo de São Jorge.

♫♫ TThhee CCoonn BBrriioo CChhoorraall SSoocciieettyy wwiillll ooffffeerr aann eevveenniinngg ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee iinn oonnee ooff LLiissbboonn’’ss bbeeaauuttiiffuull cchhuurrcchheess.. TThhiiss mmaayy bbee aa jjooiinntt ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee wwiitthh aa llooccaall cchhooiirr..

Sunday, May 22 Alfama district of Lisbon (Lisbon) Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

♫♫ TThhee CCoonn BBrriioo CChhoorraall mmaayy ssiinngg dduurriinngg MMaassss aatt tthhee CCaatthheeddrraall ooff LLiissbboonn..


Meet your guide and begin a stroll through the AAllffaammaa ddiissttrriicctt, the oldest neighborhood of Lisbon, dating from the Moorish period of the 11th century and located in the labyrinthine maze of streets and stairways just “below” the Castle. You’ll see beautiful azulejo tile panels decorating many of the churches, picturesque squares, trendy boutiques, Fado taverns and beautiful views from picturesque squares. You’ll also visit the Feira da Ladra (Thieves’Market) of antiques and second-hand objects.

Your tour will end at the FFaaddoo MMuusseeuumm (entrance included) celebrating the traditional music of Portugal that originated in the Alfama district.

Remainder of day at leisure for shopping and independent exploration.

Evening Dinner followed by a Fado performance (included).


Monday, May 23 Travel (180 kms/111 miles) from Lisbon to Estremoz (Estremoz) Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

Board coach and depart Lisbon.

A stop will be made at the archaeological site of AAllmmeennddrreess CCrroommlleecchh, the largest group of structured menhirs on the Iberian Peninsula dating back to 3000 BC or possibly even 4000 BC.

Arrive in ÉÉvvoorraa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. First settled by the ancient Celtic people, the town was conquered by the Romans in 57 BC and vestiges of this period still remain. The town flourished under Roman rule due to its prime location on several important routes. It flourished under the Moors and remained an important town after the Reconquest, gaining a reputation as a center for the humanities: art, sculpture, music.

Afternoon Lunch on your own in Évora.

Meet your guide and begin a tour of Évora to include the aqueduct, the RRoommaann TTeemmppllee ooff DDiiaannaa, the BBoonnee CChhaappeell, the UUnniivveerrssiittyy (founded by the Jesuits in 1559), the CCaatthheeddrraall and its cloisters, and several superb palaces.

HHOOTTEELL Arrive in Estremoz and check in to your Pousada Rainha Sta. Isabel Hotel: http://www.pousadas.pt/historic-hotels-portugal/pt/pousadas/alentejo-hotels/pousada-de-estremoz/rainha-sta-isabel/pages/home.aspx

Evening Dinner on your own.

Tuesday, May 24 Excursion to Vila Viçosa and Borba (Estremoz) Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

Board coach for a day excursion. Your first stop will be in Vila Viçosa. Guided tour of the famed 16th-century PPaaççoo DDuuccaall which completely dominates the town. Additions were made when the Ducal family acceded to the Portuguese throne in 1640. The 78-room palace still contains a wealth of decorative arts from tapestries to chandeliers to frescoed ceilings.

Continue to the town of BBoorrbbaa, built from the local, white marble. Even the most humble dwellings in the small town are made from the exquisite marble.

Afternoon Lunch on your own in Borba. We suggest you try the local wine, considered one of Portugal’s best.

A stop will also be made at a cork plantation for a short presentation on the history of this important industry for Portugal. The country provides over 50% of the world’s cork.

Return to Estremoz.


♫♫ TThhee CCoonn BBrriioo CChhoorraall SSoocciieettyy wwiillll ooffffeerr aann eevveenniinngg ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee iinn aatt aa vveennuuee iinn EEssttrreemmoozz..


Wednesday, May 25 Travel (386 kms/239 miles) from Estremoz to Porto (Porto) Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

Board coach and depart Porto.

Arrive in the delightful town of TToommaarr. with whitewashed houses lining the cobbled streets and flowers reaching over garden walls. The town also houses major historic sites: Portugal’s oldest surviving synagogue dating from 1430, the 15th century São Joào Baptista Church, and the Convento de Cristo constructed by the Knights Templar.

Afternoon Lunch on your own in Tomar.

Arrive in the small town of AAllccoobbaaççaa, meet your guide and begin a tour of the magnificent Cistercian abbey dating from 1153, a World Heritage site since 1985. The austerity and simplicity of the architecture is surprisingly breathtaking.

Arrive in PPoorrttoo the second largest city in Portugal that boasts several highlights on its unrivaled riverside location. The city’s history dates back to Phoenician and Roman times when Porto was known as Cale (Greek for beautiful), later adding Portus (port) to become Portus-Cale – thus the origin of the country name. The town has forever been linked to maritime commerce however its golden era began in the 18th century thanks to the profitable trade of the sweet desert wine known around the world as “port.”

HHOOTTEELL Check into your centrally located hotel: Hotel Teatro http://www.hotelteatro.pt/Hotel-Teatro-Porto-2.aspx (or comparable).


Thursday, May 26 Discovery of Porto (Porto) Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

Wear good walking shoes for a walking tour of the steep, winding streets of the riverfront RRiibbeeiirraa qquuaarrtteerr. You’ll enjoy unmatched vistas over the Douro River below and visit the major historic sites of the district: the massive Cathedral, São Francisco Church, the Palacio de Bolsa, including the Patio das Nações and Arabian Room.

Afternoon Lunch on your own in the Ribiera district.

Reassemble, board coach and transfer to the left bank of the Douro River to the VViillaa NNoovvaa ddee GGaaiiaa ddiissttrriicctt, nucleus of the port industry, where many wine lodges and warehouses are to be found. Port, a fortified, sweet dessert wine of which there are several varieties is unique to the region. Its production is tightly controlled and regulated by the Portuguese government. During a tour of one of the wine lodges, you’ll discover the history and art of making port.

Remainder of day at leisure.



Friday, May 27 Vila Nova de Gaia district of Porto (Porto) Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

Transfer to the riverfront, board boat and begin a ““ssiixx bbrriiddggeess”” ttoouurr oonn aa rraabbeelloo, a traditional sailboat formerly used for transporting barrels of port now motorized to discover the city from the Douro River.


Afternoon at leisure for independent exploration.


♫♫ TThhee CCoonn BBrriioo CChhoorraall SSoocciieettyy wwiillll ooffffeerr aann eevveenniinngg ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee iinn oonnee ooff PPoorrttoo’’ss bbeeaauuttiiffuull cchhuurrcchheess.. TThhiiss mmaayy bbee aa jjooiinntt ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee wwiitthh aa llooccaall cchhooiirr..

Saturday, May 28 Travel (382 kms/237 miles) from Porto to Salamanca (Salamanca) Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

Departing Porto, you will traverse the beautiful DDoouurroo VVaalllleeyy. The hill terracing is so dense and rhythmical, to gain every inch possible for grape production, that it is said to be the only man-made feature visible from space other than China’s Great Wall. You will travel the most spectacular stretch of the Douro near Masão Frio.

A stop will be made in AAmmaarraannttee an attractive and historically significant town that was a mecca for poets and painters.

Afternoon A stop will be made en route for lunch on your own.

A stop will be made in ZZaammoorraa.. Little known to Americans, it is perhaps the most representative city of Old Castile, noted mainly for its splendid Romanesque architecture. Enjoy a walk through the center with your Tour Manager.

Continue on to SSaallaammaannccaa, known as the golden city because of the golden stone with which most of the old city was built. In its heyday, it was ranked with Oxford, Paris, and Bologna as one of the four leading lights of the medieval world.

HHOOTTEELL Check into your hotel: Don Gregorio Hotel (or comparable): http://www.hoteldongregorio.com/hotel.html



Sunday, May 29 Discovery of Salamanca (Salamanca) Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

Meet your guide and begin a walking orientation tour of the historic center of Salamanca including the PPllaazzaa MMaayyoorr, the magnificent façade and courtyard of the 15th century CCaassaa ddee llaass CCoonncchhaass, and the old and new CCaatthheeddrraallss.


Afternoon at leisure.


♫♫ TThhee CCoonn BBrriioo CChhoorraall SSoocciieettyy wwiillll ooffffeerr aann eevveenniinngg ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee iinn oonnee ooff SSaallaammaannccaa’’ss bbeeaauuttiiffuull cchhuurrcchheess.. TThhiiss mmaayy bbee aa jjooiinntt ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee wwiitthh aa llooccaall cchhooiirr..

Monday, May 30 Continued discovery of Salamanca (Salamanca) Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

Meet your guides and begin a tour of the UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff SSaallaammaannccaa,, the oldest in Spain, having been founded in the 13th century by Alfonso IX.

Continue in your discovery of Salamanca with a tour of SStt.. SStteepphheenn’’ss CCoonnvveenntt, one of the most popular sights of Salamanca, which was for a time a Moorish palace of a court official. The cloisters date from the 16th century and are among the most beautiful of Spain.





Tuesday, May 31 Travel (264 kms/164 miles) from Salamanca to Madrid (Madrid) Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

Depart Salamanca.

A short stop will be made in AAvviillàà to view the perfectly-preserved 11th century walls which completely encircle the town.

Arrive in SSeeggoovviiaa. As you enter the city you will see the magnificent 118 arches of the RRoommaann aaqquueedduucctt, constructed 2,000 years ago that is still used to carry water.

Guided tour of the landmark AAllccaazzaarr (castle) of Segovia. Rising out on a rocky crag above the confluence of the rivers Eresma and Clamores near the Guadarrama mountains, it is one of the most distinctive castle-palaces in Spain by virtue of its shape - like the bow of a ship.

Afternoon Lunch on your own in Segovia.

Continue on to Madrid.

HHOOTTEELL Check into your hotel: Emperador Hotel (or comparable): http://www.emperadorhotel.com/en?utm_source=google&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=TC_CPC


Wednesday, June 1 Discovery of Madrid (Madrid) Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

Meet your guide and begin a walking tour of the historic center of Madrid to include the opulant PPaallaacciioo RReeaall, EEll RRaassttrroo flea market, PPllaazzaa MMaayyoorr, GGooyyaa’’ss TToommbb, and the DDeessccaallzzaass RReeaalleess MMoonnaasstteerryy.


Walk with your Tour Manager to the PPrraaddoo MMuusseeuumm, the greatest cultural institution in all of Spain. With more than 7,000 paintings, the Prado is one of the most important repositories of art in the world. Meet your guide and begin a tour of some of the museum’s most famous exhibits. You’ll see works by the Spanish Masters -Velázquez, Goya, El Greco, Murillo – by Flemish painter Rubens and works of Italian masters such as Raphael, Botticelli, and Mategna.



♫♫ TThhee CCoonn BBrriioo CChhoorraall SSoocciieettyy wwiillll ooffffeerr aann eevveenniinngg ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee iinn oonnee ooff MMaaddrriidd’’ss bbeeaauuttiiffuull cchhuurrcchheess.. TThhiiss mmaayy bbee aa jjooiinntt ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee wwiitthh aa llooccaall cchhooiirr..


Thursday, June 2 Excursion to Toledo (Madrid) Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

Depart Madrid for a day excursion.

Arrive in TToolleeddoo, a place made special by its Arab, Jewish, Christian, Roman and Visigothic elements. Surrounded on three sides by a bend in the Tagus River, Toledo stands atop a hill overlooking the arid plains, making it a natural fortress.

Afternoon Lunch on your own in Toledo.

Reassemble and meet your guide for a tour of the most significant sites of Toledo. Under the Arab rule and later for a time as the capital of the Spanish Empire, the town was a place of coexistence between Christians, Jews, and Muslims where education and the arts flourished. Your tour will include a visit to the CCaatthheeddrraall, the TTrráánnssiittoo SSyynnaaggoogguuee and the CChhuurrcchh ooff SSaannttoo TToomméé to view El Greco’s painting Conde de Orgaz.

♫♫ TThhee CCoonn BBrriioo CChhoorraall SSoocciieettyy mmaayy ssiinngg iinnffoorrmmaallllyy iinn tthhee CChhuurrcchh ooff SSaannttoo TToomméé oorr tthhee TToolleeddoo CCaatthheeddrraall ((tteennttaattiivvee))..

Reboard coach and return to Madrid.

Evening Festive Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant.

Friday, June 3 Return to the USA Morning Breakfast at your hotel.

Transfer to the Madrid Airport. Check in for your flight and depart.

Arrive at the JFK or Newark Airport.

RRoouuttiinngg mmaapp ffoouunndd oonn ffoolllloowwiinngg ppaaggee


TToouurr PPrriicceess aanndd IInncclluussiioonnss ffoouunndd oonn ffoolllloowwiinngg ppaaggeess


CCOONN BBRRIIOO CCHHOORRAALL SSOOCCIIEETTYY European Tour to Portugal and Spain (Lisbon to Madrid) MMaayy 1199 –– JJuunnee 33,, 22001166 LAND PACKAGE PRICES 45-49 paying participants 40-44 paying participants 35-39 paying participants 30-34 paying participants

$3,550.00 per person $3,650.00 per person $3,750.00 per person $3,950.00 per person based upon the currency exchange rate of $1.32 = 1 Euro ESTIMATED AIRFARE $1,200.00 (based on current fares round-trip Newark or JFK to Lisbon and

returning from Madrid including security taxes of up to $725. Flight schedules and fares will be discussed with client before making the group air booking in August of 2015.)

TOUR INCLUSIONS � Land transportation: Private, deluxe motor coach with air-conditioning, reclining seats, and

public address system as needed to execute the itinerary (Spanish company).

� Accommodations: Fourteen nights hotel accommodations in four-star (First Class and Superior First Class) based upon double room occupancy. Single room supplement is $1,000.00 per person.

� Meals: Buffet breakfast daily at hotel. One Welcome Dinner, one dinner with Fado music performance in Lisbon and one Festive Farewell Dinner including drinks.

� Sightseeing: Guided city tours by licensed guides in Salamanca, Porto (Ribiera district), Lisbon (Alfama district and Belém), Évora, Toledo and Madrid. Entrance and guided tour of Segovia Castle, Salamanca University and St. Stephen’s Convent, Alcobaça Abbey, and Paço Ducal. Entrance to Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower, Fado Museum, and Prado Museum. Visit of a cork plantation and the Almendres Cromlech prehistoric site in Portugal. Visit port wine lodge in Porto, Portugal.

� Complimentary packages: Two complimentary packages included in tour prices above.

� Planning and promotion of performances/concerts indicated in the itinerary. Acceptance for performance, as well as venues and schedules are at the discretion of local and national authorities. Should any venue not confirm, a suitable alternative will be found.

� Trip Interruption/Medical travel insurance policy for all participants: Group Travel Insurance by Travelex: Trip interruption - $1,000, Trip Delay -.$1,000, Medical Expense - $50,000, Emergency Medical Transportation - $250,000, Baggage & Personal Effects - $1,500, Baggage Delay - $250, Accidental Death and Dismemberment- $25,000.

� Services of an experienced multi-lingual tour escort throughout the trip.

EXCLUSIONS:

• Beverages not on the menu of the included meals. • Expenses of passports or visas. Current U.S. passport fee is $135. • Gratuities to Tour Manager, coach driver, and local guides. • Trip cancellation insurance. • Excess and oversized baggage fees charged by airline. • Personal expenses incurred such as laundry, telephone calls, and porterage. • Transportation charges resulting from deviation from the printed itinerary. • Anything not mentioned as being included.

At time of contract, a re-evaluation of airfares, air taxes, and exchange rates may result in a price revision.

Documents

Lisbon to Madrid Con Brio 2016conbrio.org/Lisbon to Madrid Con Brio 2016.pdf · 2014-11-26 · Con Brio Choral Society Performance Tour to Spain and Portugal Proposal/November 19,