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European Rail Tours
The El Transcantábrico
8 days Northern Spain
Can one imagine 8 days & 7 nights of rail travel and still have an appetite for more? Well, this reaction is normal for those who travel on board the El Transcantábrico, a train that revives the tradition of the cruises on rails.
Whether from Santiago de Compostela to León or vice versa, all the magic of the north of Spain awaits the traveller from the very summits of the Picos de Europa mountain range to the shores of the Cantabrian sea.
Let us introduce you to the beautiful north on the shores of the Cantabrian sea cradled between high craggy mountains and lush green meadows, next to attractive beaches and rugged coastal cliffs. This is where we find the cities and villages of the north of Spain.
These are enchanting places full of vitality and history which have gradually become living works of art with the passing of the centuries and include the following cities and towns: Santiago de Compostela, Vivero, Oviedo, Ribadesella, Llanes, Santillana del Mar, Santander, Bilbao, Carrion de los Condes and Leon, etc.
The El Transcantábrico is a very special journey that introduces the traveller to this unique area of Spain, known as the Green Spain.
Travellers on the Transcantábrico enjoy a journey especially designed for rest and privacy, sleeping in comfort as the train stops at each station overnight. This means that your sleep is not disturbed by moving and jolting and offers those who enjoy nightlife an opportunity to go out and savour the atmosphere of each town. The train will be waiting for them at the station.
Forget the typical train compartments that are just slightly larger than a phone booth, with a shower at the end of the car. On the Transcantábrico, every suite compartment has a double bed, minibar, wardrobe, writing desk and telephone with an outside line. The floors are carpeted and the private bathroom has a hydro sauna, turbo massage, steam bath and hairdryer. Air-conditioning and heating are controlled individually.
Each compartment is supplied with complimentary travel accessories, consisting of a bathrobe, slippers, natural sponge, eau de cologne, hairbrush/comb, deodorant, detergent, makeup pads, etc… The power rating is 220 volts.
All suites have large windows allowing travellers to contemplate the passing scenery. Curtains provide all the privacy one needs for rest.
THE TRANSCANTABRICO has four lounge carriages, veritable rail treasures owing their exquisite design and internal decoration and finish. These are the common areas of the train, where many a lasting friendship has begun over the train's seventeen years of history.
One of the lounge carriages has a bar and a dance floor. This is the 'pub carriage', decorated and lit like a small night-club, where lively entertainment is provided every night until the early hours of the morning.
Another lounge carriage has a second bar where you can sit back and relax. Waiters serve the tables in all lounges so that travellers can relax enjoying the scenery, chatting, reading or playing one of the many board games provided.
Travellers are offered daily press, magazines and books from the library (in Spanish, English, German or French) and there are a number of videos for added enjoyment.
As one travels through the lands of Castile & Leon and along the Cantabrian coast, it becomes obvious that gastronomy is to play an integral part in the route of the El Transcantabrico. Galicia, Asturias, Pais Vasco and Castile & Leon are, in the judgement of the great chefs and the most fastidious of gourmets, the regions where the finest cuisine is to be found in Spain.
Their restaurants not only choose the best ingredients to be prepared by great professionals, but they are also ideal centres for tasting local specialities so expertly integrated into their menus along with international dishes.
Each menu on the El Transcantabrico offers the traveller the opportunity to savour the most famous products of each region's gastronomy.
The train offers a complete buffet style breakfast including many types of bread, local jams & marmelades, fruit and fruit juices, sweet pastries and even the famous Jamon Iberico, or savoury cured ham.
Itinerary
Day 1, Saturday. Rendez-vous in León, ancient Roman city, dominated by its Cathedral of glass and Romanesque frescoes, elegant boulevards and chic shops. Enjoy lunch in León, then depart for Cistierna aboard the Transcantábrico. Dine aboard and overnight in Cistierna.
Day 2, Sunday. Breakfast aboard as you travel to Guardo, from where you'll explore Roman and medieval towns and sights along the 1000-year-old pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago. Lunch near the Romanesque church of Fromista. Back aboard, the route winds past the Canal de Castilla and along the Ebro River marshes, to Espinosa de los Monteros, your dinner stop.
Day 3, Monday. Welcome to Basque Country. Tour the emblematic Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao; lunch in this city of famous chefs, before continuing your journey to Santander, ancient maritime capital on the Cantabrian Sea. Before dinner, visit the city; later perhaps, try your luck at the Casino.
Day 4, Tuesday. After breakfast, transfer to Santillana del Mar, known for its Altamira neo-Cave Museum, Colegiata Church with remarkable capitals and Renaissance buildings. The architect Antoni Gaudí built El Capricho palace in the town of Comillas, where you'll have lunch. Continue along the coast past Llanes to your overnight in the fishing town of Ribadesella, with its Baroque old quarter . Sleep soundly in the fresh sea air.
Day 5, Wednesday. Traverse Spain's little Switzerland, the Picos de Europa National Park. Travel winding roads through mountain passes, apple orchards with grazing goats and sheep, down the Sella River Valley, to Lakes Enol and Ercina, to slate-roofed villages with craft centers, to the Covadonga Sanctuary and on to the mountain town of Cangas de Onís for lunch. From Cangas, continue to Gijón, with its beautiful beaches and historic fishing quarter. Sample the cuisine of the Asturias aboard this evening.
Day 6, Thursday. Imagine Romans, Visigoths, and early Christian kings when Oviedo was capital of the Kingdom of the Asturias. Explore the city's old quarter, designated a UNESCO heritage site-markets, museums, palaces and pantheons. Sample local specialties over lunch, then travel to Cudillero, an unusual fishing village sheltered against the mountains. At Luarca, stroll the medieval streets of this white town on the Green Coast before dinner.
Day 7, Friday. Enter Galicia, land of rivers and manor houses, vineyards and granaries, and a powerful drink/queimada to ward off witches/meigas. Descend Ribadeo's steep cobbled streets to the port, and lunch. Continue to Viveiro, at the foot of Mount San Roque; board a yacht to sail the Ria Eo, a rich source of marine life, reminder of what attracted the Romans here two millennia ago. Enjoy dinner where river, mountains, forest and sea merge.
Day 8, Saturday. Enjoy the last stretch by train to Ferrol. From there, transfer by coach to Santiago de Compostela, end of your pilgrimage at the great Cathedral, shrine site for over a thousand years. After a tour of the Cathedral and its plazas, retire for a farewell lunch.
Meeting point and time for Day 1: Parador Nacional de San Marcos, Plaza de San Marcos, 7, León, 12:00 noon.
Day 1, Saturday. Rendezvous in Santiago de Compostela. Tour the great Cathedral, shrine site for over a thousand years. Enjoy a welcome lunch before traveling to Ferrol to board the Transcantábrico. Savor the cuisine of Galicia as the coast rolls past en route to Vivero.
Day 2, Sunday. This morning sail the Ría Eo, a rich source of marine life, reminder of what attracted the Romans here two millennia ago. Afterwards, continue to Ribadeo and descend cobbled streets to the port for lunch. Travel on to Luarca for dinner--a white town of medieval streets in Green Spain.
Day 3, Monday. Enter the ancient Kingdom of Asturias. Explore Cudillero, an unusual fishing village sheltered against the mountains. Continue to Oviedo and walk the old quarter, designated a UNESCO heritage site-markets, museums, palaces and pantheons. Sample local specialties over lunch, then continue to Gijón, with its beautiful beaches and historic fishing quarter, your dining destination this evening.
Day 4, Tuesday. Traverse Spain's little Switzerland, the Picos de Europa National Park. Travel winding roads through mountain passes, apple orchards with grazing sheep, down the Sella River Valley, to lakes, villages, Covadonga Sanctuary and the mountain town of Cangas de Onís for lunch. From Cangas, continue to the coast at Llanes, and dinner.
Day 5, Wednesday. After breakfast, transfer to Santillana del Mar, known for its Altamira neo-Cave Museum, Colegiata Church and Renaissance architecture. The great Gaudí built El Capricho palace in nearby Comillas, where you'll have lunch. Continue along the coast to Santander, ancient maritime capital on the Cantabrian Sea. Dinner features regional favorites.
Day 6, Thursday. Welcome to Basque Country. Tour the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, then lunch in this city of famous chefs, before continuing your journey to Espinosa de los Monteros, your dinner stop.
Day 7, Friday. Traverse the Canal de Castilla and explore the Camino de Santiago in old Castilla-Romanesque art, Gothic churches and the pilgrim halt at Fromista church, amidst fields of wheat, an ideal lunch stop. From the Roman town of Olmeda, continue to Cistierna and dinner.
Day 8, Saturday. Step down in León, ancient Roman city, dominated by its Cathedral of glass and Romanesque frescoes, elegant boulevards and chic shops. Enjoy a farewell lunch in the city of Legions and Knights
Meeting point and time for Day 1: Parador Nacional de Los Reyes Católicos, Plaza del Obradoiro, 1, Santiago de Compostela - 12:00 noon.
Inquire for dates and prices
Prices subject to change per season
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Form of payment: Scheduled Trips:
A deposit $1000 per person is required to reserve by check or credit
card.. The balance is due 60 days prior to departure by check only.
| Cancellations: | ||
| Booking to 60 days and more prior to departure | 30% of price is non-refundable | |
| 60 to 31 days prior to departure | 50 % of price is non-refundable | |
| 30-21 days prior to departure | 75 % of price is non-refundable | |
| 21-0 days prior to departure | 100% of price is non-refundable | |
| failure to show | 100% of price is non-refundable | |
| There is no refund for non-use of any of the services included El Transcantabrico Program | ||
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