Coasts of Spain Tour: Atlantic to Mediterranean

Our trip itinerary was titled “Memorable Trip to Spain” by our travel company representative Ana.  Her planning and coordination of our excursions, car rental, hotels and some meals were flawless.  Everything was planned perfectly and went like clockwork.  The excursion guides were local to the area and were extremely knowledgeable about the history, customs, and interesting facts of the area we were in.   Being local allowed us to see sites far beyond the normal tourists.  For example, at a winery in St. Emilion, France we were able to have a private tour in one of the oldest wineries in the area with the owner of the vineyard.  After the tour he also showed us through his house. 

Ana and her team were able to answer questions we had immediately.  We questioned how to drop the rental car off in Barcelona and not only did they send directions, but they also sent a picture of the facility.  While driving from San Sebastian to Alquezar we asked for lunch stop recommendations and they directed us to a beautiful location on a lake for lunch, something we would have never found on our own.

After our initial contact with Ana, we emailed and talked on the phone.  We established a budget, a rough itinerary of stops, a rough duration, and the class of hotels we wanted.  From there Ana put together a list of excursions at each stop and a list of 3 or 4 hotels that we could choose from.  Once everything was decided on, she also gave us a list of recommended restaurants we could review and make reservations for our evening meals that were on our account.   Finally, about a week before our trip she called to go over the itinerary and answer any questions we had.  The entire process was simple and easy thanks to Ana and her team.

Finally, if you have not already noticed, we had a fantastic and memorable time on out trip to France and Spain.  Thank you again for putting this together for us.

Zicasso.com connected us with this agent and her company and from the start things could not have gone better.  After submitting an itinerary, our agent called me and discussed the proposed trip to Spain for 6 people.  She helped me narrow down the cities to visit to something manageable and relaxing rather than something hurried and rushed.  We decided on Madrid (4 nights), Barcelona (5 nights) and Donostia-San Sebastian (3 nights).  We stayed in large, modern, well-appointed apartments in very central areas of each city each time.  Our agent also arranged tours for us to various places, including the Prado museum (saw Velazquez' 1656 Las Meninas considered by many to be the best example of composition in painting ever), the Royal Palace and a side trip to Segovia.  Our tour guide was great, with degrees in art history and over 30 years experience, she educated us beyond our expectations.  We went to the Reina Sofia (saw Picasso's Guernica) and the Thyssen (private collection spanning many decades) museums on our own.  Our tour guide in Barcelona also was great, showing us and educating us about La Rambla, the Picasso museum (where we saw paintings from his blue period, cubism and 57 sketches of Las Meninas which he studied meticulously), the Gothic quarter and Gaudi's masterpieces including La Sagrada Familia (which is still not finished, but is supposed to be in 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death).  Lastly Donostia-San Sebastian was a beautiful town, sandwiched between La Concha beach and the mountains.  We hiked Monte Urgull and saw the Sacre Couer and ate pinxtos at the best places, introduced to us by our lovely guide.  A side trip to the Guggenheim in Bilbao was probably not worth an entire day of leaving town for, however. 

Working with Zicasso’s trip planner was nothing short of incredible. From the moment I submitted my trip request to a check-in upon our return home, the personal service and help was unbelievable. Emails and questions were responded to in a timely manner, phone calls were helpful and informational, and everything we planned was seamless.

We arrived in Barcelona and our driver was waiting for us with my name on a sign. Our travel agent gave us several hotels to choose from in Barcelona and the one we chose was absolutely perfect. It was in the middle of many cafés, shops, and high-end stores.

Upon check-in there was a package waiting for us with tickets to all of our tours, as well as confirmed times to meet guides (these were also located within the app). We felt safe the entire time. The hotel was clean, right on the main road, with easy access. Everything was wonderful.

We did a few tours in Barcelona. The tour guides were right on time, highly educated, and fun for my husband, me, and the kids, aged eight and 10. Because the tours were private, we were able to go at our own pace, ask any questions we wanted, and stop for photos wherever we wanted. We toured the Gothic Quarter, Park Guell, and La Sagrada Familia. We got to try our tour guide's favorite churros in the city and got to see the Cathedral of Barcelona and the government buildings.

After four days in Barcelona, we flew to Mallorca for a week. Our agent suggested a rental car in Mallorca as the airport was 50 minutes from the resort I had chosen and because the excursions we chose were driving distances from our resort. Again, everything was arranged perfectly for us. We got a beautiful rental car with little wait time, the resort was beautiful and clean, and again, we were within walking distance to many shops and a supermarket. We also had direct access to the beach and a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea from our room!

Our agent offered many options for cooking classes, wine tastings, and dinners. My family chose to do a tour of the Mallorcan countryside by Andalusian horses. This was a three-hour horseback ride through the countryside with an unbelievable private guide.

Our final tour was a four-hour private boat trip on a traditional Spanish boat with a skipper and his mate. We got to see parts of the island that you can only get to by boat, as well as some caves. We spent some time swimming at a beach and had a delicious traditional Mallorcan lunch on the boat. We spent the rest of the days on the beach at the resort, which was also absolutely amazing.

Our agent and her co-workers were available by text throughout our trip and checked in to ensure everything was going smoothly. We will most definitely use their company again. Thank you for everything!