Train Adventures
El Transcantábrico: Gran Lujo
8-day luxury rail tour with the El Transcantábrico Gran LujoVisit stunning places including Altamira, Santillana, Santander, San Sebastian and Bilbao
Marvellous narrow-gauge railway
8-day journey in a luxury train through northern Spain
The trains
Exquisite Spanish meals
Spacious & luxurious compartments
Four lounge carriages
Day 1 (Saturday): San Sebastián – Carranza
Welcome meeting at the Mª Cristina Hotel in San Sebastián at 12 noon. Travellers welcome and guided tour. Lunch in this elegant and beautiful city, where major cultural events take place every year. After lunch, the luxury coach will take you to Guetaria, where you can enjoy a guided tour of the town and its Balenciaga Museum. The next stop is Bilbao, where the Transcantábrico train awaits you. Upon arrival, enjoy a welcome drink with the crew. Enjoy the ride along the rails to Carranza along with sumptuous fine dining on your first dinner on board. Overnight in Carranza.
Day 2 (Sunday): Carranza – Santander
Begin your day with the delicious a-la-carte and buffet breakfast. The Transcantábrico will return to Bilbao; a vibrant town that has reinvented itself after the decline of its traditional heavy industry. The visit includes an entry ticket to the famous Guggenheim Museum, the iconic symbol of this new Bilbao. Back on board the train to enjoy a lunch with spectacular views on the way to Santander. Tour through the elegant capital of Cantabria and enjoy free time to discover it at your leisure. After dinner, you can visit the Santander Grand Casino with entry included. Overnight in Santander.
Day 3 (Monday): Santander – Cabezón de la Sal
Travel to Unquera on the train. The luxury coach will take you to Potes, crossing through the impressive Desfiladero de la Hermida mountain pass. After visiting this charming Cantabrian village, enjoy the thermal baths at Balneario de la Hermida. Return to the train after lunch and head to Cabezón de la Sal. In the afternoon, enjoy free time with the option of visiting El Capricho, in Comillas; a fantastic and colourful nineteenth-century palace designed by Antonio Gaudí. Dinner and overnight stay in Cabezón de la Sal.
Day 4 (Tuesday): Cabezón de la Sal – Llanes
The day starts with a visit to the town of Santillana del Mar, with its magnificently preserved Medieval historic quarter. The next stop is the famous Altamira ‘Neocave’, a museum and scientific reproduction of the finest Upper Palaeolithic rock art ever found. After lunch, return to the train and enjoy spectacular scenery as you enter the enchanting lands of Asturias on the way to Llanes. The luxury coach will take you to Ribadesella and then on to Llanes. Dinner and overnight stay in Llanes.
Day 5 (Wednesday): Llanes – Candás
During breakfast, the train will arrive in Arriondas and the coach will take you into the heart of the Picos de Europa National Park. Visit Lake Enol and then the Covadonga Sanctuary; a sacred place full of tradition and legends. Return to the Transcantábrico train to have lunch on board on the way to Oviedo, the capital of the Asturias Principality and the heart of pre-Romanesque Asturias, with treasures such as San Julián de los Prados. Visit and free time. Dinner and overnight stay in Candás.
Day 6 (Thursday): Candás – Luarca
The day begins in Avilés; a millenary town with a well-preserved and valuable historical centre. The next destination on your rail adventure is Gijón; a city that is wide open to the great Cantabrian Sea and hosts many cultural events. Then all aboard the train once again to explore the Asturias coast to Luarca, the ‘white village’ on the ‘green coast’, where you can enjoy a guided tour in this charming seaside town. Dinner and overnight stay in Luarca.
Day 7 (Friday): Luarca – Viveiro
Enjoy the ride on the rails to Ribadeo, a historic Galician village bordering the Asturias Principality. The luxury coach will take you to the Lugo coastline to enjoy Las Catedrales beach, one of the most spectacular in the world. The next activity is a panoramic tour of Ribadeo, where you will have lunch as well. In the afternoon, relax on the train as it heads to Viveiro, where you can enjoy a guided tour of the city and then free time to explore at your leisure. Dinner and overnight stay in Viveiro.
Day 8 (Saturday): Viveiro – Santiago de Compostela
Enjoy your last breakfast on board as the train rolls along the rails to Ferrol, where the Transcantábrico coach awaits to take you to Santiago de Compostela. Visit the historic centre of this city, a pilgrim destination for a thousand years. Explore the city’s vast wealth of artistic culture and do not miss the magnificent cathedral. End of trip after visiting the Reyes Católicos Parador.
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El Transcantábrico: Gran Lujo
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