Spain

May 7-27, 2016

Please join us for the ERA’s 13th international tour! Tramways, Metros and Tourism in Spain will cover the two major Spanish cities and many other cities with tram, light rail and metro operations in an extensive 21-day program you won’t want to miss. The tour will include first-class travel on Spain’s high speed and regional trains, plus chartered bus and air travel where needed in order to visit many historic and modern tram, metro and electric railway operations throughout the country. There will be general sightseeing opportunities provided to cover many of Spain’s beautiful and historic places.

During 21 days of travel we will cover many major and provincial cities. The tour will begin in Barcelona on Saturday, May 7 as we settle into our luxury hotel, with local sightseeing and a visit to the famous Blue Tram and Mount Tibidabo Funicular the next day followed by our welcome dinner. The last tour activity will be our farewell dinner after a day in Madrid on Thursday, May 26, with an overnight stay to follow and departure from Spain on Friday, May 27. All breakfasts will be provided and three group lunches plus seven group dinners will also be included.

We will stay five nights in Barcelona, two nights in Bilbao, three nights in Seville, three nights in Valencia, two nights in Palma de Majorca and five nights in Madrid. Three- or four-star hotels will be our homes during the tour. Chartered buses and coach transfers will be utilized as much as possible to assist in handling baggage between cities.

Itinerary

We plan on chartering historic equipment (where available), visiting depots and railway museums, utilizing service trams, metros and interurbans, and experiencing escorted sightseeing in the following locations:

Barcelona

• General sightseeing, Blue Tram, Mt. Tibidabo Funicular and our welcome dinner
• Tram and Subway day, including Subway shop tour
• FGC Railway charter requested using historic Brill interurban car
• Visit to Catalonia Railway Museum and free afternoon

Bilbao

Travel via morning Alvia train from Barcelona to Vitoria and visit Vitoria light rail line followed by charter bus transfer to Bilbao:

• Optional morning sightseeing tour and/or all day riding opportunity on Bilbao Metro and Light Rail lines

Seville

Travel via morning Alvia train from Bilbao to Madrid and Ave train from Madrid to Seville:

• Day trip to Malaga to sample the Light Metro via Avant and MD train services
• Day trip to Granada via charter bus including sightseeing and a requested visit to the soon-to-open system’s maintenance facility
• Optional morning sightseeing tour and/or all day riding opportunity on Seville Tram and Metro lines

Valencia

Travel via evening Ave train from Seville to Valencia:

• Optional morning sightseeing tour and/or all day riding opportunity on Valencia Metro and Tram lines
• Day trip via charter bus to Alicante to visit its tram and tram/train systems

Palma de Majorca

Morning flight from Valencia to Palma de Majorca followed by free afternoon for sightseeing and visiting the Palma Metro:

• Historic electric railway ride from Palma to Soller followed by historic tram round trip ride from Soller to Puerto de Soller. A depot visit has been requested.

Madrid

Morning flight from Palma de Majorca to Madrid followed by an afternoon sightseeing tour:

• Day trip to Zaragoza via Ave trains including an optional sightseeing tour or time to visit the Zaragoza tram line.
• Morning Metro shop tour requested followed by afternoon to ride Metro and Light Rail Lines
• Free day for sightseeing and/or time to ride Madrid’s extensive Metro and Light Rail system
• Morning visit to Madrid Railway museum followed by additional free time and our farewell dinner

Tour and Accommodation Information

Air transportation is by individual choice. First arrival is in Barcelona on May 7. The Barcelona hotel can be accessed from the airport via RENFE train, Metro and Tram. There is also airport bus transportation available to a tram connection to the hotel. Local transit passes and Spain rail passes will be distributed as needed for most travel from May 8 onward. Departure will be from Madrid on May 27. Air arrangements, especially if you are using frequent flyer miles, are best made as soon as possible.

Travel Insurance

We urge you to purchase cancellation insurance and supplemental medical coverage (which covers pre-existing conditions). This is a smart way to safeguard against life’s surprises. Most insurance policies require purchase within 14 days of your initial trip payment.

If you haven’t purchased your own travel insurance, we have made arrangements with the SMS Travel Insurance Center of Omaha, Nebraska. SMS has over 25 years of experience as worldwide insurance brokers and can help you choose the policy that best meets your needs. They serve all nationalities and all destinations. Mention promo code: ERA USA. Our contact person is Jonah Engel (jonah@travelinsurancecenter.com), U.S. phone 402-404-5205.

Ticket Information

The tour costs $3,995 per person double occupancy ($995 single supplement) and includes:

• Rooms at 3- or 4-star hotels that tentatively are as follows: Hotel NH Porta de Barcelona (upon arrival in Spain), Hotel Mercure Jardines de Albia in Bilbao, Hotel Ayre Sevilla,
• Hotel Barcelo Valencia, Tryp Palma Bellver Hotel in Palma de Majorca and Hotel Paseo del Arte, Madrid.
• Group travel via first class passage on the railways of Spain;
• Chartered bus travel for transfers, sightseeing and for some regional tram visits
• Air transportation from Valencia to Palma de Majorca and from Palma de Majorca to Madrid
• Breakfast on each day of travel, and a total of three lunches and seven dinners;
• Most transportation fares aboard chartered or regular service vehicles

Extra nights are available up to three days before the tour in Barcelona and three days after the tour in Madrid. If you choose to arrive before the trip, from May 4-5 onward you may stay at the Hotel NH Porta de Barcelona for an additional $72 per person per day, double occupancy or $115 single occupancy. If you stay after the trip on May 26-27 to May 29-30 you may stay at the Hotel Paseo del Arte in Madrid for an additional $78 per person per day, double occupancy or $125 single occupancy. Note this on the coupon below when sending in your reservation.

Full payment must be received by February 1, 2016. For questions call 917-714-7087 or use our Contact Us page.

Paying by Check?

• Click here for a print version of the order form.