| Overview | Dates/Prices | Reservation |
Sevilla
Highlights
- Tapas tour in the tapas capital of Spain
- Mozarabic Alcázar
- Seafood in Sanlúcar de Barrameda
- Sherry winery tours and tastings
- Ronda visit
- Trip to Sierra de Aracena
Andalucía
Explore classic Spanish flavors in Andalucía. Tapas tour in Sevilla’s former Jewish quarter, Sherry bodega visits, ancient Moorish white villages and Ronda visit (Hemingway’s haunt), market visit in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
In Andalucía you sense the culinary traditions in the scents of traditional dishes and the age-old recipes. Tradition lives in the tapeo, not an ordinary tapas crawl but a way of life centered around food.
Enjoy six days in Andalucía to experience the lively culinary scene of Sevilla, Aracena–origin of the much lauded Iberian ham–the sherry centers in Jerez de la Frontera and Sanlúcar de Barrameda and the lovely town of Ronda.
Mornings are for exploring Seville, visiting wineries in Jerez and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, touring Ronda–a stunning pueblo blanco–and the Sierra de Aracena where jamón ibérico is produced.
We visit Jerez de la Frontera, the sherry capital of Spain. The bodegas there are called wine cathedrals because of their huge vaulted interior space and high ceilings. We discover why they are designed as they are, and how sherry is made. We then have a guided tasting of aged wine.
Next we visit Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the Atlantic coast to indulge in some of Spain’s finest prawns accompanied by Manzanilla, Sanlúcar’s own DO (Denominación de origen) sherry.
We travel to Ronda, considered by many to be the emblematic pueblo blanco, and the Sierra of Aracena, one of Spain’s DO jamón ibérico producing regions.
We stay in Seville, the capital of Andalucía, and arguably its most vibrant city. Our four-star hotel in the heart of the Santa Cruz neighborhood allows for immediate access to the many tabernas and restaurants brimming with tapas. Our guide, a resident gastronomy expert, takes us on a tapas tour of the district. Tapas eaten in a succession of tabernas become dinner.
Itinerary
6 Days, 5 Nights
Day 1 Sevilla
Transfer you to your hotel located in the center of Seville’s historic Santa Cruz district. We gather for jerez (sherry), an ideal prelude to our tapas crawl through the ancient streets, many now pedestrianized.
Day 2 Sevilla
We take a walking tour of the Barrio de Santa Cruz, formerly the Jewish Quarter, and the Royal Alcázar, a 14th century palace built in the Mudéjar style, where the gardens command as much attention as the palace. Tapas lunch in a local restaurant.
After lunch there’s time for a siesta. Dinner on your own in Sevilla.
Day 3 Jerez and Sanlúcar
Today’s visit is a must as the sherry bodegas are unique in the world. Jerez is home to myriad bodegas–cavernous palaces housing stack upon stack of wine barrels. We tour our first bodega and learn the intricacies of making sherry, brandy and sherry wine vinegar. After sampling a number of different types of sherry, we move on to a small family-run bodega to sample some remarkable wines.
For lunch we travel to Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the Atlantic seacoast, home of Manzanilla wine, another Denominación de origen sherry. We will enjoy a lavish spread of Andalusian dishes, most notably the famous prawns and shrimp, accompanied by Manzanilla.
Return to Sevilla. Dinner on your own.
Day 4 Ronda
En route to Ronda, we visit two small vineyards that are causing a small stir among wine watchers. Our wine tastings feature a number of outstanding reds, accompanied by a sampling of Andalucía’s legendary jamón ibérico, ham from the black-hoofed Iberian pig.
We make our way to Ronda for lunch in a fine restaurant that specializes in traditional local fare. Ronda is one of Andalucía’s most beautiful white towns (pueblos blancos) set on two sides of a 120 meter-deep river gorge. Connecting the two sides is a bridge you won’t soon forget! Ronda’s previous incarnations were as the capital of a 14th century Moorish kingdom and as the central hideout spot for roaming 18th century bandits. After visiting the finely preserved Arabic baths and the Neoclassical bullring, we return to Seville. Dinner on your own.
Day 5 Sierra de Aracena
Many people call Iberian ham Spanish caviar. The Sierra of Aracena in the province of Huelva is home to some of the finest jamón ibérico produced in Spain. The region is one of the four DO ham-producing areas of the Peninsula. In this region the Iberian pig is raised on the grasses, herbs and acorns of the dehesa, the tree-studded meadowland. We pay a visit to the pig’s habitat, proceeding afterwards to the curing facilities. A guide explains the process of producing the ham, the curing of which takes 24 to 36 months. We then enjoy lunch in one of the region’s best restaurants.
Day 6 Departure
Transfer to the train station or the airport.
Tour Dates
Tour available year round upon request. Customized tours also available.
Price
- 2 people $3120
- 3 people $2920
- 4-6 people $2550
- 7-8 people $2280
- 9-10 people $1970
- Single supplement $675
Prices are per person based on double occupancy. Single supplement applies.
Included
- Accommodation for 5 nights
- Private tour and tastings in Jerez and Ronda wineries
- Visit to Iberian ham-producing region of Aracena
- Private tour of Sevilla
- Tapas tour in Sevilla
- 3 lunches with wine
- 3 dinners with wine
- Airport/train station transfers
- All transportation for excursions
- Restaurant gratuities
Not Included: Airfare to/from Spain Meals not specified Travel insurance Gratuities to guides
Reservation
Please fill out the form below to reserve your place on the tour.
Terms and Conditions
All Terms and Conditions and Waiver and Release of Liability apply to each trip participant once the reservation form has been submitted. Read Terms and Conditions.
Forms
The Terms and Conditions Agreement and Waiver and Release of Liability Form must be signed and returned via email, fax or mail to Epicurean Ways with your trip reservation. See the Agreement here.
Deposit
A deposit of $750 per person is required in order to reserve a trip. After we receive your reservation form we will send you an invoice via email for the deposit. You may pay securely through PayPal via credit card, by bank transfer, or by check. We will confirm your reservation upon receipt of the deposit.
Full payment for the trip is due 60 days before the program begin date. For reservations made less than 60 days before the program begin date, full payment is due at the time of booking.
Travel Insurance
You must indicate on this form whether you accept or decline travel insurance. We strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance because of the protection it offers you in the case of travel emergency or need to change your travel plans. Epicurean Ways offers our travelers TravelGuard travel insurance. Click on the TravelGuard logo for a customized no-obligation quote based on your total trip cost. You can also contact us and we will give you a quote for insurance. You may purchase travel insurance through Epicurean Ways or independently.
Thank You
We are pleased that you have decided to travel with us. Do not hesitate to call or email with any questions you might have about your trip.
Epicurean Ways
Toll free: 866-642-2917
Mobile: 434-228-0641
In Spain: 951-190-478 or 635-468-938