Christmas and New Year on the Spanish Coast

Local departure by coach or Home Connect service, then to the Paris area for an overnight stay.

Travel south to arrive on the Costa del Maresme for a ten-night stay.

Join us on our excursion to Montserrat, known locally as the ‘serrated mountain’. We travel through the mountains north of Barcelona to the site of the famous Benedictine monastery. In 1025 the Abbot of Ripoli and Bishop of Vic officially founded the Monastery of Montserrat, and today there are around one hundred monks who are based here. They follow the Order of St. Benedict and can be distinguished from other orders of Monks by their philosophy – “that there is an importance to everything that every person is”.

Montserrat Monastery means different things to different people and this is all reflected in its attractions. For many pilgrims to Montserrat it is an entirely spiritual experience. However, if you are not a religious person you will still find that there is a great deal of interest at Montserrat Mountain and Monastery. The chapels, beautiful Basilica and turbulent history make it a fascinating place to visit.

Festivities begin this evening with a gala buffet including wine and cava (Spanish sparkling wine).

Merry Christmas! Relax and celebrate Christmas in resort. Christmas Day lunch with wine and cava is included and during the afternoon there will be a visit from Father Christmas. Then, this evening, you can enjoy dinner in the hotel.

A further day at leisure in resort for you to relax.

After a leisurely breakfast join our wonderful included excursion along the Costa Brava.

Visit the typical Catalonian coastal town of Tossa de Mar, where you have free time to explore the narrow cobbled streets and medieval walls.

We continue to Lloret de Mar, the busiest and liveliest resort on the Costa Brava during the main season. Lloret was once a sea trading and ship building town, but is now popular with holidaymakers and houses a wide choice of restaurants and plenty of shops.

Today we travel to the fascinating city of Barcelona, Spain’s second-largest city and one of the Mediterranean’s busiest ports. The city has a delightfully relaxed atmosphere – particularly along Las Ramblas, where you can join the locals casually strolling along the tree-lined walkway, perhaps stopping to enjoy the entertainment offered by the mime artists and musicians. Barcelona boasts many amazing buildings designed during the artistic explosion of Modernism – be sure to see the extraordinary Sagrada Familia, a very unconventional cathedral, which is still under construction now.

Why not join our optional guided tour? Starting by coach, the tour takes you past many of the famous sights of the city. We finish the tour on foot at the bustling Las Ramblas, and from here you will be ideally situated to explore the ‘Barri Gotic’, or Gothic Quarter, where some of buildings date back to medieval and Roman times.

Today’s included excursion takes you to the charming town of Girona. Behind the colourful houses lining the River Onyar is the Old Town, with its imposing Gothic cathedral and maze of narrow streets. Have a stroll along the pedestrian Rambla de la Libertat lined with arcades, shops and pavement cafés.

Today, why not travel into the beautiful Spanish countryside on an optional Catalan Country Tour? The climate of Catalonia is diverse, with the populated areas lying by the coast in Tarragona, Barcelona and Girona featuring a Mediterranean climate, whilst inland has a mostly continental climate and there is even an Alpine climate at the Pyrenean peaks.

During our excursion, you’ll enjoy a delicious, typical Catalan lunch before returning to the coast. This is the perfect opportunity to allow you to see more than just the sun, sand, and sea of the Costas.

A further day at leisure in resort. Then, this evening we begin the New Year celebrations with a gala buffet including wine and cava.

Happy New Year! A leisurely day to relax and recover from last night’s celebrations! We have a brunch buffet this morning instead of breakfast and then this evening you can enjoy dinner in the hotel.

We travel north to our overnight hotel in central France.

We continue north through the French countryside to our hotel on the outskirts of Paris where we stay overnight. We then travel into the centre of Paris where you will have time at leisure to explore; visit the city’s famous sights, enjoy a stroll along the Seine or relax in one of the delightful cafés.

Return home.