6 nights from £615
This arrangement re-lives the rich splendour of Spain’s “Golden Age”, visiting Madrid, Toledo and some of the surrounding area’s splendid palaces constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries.
After the Age of Exploration innumerable amounts of gold and silver poured into Spain from the newly discovered Americas and the country slowly became one of the wealthiest nations in the world. By the 16th century, Spain entered a period of cultural and intellectual prowess, known as its “Golden Age”, recognised not only for increased wealth and decadence but also for the burgeoning of its literary, dramatic, and visual arts. Architectural legacies in the capital include the Royal Palace, cited as one of the most beautiful in Europe, and Villahermosa Palace, housing the Thyssen Museum, one of the most important private collections of ancient and modern paintings in the world.
Outside of Madrid Escorial Palace, built on the instruction of Felipe II in the 16th century, houses numerous valuable works of art and a library containing some of the oldest books in existence. Toledo, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and national monument, is an immense living museum home to some of Spain’s most wonderful artistic treasures including Gothic and Rennaissance churches, synagogues and palaces.
