Spain is a fantastic destination for a family vacation. We know this because we got three generations of ours together there two years ago for Veronica’s big birthday celebration. (We won’t say which one.) We will say that it was so great that we are now thinking of doing it again, even without a birthday to celebrate.
Everyone had a wonderful time but one thing we learned on that trip, and will do better this time, is that a little bit more planning ahead will be a good thing. Last time we all just did whatever popped into our heads, hit the beach, go biking, swim, eat lots of great food, or just relax. However, we do feel like we might have missed out on a lot of the local attractions by not taking a tour.
So this time we are looking for a good guided excursion. We have, and I imagine you have too, heard about free tours in many popular places, but with the broad range of ages we have traveling together, from toddlers to seniors, we have decided that a private tour will be much better way to see all of the things we want to see.
By hiring a private guide in Spain we will be able to customize our tour to see only the things that we are interested in, while skipping some things that we might not care as much about. Even better, we will have the flexibility to change things up in the middle of the tour if something comes up. This way, if the little ones start getting tired, we can rearrange the schedule so that they can drop out early while everyone else still gets to visit everything that they wanted to see.
We can also schedule it for what ever time works best for us, such as not being out and about when nap time comes around, or staying out too late. That sounds like a fantastic way to avoid grouchy grand-babies… and grandparents.
Plus we get private, one on one attention from the guide. Everyone can ask questions and have the time and privacy to dig for deeper, more meaningful answers. So if we want to stay a little longer in one place and a little less in another that’s not a problem. What a great way to see and learn more about Spain.
It also means that it is just us, our family, in the group so everyone can be more relaxed and never feel crowded or herded around like the big groups often do. And another huge benefit, it is way easier to keep track of the little ones so no one wanders off or gets lost in the crowd. We feel like that peace of mind alone is more than worth the price.
Now the main thing that is left for us to do is decide on a destination. We are thinking about Madrid, Toledo, or Segovia.
Toledo sounds great. It first became prominent as a Roman city around two hundred years before Christ. It went on to become the capital of the Visigoth Kingdom, and later the seat of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain from 1516 to 1556.
Clearly there is more than enough history to fill several tours so we will have our work cut out for us picking the highlights, but we know that certainly the Castle of San Servando, the Alcázar, the Baños de Tenerías, and the Historic Old City of Toledo must be included.
Oh, and we certainly can’t leave out the incredible Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo, which is generally considered to be the ultimate example of the Gothic style in Spain. Construction began in the year 1226 and lasted until Columbus was first sailing to the New World.
But let’s not overlook Segovia. This smaller city near the mountains is famous for its historic buildings and three main landmarks. The nearly two thousand year old Roman aqueduct runs right through the center of the city and remained in use until 1973; The cathedral, which is one of the last ones in Europe to be built in the Gothic style; and the Alcázar of Segovia, which was one of the models used to design Cinderella’s Castle by Walt Disney, are all intriguing.
There is also the smaller church of San Miguel de Segovia that has a huge place in history since it is where the coronation of Queen Isabella took place in 1474, as well as several other landmarks worth visiting
But Madrid is too hard to pass up. So even though Veronica and I have been there before, we can guarantee that there is a whole lot we missed because we only spent one whirlwind day exploring. That is the main reason that we want to have the Madrid Tour Experience.
We walked by many of the highlights, such as the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral, with the enormous Plaza de la Armería between them, but wished we had a guide to explain the history and background of them.
We also saw the Cibeles Palace, now used as the Municipal Hall, and the famous El Retiro Park, with the glorious Palacio de Cristal glass palace, but again, without a guide there is so much we missed.
Plus, there are so many more amazing sites in the Spanish capital city awaiting us, the Puerta de Alcalá, the Plaza de España, and the Mercado San Miguel, that a good guide can show us and help us see as many as possible.
That is why we are sold on taking private tours in Spain. And whether you have a dozen people over three generations like we do, or just a handful, we are sure you will be sold on it too.
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
Just jump on to their website and look through the vast array of unforgettable possibilities that will create memories to last a lifetime. They are easy to find, just pick a category and take your pick. They cover everything from over the top exhilarating exploits such as skydiving or bungee jumping, to lower key relaxing escapes like cooking classes or sunset cruises.
