Experience Hidden Spain with the Experts
08/05/2025 · By Tim Hall
From Barcelona to the foodie haven of the Basque Country and iconic landmarks of Andalucía, uncover Spain with Great Rail Journeys’ Tour Manager Tim Hall.
Read moreSave up to £300pp on Europe 2026 holidays, when you book by 31st October 2025.
Flowing from northern Spain to the Atlantic Ocean, the Douro River carves a route through a rolling landscape of vineyards and idyllic locations. On this Iberian holiday, explore the Douro Valley by rail, travelling from Spain's 'Golden City' of Salamanca and through Portugal's beautiful countryside.
Experience the region's iconic wine and unique cuisine, and delve into the highlights of the vibrant cities of Porto, Lisbon, Guimarães and Sintra. Crossing the border once more, the holiday continues in Spain, visiting the historic university city of Valladolid and the nation's food capital, San Sebastián.
*Please Note - This tour was formerly called Portugal & the Douro.
Unforgettable Experiences
What’s included on the tour?
Itinerary
Your holiday begins today as you arrive at London St Pancras and meet the Tour Manager and travel group. Together, we board the Eurostar Plus carriage to Paris, enjoying a light meal at our seats as we head towards the French capital.
From Paris, we continue by First Class rail to Biarritz in southwestern France, located near the Spanish border, where we spend the night. Overlooking the sweeping Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic coast, this historic spa town - a popular health resort since the 1850s - has an air of grandeur and Art Deco glamour.
On arrival this evening, we check in to our hotel and walk to a local restaurant on the Grand Plage seafront, where we sit down to our first three-course dinner as a group.
Additional information
Hotels
More information on the different trains that are used on this tour.
The high-speed Eurostar trains link St Pancras International in London with Paris and Lille in France as well as Brussels in Belgium.
Introduced in 1981, France's TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) was the original European high-speed train. Linking Paris with Lyon, the new service revolutionised train travel and meant that travelling by air over medium and short distances was no longer seen as the best option, even for business travel.
Enhance your holiday
Spending a night in London before your tour can make such a difference to the first day of your holiday - you can arrive in the capital in good time, relaxed and ready to join your Tour Manager the next morning. You may even want to take in a show on the West End or dine in one of London's famous restaurants. Perhaps on your return to London, you would like to break your journey with an overnight stay before continuing home.
We can book a wide range of hotels in central London or, for our holidays beginning with a flight, at Heathrow, Gatwick, or Manchester Airport for the night before or after your holiday. If you require a quote for single occupancy at any of the hotels, please contact us on 01904 734 805.
Buying tickets for UK train services can be a tricky business - there are so many fares to choose from, each with different rules and restrictions. As you are connecting with an international departure, we strongly recommend that you book a fully flexible ticket to ensure that should the departure times for your holiday change, your rail ticket can allow for these changes.
We can book fully-flexible UK rail tickets from your local station to join your holiday whether this be a European holiday from St Pancras or a UK holiday. The prices are competitive and tickets are not restricted to a particular train or time of day, and in most cases offer you a free choice of routes.
For an up to date quote from your local station, please ask one of our Tour Advisors.
Reviews
4.2 / 5 · 93 reviews
Jane Sheehan
Submitted 21/Sep
Excellent holiday experience. Food choices were somewhat restricted but overall very good
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Mr & Mrs Hallatt
Submitted 20/Sep
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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MARTIN PARNELL
Submitted 14/Sep
Great itinerary, brilliant tour manager, top hotels and meals. Travel was easy and well organised
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Mr D Cable
Submitted 7/Jul
The holiday did what it said on the tin! It provided great travel to interesting places we had not visited before, complemented by some excellent excursions. Hotels were first class, and catering excellent.
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P Warren
Submitted 18 Oct 2024
It was an excellent tour, with visits to a variety of interesting places. A key factor in making it enjoyable was our excellent tour manager, Roger. He was unfailingly cheerful and friendly, dealt calmly and efficiently with any problems, and was personally helpful to me with mobility issues. Another excellent feature was that from Salamanca to San Sebastian our cases were transported separately, and were in our hotel rooms when we arrived.
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Mr Harrison
Submitted 07 Oct 2024
Excellent holiday. Model guide, comfortable hotels, delicious food, interesting itinerary.
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