Although we won’t board our yacht until the afternoon of Tuesday September 5, there are plenty of reasons to arrive in Barcelona two or three days in advance. First, Barcelona is an amazing place to unwind and recover from jet lag. Second, arriving two or more days before embarkation allows delayed bikes and luggage to catch up (you can’t even begin to imagine how tough it is to deliver delayed luggage to a moving cruise ship). The very best reason to arrive 2-3 days early is to join us for the bargain-priced PreTour we tested in 2010 and perfected in 2011 & 2015.
3-Night Barcelona PreTour
Our team will greet flights arriving before 4pm at Barcelona’s BCN Airport on September 2, where they’ll help you with your luggage and bikes, and will shuttle you to our centrally located 4-star hotel. That evening, our local guides will take us on an adventure through Old Barcelona, where we’ll break into smaller groups for a Tapas Crawl of several authentic tavernas. The following morning we’ll enjoy a bountiful breakfast buffet (provided each morning of our stay). After breakfast you’ll have an open morning to go explore before the arrivals of our 2-Night PreTour join the fun.
2-Night Barcelona PreTour
Our team will greet flights arriving before Noon at Barcelona’s BCN Airport on September 3, where they’ll help you with your luggage and bikes, and will shuttle you to our centrally located 4-star hotel. At 2pm we’ll begin a hosted bike assembly session (and rental bike acceptance), where our team of pro bike mechanics will assist our group with the process. If you’d prefer a valet bike assembly, those can be scheduled through our mechanics—you’ll receive their contact info a couple weeks prior to the cruise. After your bike is road-ready, you can take a few test-ride laps of the adjacent circuit to make sure your bike is good-to-go for the following morning. Tonight we’ll enjoy Sangria on the hotel’s rooftop terrace before making our way to the restaurant for a special tasting menu and welcome banquet.
The following day our group will set off for a day of exploration in the Catalonian Countryside. To enjoy this mostly-downhill day of cycling, we’ll start with a coach ride to Montserrat before boarding a cog-train to a world famous mountaintop monastery where we’ll view the Black Madonna, one of Christendom’s most important icons. Our mostly downhill 36-mile ride starts with a quick warm-up ascent to the summit of Montserrat. After taking in the spectacular views from the top of the “Mountain of Jagged Teeth,” we’ll enjoy lunch where Napoleon’s troops were defeated by the Catalan defenders. As we continue down the mountainside and enter the Catalonian countryside, we’ll stop for a tasting at a 17th century vineyard. After arriving back in Barcelona, you’ll enjoy a free evening to explore the city to your heart’s content.
After breakfast on the morning of our cruise embark, we’ll load our luggage onto trucks that will meet us at embark before hopping on our bikes for a cycling-tour of Barcelona guided by local professionals. We’ll break into small groups that will leave in 10-minute intervals. In addition to exploring the heart of Barcelona and pausing for a late morning snack, our tour will include stops at 3 of Antoni Gaudi’s architectural masterpieces including the famous Sagrada Familia. Our groups will then enjoy a siesta-hour al fresco lunch at Barcelona’s Olympic Harbor. Following lunch, we’ll take a leisurely ride along Barcelona’s avant garde shoreline and artsy boardwalk to reach the ship for embark, where our luggage will be waiting for us in your staterooms.
Arriving on embark day
Whether you join our fun-filled & bargain-priced Barcelona PreTour or not, we don’t recommend arriving on embark day. A delayed flight/bag/bike could cause you to miss entire days of our cruise, and you wouldn’t believe how expensive it is to try to meet our ship as it traces the coastline of Southern Spain. Please only use this option if there’s no possibility of staying an extra night or two in Barcelona. If you choose to arrive on September 5, you'll want to arrive at BCN by Noon, or meet us at the ship for our hosted bike-building by 2pm.
No 1-Night PreTour Option
Santana will not be hosting a 1-Night PreTour option: Due to the 2 days of rides and hosting our group in Montserrat the day prior to embark, a 1-Night PreTour simply wouldn’t be a cost-efficient or stress-free option for our participants.
Flying out of Lisbon
We’ll arrive in Lisbon in time for our first shuttle to arrive at Lisbon’s LIS Airport in time to check-in for a 10:30am flight. Please do not schedule a disembark day flight that departs LIS Airport prior to 10:30am.
Lisbon PostTour
Portugal’s capital city is a charming and colorful city that justifies one to three days of exploration. After all, when will you find time to return? Santana’s optional Lisbon PostTour includes disembark day walking tours and lunch. While we’re being entertained by our professional guides, your luggage will be moved to our group’s perfectly located 4-star hotel with secure bike storage and a helpful concierge. Robert, Santana’s hotel consigliere and chef, will create a restaurant guide to assist you in a culinary adventure in Lisbon. As this friendly city has plenty of attractions and is quite easy to explore, the following day(s) will be unguided.
Staying elsewhere?
While disembark day shuttles to the airport and the PostTour Hotel are included, if you wish to reach a train station or different hotel, the ship’s dock is a 5-minute taxi ride away from Lisbon’s city center. The ship’s front desk will be happy to arrange an inexpensive taxi or shuttle for you.
Quick Reference Guide
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4+ Night PreTour - Depart from the US on/before August 31 to arrive at BCN on September 1 - No airport shuttles offered for 4+ nights.
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3-Night PreTour - Depart from the US on September 1 to arrive at BCN by 4pm on September 2.
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2-Night PreTour - Depart from the US on September 2 to arrive at BCN by Noon on September 3.
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1-Night PreTour will not be offered due to bike rides.
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Embark Day Arrival (Not recommended) - Depart from the US on September 4 to arrive at BCN by Noon on September 5 - please remember that a delayed flight/bag/bike could take the fun out of your vacation.
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Disembark Day - September 13, if you plan to fly out on disembark day, schedule a flight leaving LIS at 10:30am or later
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1-Night PostTour - Plan to fly out anytime on September 14
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2-Night PostTour - Plan to fly out anytime on September 15
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Barcelona’s Airport code is BCN
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Lisbon’s Airport code is LIS
