U3A Denia

Back row l to r: Graham, Richard and Chris. Front row l to r: Cazzie, Ginny and Liz

Our aim is to provide our membership with a wide choice of value for money trips to suit all pockets, bearing in mind the rising cost of transport and food. As well as being friendly and fun, we endeavour to make our trips educational/cultural in line with the U3A ethos of continued learning and sharing experiences.

These are the trips we're planning for the remainder of 2026. You cannot book them online. We will send out an email with details of how to book each trip in due course.


23-30 September - seven night river cruise from Cologne down the Rhine. Fully booked

6 November - day trip to Xixona to visit the turrón factory, have lunch, then see the caves at Bussot.

11 December - Christmas shopping/sightseeing day trip to Alicante.

23 - 27 December - return to Hotel Kaktus in Albir for our annual Christmas break.

Fancy a river cruise down the Rhine next September?
Departing from Cologne, we will stay full board with a drinks package, cruise the Rhine gorge and visit numerous famous medieval German cities.

Fine dining is an essential part of the experience with multi-course lunches and dinners. We have a ‘house’ drinks package which entitles us to unlimited wine, beer and soft drinks. Tea, coffee and pastries and late night snacks are available and there is a 24 hour coffee shop. Each night there is live entertainment in the bar and there are themed evenings, plus a Captain’s welcome and farewell cocktail, and special dinner.

Day 1
Coach to Alicante airport, fly to Cologne and stay b&b overnight in the four star B&B Cologne City Hotel, which is part of the IBIS group. Afternoon and evening free.

Day 2
Breakfast in the hotel. Free time in Cologne
15.30 Coach to the terminal & board our river cruise.
Captain’s welcome cocktail and dinner. The cruise leaves Cologne at midnight.

Day 3
Koblenz
Arrive in Koblenz (1400 until 2000) one of the most beautiful and oldest cities in Germany, which has existed for more than 2,000 years. Guided walk around the town.

Day 4
Mannheim
Arrive in Mannheim (1200 until 1900). The city has a range of monuments, culture, art and gastronomy.
Optional excursion to Heidelberg Castle, now a university, founded in 1386 and the oldest university in Germany.

Day 5
Strasburg
Arrive in Strasburg (0900 until midnight), the capital of the Alsace region and Headquarters of the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights. The historic medieval centre is a World Heritage Site. There is an optional guided tour of the most emblematic places of interest.

Day 6
Speyer
Arrive in Speyer (0800 until 12.30) which boasts the largest Romanesque cathedral in the world. Guided optional walk through the town.

Sail in the afternoon enjoying the beautiful scenery, and arrive at 1800 in Mainz, a medieval city with over two millennia of historical heritage. Shops, boutiques and cafés surround Kirschgarten. Overnight in the city on board.

Day 7
Rudesheim
Arrive Rudesheim( 0900 until 1600), not surprisingly one of the most visited villages in the country. Guided walk through the town, then we sail in the afternoon to Andernach, which was founded by the Romans in the 12th century. Overnight in the city on board.

Day 8
Depart Andernach 1200 and enjoy a scenic cruise back to Cologne, arriving at 1600. Captain’s cocktail and farewell dinner. Overnight in the city.

Day 9
Breakfast, then disembark to our coach, which will take us to Cologne airport for our flight back to Alicante, where the coach will return us to Denia

PRICE:

Main deck double cabin with panoramic windows:
€2,350 per person.

No more single cabins are available.

A French balcony cabin has a floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door that opens to a railing, but it does not have a separate step-out space.

Regrettably, the ship does not have disabled cabins. Needless to say, if you take the excursions, there is a considerable amount of walking involved.

The trip includes:
- Full board, with a welcome buffet and fine dining multi-course lunches & dinners - from dinner on the day of arrival to breakfast on the day of departure.
- Afternoon tea, coffee and cakes and evening snacks.
- Welcome and farewell cocktail and dinner with the captain, with a special menu.
- ‘House’ drinks package: unlimited wine, beer, soft drinks and mineral water (still or sparkling).
- Excursions: visit to Heidelberg Castle, visit to Strasbourg, walking tour of Speyer, walking tour of Cologne
- Gratuities to staff
- All transfers - coaches, flights etc.

It does not include:
- optional excursions
- drinks not mentioned
- cancellation insurance, but this can be arranged through our travel agent.
- Wifi
- laundry
- mini bar

The trip is now fully booked.

Below is Strasburg

THIS TRIP IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY AND IS NOT YET BOOKABLE
With Christmas nearly upon us, that toothsomely-sweet nougat turrón is piled high on supermarket shelves. Ever wondered how it’s made? Well, wonder no more as we’re going to visit one of its most famous manufacturers in Jijona - El Lobo/1880, which is still produced by the 10th generation of this family-run business and exports to five continents.

After our usual pick ups, we’ll stop on the way for a coffee/comfort break. On arrival, we’ll see a film showing the history and manufacture of turrón, then don white coats and visit the factory to see the actual manufacturing process first hand.

Afterwards, we’ll tour the Museum, which has a fascinating display of the ancient tools which were used to hand-make the confection before the process was automated. There will be tastings, of course!

Time for lunch and we won't have far to go - the Museum’s restaurant is right next door. It serves a no-frills menú del día, much loved by the local workers in the surrounding businesses - tasty, very good value, and includes wine of course!

After we’ve been fed and watered, we’ll reboard our bus to see the Canelobre Caves, a short drive away in Bussot.

Discovered by an Arab goat herder over 1,000 years ago, the cave was used as an aircraft repair factory by the Republican Army during the Spanish Civil War. It was not opened to the public until the last half of the 20th century.This awe-inspiring cave is a huge and spectacular cavern with curious, colourfully illuminated limestone formations, many of which resemble candelabras - hence its name.
We don’t foresee any problems for our members with reduced mobility. The cave is on one level, although there are stairs down into the cave if you wish to take them.

PRICE: €50 per person (40 - 49 passengers)

You, and anyone you are booking for, must be a fully paid up member of Denia U3A. Please read our terms and conditions before booking.

4 nights’ full board - 4* Hotel Kaktus

Nestled between Benidorm and Altea in the pretty little resort of L’Albir, our hotel is right on the beach and an easy 50 minute drive down the AP7. It’s used by both Saga and Tui, so you can be sure they have all the facilities we Brits love - kettles in the room for our morning cuppa, English TV stations, an International cuisine - eggs and bacon for breakfast and they even serve porridge!

Decorated in an unusual Art Nouveau style with cane furniture and stained glass, it’s open and airy with a superb bar/lounge and dance floor for their regular entertainment evenings. If you’re a card or games player, or just prefer to read or sit and chat, there’s plenty of space to do so.

We organise a Christmas Eve Quiz, and Christmas carols and songs on the terrace on Christmas Day. It rained on Christmas Day last year, so we sang in the Hotel foyer.

Albir is a lovely town with lots of individual shops and cafés. It has a flat promenade which goes all the way to Altea.

Our rooms are large with comfortable seating and all have a balcony with a side view of the beach and promenade.
Meals are served buffet-style and we all agreed the food last year was excellent. The hotel charges €15 a night for their underground car park, but you can probably find parking in nearby streets for free.

The price is full board, and includes a Gala Christmas Eve Dinner, a Gala Christmas Day Lunch, and wine and water with meals (including the non-gala ones). We’ve had three wonderful Christmases here, which is why we’re going again. I hope you can join us.

Price:
Double/twin room - 471 euros per person
Single room - 619 euros

The price includes chocolates on the tables during gala meals and prizes for the Quiz, and other little competitions we hold.

We will ask you for a €100 per person deposit at the end of August, with final payment in November.

Please contact Ginny to book: travel@u3adeniacom

Please read our Terms & Conditions before booking: https://u3adenia.com/pages/travel_terms.php

Pick up time from:
New Marina Denia - n/a
McDonalds Denia - n/a
Mas y Mas Ondara - n/a