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've organised for you for 2025:

9 - 13 March Andalusian Explorer - travelling by high speed train and based in Seville for four nights, with day trips to Córdoba and Jerez. The trip is fully booked, but we can put you on the waiting list.

18-25 September - Eight day trip by train to Asturias, based half board in a four star hotel in Gijon, visiting all the main sights, including an underground mining museum, a cheese factory and a cider house - with tastings! (Graham). The trip is fully booked.

We will advertise the following trips later in the year:

7 June - Day trip to Elche with lunch in a four star hotel. This is a repeat of the very successful trip we took a couple of years ago when we had more people on the waiting list than we were able to take on the trip! (Liz).

October - Day trip to the famous foodie festival in Ayora, near Valencia, which is dedicated to the world of honey, with lunch and a bodega visit afterwards. This is a new trip for us (Cazzie & Richard).

December - Sightseeing/Christmas shopping trip to Valencia (Cazzie and Richard).

23-27 December - Five days, full board break in Hotel Kaktus, Albir. We’ve been here twice before and it’s so good that we’re going again! (Ginny & Chris).

Join us to explore some of the most emblematic sights and beautiful cities of Andalusia. Our holiday begins with a trip on the high speed train from Valencia to Seville. We’ll have a reserved carriage to ourselves and arrive in Seville early afternoon.

Our base in Seville will be the Hotel Convento la Gloria. This historic, picturesque Andalucian hotel is a former 15th century convent and is right in the centre of the old Santa Cruz area, just a few steps from the Giralda, Cathedral and the Alcazar Real. We’ll be staying bed and breakfast, so that we can experience the delights of Seville’s vibrant tapas bar and restaurant scene, but there is also a restaurant in the hotel. Have a look for yourself: hotelconventolagloria.es

Here’s our itinerary:

Day one
An early start from Denia, as we board our bus to Valencia. The high speed train takes us direct to Seville and we should arrive at our hotel around 2.30pm.
The rest of the day is free to explore this lively area of the city. You may wish to visit the fabulous Alcáza de Real - the Palace of the Christian Monarchs - which is walking distance from our hotel and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Fans of Game of Thrones will recognise places where scenes from the series were filmed, or perhaps take a horse-drawn carriage ride around the city.

Day two
After breakfast, we’ll meet our guide for a morning tour of Seville, visiting the Plaza España, the Giralda, the Cathedral, Torre del Oro and the Jewish Quarter. Free time for lunch, then we’ll board a boat for a trip down the Guadalquivir River, which runs through the centre of the city.

Day three - Jerez
We’ll drive to Jerez today to visit the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art to see a world renown performance of How Andalusian Horses Dance. This is an authentic animal ballet with Spanish music and riders dressed in period costume. After the performance we’ll have free time for lunch, before visiting the famous Gonzales Byass bodega for a guided tour and sherry tasting.


Day four
Our coach takes us to Córdoba, where we have a guided tour of the Mesquita. Once the capital of El Andulas, the Mesquita-Catedral is the city’s most iconic feature and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lunch and the afternoon are at your leisure. Don’t miss seeing the old Jewish Quarter and the Puente Romano, one of the oldest Roman bridges in the world.

Day five
Breakfast, then the rest of the morning and early afternoon is free time before we board the fast train back to Valencia late afternoon, where a coach will be waiting to take us back to Denia. We should arrive at around 11pm.

Cost:€775 per person sharing a double room
Single supplement €299

There are only 40 places on this trip

We need to pay a deposit by early January and the final payment by the beginning of February. I will send you a payment slip with information on how and when to pay.

THE TRIP IS FULLY BOOKED.

To be put onto the waiting list, please contact
Ginny: travel@u3adenia.com
with the following information:
- names of all passengers
- where you would like to board the coach (Denia New Marina, McDonald’s or Ondara)
- double, twin or single room

WITHOUT ALL OF THIS INFORMATION, I CANNOT BOOK YOU ON THE TRIP.

You, and anyone travelling with you, must be a fully paid up member of U3A Denia to travel on our trips.

Please read our Terms and Conditions below before booking.

https://u3adenia.com/pages/travel_terms.php

Pick up time from:
New Marina Denia - 6.45am
McDonalds Denia - 7am
Mas y Mas Ondara - 7.15am

Green Spain - following the cheese and cider route

Facing the Bay of Biscay and home to the Picos de Europa mountain range, Asturias is a place of unspoilt beaches, forests, lush vegetation and majestic peaks. It’s the most important mining and metallurgical region in Spain and famous for cider, cheese and other dairy products. We’ll be following the cheese and cider route to see how these products are made, visit an underground mine and also take in the many sights this beautiful area has to offer.

Day one
Our holiday begins with a coach trip to Valencia, where we’ll pick up a direct train to Gijon. We’ll arrive early evening at Hotel Silken Ciudad, the base for our holiday, in time for dinner.

Dinner the first night will be our only evening meal there. We’ll be staying bed and breakfast for the rest of our holiday so that we can experience the delights of Gijon’s vibrant tapas bar and restaurant scene in the evenings.

Day two
After breakfast we’ll board our coach for a guided tour of Gijon. The largest city in Asturias, it is the epicentre of cider culture in the region.

Free time for lunch

In the afternoon we will board a mining train, and take a trip along the banks of the Samuño River before going into the depths of the earth to visit the mine and ecomuseum.


Day three
Today we’ll visit Ribadeo on the Galician border and walk around the town to see the Indian influence in the bourgeois architecture.

We’ll travel on to Playa de las Catedrales with its spectacular rock arches sculpted by the force of the sea.

Free time for lunch, then we’ll visit Cudillero, which has an amphitheatre - unique in Asturias - because it isn’t a Roman ruin, but a colourful collection of houses built in the shape of a horseshoe.


Day four
After breakfast we’ll travel to Covadonga, a stunning little town set amongst the mountains of the Picos de Europa. We continue on to Cangas de Onís, the first capital of the Kingdom of Spain, on the banks of the Rio Sella and its famous Roman bridge.

Free time for lunch, then we drive to Ribadesella.

Its historic quarter has been declared Property of Cultural Interest. The historic 13th century town offers an interesting mix of mediaeval town and modernist architecture in addition to an outstanding beach area. The town is also known for its prehistoric Cave of Tito Bustillo.

After that, we’ll visit a cider house to see how it’s made and learn how to pour and drink cider the traditional way - and sample the product!

Day five
Free day. Do as you please, go where you wish or just relax in the hotel. It has a free spa and jacuzzi for guests.

Day six
This morning we’ll be visiting a cheese factory to see how the famous Cabrales cheese is processed and aged in natural caves - with tastings, of course!

After lunch we’ll travel to Llanes, a fishing village with an impressive historic centre which has been declared an Historic-Artistic Site.

Day seven
After breakfast we have a guided visit to Oviedo, the capital of Asturias. Afterwards, there is free time to have lunch before we travel to Luanco, a fishing village that, in its day, was one of the most important whaling ports in the Bay of Biscay.

Day eight
Breakfast, check out, then board our train back to Valencia where a coach will be waiting to take us back to Denia, arriving late afternoon.

Price
€1088 per person in a double room
€466 single supplement

THIS TRIP IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

Pick up time from:
New Marina Denia - tba
McDonalds Denia - tba
Mas y Mas Ondara - tba