• Javier explains the 15th century frescos in the church of Santa María la Mayor in Alquézar on our Cultural Holiday Spain
  • A procession of people make there way to the chapel of San Urbez during the village fiesta at Albella on our Cultural Holiday Spain
  • The white chapel of San Urbez in the background and in the fore ground a procession of people some carrying flags, all part of the village fiesta at Albella on our Cultural Holiday Spain
  • The monastery of San Juan de la Peña which dates from the 10th century and was constructed within a rock face. One of our destinations on our Cultural Holiday Spain.
  • A procession of people make there way to the white chapel of San Urbez on the hill near Albella. All part of the village fiesta which you can enjoy on our Cultural Holiday Spain
  • The amazing 10th century monastery of San Juan de la Peña set in the cliff face near Jaca, and a destination on our Cultural Holiday Spain

Cultural Holiday Spain

A varied and interesting week that combines culture, nature, walking and gastronomy in the breathtaking Spanish Pyrenees.

Click on one of the icons below to find out more!

Cultural Visits
Cookery Class
Fully Inclusive
Small Group
Guided Walks
Stay in Comfort

Holiday Price
€1395 per person

No Single Supplement
Solo travellers have their own private ensuite bedroom, at no extra cost.

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Trip Gallery:

A close up of a capital carved in stone and depicting Christ with his disciples in the monastery of San Juan de la Peña on our Cultural Holiday Spain
Dancers in traditional costume peform at the festival of Santa Orosia in Jaca on our Cultural Holiday Spain
A close up of the painted wood carving of the shepherd San Urbez in the chapel at Albella on our Cultural Holiday Spain
Alberto explains the local geology in Sobrabre in the Spanish Pyrenees on our Cultural Holiday Spain
A view of the Romanesque Castillo de Loarre one of the best preserved castles in Spain and one we visit on our Cultural Holiday Spàin
A group taste some fine wines in the Somontano wine region of the Pyrenees on our Cultural Holiday Spain

Covid19

Holidays 2021

Your safety is paramount, so we have reduced the number of weeks we are offering for 2021. This means that between each holiday there is a minimum disinfection period of 4 days. Giving us enough time to clean and disinfect the hotel, all equipment and transport, ensuring we are safe and ready for your visit.

More than ever, the emphasis is on small groups. The combination of couples, friends, family members or solo travellers will determine the maximum number on any particular holiday (from 2 to 8), so please enquire for availability.

The deposit is small (just €150) and we are only asking for the balance to be paid three weeks in advance of departure date.
If you have to cancel, any advance payment may be transferred to another holiday, or another person, with no time limit.

We look forward to welcoming you to our corner of the Spanish Pyrenees.

Trip Overview

Overview

Holiday Price
€1395 per person

“On our Gastronomy and Culture week as well as cooking, we visited some beautiful Spanish villages, castles, cathedrals, wineries, an amazing olive oil factory, lovely restaurants and even the house of the local mayor.” Patrick. Tasmania.

With gentle walks our Cultural Holiday Spain will explore the central Spanish Pyrenees.  A land rich in history, architecture, gastronomy and culture. Pre-historic cave paintings, Paleolithic stone circles and Dolmens mix with formidable forts, medieval monasteries, majestic castles, ancient ruins and Romanesque churches.

The May week coincides with our village fiesta on the final day of the holiday. An authentic Pyrenees experience well off the tourist trail.

We are Simon and Lucy, your hosts, a husband and wife team who pride ourselves on our personal service, the care we take and our attention to detail.
You will be staying at our exceptional, renovated farmhouse, within a UNESCO Geopark, a place of particular geological interest and close to two other parks. The National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido, a UNESCO world heritage site, and the Natural Park of Sierra de Guara, now itself with UNESCO world heritage status.

The group size is limited to a maximum of 8 people.

Why not organise a group of friends! With a minimum of 6 people we can make this a private, tailor made holiday.

Walking Grade

Itinerary

Culture Holiday Spain Itinerary

The bullet point itinerary below gives an idea of what we will be doing during a typical week.

Please note: this is strictly a no-smoking holiday.

DAY 1:

  • Arrival at Casa Allué, Albella.
  • Dinner and a chance to meet the group.

DAY 2:

  • Morning walk to explore Albella and the Ara Valley. Picnic lunch.
  • Afternoon cookery class.
A view of the chapel and the misty mountains taken from our village of Albella in the Spanish Pyrenees on our Cultural Holiday Spain
A morning view from Albella

DAY 3:

  • Morning visit to a 10th century monastery.
  • Afternoon in a fortress town dating back to the Romans.

DAY 4 :

  • Visit to an olive oil producer.
  • Afternoon bodega visit with tasting.
  • Evening tapas in Ainsa.
A view of the 10th century monastery of San Juan de la Peña at Jaca set in the mountain side on a visit on our Cultural Holiday Spain
The 10th century monastery of San Juan de la Peña

DAY 5:

DAY 6:

  • Visit the UNESCO World Heritage site in the Sierra de Guara.
  • Afternoon visit to a medieval  town dating back to 9th century.
A view looking toewards the canyon of Añisclo with a traditional stone barn in the foreground and snow capped peaks behind. A viewpoint we visit on our Cultural Holiday Spain
Looking towards the canyon of Añisclo

DAY 7:

  • Morning walk above a gorge in the Ordesa National Park to see raptors (2 hours).
  • Lunch at a mountain restaurant.
  • Evening visit to the town of Ainsa.

DAY 8:

  • A flexible timetable depending on departure times.
Thje medieval town of Ainsa in the Spanish Pyrenees seen from the fortress ramparts on our Cultural Holiday Spain
The medieval town of Ainsa

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Accommodation

Accommodation

The base for our Cultural Holiday Spain is our 17th century farmhouse, Casa Allué. It nestles on the hillside in the small farming hamlet of Albella, within the Pyrenees Geopark and close to the National Park of Ordesa and the Natural Park of Sierra de Guara.

The Farmhouse

We undertook a major restoration project to transform Casa Allué into both a family home and a “must stay” destination.

The transformation complete, we have created a home from home.  The bedrooms are spacious with luxury en suite bathrooms and thermostatic rain showers. All have mountain views with plenty of natural light.  Four have stone balconies, perfect for star gazing, as the night skies here are breathtaking.
Each room is named after the wildlife that surrounds the house.

“The rooms have been sympathetically renovated, retaining beautiful original features whilst providing a sophisticated en suite bathroom. I could enjoy beautiful views across the valley, gaze at the starlit sky and listen to the natural nightlife. Just fantastic in itself.”

Louise. Lewes. Oct 2017.

View The Farmhouse

We love to cook and we prepare all your meals using only locally sourced, or our own organic produce.  We can cater for all dietary requirements. The flavour is definitely Spanish, but often with a twist!
But it’s not just the accommodation and food that make our holidays stand out! See our section What Makes Us Different!
And for more information on our farmhouse, Casa Allué, visit our page Guest House Accommodation.

“And the food! Our meals were superlative and our picnic lunches were every bit as wonderful. Our stay at Casa Allué was definitely a highlight of our trip to Spain.”

Deborah & Art. Maryland USA. May 2017

Getting Here

How to Get to Albella

When considering the options below why not add on a couple of nights to include a city break.

Flying to Zaragoza

Our nearest airport is Zaragoza. Ryan Air offer flights all year round from London Stansted.
Arrival time in Zaragoza is normally 16.40 and departure 17.05. We do offer a pick up and drop off service – see below.

Flying to Barcelona (El Prat) & Madrid

Barcelona and Madrid are hubs for international flights from outside Europe. If you are arriving from the USA, Canada, Australia or another international destination these are the best options.

There are also flights from many UK airports. All the low cost airlines fly to both cities.

If you are looking for cheap flights try  Momondo or Skyscanner.

Transfers

We can provide transfers from both Zaragoza airport and Zaragoza train station, the cost is €70 return.  Our pick up and drop off times are below.  

2021

Due to airline schedule changes we have provisional times which may alter. Please consult with Simon & Lucy before booking flights.
Pick-up: 18:00 train station.

Drop-off: 13:00 train station

2022

Pick-up: 17:00 airport / 17:15 train station.

Drop-off: 15:00 train station / 15:15 airport.

The journey time for the high speed Renfe train from Barcelona and Madrid to Zaragoza is approximately 1½ hours.
To find train times and prices try the  Renfe train logo on How to get to Albella site direct or Omio. The latter also gives times and prices for travel by bus and car.
Prices by train are approximately 90 euros return from either Barcelona or Madrid.  Trains can be booked 3 months in advance.
Be aware that paying with a foreign credit card can be problematic, however, using the same card via PayPal is very straightforward – we speak from experience and are here to help if you run into problems!

From Zaragoza it is two hours to our base in the Pyrenees.

Transfers from other airports can be arranged and would be charged on a pro rata basis.

Reviews

Just Some of Our Reviews on This Holiday…

“We spent a fabulous week with Simon and Lucy at their beautifully restored farmhouse, which had the best facilities we experienced over our six-week stay in Europe. The generous meals provided were of the highest possible standard. Over our Gastronomy and Culture week we did lots of walking, cooking, had picnic lunches, visited some beautiful Spanish villages, castles, cathedrals, wineries, an amazing olive oil factory, lovely restaurants and even the house of the local mayor. We eperienced a very lively and charming feast day for the local saint, which was a wonderful way to finish off our week. We learnt so much about the culture, history, wildlife of the area. I cannot recommend this stay highly enough. Simon and Lucy were the perfect hosts and our week with them was the highlight of our six-week European holiday.”

Patrick. Tasmania. Cultural Holiday Spain June 2019

A procession of people with flags walk to the chapel of San Urbez for a service as part of the Albella village fiesta which get involved with on our Cultural Holiday spain

The ‘missus’ and I are just home from a Culture & Cooking week at Casa Allue. The scenery is stunning, the area rich in history, the house characterful – but comprehensively modernized where it counts and supremely comfortable. Simon, Lucy and family + dog Hera are welcoming, enthusiastic, knowledgeable hosts. Food (and wine!) are first-rate – with a heavy emphasis on home-grown and local produce. We both firmly intend to visit here again.

Eric & Hilary. UK. Cultural Holiday Spain October 2018

A bible in the 16th century chapel of San Urbez in Albella which we visit on our Cultural Holiday Spain

“Lucy tailored and customized for us a schedule of guided hikes, visits to historical sites, wine and olive oil tastings with some free time outdoors to enjoy the amazing sunny weather.
The healthy, home-cooked meals were another bonus.
When one of my boots started to fall apart, Simon was kind enough to help repair them. When the sole from the other boot separated, Simon loaned me a pair of his old boots to go hiking in. I was very grateful. By the end of the week, my wife and I felt that we had spent this time with Simon, Lucy and their daughters as friends or family, and not as clients. We both want to go back sometime and try one of their other programs.”

Ross & Maria. New York. Cultural Holiday Spain April 2017

Two guests stand by a neolithic dolmen in the Spanish Pyrenees on our Cultural Holiday Spain

“Amazing week with very attentive hosts and superb food. Very many highlights including our visit to the monastery, going to a bodega and seeing vultures with Simon, and of course Penny and Sofi!
The guided walks were perfect, we learnt so much about the area.  And to top off our visit we enjoyed the annual village fiesta the night before we left. Thank you.”

Mary & Hilary. Arundel. Cultural Holiday Spain May 2016

A griffon vulture soars past us at a vewing balcony in the Spanish Pyrenees on our Cultural Holiday Spain

Read more of the 150+ independent reviews we have on TripAdvisor

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