VELTRA tours & activities, fun things to do

Be careful of the actual tour company Veltra partners with

Veltra is simply the frontman for the actual tour company. In this instance it was Julia Travel based out of Madrid. Julia Travel has many tours so be careful when you book with Veltra to double check that you are not actually touring with Julia Travel. Our tour guide was NOT very warm and welcoming, simply held the card up and yelled "El Escorial follow me" and then we followed her for 5 minutes to a bus parked underground. She told us firmly to buckle up or we would get a ticket and "Not her", she also told us we could not eat because we might choke and finished with the statement, "Don't talk because others are paying for this too and don't want to hear you talk". She warmed up a little at El Escorial but when we went to the Valley of the Fallen she did not even take us into the memorial. I don't understand what I paid for! This was the MOST expensive tour I took and it was a half day with the worst guide. DO NOT assume paying more makes for a better tour. I took a free tour with New Europe Tours and it was outstanding!

I did not know how controversial the Valley of the Fallen is among Spanish citizens due to dictator Franco being buried at the site. The site is beautiful. El Escorial was also beautiful and we'll worth the effort to see it. Lots of walking up and down stairs at El Escorial.