The cheapest Spanish provincial capitals available to pensioners on Imserso trips

The Social Tourism program of Imserso 2023/24 will be the first season in which its trips include all 52 provinces of Spain. On previous occasions, there were only 18 such destinations.

This new season actually offers a total of 80 different locations to visit throughout the country. New experiences with specific themes have been incorporated by the Ministry of Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda.

These include literary and musical itineraries along with theatres and festivals. With 10 new cultural circuits available and 19 new nature routes, the offer has increased by 70,000 places, almost reaching a total of 900,000.

In order to request these trips it is first necessary to belong to Imserso. An applicant must be a retired pensioner, a widow, or a widower pensioner aged 55 or more. They can also be recipients of unemployment benefits or subsidies, and be at least 60 years old.

Beneficiaries may be accompanied by their spouse or, where appropriate, by a domestic partner or person with whom a stable and cohabiting union is constituted.

There are different types of trips available, as always, offering days out with different possibilities, destinations and prices.

According to the costs indicated by the Imserso, the most expensive destinations are those in the Canary Islands. A 9-night trip will cost €436, including transport, or the 7-night option is priced at €355. Without transport, the respective costs are €180 and €145 cheaper.

Trips to the Balearic Islands cost €331 or €268 euros, depending on whether there are 7 or 9-night stays. In the case of not needing transport, the price is €253 or €210 euros, respectively.

The destinations with more vacancies are those located in mainland coastal regions of Spain. These include parts of Andalucia, Catalonia, Valencia and Murcia.

Again, there are stays of 7 or 9 nights available, costing €290 or €229 respectively. Without transport, the cost is €40 less in both cases.

There are different options on offer to those who prefer inland tourism. Cultural circuits of 5 nights cost €293. Nature tourism destinations for 4 nights cost €287, the same as the option of visiting the two autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

The most economical trips are priced at €124.70 for stays of three nights and four days. These destinations are several provincial capitals. Transportation is not included in this price and the regime is half-board.

There are some very economical destinations available

As listed on the Social Tourism website, in Andalucia, the three provincial capitals that can be visited are Cordoba, Sevilla and Granada, with a total of four hotels on offer.

Guided panoramic tours of the three cities are offered, to visit beautiful landmarks that include Cordoba’s Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, the Arab baths of the Alcázar Califal, Sevilla’s Torre del Oro and the Real Monasterio de San Jerónimo in Granada.

Zaragoza, the provincial capital of Aragon, can also be visited for €124. Two hotels are available in this city with a rich historical-artistic heritage from more than 2,000 years of history. The price of the trip includes entrance to the Basilica del Pilar.

Imserso pensioners can find a cheap trip to the city of Santander in northern Spain, including entrance to the cathedral. In San Sebastian, the visit includes free entrance to the San Telmo museum. Also, in Ourense, the city of the Miño River, travellers can visit the city’s beautiful cathedral.

In Castilla-La Mancha, a visit to the city of Toledo is not to be missed. Visitors can enjoy four days investigating the narrow streets of this city that was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. A visit the Church of Santo Tomé is also recommended.

There are destinations in the north of Spain

The most economical trip in Extremadura is to Cáceres, one of the great unspoiled cities of Spain and one of the most beautiful areas.

Pensioners choosing Catalonia, can visit the provincial capital of Girona for €124. Known as the City of the Four Rivers, it has a historic centre dominated by the cathedral, medieval buildings and Roman, Arab and Hebrew reminiscences.

Valencia is also included in the inland tour programme, even though it is a coastal location.

Four provincial capitals are on offer in Castilla y Leon. These include Burgos, León, Zamora and Salamanca, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. All of them have an impressive cathedral, as reported by lainformacion.com.