06/04/2009
Vitoria-Gasteiz, April
6, 2009 - Santa Maria Cathedral will be extending its
visitor opening hours this Easter Week in order to be able to meet all
the existing demand. This measure, which will also be applied on
Saturdays until September, will allow it to remain open from 10:00 a.m.
to 8:00 p.m. without a midday break. Family tours of the Cathedral for
children will also be offered.
Santa Maria Cathedral´s recovery process continues to attract the
interest of Vitoria residents and visitors alike. Fruit of the high
demand and to ensure admission for those who sometimes come from other
cities, guided tours will be available all throughout the day from
10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. this Easter Week. This measure will
also be extended to Saturdays and holidays (whenever they do not fall
on Sunday) until September.
A family tour around the Gothic monument is also being
launched. The tour is the same as a conventional visit, but the
language and explanations are more appropriate for children. Initially,
these familiar tours will be available on April 9, 10, 11 and 12 at
4:00 p.m., as well as on Saturdays until September. Possibly extending
this measure to other holidays according to demand is also being
studied.
Furthermore, the Vitoria Municipal Council´s Tourism Department and
several local hoteliers have created a tourist package denominated
Tapas in Vitoria-Gasteiz. This initiative will allow groups to tour
Santa Maria Cathedral and the Wall and then enjoy an assortment of
tapas in diverse establishments. This tour is scheduled to take place
late in the afternoons between April 9 and 12 and Saturdays until the
end of June.
Likewise,
Fundación Catedral Santa María is organising children´s workshops for
the family´s youngest members this Easter Week. The Wall - Harresia
workshop has been designed for this occasion and will take place on
April 14. It is recommended for children between 8 and 11 years of age
and two sessions are available: one in Basque from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00
p.m., and one in Spanish from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m..
During
this workshop, children will visit the space where scale models are on
display and the Cathedral´s central nave, in addition to the Wall,
where its history, function, construction and relationship to the
Cathedral will be explained. Later, they will reconstruct the wall in
the workshop with different materials, which will be made available to
them. Thus, for example, they will be able to make the wall faces from
card, the towers from toilet paper rolls and some details from
plasticine. The workshops will cost 5 euros, 2 for Founders Circle
members. Please call 945 255 135 for reservations.