Visit the very West of Western Europe on this journey through a land which was once the epicentre of a vast maritime empire. A place of historic cities and delightful rural villages, of golden sand beaches and dramatic sweeping landscapes. One of the oldest established countries on the continent and a place over-ripe with history and culture. A place not only to stimulate the eyes and ears with its sights and sounds but also the taste buds with world famous port wines and a vast range of local delicacies and pastries.
Welcome then to beautiful Portugal!
Starting at bustling Porto nestled on the sweeping Douro River, before heading south and making stops at series of enchanting and historic destinations along the way such as Aveiro (Venice of Portugal), Guimarães, Braga, Barcelos, the university city of Coimbra, the important Pilgramage destination of Fatima and walled Obidos before arriving at the vibrant capital of Lisbon which will be a base for a circuit to the shaded hills of Sintra and the elegant old world resort of Cascais.
Extras
Welcome to Portugal! We will take our transfer to our hotel located in Oporto area where we will enjoy welcome drink at check-in at the hotel. We can spend the rest of our first day exploring the surrounding streets or we can simply relax at the hotel.
On this first evening we gather to enjoy a dinner in a local restaurant accompanied by a traditional Fado show.
After breakfast we meet our English speaking guide at our hotel and start to explore Portugal’s second-largest city. The “city of granite” spreads out its narrow streets between the hills and the meandering river. With its old Ribeira district classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site, its Baroque churches, metal bridges and wine cellars, the city has managed to keep intact the treasures of its commercial past.
We will visit the Stock Exchange Palace with its neoclassical Arab room, built in 1834. Take a stroll through the Ribeira district, the historic heart of Oporto and a Unesco World Heritage
Site.
After lunch we take an hour’s cruise on the Douro before heading to Gaia for a visit to a winery with a tasting of Port wines included.
Return to the hotel.
Today, we will discover the Minho Valley, a fertile region in the North of Portugal. First we will head to Guimarães, considered as the “cradle” of Portuguese identity because of the battle fought by King Alfonso I that led to Portugal’s independence in 1139. We will explore the old town and visit the Gothic Palace of the Dukes of Braganza.
Next stop is Braga. Surrounded by hills, the city is renowned for its religious buildings. We discover the cathedral (from the outside) and the old town before visiting the imposing sanctuary of Bom Jesus.
Finally we will have some time at leisure to discover Barcelos, a city famous for its crafts, its emblematic rooster and its churches decorated with azulejos. Built on a hill west of Braga, this small town has a charming atmosphere and an old quarter built around a medieval bridge.
After breakfast we depart Porto to head towards Aveiro, nicknamed the “Venice of Portugal” because of its lagoon, brightly-coloured houses and canals. Art Nouveau-style houses line the canals that crisscross the city. Here we have free time to discover the city centre at leisure. You will be able to taste the “Ovos moles”, a local pastry specialty.
Optional (at an extra charge): cruise on a Moliceiro, a typical boat from the region of Aveiro.
Our next stop is Costa Nova, famous for its typical “Palheiros” houses. We then to Coimbra, city of arts and letters and home to Portugal’s first
university. Visit to the university, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Dinner and overnight stay in the Fátima.
You will start the day in Batalha with a visit to the monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, a masterpiece of Gothic and Manueline architecture. Listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, it was built on the orders of the King of Portugal around the 15th century.
Next we will go on to the fishing village of Nazaré. Lunch on the way, then free time in Nazaré. Then we will drive to Obidos, an enchanting walled city where we have opportunity to taste “Ginja”, a traditional Portuguese cherry-based liqueur.
After breakfast at our hotel we will set of on the guided tour of Lisbon. We will visit the Alfama, the capital’s oldest district, and the Baixa, the central and emblematic district that was hit hard by the 1755 earthquake before getting rebuilt.
After Lunch we continue to the Belém district, with the Monument to the Discoveries (outside view), the Jerónimos Monastery Church (at an extra charge: visit to the monastery cloisters with audio-guide), a true masterpiece of Manueline architecture, and the Belém Tower (outside view). Visit to the National Coach Museum. We will also do tasting of pastéis de Belém, traditional and delicious Portuguese pastries.
We will start the day with a panoramic coach ride along the national park to Sintra. Arrive to Sintra where we start with a guided tour and taste the famous Sintra Pastry. We will then continue on to the magical place of Quinta da Regaleira, here you will visit both the castle and the Initiation Well and the caves. Our trip then takes us on to the panoramic point of Cabo da Roca. After taken in the breath taking views we continue to Cascais where our guide will also show us around. Afterwards we have free time to enjoy a stroll or stop for a drink in the sun.
After Cascais do we return back to the hotel to freshen up for tonight’s farewell dinner at the stunning location of restaurant SUD Lisboa.
After breakfast we’ll transfer to the airport for our return flight home.
We stay in comfortable hotels throughout as detailed below (or similar);
Frequently Asked Questions
The dress code for during the day is casual. In the evenings the dress code is smart casual. Comfortable shoes for walking and sightseeing are recommended.
There is often confusion on the question of gratuities, since it frequently depends on the type of holiday, location and, of course, your attitude towards tipping, as to what is normally expected. In order to give you a rough idea, we have given appropriate guidance below. Your Tour Leader will be on hand to offer advice or suggestions if required but gratuities are offered entirely at the sole discretion of the individual. We suggest a group collection to cover drivers, porters and hotel staff of €25.00. Your Tour Leader will collect this on your behalf and distribute it accordingly, thus relieving you of the burden of who, when and how much to tip. The tipping of housekeeping will be left to your individual discretion (a small amount left in your room on departure should cover this and would be much appreciated). As is customary, ‘the hat’ will be passed around for the driver and guide on all optional excursions. For any meals that are not included in your itinerary, or taxi fares, your Tour Leader can advise of an appropriate add on.
A reasonable level of fitness/mobility is required as we include plenty of sightseeing/travelling.
To enter Portugal your passport must meet 2 requirements. It must be: less than 10 years old on the day you enter (check the ‘date of issue’) valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’) Check both the issue date and the expiry date in your passport. If you renewed your passport early, extra months may have been added to its expiry date. This could affect the requirement for your passport to be less than 10 years old.
A visa is not required by holders of passports endorsed “British Citizen” for stays of upto 90 days in any 180-day period. Please note that stays in other EU countries counts towards this 90 day period. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct visa, a valid passport and any other travel documents for your holiday.
All information provided relates to British citizens who hold or are entitled to apply for a British passport. For the most up-to-date visa information please visit; Portugal Foreign Advice If you are not a British citizen and do not hold a British passport, you must make your own enquiries as to the applicable requirements.
Compulsory vaccinations: None. All clients are responsible for acquainting themselves with up to date health information of the countries being visited and where necessary take the required precautions. We recommend that you check with your doctor prior to departure as this information can change. You can also visit the travel health website for more information; Travel Health Portugal
Euro
Average Temperatures
| Month(s) | Highest temperature | Lowest temperature |
|---|---|---|
| June | 25 °C | 18 °C |
| October | 23 °C | 17 °C |
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