Custom Tours in France, Spain and Portugal

Heritage of Portugal

Please note! A tour following the itinerary below is scheduled once a month. To guarantee departure the program requires a minimum of 12 travelers. For details and pricing, please email us or call us at 1-800-906-6117.

Day 1 - Arrival in Lisbon and transfer to the hotel. Your driver will meet you at the Lisbon airport and take you to your accommodations conveniently located in the city center. You can rest up from your flight or begin exploring the city on your own. Accommodation in Lisbon: Hotel Acores Lisboa**** or similar.

Day 2 - Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Lisbon: Enjoy a morning tour of Lisbon with its cobbled narrow streets. You'll see the castle of St. Georg and the Baixa (downtown) with its modern shops and busy cafés. Continue on to the tower of Belém and the striking Jerónimos Monastery.

After lunch, you will have free time to explore the city or take an optional tour to Sintra, a World Heritage Site, and Cascais on the Estoril Coast (entrance fees included). At night, the city waits for you, either in the small cafés of Bairro Alto or in a traditional fado restaurant, where you can enjoy the blues-like melancholy lyrics and rhythm of the special music typical of Portugal (optional fado night dinner and show).

Day 3 - Lisbon, Óbidos, Nazaré, Fátima, Lousã: Today you will start with a visit to the medieval town of Óbidos, a walled city known for its attractive white-washed houses. Continue on to Nazaré, a quaint village that still preserves some of the old fishing traditions.

Next is one of the most important monuments in Portuguese history: the Monastery of Batalha. The convent was built to thank the Virgin Mary for the Portuguese victory over the Castilians in the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385, fulfilling a promise of King Dom João I. It took over a century to build, starting in 1386 and ending circa 1517, spanning the reign of seven kings, and is a masterpiece of the late Gothic style combined with the Portuguese Manueline style of architecture.

On the way to Lousã, stop at the magnificent sanctuary of Fátima, one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in the world, where Our Lady of Fátima appeared in 1917 to three young shepherds. Accommodation in Lousã: Palacio da Lousa Boutique Hotel **** or similar.

Day 4 - Lousã, Porto: A visit to Portugal would not be complete without seeing Porto, the second largest city in Portugal and a World Heritage Site. The Cathedral and the surrounding neighborhood that goes all the way down to Ribeira (the waterfront), still preserve the atmosphere of the old times when the "Rabelo" boats transported port wine down the Douro River from the vineyards to the wine cellars in Villa Nova de Gaia, across the river from Porto. A visit to these wine cellars with wine tasting is included. In the evening, you may want to have dinner in Ribeira. Accommodation in Porto: Eurostars das Artes **** or similar

Day 5 - Porto, Ponte de Lima, Braga, Guimarães: On the banks of the River Lima, crossed by an old roman bridge, lies the charming little town of Ponte de Lima with many historical manor houses. From there you'll head to Braga, the religious capital of Portugal, with the oldest cathedral in the country and the Baroque sanctuary of "Bom Jesus do Monte". Continue to Guimarães, the birthplace of the first King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques and one of the most beautiful historical towns of Portugal. Accommodation in Guimarães: Villa Hotel Guimarães **** or similar.

Day 6 - Guimarães, Coimbra, Tomar, Lisbon: Today's tour will take you to Coimbra, home to one of the oldest universities in Europe and the Church of the Holy Cross with its tombs of the first and second kings of Portugal. On the way to Lisbon, stop in the city of Tomar and the Convent of Christ, a World Heritage Site and a magnificent ensemble of 12th- to 16th-century architecture and art. During part of this period, Tomar served as the headquarters of the Knights Templar. Return to Lisbon. Accommodation in Lisbon: Hotel Açores Lisboa **** or similar.

Day 7 - Lisbon, Évora, Vila Viçosa, Portel or Reguengos (depending on hotel availability): The largest plain in Portugal lies in the Alentejo region, which still preserves the rural atmosphere of the past. Évora, the largest city in this region and a World Heritage Site, is a unique example of how the Moorish influence in the south of Portugal was easily conquered by the Catholic presence after the 12th century. Excellent examples of this are the Chapel of the Bones and the adjacent Church of Saint Francis, plus the busy Giraldo Square that leads to the Cathedral and to the Roman Temple.

After a visit to Évora, continue to Vila Viçosa, known for its marble production and for the magnificent Ducal Palace, former residence of the Braganza Royal Family, the last dynasty that ruled Portugal. At the end of the day you'll go to Portel or Reguengos (depending on hotel availability), where you may want to explore the flavors of the gastronomy of Alentejo. Accommodation in Portel: Hotel Refúgio da Vila OR accommodation in Reguengos: Hotel da Província or similar.

Day 8 - Portel or Reguengos, Esporão wine estate, Monsaraz, Lisbon: On your last day you will go to Reguengos in search of the sweet aromas of the "alentejano" wine on the magnificent Esporão Estate. This magical place fascinates not only for its location in the middle of the Alentejo natural landscape, but above all due to the excellent wines produced there, which are gaining more and more of a reputation abroad.

After a visit to this estate, continue on to Monsaraz, one of the castles near the Spanish border that allowed the Portuguese to maintain their independence. The white-washed houses and the orange roofs of Monsaraz offset the austere presence of the old castle. Return to Lisbon. Accommodation in Lisbon: Hotel Açores Lisboa **** or similar.

Day 9 - Transfer to Lisbon airport.

Included

Not Included

Optional Fado Night on Day 1 includes transportation, escort, dinner with drinks and Fado show

Price - Start Dates - Questions: Please contact us for details.

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If you prefer a custom tour, please tell us where and when you want to travel and we will create a tailor-made tour that fits your specific interests, schedule and budget.

Your tailor-made package will include ground transportation, guided tours and hotel rooms.

The price of your program will depend on your needs (scheduled group tours, private guides...) and the number of participants in your group, the length of the trip, the category of hotels, the number of places visited, the time of year, etc.

We will do all the bookings and pay each individual provider on your behalf. In other words, you go and have fun and we'll take care of the details for you.

Pena Palace, Sintra

Fatima

Castle of Obidos

Manueline architecture
Batalha

Azulejos (blue tiles)

Street in Coimbra