Portugal Highlights – 7 Days – 6 Nights

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival to Lisboa

Arrival to Lisboa Airport. Meet your driver for a private airport transfer (15-30 min.). For youradded comfort, we will have an English- speaking driver waiting for you at the Arrivals  Hall with a sign with your name on it. The private driver will drive and accompany you to your centrally located Heritage Avenida Liberdade Hotel.

Overnight Stay at Hotel.

Day 2: Lisboa Gastronomic Walking Tour & Fado night with dinner

Meet up with your specialized private guide to embark on a 3-hour gastronomic walking tour through Lisbon, becoming acquainted with the city’s traditional snacks and delicacies with numerous tastings included along the way. By the end of the tour, you’ll be familiar with the best cafes of the downtown and Chiado areas, the specialties of famous pastry shops, as well as the Ginjinhas around Rossio Square and Lisbon’s traditional taverns. A true delight for the senses, while you take in the lay of the land around the Lisbon. With private transfers arranged both to and from the venue, experience live Fado this evening at an excellent local Fado restaurant – Casa de Linhares. Fado refers to the national song style of Portugal which developed in Lisbon in the early 19th century. Its importance to the culture of the city is so significant that Fado now falls under UNESCO protection. Enjoy the great ambiance of dinner and song as you dine on a complete meal with wine and coffee, backed by the sounds of Lisbon’s rich heritage.

Overnight Stay at Hotel.

Day 3: Full day Sintra, Cabo da Roca, Cascais & Estoril tour

Depart on a scenic coastal drive, spotting several sandy beaches hidden within the cliffs, protected by the 17th century fortresses along the coast. Arrive to the beautiful resort town of Estoril, famous as the home of the Casino Estoril and Hotel Palácio, known rendezvous points for WWII spies and their handlers, while Portugal remained politically neutral. Take a stroll on the Tamariz Beach promenade, admiring the 17th century Forte da Cruz castle, set behind a backdrop of palm trees. Continue to Cascais, a small fishing village turned luxurious resort town on the Portugal Riviera. Passing through its animated town center you’ll find a cosmopolitan life side by side with stunning Atlantic beaches. After, head to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe, where you can gaze out over the Atlantic from the end of the world. Sintra, where hundreds of years of history and culture await, surrounded by lush vegetation. After a short walk in the old city center, find yourself surrounded by the old houses that are now converted into small quaint handicraft shops and traditional pastry shops. Ascend the mountain by shuttle for a visit of the 19th century Pena Palace, Sintra’s undisputed highlight, a most incredible combination of architectural styles, colors, and shapes, you’ll feel like you’ve entered a fairytale. Conclude your day with a return to Lisbon

Overnight Stay at Hotel.

Day 4: Train to Porto; half day Porto tour with Port Wine Cellars

Meet your private driver for a train station transfer. Enjoy a 3 hours train ride from Porto to Lisbon. Meet your private driver for transfer to your centrally located PortoBay Hotel Teatro. Enjoy a private tour of Porto and its historic city center, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Admire the exterior of the 18^th century Porto Cathedral, one of Porto’s oldest monuments, followed by a panoramic viewpoint over the Douro River where you can take in views across to the city Gaia. Head to Batalha Square where you can spot the 18^th century Batalha Palace, then walk Santa Catarina Street, the city’s main shopping street, buzzing with action. Head to Liberdade Square where the monument to King Peter IV is centralized within a number of beautiful neoclassical facades, and continue to see the Clerigos Church and Tower, dominating the city at 250 feet tall. Venture to Ribeira Square, with its river view and three-story high monumental fountain, and make a visit to Porto Wine Cellars for a wine tasting.

Overnight Stay at the Hotel.

Day 5: Full day Amarante & Douro Valley tour with wine experience

Set out on a full day discovery of the scenic Douro Valley. Head to Amarante, an important pilgrimage town, where you’ll visit the historic city center, spotting houses overhanging the Tamega River. Visit the 16th century Church of Sao Goncalo Monastery, its chapel home to the tomb of revered Dominican friar, Saint Goncalo. The Douro Valley could as easily be called the enchanted valley, such is the beauty and magic that its landscapes offer. The Douro Wine Region Valley is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. First, the river carved the deep valleys out of the land and then Man transformed the schist mountains into soil and walls and planted the vines, green in summer, flame- colored in autumn. With knowledge handed down from generation to generation, he inclined the terraces to expose the vines to the rays of the sun which give the grapes the warmth that the wine craves. It was from the fruits of the land and Man’s labor that this unique wine and landscape were made. These wine estates are in the Peso da Régua and Pinhão area, two towns that are not far apart and are easy to get to, only separated by the road that in 2015 was declared to be the best road for driving in the world, the EN 222. In fact, driving along a road that follows the banks of the River Douro is something quite unique and exclusive! Visiting the Douro is synonymous with visiting its loveliest vineyards and estates! For this, we have drawn up a choice of the most stunning estates to visit: looking at their vineyards, tasting their wines, even having lunch there and learning more about them.

Overnight Stay at Hotel.

Day 6: Full day tour Aveiro with moliceiro cruise & Coimbra with University

Set out to explore two highlights of Portugal’s Centro region, Aveiro and Coimbra. Leaving from Porto, you’ll head south and arrive first to Aveiro. Admire the charming residences and the streets enchanted with Art Nouveau details, and ready your camera at the beautiful Cathedral of Aveiro, a prized national monument founded in Baroque style in 1423. As you walk, learn more about the history and traditions of Aveiro: a fishing village, founded on salt production and trade. Despite having only three canals in the city center, Aveiro is charming enough to become a life-long memory for those who visit it, taking on the moniker, the Venice of Portugal. The magic of this journey happens as you board a 45-minutes shared boat ride on the city’s dazzling canals in a classic Moliceiro. In the afternoon,discover the historical city of Coimbra, once the capital and birthplace of six Portuguese kings. In Coimbra, known as the “City of Students”, you’ll meet up with a private local guide and discover the University of Coimbra, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the oldest universities in the world still in use. You’ll visit its Royal Palace, College of Jesus, the Chapel of St. Michael, and admire its Johannine Library, one of the most original and spectacular Baroque libraries in Europe.

Overnight Stay at Hotel.

Day 7: Porto – onward Departure

Meet your private driver and vehicle for an airport transfer (15-30 min.).