Best of Portugal Summer 2021

A sea of pastel pinks, yellows, and blues dot the seven hills of the romantic Portuguese capital, which you will have an opportunity to explore today before meeting your fellow travelers and Travel Director for a Welcome Reception and orientation drive past the city’s most iconic sights.

MEAL(S)
Welcome Reception

HOTEL
Turim Av Liberdade

Delve into Lisbon’s centuries-old seafaring heritage today, paying tribute to the brave men who set off from these shores to discover the ‘New World’. With our Local Specialist, We’ll see the shimmering white Monument to the Discoveries, the iconic suspension bridge spanning the Tagus, and Belém Tower, built to commemorate Vasco da Gama’s expedition. We’ll Dive Into Culture on a sightseeing tour of the UNESCO-listed Hieronymite Monastery, an exquisite testament to 16th-century Manueline architecture and art. There’s time to join an Optional Experience in the historic towns of Cascais and Sintra. In the evening, perhaps enjoy a traditional Portuguese dinner amidst the heart-wrenching, haunting sounds of the fado.

MEAL(S)
Breakfast

OPTIONAL EXPERIENCES

Portuguese Fado Evening Of Music & Song With Dinner

Tonight enjoy a unique experience of traditional Lisbon nightlife. You’ll savour a typical meal with local aperitifs and wines and hear beautiful, traditional Fado singing, an expressive musical art more than 200 years old. Cancellation within 24 hours will incur a 50% cancellation fee.

Adult Price: EUR66.0*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.

The Golden Triangle: Sintra, Cascais & The Estoril Coast

We’ll venture outside Lisbon with our Local Specialist today. After passing through the fashionable resort of Estoril, we’ll explore the picturesque fishing village of Cascais, with its beautiful array of mansions and exclusive residences. To complete the Golden Triangle, we’ll visit one of the impressive Royal Palaces of Portugal.

Adult Price: EUR46.0*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.

We journey across the Tagus this morning and drive south towards the Serra da Arrábida Mountains and to the golden pastures of the Alentejo. The hearty aroma of Portuguese chicken fills the air at our Be My Guest experience as we Connect With Locals over a traditional lunch at a stud ranch, where Lusitano horses were once reared at the pleasure of King João VI in the 18th century. Our journey continues further south, bound for the sun-kissed shores of the Algarve – our home for the next two nights.

MEAL(S)
Breakfast

HOTEL
Real Bellavista

The dramatic cliffs and beautiful beaches of the Sagres Peninsula provide a stunning backdrop for our morning coastal drive. Admire spectacular views across Baleeira Beach, before continuing along the coast to Cape St. Vincent, the site of many sea battles centuries ago. We end our excursion with a visit to the resort town of Lagos – once the home of Henry the Navigator.

MEAL(S)
Breakfast

OPTIONAL EXPERIENCES

Faro And Almansil Excursion

With your Local Specialist you’ll head to Faro, the historical capital of the Algarve, to visit the old walled town and to have some time to explore. After having seen the marshes of Ria Formosa, we’ll head to Almansil to visit one of the most impressive hidden gems of the Algarve: The Church of Saint Lawrence and its unique painted tiles.

Adult Price: EUR38.0*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.

Algarve Dinner

Join us tonight for an authentic local dinner, where we’ll taste delicious dishes cooked in a traditional ‘Cataplana’, accompanied by other specialties and delicious Portuguese wines.

Adult Price: EUR49.0*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.

Journeying north, we travel to the ancient Alentejo city of Évora. Join your Local Specialist for a visit to the elaborate cathedral, Roman temple and the Chapel of Bones. Then, spend the rest of your day delving into the medieval history of this enchanting city. Trace centuries of history along its city walls, kick back with a bica and bolo in Praça do Giraldo or perhaps join an Optional Experience to the village of Monsaraz. This evening we dine at our hotel in Évora.

MEAL(S)
Breakfast
Dinner

HOTEL
M’ar de Ar Muralhas

OPTIONAL EXPERIENCES

Monsaraz And The Deep Alentejo Drive

Follow your Local Specialist through the vineyards and groves of cork oaks to charming Monsaraz, one of the most famous and beautiful villages of the Alentejo. Inhabited since prehistory, Monsaraz has beautiful white-washed houses and a 14th century Castle, which overlooks Spain. We’ll also see the largest artificial lake in Europe before tasting typical local refreshments.

Adult Price: EUR34.0*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.

Our first stop today is in the quaint hilltop town of Castelo de Vide with its charming white façades, narrow alleys and fascinating Jewish Quarter. Travel north towards the Serra de Estrela mountains and arrive later in Viseu, set high on a plateau near the famous Dão vineyards. Explore the city’s rich art and architectural history, seeing the 12th-century Sé, standing imposingly on a hill overlooking much of the city.

MEAL(S)
Breakfast

HOTEL
Grão Vasco

OPTIONAL EXPERIENCES

Ínsua Manor – Food And Wine Pairing Experience

Situated in the heart of the famous wine region, join us on a short drive to the spectacular Ínsua Manor, an 18th-century manor house and estate, where you’ll enjoy a gourmet experience matching local food with different local wines.

Adult Price: EUR54.0*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.

Beira Dinner in a Dão Wine Cellar

Today we drive into the heart of the well-known region of Dão Wine, to find out how the wines are produced and enjoy our Beira Dinner in a Wine Cellar producing some of the best wines of this region.

Adult Price: EUR49.0*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.

Vineyard-clad hills provide an enchanting backdrop for our journey today through the Douro Valley, where Port wine is produced. We explore the magnificent gardens at the Baroque-style Palácio de Mateus, depicted on the label of the distinctive Mateus wine bottles. We continue via Guimarães for views of its impressive 10th-century castle, before arriving in the riverside town of Porto where we will spend the next two nights.

MEAL(S)
Breakfast

HOTEL
Neya/Carris Ribeira

OPTIONAL EXPERIENCES

Douro Cruise And Dinner

Enjoy a relaxing and leisurely cruise along the Douro River. You’ll have a chance to see two medieval “world heritage” cities plus five impressive bridges, one of them the famous UNESCO-listed Eiffel bridge. Afterward, savour a typical meal in the Medieval Ribeira Quarter

Adult Price: EUR60.0*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.

Join a Local Specialist today for a sightseeing tour in Porto, which takes you past Baroque churches and along the winding cobblestone lanes that tumble down towards the Douro River. See the remarkable bridges that span the river and the Gothic Church of St. Francis. Visit the Stock Exchange Palace with its splendid Arabian Hall inspired by Granada’s Alhambra, then Dive Into Culture and into the centuries-old tradition of local port production at a tasting in a port cellar. Spend the rest of the afternoon strolling through the historic centre of Porto and admiring the azulejo-clad façades, or visit Livraria Lello, the city’s oldest bookstore.

MEAL(S)
Breakfast

OPTIONAL EXPERIENCES

Old Town Braga and Bom Jesus Sanctuary

Spend the afternoon with our Local Specialist travelling through the lush green Minho, Portugal’s most northerly province, stopping at its capital, Braga. See Europe’s largest and most magnificent sculpted Baroque staircase which ascends the forested hillside to the ‘Bom Jesus’ sanctuary, a UNESCO heritage site. We’ll arrive using a unique 19th-Century water-powered funicular. Finally, a walk through Braga’s historic centre brings to life this ancient and innovative city.

Adult Price: EUR36.0*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.

Seafood Dinner by the Atlantic Ocean

Join us for an outstanding dinner next to the beaches of the northwestern Portuguese Atlantic coast. Taste the local seafood and other delicacies with fantastic Portuguese wines while the ocean waves crush against the shore.

Adult Price: EUR49.0*
* The Optionals and pricing listed here are a guideline only and subject to change.

ON TO COIMBRA AND PILGRIMAGE TO FÁTIMA

Soak up the grand atmosphere of one of Europe’s greatest and oldest universities and stroll through the ancient streets and squares of Coimbra, before journeying to the Templar city of Tomar to visit the Convent of Christ, originally built as a Templar stronghold in the 12th century. We arrive in the pilgrimage center of Fátima, where we rub shoulders with millions of Catholic pilgrims who have journeyed to this pilgrimage site, where three young shepherds famously saw apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

MEAL(S)
Breakfast
Dinner

HOTEL
Fátima

En route to Lisbon, we stop at the imposing monastery of Batalha – a UNESCO World Heritage site and the best example of late Gothic architecture in Portugal. Our next stop is the fishing village of Nazaré, before we visit the medieval walled city of Óbidos with its whitewashed houses and cobblestone roads. Our last night in Portugal together sees us toast to an incredible journey at a Farewell Dinner with wine.

MEAL(S)
Breakfast
Farewell Dinner

HOTEL
Neya Lisboa/Occidental

Say a fond adeus to your fellow travellers at the end of an unforgettable Portuguese holiday.

MEAL(S)
Breakfast