BEST OF PORTUGAL

• you will have an opportunity to explore today before meeting your fellow travellers and Travel Director for a Welcome Reception and orientation drive past some of the city’s most iconic sights.

Arrival Transfer: Depart the airport at 09:30, 12:30, 15:30

• 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, see the shimmering white Monument to the Discoveries, the iconic suspension bridge spanning the Tagus, and Belém Tower, built as a fortress protecting the city of Lisbon.
• 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 to the historic towns of Cascais and Sintra, before perhaps enjoying a traditional Portuguese dinner amidst the soulful and touching sounds of the fado this evening.

Included Experience: Lisbon City Tour and Discover the Hieronymite Monastery

Optional Experience: The Golden Triangle: Sintra, Cascais & The Estoril Coast / Portuguese Fado Evening Of Music & Song With Dinner

• 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.
• Our journey continues further south, bound for the sun-kissed shores of the Algarve – our home for the next two nights.

Included Experience: Lunch with Tiago and Vera in beautiful Alentejo

• 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.
• We end our excursion with a visit to the resort town of Lagos – once the home of Henry the Navigator.

Included Experience: Explore the Algarve

Optional Experience: Faro and Almancil Excursion / Algarve Dinner

• 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 medieval village of Monsaraz. This evening we dine at our hotel.

Included Experience: Évora City Tour

Optional Experience: Monsaraz And The Deep Alentejo Drive

• 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, and see the 12th-century Sé, standing imposingly on a hill overlooking much of the city.

Included Experience: Explore Castelo de Vide

Optional Experience: Beira Dinner in a Dão Wine Cellar

• 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 Rosé 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.

Included Experience: Palácio de Mateus Visit, Scenic drive through the Douro Valley and Visit the ”Birthplace of Portugal”

Optional Experience: Douro Cruise and Dinner

• 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 admiring the azulejo-clad façades, or visit Livraria Lello, the city’s oldest bookstore.

Included Experience: Discover the flavours of Portugal’s Port heritage and  Porto City Tour

Optional Experience: Old Town Braga and Bom Jesus Sanctuary / Flavours of the Atlantic

• Soak up the grand atmosphere of one of Europe’s greatest and oldest universities with a Local Specialist, then stroll through the ancient streets and squares of Coimbra, before journeying to the Templar city of Tomar.
• We join a Local Specialist to visit the Convent of Christ, originally built as a Templar stronghold in the 12th century.
• Later, we arrive in the pilgrimage centre of Fátima, visited by millions of Catholic pilgrims, where three young shepherds famously saw apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

Included Experience: Coimbra University Visit, Tomar Templar Castle Visit and Visit the Chapel of Apparations in Fátima

• En route to Lisbon, with a Local Specialist we stop at the imposing monastery of Batalha.
• Our next stop is the fishing village of Nazaré, before we visit the medieval walled city of Óbidos with its whitewashed houses and cobblestone streets.
• Celebrate our last evening in Portugal together at a Farewell Dinner in an family ran vineyard, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience.
•  Toast to an incredible journey over organic wine and locally sourced flavours.

Included Experience: Batalha Visit, Nazaré Visit, Explore Óbidos and Vale da Capucha Farewell Dinner

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

Departure Transfer: Arrive at the airport at 07:00, 09:30