7 Nights / 8 Days
TOUR
ITINERARY
Day
01: Arrive Lisbon Airport – Transfer to Lisbon Hotel
In your arrival at Lisbon airport our
driver/guide will give you a warm welcome and will drive you to your Hotel.
This private tour will allow you to discover the most genuine Portuguese
tradition and religion, from Lisbon to the most Northern region. Check-in at
the Hotel and you will have time to rest.
Overnight stay in Lisbon
Day
02: Lisbon
Our Tour will start with a Full-Day through the
Capital of Portugal. It is the country’s star attraction, filled with majestic
monasteries, gothic cathedrals and world-renowned museums. Lisbon’s origins can
be traced to the Phoenician times and its Mediterranean climate also makes it
popular, as well as its breath-taking architecture and a bevy of great shops
and restaurants. After a great breakfast at your Hotel, our driver/guide will
lead you through the area of Belem. This city served as departure place for the
ships that sailed to explore new lands during the 16th century. For this
reason, here you can admire the Belem Tower, a fortress classified a UNESCO
site, the famous Monument to the Discoveries, where you can find the most
important characters of those golden centuries and the undisputed heart-stealer
Jeronimos Monastery, considered one of the world’s most beautiful monasteries
with its incredible cloisters and an impressive symbol of the country's wealth
and power on that Age. And our trip will proceed, reaching the most important
sites of this charming city: from the imposing Castle of St. George, placed on
a hill overlooking the city and the Tagus River, to the city’s downtown with
its sunshine-yellow trams, Commerce and Rossio Squares, Chiado and Liberdade
Avenues, leafy plazas serving fresh pastries and good espresso, famous gardens
and to the picturesque Alfama district, home of Fado melody.
Overnight stay in Lisbon
Day
03: Lisboa / Tomar/ Fátima/ Coimbra
Departing from Lisbon, today we will reach the
beautiful and small town of Tomar. Being closely linked to the Order of Knights
Templar, it marked one of the most important chapters of the Portuguese
History. Its twisting cobbled streets whitewashed and terraced cottages,
pedestrian-friendly historic center, stunning riverside and abundance of
ancient monuments make it a fascinating attraction. Here you can stroll through
these local treasures and admire the biggest pearl: The Convent of Christ, a
UNESCO site and former headquarters of the legendary Knight Templar. Built from
the 12th to the 17th centuries, this magnificent structure is a perfect mixture
of Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance architecture. Then we will proceed to
Fatima, one of the most important sites of Pilgrimage in the world. This Shrine
welcomes millions of pilgrims and tourist from all over the world. This fame is
due to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary reported by three local shepherd
children in 1917. The Sanctuary is placed at Cova de Iria and its primary
building is the Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima, a gleaming Neoclassical Church.
You can also admire the Chapel of Apparitions, an open-air chapel built on the
exact location of the believed apparitions and the Berlin Wall Monument, a memorial
of the alleged God’s intervention in bringing down the Communism. And finally,
we´ll drive to the historic city of Coimbra. The medieval capital of Portugal
for over a hundred years, is a city famous for its astonishing collection of
prominent churches, noble monasteries, characteristic streets and for being a
busy commercial hub with many shops, boutiques, cafes and restaurants. It is
the home of one of the oldest universities in the world and you can witness the
influence of the academic life. Here stroll through its streets and the
riverbanks of Mondego River.
Overnight stay in Coimbra
Day
04: Coimbra/Porto
After a great breakfast, we will keep exploring
the beautiful city of Coimbra. We will appreciate its University, once located
in a medieval palace and rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries in Baroque and
Neo-Classical styles. Here we can find some of the most celebrated tourist
attractions, as the stunning eye-catching Joanina Library. The great Cathedral
also deserves a visit, as well as the famed Sta. Clare’s Church. Then you will
have a very comfortable and private transfer to the emblematic city of Porto.
In the second largest city of Portugal, we will have a tour through its most
important local treasures. This remarkable city is turning heads all over the
world and is famous for its live Culture and Tradition, Douro River and Port
Wine. Classified as the Best European Destination in 2012, 2014 and 2017, its
streets are full of churches with tiled façades, beautiful buildings of various
styles and brightly painted houses alongside the riverbanks. You can stroll
through its historic center, considered a UNESCO site since 1996. Among the
impressive monuments and sites that we will admire, like the Cathedral, the
Ribeira Square, Lello bookshop, São Bento Railway Station, Sta. Catarina
street, Luis I Bridge, etc., we will visit the St. Francis Church, classified
as National Monument in 1910 and World Heritage in 1996, by UNESCO. It has been
successively enriched to a point that was considered the richest and most
beautiful Portuguese gilded woodwork repository. And this Tour will end with a
special visit to one of the most famous Port Wine Cellar, with a sweet Port
Wine tasting.
Overnight stay in Porto
Day
05: Braga /Guimarães
Today, we will discover the Northern Portugal,
one of the most beautiful and green regions in the country. This land is often
associated with natural and rugged landscapes, sparkling “green wines”, noble
palaces and with an incredible biodiversity spread throughout the valleys that
cross four rivers and numerous beaches on the coastal zone. We suggest Braga as
our first stop. Braga is one of the oldest cities in Portugal, but it is also
crowded with young people who study at its university. Founded by the famous
“Augustus”, it was built on one of the main Iberian Roman roads and it is
nowadays a lively city. Being one of the country’s main religious centers, we
will explore its magnificent Cathedral and the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus, with its
gorgeous and imposing stairway. After this visit we will proceed to the city of
Guimarães, considered the cradle of Portugal (the land where D. Afonso
Henriques – First King of Portugal – was born). Here we will stroll through the
most important and ancient streets of its historic center and we will admire
its impressive castle, one of the most famous monuments in this country.
Overnight stay in Porto
Day
06: Santiago Compostela / Viana Do Castelo
Our private driver/guide will pick you up at
your Hotel and today we will cross the border of Spain, reaching the splendid
city of Santiago de Compostela. This city, located in the north-west, is the
destination of the legendary medieval way of pilgrimage, named “Camino de
Santiago” (Way of St. James). Many devout Catholics still trek to achieve this
land, paying their promises to this saint, whose tomb were supposedly buried
here. The Old Town of this city was elected a UNESCO site and the Cathedral
stands out, an impressive Romanesque structure with a Baroque façade. And
grouped around this monument, we can find imposing Romanesque, Gothic and
Baroque buildings, many of them from the Middle Age. Be sure that you admire
the palaces, churches, narrow alleyways, squares and granite houses in a great
walk around its historic center. And after this visit, we will explore the
beautiful Portuguese city of Viana do Castelo. This land is blessed with both
an appealing sixteenth-century historic center and lovely beaches just outside
the city. Our first stop here can be the Shrine of Santa Luzia. Located on the
top of the hill with the same name, it was inspired by Sacré-Coeur in Paris.
This Monument-Temple that crowns the city is a neo-Byzantine church, with
breath-taking views over the Lima River that cross the bucolic green valley,
the endless sea through which caravels departed to the discovery of new worlds
centuries ago, and over the beautiful city affectionately called the Lima’s
Princess. And we will also have time to stroll through its magnificent city
center, with Manueline, Renaissance, Baroque, Art Deco or tile architecture and
traditional alleys.
Overnight stay in Porto.
Day
07: Alcobaça / Batalha / Óbidos / Lisbon
On the penultimate day of this marvellous
private Tour we’ll head to Lisbon. And on our way, we will visit three of the
most picturesque villages in Portugal: Alcobaça, Batalha and Óbidos. Here we
can feel that Tradition alive and all of them are important Portuguese pearls.
The ancient city of Alcobaça is a landmark, located on the countryside, so
close to the sea. It is famous for its unmatchable architecture and holds one
of the most important Cathedrals of the Iberian Peninsula, the Monastery of
Alcobaça. It is considered one of the most magnificent Gothic monuments in the
country. Batalha will be our next stop and here the Monastery of St. Mary of
the Victory – widely known as Batalha Monastery. Considered a World Heritage
site by UNESCO, it is also elected one of the most original examples of Late
Gothic architecture in this country. And the friendly village of Óbidos also
deserves a visit. This land is located on a hilltop, encircled by a fortified
wall. It was captured from the Moors by the first king of Portugal and its well
preserved narrow cobbled streets, houses painted white with blue or yellow
trim, flower boxes and old lamp lights stand out.
Overnight stay in Lisbon.
Day
08: Lisbon Hotel to Lisbon Airport transfers
After a delicious breakfast and your check-out,
our driver will transfer you to the Lisbon airport. End of our services.
Tour Ends!!
