15-Day Highlights of Portugal

Itinerary

1. Day 01: Welcome to Porto

   We welcome you to Porto with a private transfer to PortoBay Teatro, a hotel of just 74 rooms in the heart of the city, close to the cathedral and the Dom Luís I Bridge. The rest of the day is yours to explore at your own pace. 

2. Day 02: Porto Food and Wine Walk

   We wander the streets of Porto’s historic district on a guided walking tour, tasting our way through the city’s gastronomy. We sample the bifana, codfish cakes, Portuguese beer, Port wine, coffee and a freshly baked pastel de nata, while learning the history behind each dish. 

   Starts at 11:00, 16:00 or 18:00 and lasts three hours. 

   Meals: Breakfast 

3. Day 03: Douro Valley Wine Tour

   We journey east to the town of Amarante, rich in cultural and religious heritage, and stand at the Galafura viewpoint, one of the most memorable vistas in the valley. We then drive the N222, often called the most beautiful road in the world, and at Pinhão glide along the Douro on a 45 minute scenic cruise. We visit one of the valley’s main wineries for a guided tasting of three wines of excellence before returning to Porto. 

   Guests make their own way to the meeting point in Porto city centre. 

   Meals: Breakfast

4. Day 04: Porto to the Algarve

   A driver takes you to Porto airport for your flight to Faro, where another waits to bring you to Vila Galé Lagos. The hotel sits right on the sands of Meia Praia with sweeping views of the sea, and the rest of the day is yours to settle in. 

   The domestic flight is not included. 

   Meals: Breakfast

5. Day 05: Lagos: Free Day

   Today is at leisure. Enjoy the beachfront setting of Vila Galé Lagos, with its enormous pool and the Satsanga spa and indoor panoramic pool, or stroll the clifftop paths of the Algarve coast. 

   Meals: Breakfast

6. Day 06: Sagres and Cape St. Vincent

   We travel west to the village of Sagres, where a clifftop fortress full of history looks out over the Atlantic. We continue to Cape St. Vincent, the most southwestern point of Europe, where the lighthouse stands above the sea. On our way back to Lagos, we stop at the Beliche Fortress for one more breathtaking view. 

   Departs at 09:30 or 14:30 and returns at 12:30 or 17:30. 

   Meals: Breakfast

7. Day 07: Lagos: Free Day

   Another day at leisure. Meia Praia stretches out beside the hotel, and Vila Galé Lagos has tennis courts, a putting green and three restaurants for a gentle day by the sea. 

   Meals: Breakfast

8. Day 08: Wine Tasting at an Algarve Vineyard

   We gather beneath a 2,000 year-old tree overlooking old Negramole vines, in a vintage olive press if the weather turns, for a relaxed tasting of three wines. Afterwards, Duarte, the resident vineyard manager, shares the stories of this landmark Algarve estate over a coffee or on a stroll through the property. 

   Starts at 12:30 and finishes at 15:00. 

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

9. Day 09: Lagos: Free Day

   Our final day in the Algarve is at leisure. Take a last swim, book a treatment at the Satsanga spa or explore the cliffs and coves around Lagos before we move on to Lisbon. 

   Meals: Breakfast

10. Day 10: Algarve to Lisbon

    A driver takes you to Faro airport for your flight to Lisbon, where another transfers you to Avani Avenida Liberdade, a 119-room hotel in the city centre with a full-service spa. The rest of the day is yours. 

    The domestic flight is not included. 

    Meals: Breakfast

11. Day 11: Fado in Old Lisbon

    This evening we experience fado, the haunting traditional music listed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. We wander the alleys and squares around Praça Martim Moniz, away from the tourist crowds, and discover the taverns that shaped fado culture. We then visit traditional fado houses where fadistas have earned their living for decades, and meet a local singer. 

    Starts at 18:00 and finishes at 21:00. 

    Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

12. Day 12: Sintra and Cabo da Roca

    We follow the coast past Cascais, Praia do Guincho and Boca do Inferno to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe. In Sintra, the first cultural landscape inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we have time to wander the historic centre and taste its famous queijadas and travesseiros. We then tour the Pena Palace, a storybook example of Romantic architecture. 

    Starts at 09:00 and lasts approximately nine hours. 

    Meals: Breakfast 

13. Day 13: Lisbon and Belém

    We begin in Belém, Lisbon’s monumental quarter, with the Jerónimos Monastery, where Vasco da Gama and Luís de Camões are buried, the Belém Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries, and the National Coach Museum. In the city centre we cross Comércio Square, once the site of the royal palace, then lose ourselves in the narrow lanes of Alfama, one of Lisbon’s oldest neighbourhoods. We return past Rossio and Restauradores to the grand Avenida da Liberdade. 

    Departs at 09:00. 

    Meals: Breakfast 

14. Day 14: Cruise on the Tagus

    We see Lisbon from the water on a two-hour cruise along the Tagus, sailing past Terreiro do Paço and Alfama, the Cristo Rei statue on the southern bank, the 25 de Abril Bridge and the Belém Tower. It is a very different perspective on the city and a fitting finale to our time in Lisbon. 

    Departs from Doca do Bom Sucesso at 15:00 and returns at 17:00. 

    Meals: Breakfast 

15. Day 15: Departure from Lisbon

    After breakfast, a driver takes you to Lisbon airport for your flight home. 

    Meals: Breakfast