A Week In Portugal

Tour begins: 6:00 PM, Hotel Infante Sagres. A transfer is included from Porto Int’l Airport to Hotel Infante Sagres in the city’s historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Please join us tonight for a welcome reception followed by dinner at the hotel.

Colorful, eclectic Porto rises on staggered hills beside the Douro River where the river empties into the Atlantic. Port wine originated here in the 17th century and is still the region’s mainstay product, brought down from the vineyards of the Douro River Valley. Begin the day with a guided tour of Porto’s historic district and its beguiling architecture, from medieval to Baroque to Beaux-Arts, winding alleyways, miradouros (lookout points), opulent palaces and churches. Public art is everywhere in the boldly colored painted tiles (azulejos) that adorn city buildings. A guided ride aboard a traditional rabelo boat along the Douro River precedes a visit a port wine cellar for a tour, tasting and lunch. Return to your hotel in Porto’s historic district to relax and spend the rest of the afternoon and evening as you please.

This morning travel to Coimbra, located on the Mondego River in central Portugal, for a guided tour of one of the oldest universities in the world. The University of Coimbra was actually founded in Lisbon in 1290 but relocated here in 1308. Visit its 18th-century library, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to some 56,000 volumes, many of which date from the 16th to 18th centuries. Travel into the Center of Portugal to visit a medieval monastery whose stone halls and chapels reflect Portugal’s early monarchs and the religious and political forces that shaped the nation’s beginnings – and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue on to the seaside Praia D’EI Rey Marriott Golf & Beach Resort near Óbidos for an overnight stay.

Spend the morning exploring on your own in the hilltop walled town of Óbidos, described by Condé Nast Traveler as “a medieval town that looks like it was lifted from the pages of a fairy tale.” Enjoy time to wander along its cobbled streets that meander up to the ramparts, passing picturesque whitewashed houses charming with cascading bougainvillea and painted doors of every color. According to a popular legend, ever since King Dinis gifted this pretty town to his beloved Queen Isabel de Aragon in the 13th century, princes have offered it to their brides too. Lunch today is at a traditional estate in the Tejo wine region (formerly Ribatejo). This evening, check into your hotel, a restored 15th-century convent outside of town, where dinner offers a choice of Alentejo specialties.

Depart Évora and head for Portugal’s colorful capital city of Lisbon; upon arrival, enjoy a guided visit to the Maritime Museum (Museu de Marinha) – a “world of discoveries” that takes you from the great adventure of the Discoveries to the evolution of the commercial and war navies within an impressive collection of 23,000 pieces. Next, enjoy a guided, panoramic tour of the Belem district, where you can see the Monument to the Discoveries, and Jeronimos Monastery. Following a lunch of local specialties, check into your landmark Lisbon hotel on the luxurious Avenida da Liberdade, and spend the evening as you please in this historic city.

Today, visit Sintra – a romantic city of castles, monuments, and palatial estates, where your morning includes a tour of the National Palace of Pena, a romantic, 19th-century retreat crowning a mountain peak, and resplendent with yellow and pink painted buildings, crenellated turrets, and a medley of architectural styles; it was inspired by castles on the Rhine. After some free time to explore as you wish in Sintra, meander through picturesque landscapes to the beach town of Cascais on the Portuguese Riviera; return to Lisbon for an afternoon spent as you please. Then join us this evening for a private dinner at 18th-century Palacio de Queluz as your 8-day journey throughout Portugal journey comes to a close.

Tour ends: Lisbon. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from Tivoli Avenida Liberdade Lisboa to Lisbon Airport. You should allow a minimum of 3½ hours for flight check-in.