Portuguese Castles Private Tour

Board your flight from your home destination to Lisbon,Portugal.

This itinerary assumes this to be an overnight flight.

Air fare independently arranged.

Arrival in LISBON, Portugal.

Today you will meet your tour director and drive directly to your hotel in SINTRA.  We will stay here for two nights.

Enjoy dinner tonight at your beautiful hotel, and afterwards take an evening stroll with your guide in the heart of the old royal summer resort.

>  Your tour includes: Transfer from airport to hotel, three-course welcome dinner with menu choices, one beverage, and coffee or tea after, overnight in Sintra hotel

In the morning we will go from Sintra to Lisbon along the SUNSHINE COAST (costa do sol), visiting Cabo da Roca, the wild coast of Guincho, and the elegant seaside resorts of Estoril and Cascais.

In LISBON we will visit the famous Jerónimos monastery and the Belem Tower, witnesses of the seafarers and captains who started from here to discover new worlds.  A city tour of Lisbon will bring us to the famous places in the town – St. George Castle, the Alfama distruict, and the streets and squares of the baroque part of the city (baixa pombalina).  Here you find the best coffee shops and restaurants and a wide variety of beautiful shops and stores.  Enjoy a little free time to relax, discover and enjoy the Portuguese capital on your own.

Tonight we will return to Sintra to sleep a second night in the hotel.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, entrance fees, three-course dinner, hotel in Sintra

After breakfast, in SINTRA we will visit the Palacio Nacional de Sintra (Paço Real), dating back to the 14th century.  We enjoy the fresh and green surroundings of the summer residence of the Portuguese kings with exotic trees, vineyards and magnificent seaside views.  Then we will drive up to the eclectic palace of Ferdinand II Coburg-Gotha, husband of the Portuguese Queen Mary II.  We will only look at the fancy palace, built in the 19th century, from the outside.

Then we carry on to the beautiful medieval city of ÓBIDOS, with its original protective town walls from the 12th century and lovely white houses.  Time to have a nice walk and to stroll around the narrow streets where nowadays painters and other artists make their living and contribute to the unique atmosphere of the place.

In Óbidos we stay in an historical hotel for one night.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, palace entrance, three-course dinner, hotel in Óbidos

This morning we leave Óbidos.  Today we will visit the most impressive monasteries in the center of Portugal.  Both places, Alcobaça and Batalha are of highest historical importance, reflecting Portuguese policies and the importance the small country had from the 14th to the 18th century.

ALCOBAÇA is a mighty monastery in the pure gothic style of Citeaux, housing the tombs of the famous lovers Pedro I and Inês de Castro.  Alcobaça is also the hometown of very beautifully decorated ceramics, which copy the designs of the mosaics from the Roman villas in Conimbriga nearby.

In the afternoon we continue to BATALHA, the monastery and church built in memory of the great victory of Portugal against Spain in 1385.  King John I and famous contemporaries, including Henry the Navigator, are buried here, and we can see the most beautiful and elaborated “manuelinic” artwork in the incomplete chapels.

The we continue directly to NAZARÉ, a traditional and picturesque village where still today fishermen and women wear their traditional clothes.  We will stay here for two nights, so there is enough time to enjoy the beautiful beach and the lively village with excellent seafood restaurants and the old fish market.

 Dinner will be in a seafood restaurant at the seaside.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, Alcobaça and Batalha entrances, three-course dinner, hotel in Nazaré

Today we visit the university town of COIMBRA, the romantic academic heart of Portugal, with the second oldest university in the world.  We visit the historic university buildings and have a look at the fortress-like cathedral of the city.

After lunch in the city we head towards the former monastery-fortress of the Temple knights in TOMAR.  The order of the temple knights was dissolved by the Pope at the beginning of the 14th century but, instead of disbanding it, the order in Portugal changed its name to the Knights of Christ and continued in existence as an important motor for overseas discoveries.

After the visit to the castle we return to Nazaré for the night.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, university and monastery entrances, hotel in Nazaré

From Nazaré we start our journey to the north of the country for a visit to the second biggest city of Portugal. PORTO has always been and still is the city of trade and commerce with a very British lifestyle and attitude. We will have a guided city tour to enjoy the historical city center and the old quarter of the "alfandega", the customs area, which is now under UNESCO World Heritage protection.  We will see the river Douro and learn about one of the most famous products from Portugal, growing at the banks of this river.  Port wine is specially matured and processed in Vila Nova da Gaia at the other side of the river.  We will learn about this, visiting one of the wine cellars and having an interesting and delicious tasting experience.

After dinner we stay overnight in Porto.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, guided city tour, wine cellar visit and tasting, entrances, three-course dinner, hotel in Porto

We return to Lisbon on the highway.  After arrival and check-in at our hotel in the city center, we make another city tour to other parts of the city.

In the evening we will enjoy our farewell dinner in a Fado restaurant, where we learn about the very special music of Portugal and the traditions around and the feeling of "saudade".  In the old "Alfama" quarter, we will find a place uniting the musical experience with a beautiful environment and delicious Portuguese food.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, city tour, farewell dinner with entertainment, hotel in Lisbon

After breakfast a transfer to Lisbon airport to reach your homebound flight.

>  Buffet breakfast, transfer to airport