Portuguese Essences

8 Days / 7 Nights

Day 1 - Porto

Arrival at the airport of Porto.
Reception by an English speaking representative of LIGER.
Departure for a panoramic tour of +/- 2 hours to discover Porto and La Torre dos Clerigos (external visit).
Overview of the Church of San Francisco, passing through the station of S. Bento adorned with its 20000 azulejos depicting the history of Portugal.
Porto is the capital and gateway to the northern region, Porto is an ancient city that gave its name to Portugal and wine known around the world: the Port Wine. With a beautiful location near the mouth of the Douro and an architectonic ensemble of exceptional value, the historic center of Porto is a World Heritage Site since 1996.
Installation in a hotel *** of Porto.
Dinner and accommodation (Hotel Quality Inn or similar).

Breakfast.
Discovery of the Palace of the Stock Exchange with its famous Arab lounge.
We invite you to a mini cruise on the douro, with a different insight on the city and surrounding vineyards, then you will land on the opposite bank of the Douro where you will discover one of the innumerable wine cellar of Porto with tasting of this precious and so famous nectar. Lunch in the typical neighborhood (Restaurant Chez Lapin) and multicolored Ribeira.
Afternoon departure to Guimarães. On December 13, 2001 UNESCO inscribed the historic center of the city of Guimarães on the World Heritage List. Distinction deserved for a city, full of historical reminiscences, which preserved its heritage and its public spaces for the pleasure of its visitors. For the Portuguese, Guimarães has a very special symbolic value, it was in a field near the walls of his castle that D. Afonso Henriques winner at the Battle of S. Mamede, on June 24, 1128, against the troops of D. Teresa, his mother and daughter of Afonso VI of Castile and Leon, initiated the course that would lead to the construction of the kingdom of Portugal, of which he would be the first king.
Visit the castle and the historic district.
Continuation with the visit of "Bracara Augusta" (Braga), former Roman seat, which was built in 27 BC. under the reign of the Emperor Augustus.
Visit of the cathedral, the oldest of the country which was the greatest religious reference of Portugal over the centuries, followed by the sanctuary of "Bom Jesus" of Braga (Church Rococo style, famous for its double staircase).
Back to your hotel.
Dinner and accommodation.

Breakfast.
Departure for Aveiro, capital of the Ria, vast lagoon basin where the fresh waters of the Vouga river mix with the waters of the sea. Aveiro, cut by watery streets where the colored boats used to collect the silt and the aquatic plants, is one of the most interesting cities of the Portuguese coast.
Mini cruise on the canals with tasting of the famous "Ovos Moles", typical pastry of the region and a cup of Sparkling Wine.
Continue to Coimbra, the most important city south of the Douro River, which was for a time the residence of Count D. Henrique and D. Teresa, parents of the first king of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques, who was born there. In the Renaissance, Coimbra was transformed into a place of knowledge, when D. João III (1521-57) decided to definitively set up the University in the city, while many colleges were created in parallel with the official teaching. Lunch with drinks at a local restaurant.
Visit the famous university and its famous Joanina library.
Continuing our visits with the discovery of Batalha, a city that developed around its monument inspired by the heroic events the great Portuguese victory over the Spanish troops during the Hundred Years War, the Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitoria, one the most beautiful architectures of the Manueline Gothic style of Europe (visit included).
Arrival at the end of the day in Monte Real, one of the most famous spas of the Portuguese central coast.
Installation in a hotel *** (Hotel Dom Afonso).
Dinner with drinks.
Accommodation.

Breakfast.
Departure to Fatima and discovery of its shrine, a place of pilgrimage, one of the most famous in the world, gathering every year thousands of pilgrims since the apparitions of the virgin.
Continuation to Alcobaça, with the visit of the church of the abbey where are the tombs of King D. Pedro I (the cruel) and D. Inês de Castro, the Queen who was crowned after his death. Continuation to Nazaré, one of the most typical beaches of Portugal, overlooks its famous rocky promontory, the "Sitio".
Lunch fish by the sea.
Free time for you to stroll along the ocean.
Afternoon, discover the beautiful medieval town of Óbidos, beautifully preserved, white houses decorated with bougainvillea and honeysuckle, conquered to the Moors by the first King of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques, in 1148. Later, D Dinis donated it to his wife, Queen Santa Isabel. From that time until 1883, the city of Óbidos and the surrounding lands still belonged to the queens of Portugal. You will then taste the famous Ginginha (liqueur sour cherry served in small glass chocolate.
Back to your hotel.
Dinner, folklore party.
Accommodation.

Breakfast.
Departure towards Lisbon, the capital of Portugal located on charming hills, enjoying a unique geographical location, to which it owes its destiny as a cosmopolitan city. Its exceptional light enchants writers, photographers and filmmakers, the light houses that rise on the hills, where the ocher color of the roofs, the polychrome tiles azulejos and the winding alleys of the old neighborhoods give it an atmosphere transition city between the European North and the South.
Visit the famous district of Belém, with its gardens and monuments classified as World Heritage by UNESCO, the Lisbon of the Great Discoveries.
Visit of the Jerónimos Monastery, monument paying tribute to the exploits of the navigator Vasco da Gama and for its discovery of the first sea route to the Indies (visit of the nave).
Discovery of the fabulous tower of Belém (external visit), followed by the monument of discoveries turned towards the Tagus, fixing the horizon.
Lunch at a local restaurant (Aldea restaurant).
Afternoon, discover the museum of coaches housing one of the largest collections in the world.
Tasting of the famous pastries of Belém (small flans in a puff pastry and powdered with cinnamon), age-old symbol of the traditional pastry of the convents which is part of the image of mark of the Portuguese gastronomy.
Discovery of the low city of Lisbon, Praça Dom Pedro IV, better known as Rossio, Praça do Comercio, Rua Augusta.
Installation at Vip Diplomatico hotel **** or similar.
Dinner with drinks at your hotel.
Accommodation.

Breakfast.
Departure to Azeitão, through the bridge 25 of April, which will offer us a breathtaking view on the Tagus.
Discover a craft center where you can admire the art of working azulejo. Discovery of Serra da Arrabida.
Arrival in Evora.
Breakfast in a local restaurant.
Visit of the 13th century cathedral, the largest in Portugal, the Giraldo square and its arches, the Temple of Diana, the best preserved Roman vestige of Portugal, dating from the 2nd or 3rd centuries and the church of S. Francisco (Church of St. Francis).
Lunch during the visit.
Free time in the historic center.
Back to your hotel.
Dinner and Accommodation.

Breakfast.
Departure to Sintra, beautiful city at the foot of the mountain of the same name, its unique characteristics make that UNESCO by classifying World Heritage was forced to create a specific category for the occasion that of "cultural landscape". In the twelfth century, the 1st King of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques, conquered the Castle of the Moors, and later his successors built here their second home, the Royal Palace of the city, considered as an ex-libris of Sintra because of original conical fireplaces (visit Included).
Typical lunch of squid and shrimp skewers (Curral dos Caprinos restaurant).
After midday, Cabo da Roca, the most western point of Europe with a breathtaking view of the ocean.
Discovery of the renowned seaside resorts of Cascais and Estoril, favored by their natural luminosity and the mildness of their climate.
Return to Lisbon, free time to indulge in the joys of shopping in the heart of Lisbon (the lower town).
Back to your hotel.
Dinner with drinks and accommodation.

Breakfast.
Transfer to Lisbon airport, assistance with boarding formalities.
End of our services.

INCLUDED IN THIS PROGRAM

  • Accommodation in hotels ***/****
  • Full board and lodging, drinks included in dinners on D1 to breakfast on D8,
  • Lunches in local and typical restaurants include drinks and coffee,
  • Bus and English speaker guide during the entire stay,
  • All entrance fees for the indicated monuments are included (library at the Coimbra University, the   Royal Palace in Sintra, National Coach Museum in Lisbon, the Monastery in Batalha, the Palacio da Bolsa in Porto, the castle in Guimarães, the church of São Francisco in Evora, the handicraft center in Azeitão),
  • Mini cruise on the Douro river,
  • Mini cruise with tasting in Aveiro,
  • Visit of a Porto wine cellar with tasting,
  • Tasting of “ginjinha” liqueur in Óbidos,
  • Tasting of the pastries in Belém,
  • Folklore night,
  • Welcome drink (Porto wine),
  • Taxes.