The Best of Portugal by Coach

Groups accepted with a minimum of 6 pax. Optional: 15 Days Tour / 8 Days Tour   This imaginatively designed tour is a living travelogue through the best of Portugal. We journey through the cultural history of this fascinating country from the beaches and dramatic cliffs of the Algarve, ancient villages, and high mountains of the interior to the far north where Portugal was born. On the way, we will visit iconic cities and monuments, appreciate the fantastic scenery, and enjoy great food and wine. Our multi-centre holiday will give you the opportunity to visit many of Portugal’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites and explore its huge cultural diversity while relaxing in a well-planned itinerary covering a vast array of points of interest. Faro Old Town - Historic and fortified city center. The oldest part of Faro, This charming area guarantees a pleasant walk and great photos. We give you the option of a round trip starting and ending in Faro, a 15-day stay, or an 8-day tour, starting in Porto and ending in Faro. You’ll experience an exceptional range of different landscapes just a short distance away, lots of interesting sites, and unique cultural heritage, where tradition and modernity blend together in perfect harmony. Not to mention a superb cuisine, fine wines and hospitable people that will make this tour the best holiday you ever had. Évora is one of the best tourist destinations in central Portugal Celts, Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and Christians all left their mark in Portugal. On this tour, you can watch the sunset over mysterious megaliths outside Évora or lose yourself in the elaborate corridors of the Templar’s Knights monuments, today Unesco World Heritage Sites in Tomar, Alcobaça, or Batalha. You will visit palaces set above mist-covered woodlands and craggy clifftop castles in Sintra and Buçaco, and gaze on stunningly preserved medieval town centers, in Évora, Guimarães, and Porto. The rich Jewish heritage present in the villages of Castelo de Vide and Belmonte will surprise many. Our tour begins in Faro and we travel through the hidden and lesser-known Algarve to the great plains of the Alentejo home to great gastronomy and superlative wines. Tomar. This city it’s often described as the jewellery of Portugal thanks to its picturesque landscape and history-filled walls. We stay in gastronomy, a delightful city that exudes Portuguese charm and boasts a vast array of fascinating historical monuments. Portalegre, our next center will be the gateway to visit Marvão and Castelo de Vide where we stand on the battlements of ancient castles looking across into Spain. As we travel north visits to Castelo Branco, Belmonte and Lamego enrich our journey with their deep cultural heritage. Then, opening dramatically out before us is the magnificent Douro Valley of Port wine fame where terraced vineyards seem to defy gravity as they perch high above the river. The Douro valley is our gateway to the north where Portugal was born. Castle of Guimaraes We visit Vila Real and Guimarães, where centuries ago Portugal was declared an independent kingdom and home to the first king. We then travel through a patchwork of fields and Vinho Verde vineyards to Viana do Castelo, the pearl of the north. Our first week finishes in Porto, the invincible city. Here we will be able to relax and enjoy this iconic city of the north. From Porto we turn south on the Atlantic side of Portugal towards Coimbra, stopping to enjoy the forest and gardens of Buçaco and of course, Conimbriga, perhaps the most lavish example of Roman decadence. We are fortunate to stay in the remarkable and beautiful town of Tomar for two nights enabling us to visit the famous knight's Templar Convent of Christ. Nearby visits will include the awe-inspiring monastery of Batalha and the more intimate and charming, though no less grand, Mosteiro de Alcobaça. Batalha Abbey cloisters. The Dominican Monastery of Batalha is one of the absolute masterpieces of Gothic art in Portugal As we continue south to Lisbon a visit to Óbidos, the most well-known walled town in Portugal, is a must. Another two night’s stay in Lisbon will enable us to enjoy this great city’s vibrant lifestyle, monuments, and attractions. Lisbon, one of Europe’s most charismatic cities, is now deservedly one of the most visited cities in Europe. It is full of cultural highlights and monuments and has a varied and dynamic nightlife, from traditional Fado bars to modern venues in the Chiado, Alfama, and the Tagus riverside. Belem Tower, Lisbon In the sunny South, the rich Moorish heritage is everywhere, and we’ll have the opportunity to visit Sagres, set on a headland overlooking a picturesque harbour. Prince Henry the Navigator started here Portugal’s Voyages of Discovery during the 15th century. Continuing south we visit Alcácer do Sal, an ancient Moorish town surrounded by rice paddies, before ending up in Silves, the ancient capital of the Algarve. From here we can visit Lagos, Sagres and Cabo de S Vincente, once the end of the known world. All of this and much more await you on this wonderful, in-depth Portugal tour! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HavaBNafrVc https://youtu.be/AwMagvRIWhc?list=PLuMAo-oYl9zgZ7THp1rusNGKOkYZUOfhp