Highlights of Portugal (9 days)

Upon arrival at Lisbon airport you will be met by your local representative and transferred to your hotel.

This morning's tour will start at the Castle of St. George above the Moorish quarter of Alfama, which provides one of the finest panoramic views over the city and Tagus estuary. A visit of its ramparts may be followed by a stroll through the labyrinthine streets of Alfama where you will be surprised with such sights as the 10th-century Moorish defensive walls, and views of the Monastery of St. Vincent and the National Pantheon. Next a 100-year-old tram will take you past the Romanesque Cathedral, built where the Great Mosque once stood for four centuries, through the Baixa quarter, rebuilt after the Great Earthquake of 1755, to the intellectual Chiado quarter. There a stop may be made at the famous Café Brasileira, a rendezvous for intellectuals at the outset of the 20th century.You may also stroll along the elegant Garrett shopping street with its ancient churches, also rebuilt in the 18th century. Next you will visit the riverside quarter of Belém where the majestic 16th-century Jeronimos Monastery is Portugal's greatest testament to the Golden Age of the Discoveries. A visit of its stunning decorative cloister and church may be followed by a short visit to a 19th-century pastry factory nearby. From here, continue to the former Palace of Belém to visit the world's most famous Coach Museum, installed in the former Lusitanian Riding School and housing the very elaborate 18th century Papal Embassy Coaches.Following lunch, stop at the emblematic Belém Tower, built to defend the harbour entrance and considered the city's most beautiful monument.The rest of the day may be taken up by visiting the private art collection of the Armenian oil magnate, Calouste Gulbenkian, brought to neutral Portugal before World War II for its own safety. This unexpectedly rich collection may be admired in a modern museum purpose-built by what continues to be a very rich foundation.

Today you will visit the rococo royal summer palace at Queluz, situated on the route to Sintra. Here you can see the extent to which wealthy 18th-century Portugal was to adhere to the French fashions of Versailles, especially in the formal gardens.Next you will arrive at the aristocratic town of Sintra, described by Lord Byron as a "glorious Eden" and a World Heritage Site. It is situated on the northern slope of a verdant granite mountain where you may visit the oldest royal palace in the country dating back to the Moorish occupation. Occupied by the monarchy until their exile in 1910, today it contains a fine collection of Hispano-Arabic glazed tiles, other decorations and many Moorish features. There will be time to explore the ancient streets filled with shops selling the finest handicrafts, port wine and traditional pastries.Following lunch at leisure, you will continue along the southern slope of the mountain, now part of a nature reserve, to the coast at Guincho, from which to admire Cape Roca, the westernmost point of the European continent. A short distance further on one comes to the ancient fishing village of Cascais, now the heart of Lisbon's most fashionable residential area. A stroll along the bay to see a fortress, the fishermen's traps and landing pier, and through the village allows the visitor to experience a different and now more cosmopolitan atmosphere. The drive back to Lisbon takes you through the resort town of Estoril with its beautiful villas and large casino, and along the picturesque coastal and riverside road

This morning you will meet your private vehicle and English-speaking guide for your transfer to Coimbra via Obidos, Alcobaca and Nazaré.First stop will be the ancient citadel of Óbidos, a town that was always given to the queens of the country in their wedding dowries since the 13th century. It is most picturesque with whitewashed houses, a well-preserved medieval castle and ramparts, charming chapels, many handicraft shops and flowered streets.After a stroll through the town we will leave for the town of Alcobaça, at the confluence of two streams and the seat of a wealthy Cistercian monastic domain until the 19th century. Its enormous Romanesque church and cloisters have many stories to tell, especially that of the Portuguese queen crowned after her death, a 14th-century love story of passion, intrigue and vengeance. There will be time for lunch at leisure.Next we will head to the fishing village of Nazaré where the fishermen's wives still wear their traditional clothes showing Celtic traditions. Here there is an excellent opportunity to have a fish or shellfish lunch in one of the traditional restaurants, followed by fine views of the coast, lighthouse and offshore islands, or a stroll along the wide sandy beach. The seafront pavement is busy with women selling handicrafts, dried mackerel and fruits and nuts.Upon arrival in Coimbra, check in to your hotel.

This morning you will meet your private vehicle and English-speaking guide for a full-day sightseeing tour to Fatima and Tomar.The town of Fatima is an important Roman Catholic pilgrimage site and the surrounding hills are interesting for their limestone caves. Fatima found fame at the beginning of the 20th century following the apparition of the Virgin of the Rosary to three peasant girls in a nearby pasture. A vast basilica now commemorates the event.Continuing on to Tomar you will visit the Convent of Christ, from 1160 the headquarters of the order of Knights Templar, which subsequently became the Knights of the Order of the Sword. You may also like to wander through the old town along the narrow flower-lined streets where you will find the tiny Synagogue of Tomar, the oldest Jewish house of worship in Portugal.

This morning you will be transferred to Porto by private vehicle with your English-speaking guide with en route sightseeing in the water city of Aveiro and the fairy-tale castle at Santa Maria da Feira. Aveiro's history is inextricably linked to the sea, with its trade linked to the salt pans and then cod fishing. An attractive town, the buildings are a mixture of quaint fishermen's cottages and Art Nouveau townhouses.Upon arrival in Porto you will be transferred to your hotel.

Today you will meet your guide and driver for a tour of Porto.Starting at the 12th-century Romanesque Cathedral, with its dark interior, you will start to descend the hill towards the riverside through the oldest quarter. By the Jesuit Grilos Church there is a wonderful view of Vila Nova de Gaia on the other bank of the Douro River where all the port wine lodges are situated. A little further down you will come to the 19th-century Stock Exchange Palace, the seat of the Oporto Commercial Association. Next you will visit the heavily gilded 15th-century church of St. Francis, arriving next at the Cais da Ribeira, the old medieval wharf that is effectively the centre of the city. Lunch will be taken at leisure. After lunch, you may take a 50-minute river cruise along the Douro to admire the superb bridges, one built by Gustave Eiffel. Sometimes it is possible to alight on the other bank (upon request) at the end of the cruise where a short climb will bring you to Graham's Wine Lodge where you may enjoy a tour explaining the whole process of port wine production in the Douro Valley, followed by a tasting.

Set out with your driver and guide for the Douro Valley, otherwise known as the Alto Douro Wine Region, a World Heritage Site with some 240,000 hectares under cultivation producing equal quantities of Port and table wines. The valley is located some 100 km from Porto and over the Marão Hills. The landscape of entirely terraced hills overlooking the River Douro is breathtaking and soon, following the river upstream from the river port of Regua, you visit the Sandeman winery at Quinta do Seixo for a tour, tasting and more excellent views. Continue from here to the river port of Pinhão to see the glazed tiles of the railway station before heading north to the city of Vila Real. Here visit the Casa de Mateus, the mansion is a Baroque masterpiece designed by the Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni and is set in equally sumptuous gardens. Return to Porto.

Alternative option:

Subject to availability, you may prefer to enjoy a luxury trip into the Douro Valley by way of the stylish Presidential Train, used by monarchs, nobles and international dignitaries in times past.

Today you will be privately transferred to Porto airport for your departure flight.