Soirée Travel Specialists presents
Portugal Discovery
From stunning beaches with crystal blue waters to great food and wine, world class architecture, and deep cultural roots,Portugal checks all the boxes for a perfect vacation.
On our carefully crafted itinerary you’ll experience lively Lisbon, colorful Sintra, Templar Knights and Roman history, the Douro Valley wine region, fabulous Porto, and more. We venture off the beaten path to discover little towns and villages bursting with character and colors.
Experience the best Portugal has to offer while our English-speaking professional guides will bring the history, culture, and charm of Portugal to life.
There’s no skimping on this Portugal Discovery itinerary.
Experience the best Portugal has to offer while our English-speaking professional guides will bring the history, culture, and charm of Portugal to life.
There’s no skimping on this Portugal Discovery itinerary.
And our 11-day, well-balanced itinerary keeps you comfortable in 4* hotels right where you want to be. We can’t wait to help you experience Portugal!
Sample Itinerary details below.
Sample Itinerary details below.
Portugal Discovery
See our SAMPLE, CUSTOMIZABLE ITINERARY below
See our SAMPLE, CUSTOMIZABLE ITINERARY below
Portugal Discovery
11 days/ 10 nights: sample itinerary
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Hotels: 4*
Lisbon: 3 nights Tomar: 2 nights Douro Valley: 2 nights Porto: 3 nights Highlights:
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Day 1: Lisbon Arrival
Welcome to Lisbon! Your driver will meet you at the Lisbon airport for your included arrival transfer.
Lisbon is a city of seven hills with spectacular views and a unique light. Views out across the River Tagus, the labyrinthine neighborhoods of narrow streets roofed in terracotta tile, the castle, the iconic bridge and so much more!
Lisbon’s greatest treasures are its historic neighborhoods themselves. From majestic Commerce Square to a wide array of shops, galleries and fine restaurants.
Welcome to Lisbon! Your driver will meet you at the Lisbon airport for your included arrival transfer.
Lisbon is a city of seven hills with spectacular views and a unique light. Views out across the River Tagus, the labyrinthine neighborhoods of narrow streets roofed in terracotta tile, the castle, the iconic bridge and so much more!
Lisbon’s greatest treasures are its historic neighborhoods themselves. From majestic Commerce Square to a wide array of shops, galleries and fine restaurants.
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Day 2: Sintra Day Trip with Cascais & Belem
Sintra leaves most visitors with a feeling of mystical enchantment. Its magical palaces, forests, Moorish castle and UNESCO World Heritage site city center are like a page from a fairy tale. Just 40 minutes from Lisbon is a fairy-tale land of castles and palaces. Eighteen miles and a world away from Lisboa, it’s easy to see why Sintra - with its cool, lush hills and proximity to the Atlantic coast - is where Portuguese royals used to spend their summers. Today, the concentration of these former regal estates and equally fanciful gardens has turned this UNESCO site into a popular day-trip destination. After seeing the 19th-century Romantic architecture, cobblestone streets, and dense forests, you will understand why Lord Byron once referred to the town as a “glorious Eden.” |
The colorful Pena Palace is the standout monument of Sintra. The vividly painted palace stands at one of the highest points of Sintra and is surrounded by the pine forests of the region. The interior of the palace has been retained to how it appeared in 1910, when the Portuguese nobility fled Portugal due to the revolution.
On your way back into Lisbon, stop in Belém, one of the city’s most beautiful districts and home to Belém Tower, the Jerónimos Monastery and many other stunning landmarks.
On your way back into Lisbon, stop in Belém, one of the city’s most beautiful districts and home to Belém Tower, the Jerónimos Monastery and many other stunning landmarks.
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Day 3: Évora Day Trip
A region of sun-baked olive groves, fortified towns and traditional villages, all of which are a joy to explore. The Alentejo offers a truly unique Portuguese experience, with a distinctive heritage, delicious regional cuisine and an infectious unhurried pace of life. In the Alentejo, Évora, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, shows the tenacity of the people. Perhaps this is the reason that culture and spirituality take on a singular character here. Easy to explore, this beautiful city will also reveal some of its special treasures on our guided tour: Roman ruins and the Chapel of Bones |
You will also breathe the scents of the countryside here as you stop to enjoy a wine tasting with lunch.
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Day 4: Obidos & Tomar
You’re off to Tomar today with a stop is enchanting Óbidos, one of Portugal’s most beautiful destinations and one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval villages. Postcard views, whitewashed houses with gothic doorways, potted plants and bougainvillea, snuggle together inside the crenelated walls of an ancient castle. Many locals still dedicate their lives to the traditional handicrafts and the famous local drink, Ginja de Óbidos, sold on the only real street in town, Rua Direita. With its pedestrian-friendly historic center, its pretty riverside park frequented by swans, herons and families of ducks, and its charming natural setting adjacent to the lushSeven Hills National Forest, Tomar makes a lovely central Portugal pitstop for 2 nights. |
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Day 5: Tomar Exploration
To understand what makes Tomar truly extraordinary, just look to the crenelated walls of the Unesco World Heritage–listed Convento de Cristo, which forms a beautiful backdrop from almost any vantage point in the city. Eight-and-a-half centuries after its founding, this venerable headquarters of the legendary Knights Templar is a collection of Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance architecture that testifies to the city’s integral role in centuries of Portuguese history, from the founding of Portugal as a nation state to the Age of Discoveries. This morning you'll enjoy a private guided tour of Tomar’s Templar Sites. The balance of your day is for Independent Exploration |
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Day 6: Douro Valley
Today you'll make way to The Douro, a land of experiences, known for its breathtaking scenery sculpted by the vineyards, for its people, for its heritage, and for its genuine uniqueness. For centuries, Portugal’s Douro Valley, the world’s first officially designated wine region, has drawn people for not only its port wine but also for the postcard-pretty landscapes—steep terraced vineyards carved into mountains along the Douro River and whitewashed quintas (wine estates) atop granite bluffs. While the traditional way of touring the Douro has been on day trips from Porto, you’re going to immerse yourself in the valley experience. This is a land of traditions, a place of enchantment and mysticism, a great stretch |
of land where nature reigns in perfect harmony with the inhabitants that have shaped the valley slopes and organized the land into vineyards.
This magical place is yours.
Dinner is also included at your scenic countryside accommodation
This magical place is yours.
Dinner is also included at your scenic countryside accommodation
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Day 7: Douro Valley Exploration with winery visit
There has been evidence of wine production for more than two thousand years in the Douro Valley. It was the first region in the world to be demarcated and it’s a land where traditions and modernity go hand-in-hand. This combination is still evident today in the traditional harvest that is still done by hand and the squashing of the grapes by foot and the most modern processes that accompany these traditions. Enjoy a wine-tasting and lunch. Dinner is, again, included at your countryside accommodation tonight. |
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Day 8: Amarante & Porto
Off you go to Porto today with a picturesque stop in Amarante on the way. Amarante is easy to fall in love with. In fact, its name is derived from the Portuguese verb amar. To love. The river Tâmega runs through the town giving the landscape a unique touch of beauty and the pretty São Gonçalo bridge helped Amarante to survive French attacks in the 19th century. Then it’s onward to Porto. Humble and honest, Porto is a laid-back destination full of pretty shops, historic alleyways, magnificent architecture, modern gastronomy and the delights of a relaxed city with a strong cultural identity. And your base for 3 nights. |
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Day 9: Porto Exploration
It was in the Porto and in the North regions that Portugal was founded in the 12th century and the Portuguese became a people and a nation. Porto, a World Heritage city, is the gateway and departure point for a journey across the natural and cultural diversity of the region. It is known for the Port Wine which is shipped from here all over the world, but also for an heritage which combines ancient churches and monuments, such as the Cathedral, the Stock Exchange Palace and the Church of São Francisco, and modern buildings, such as Casa da Música and the Serralves Museum. And for its School of Architecture |
which bred names like Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto de Moura, both winners of the Pritzker Prize.
Enjoy a guided walking tour of Porto this morning and a Port Wine producer visit with tasting.
The balance of the day is yours for Independent Exploration.
Enjoy a guided walking tour of Porto this morning and a Port Wine producer visit with tasting.
The balance of the day is yours for Independent Exploration.
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Day 10: Independent Exploration in Porto
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Day 11: Departure
We include your departure transfer to the Porto Airport (OPO) Thank you for joining us on a spectacular Portugal Discovery! |
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