Country Roads of Portugal - Small Group

Arrive at Lisbon Airport and take your complimentary transfer into the city, passing the wide Tagus estuary and the hillside districts built in pale limestone and terracotta. Check in to your hotel and settle in, with time to get a sense of the surrounding streets and tram routes that cut through the Portuguese capital’s older neighborhoods. In the evening, join your Travel Director and small group at a local restaurant for the first meal of the trip.

Explore Lisbon with a Local Expert, traveling down the broad avenues of the Lower Town and tracing the city’s rebuilding after the 1755 earthquake. You’ll continue to Belém to see the riverside fortifications of the Belém Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries, set along the Tagus where Portugal’s maritime journeys once began. Step inside the cloister of Jerónimos Monastery, known for its detailed Manueline stonework, before stopping to try a Pastéis de Belém in the district where the original recipe is still baked since 1837. In the evening, you can join an Optional Experience to explore more of Portugal’s food and culture.

Cross the River Tagus and travel south towards the Algarve, following the main route across the Alentejo plains before reaching the coastal town of Lagos. You’ll join your Travel Director for an orientation through the historic center and harbor linked to Portugal’s early maritime activity, with time to explore the lanes around the main square or stop for lunch before continuing south. Later, continue to your hotel in the Algarve. Once settled, you could walk to the beach for some time along the sand or find a nearby place serving grilled fish and other regional dishes common across the south.

Today you’ll set off on a boat tour for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience through the Ria Formosa Natural Park, gliding past sandbanks and wetlands rich in birdlife. Pause at an oyster farm to learn about cultivation and export before a guided tasting of this local delicacy. Later, travel inland to the medieval walled city of Évora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its Roman remains, whitewashed streets and long history as a regional capital.

Explore Évora with your Local Expert, visiting the Roman Temple, the Capela dos Ossos and Évora Cathedral, noted for its mix of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. In the afternoon, you might like to explore more of Évora’s center at your own pace. You could stop at a wine bar near Praça do Giraldo to try regional reds, or join others from your small group for an early dinner in one of the simple restaurants tucked inside the old streets.

Continue to Fátima, Portugal’s major pilgrimage site. Here, you can visit the basilica, step inside the Chapel of the Apparitions or walk through the large square that connects the sanctuary buildings. Later, travel across central Portugal to Tomar where you’ll explore with a Local Expert. Explore the UNESCO-listed Convento do Cristo, focusing on the Templars’ Rotunda and the Manueline Window that marks the later work of the Order of Christ. Walk through Tomar’s center, including the medieval synagogue and the small museum that traces the history of the town’s former Jewish community.

Travel north to Coimbra, a city long tied to Portugal’s academic life. Your Local Expert will guide you through the Old Town and the University of Coimbra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll visit the baroque university library, known for its carved woodwork, vaulted ceilings and vast historical collection. Your journey continues through hills lined with vineyards as you approach the Douro Valley. Enjoy a Farm-to-Table lunch made with local produce, where you’ll also taste Port wine made from grapes grown along the Douro’s terraces.

Travel north towards Guimarães, often referred to as the birthplace of Portugal. See the medieval castle and walk through the historic center, where narrow lanes and small squares show how the town developed around its fortified core. Continue to Porto, a city defined by the Douro River and a UNESCO-listed center shaped by trade, port wine and layered architecture. With your Local Expert, you’ll visit São Bento Railway Station to see its azulejo panels illustrating key moments from Portuguese history. You’ll also walk across the Dom Luís I Bridge, built by a student of Eiffel, with clear views over the riverfront. Later, you might like to join an Optional Experience through the Ribeira district or take a cruise on a traditional Rabelo boat before trying local dishes along the riverside.

Spend the day in Porto, exploring at your own pace. You might like to wander through the Ribeira district, where narrow lanes lead down to the riverfront lined with tall, pastel-colored houses. Another option is to cross to Vila Nova de Gaia to visit one of the long-established Port wine lodges and learn how the barrels are aged before bottling. You could also meet members of your small group for lunch near the Douro or take a tram along the river towards Foz do Douro for a walk by the Atlantic.

Travel south to the fortified town of Óbidos, entered through a gate marked with 18th-century azulejo panels. Inside the medieval walls, you’ll walk along narrow streets with small bookshops, craft stalls and houses that reflect how the town developed around its castle. Continue to Lisbon for your final evening. You’ll join your Travel Director and your small group for dinner at a local restaurant and raise a glass to your journey through the country roads of Portugal.

After breakfast, you’ll transfer to Lisbon International Airport. Bid farewell to your Travel Director and fellow travelers, marking the end of your journey through Portugal’s towns, coastlines and inland roads.