Portugal Group Trip October 9 – 14, 2022
Sunday, October 9, 2022
5:40am – Welcome to Portugal. Meet and Greet with our driver & guide at the Lisbon International Airport (LIS)
We will be directed to our private vehicle and transferred directly to our hotel for the next three nights – Hotel PortoBay Liberdade
11:30am – 3:30pm – Food Walking Tour in Lisbon with a local foodie guide
A big part of the beauty of Lisbon lies down on its citizens, in the way these people relate with the city, in the way they gather in the alleys and patios, in the way they taste their coffee and pastry side by side with beautiful monuments of singular architecture.
We’ll visit Bairro Alto, one of the most emblematic neighborhoods in Lisbon. Here, you can feel the “Fado” while the tram passes by. From the belvedere, we’ll be able to feel the heartbeat of the city and to admire its beautiful hills. We’ll continue our tour going down the hill to the area of Chiado, an important centre of commerce and cultural activity – it was here that writers and philosophers used to gather to discuss their ideas back in the early 20th century. In front of the historical “A Brasileira” café, we’ll pass by the statue of Fernando Pessoa drinking his coffee, watching people passing by. From there, to Baixa Pombalina, the historical centre rebuilt after the earthquake in 1755. The new wide streets and 5 floor buildings gave a new dimension and image to the city.
During our stroll along the city, the group will have the opportunity to stop and taste the local gastronomy. We will visit traditional stores, taste pastries and “petiscos” where the locals eat and end our tour with a toast with a glass of “ginjinha” (sour cherry liqueur) at a century-old tavern. Overall we will have 4 tasting stops and approximately 8+ tastings and several wines or beverages.
7:30pm – 11pm – Portugese Fado Night
Fado is Portuguese and was born in Lisbon. It was adopted by Portuguese culture and is now a symbol of Portugal, with a strong tradition in the historic districts of Lisbon. The three-hour show features talented artists – a singer and two musicians (Portuguese guitar and classical guitar) – performing Fado and the music that makes it the national song. It is said that Fado combines nostalgia (saudade), Portuguese pride, hope and conformism in a musical style epitomised by Amália Rodrigues. On account of these unique characteristics, Fado has now been declared part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. This evening we will experience a portuguese dinner with a fado live performance.
Accommodations – Hotel PortoBay Liberdade
This 98-room hotel was converted from three imposing turn-of-the century buildings just off the wide Avenida Liberdade, Lisbon’s main boulevard. The impressive array of facilities includes a heated indoor swimming pool, spa, small rooftop terrace and hot tub.
The hotel’s convenient location just off Lisbon’s main thoroughfare is a huge advantage, allowing a quick journey to the airport and to museums such as the Gulbenkian Museum. Avenida Liberdade, round the corner, has all the main designer shops and, increasingly, some excellent restaurants. Downtown Lisbon and its historic sights, like the beautiful 18th-century, arcaded Praça do Comércio, is just over a 20-minute walk away.
Hotel PortoBay Liberdade cuts an impressive picture on a leafy side street with an elegant, belle époque facade, beautifully preserved by architect Frederico Valsassina. Some of the early 20th-century details have also been incorporated in the interiors, which draw on the local Lioz limestone and old marble. The property is spacious in feel, with an outside patio which Bistro4 spills out onto in summer, filled with olive and lemon trees and a small rooftop terrace and hot tub.
Monday, October 10, 2022
9:30am – 5:30pm – Full day tour of Sintra and Cascais
Start the day with the World Heritage Site of Sintra. A town of palaces, landscapes, culture, art and also of great romantics who passed through here. Learn about the ancient myths of Celtic bards, the Moorish legends, the passions of the Christian Reconquest and a masonry that makes this site so unique in the world and yet so magical!
There were several romantic figures that have passed in Sintra. From literature to music, the town of Sintra has inspired various figures and dazzled others with its mystical and charming environment. We visit the Historical Centre of Sintra, with a visit to the traditional narrow streets full of flowers and local craft shops, viewpoints, with time to taste the local traditional sweets.
Pena Royal Palace is in the top 10 of the most beautiful palaces in the world! A real enchanted palace. One of the most beautiful examples of the romantic revival of the 19th century. Built on the site of a former convent of friars from the Order of St. Jerome. A fantasy from King Fernando of Saxe Coburg Gotha. A palace with a complexity of styles: neo-Gothic, neo-Manueline, neo-Islamic and neo-Renaissance.
After a nice lunch break in one of the many traditional restaurants (included) and browsing through hundreds of years of history, it will be time to relax by driving to the town of Cascais along the nature park of Sintra-Cascais.
Once a small fishing village only, the town of Cascais managed to maintain its seafaring traditions combined with the aristocratic and royal presences of the late 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Walking by its animated town center you’ll find the cosmopolitan life side by side with the Atlantic.
The return to Lisbon will follow a very special road named “Marginal” by the Portuguese running always parallel to the white sandy beaches and amazing 17th-century fortresses starting at the town of Estoril with its famous casino.
Dinner included at the hotel.
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
9am – 1pm – Coasteering (Canyoning) at Sesimbra
An adrenaline rush, an unforgettable experience in a scenery of spectacular beauty of the Arrabida Natural Park!
Coasteering is one of the most powerful ways to experience nature, immerse yourself in breathtaking landscapes and enjoy incredibly fun experiences.
Coasteering consists of a progression along the coastline, involving jumping into the water, swimming, walking and easy rock climbing. This activity allows you to discover scenarios and hidden spots, otherwise impossible to see.
The morning will end with a nice picnic followed by transfer to Lisbon.
1pm – 5:30pm – Free afternoon to explore Lisbon on your own
Lisbon is a city that makes you want to go exploring, to discover whatever might appear in every neighborhood, on every street. It’s a safe and friendly city, relatively small but with so much to see. It’s an ideal place to spend a few days or as a starting point for touring the country. It’s old. It’s modern. It is, without doubt, always surprising.
You can choose a topic or a theme to explore it. The range is wide: Roman Lisbon, Manueline, Baroque or Romantic Lisbon, literary Lisbon, the Lisbon of Bohemian nightlife, the city of Fado. And there are also very different ways of exploring: by foot, by tram, by segway, by hop-on-hop off bus, in a tuk tuk, seen from the river on a boat trip or from the other side, after crossing the Tagus on a cacilheiro ferry… the suggestions are endless.
5:30pm – 7:30pm – Private Sunset River Cruise in Lisbon
After a full morning, many new experiences and delicious lunch, you will have time to relax on a cruise in Tejo.
This cruise is the perfect late afternoon program, which surely you’ll remember for life. On a beautiful luxury sailboat, with your eyes upon the city and with the flowing balance of the river, you will experience the cozy heat of the sun that sets over Lisbon, while enjoying a drink and snacks on board our yacht. This will be a unique opportunity to observe the Portuguese capital from a new perspective and from where the Portuguese caravels departed, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries to the East. You can expect a captivating cruise with the best views that Lisbon has to offer.
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
This morning you will leave Lisbon to visit Alentejo. The landscape, colors and cultural traditions are about to change.
Alentejo is the wild region found beyond the Tagus, with plains that extend as far as the eye can see. Cork forests tumble across the hills, empty roads slice past vineyards, forts stand isolated on the hills, and it will be impossible to understand why this region is so under-visited. The Alentejo is a poem to the tradition and heritage of Portugal, happy to maintain its rurality and authenticity.
Located in the heart of the Alentejo and part of the Wine Route, welcome to Herdade do Esporão.
Visit the vineyards, the kitchen gardens and ampelographic field; travel back in time, discovering the history of the objects found at the Perdigões Archaeological Complex. Or simply take a break to try regional products, unveil the secrets of how we make our wines on a visit to the wineries and cellars, and to challenge your senses with a tasting.
After the visit and wine tasting, indulge yourself with a relaxed lunch.
This afternoon we will continue on with a visit to Monsaraz.
This extremely beautiful medieval town has succeeded in preserving its own distinctive characteristics over the centuries. Walking through the streets of Monsaraz is like going back in time, for it is a truly unique place where one can find all the peace and tranquility that have been forgotten by the modern era.
The most immediate visual impression in the town is that of the whitewash and schist of its houses and buildings. As far as the town’s architectural heritage is concerned, the highlights are the medieval castle and keep, the former court building (built between the fourteenth and the sixteenth centuries) and the parish church of Nossa Senhora da Lagoa (dating from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries).
Accommodations – Torre de Palma Wine Hotel
Dating from 1338, the Torre de Palma Wine Hotel was born in 2014. Inspired by the lifestyle of the distinguished Basilii family (former inhabitants of the nearby Torre de Palma Roman ruins), and Alentejo traditions, the hotel was conceived to be your home in this region of southern Portugal. Torre de Palma Wine Hotel is a 5-star project devoted to Alentejo wine and to offering genuine experiences. It features the typical Alentejo architecture: white-washed walls and inviting, comfortable rooms.
The hotel’s rooms and suites boast elegant interiors that combine contemporary design with traditional pieces, in perfect harmony with the natural surroundings. This boutique hotel includes indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a spa, restaurant and bar. As well as these facilities, the hotel offers a screening room, a chapel, horse riding arena, organic vegetable garden, orchard, vine, a little olive grove, a small forest, and a store with regional products.
This charming hotel at the heart of the Alentejo wine region would not exist if it were not for its core identity: wine production and, consequently, wine tourism. The magical winery is Torre de Palma’s ex-libris and the symbol of the hotel’s wine culture. In addition to an extensive vineyard area, there is also a room filled with wine barrels, a wine tasting room, wine production area and numerous leisure and cultural activities organised around Alentejo wines.
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Choose your own adventure! Free morning at leisure to enjoy the Torre de Palma property.
Included in your stay (choose one):
Yoga Lesson & Tour of the property by horse drawn carriages OR
Relaxing localized massage (45 minutes)
Beside the above inclusions we can suggest:
Horse ride with picnic in the olive grove
Beginners lessons in the riding arena
Walking and biking routes
Hot air ballooning over the Alentejo fields
Make a visit to Torre de Palma Roman ruins
2pm – Trip to visit nearby Estremoz followed by a wine tasting at Herdade das Servas. If you prefer to stay on-site at Torre de Palma you are welcome to.
Your driver and guide will take you to explore this lovely city about 25 minutes from Torre de Palma.
A white and noble city, Estremoz can be divided into two separate areas that testify to its different stages of development: the group of medieval houses near the castle and, outside the city walls, the modern town. Estremoz has a rich cultural heritage, in which clearly the major feature is the castle with its mediaeval walls and the former thirteenth-century citadel, which now houses the Pousada de Portugal Rainha Santa Isabel.
During your visit, it is worth going up the hill of the old castle (which was transformed in 1967 into a Pousada) and take in the views of the Alentejo plains. These were the ruins of the ancient palace where Queen Isabel de Aragon used to stay when coming to Estremoz. This town records the story of her life and in particular the “Miracle of the Roses”. The fable tells that when carrying money for the poor hidden in her apron the King stopped her and upon his request, she opened the apron to reveal only some roses.
4pm – 5:30pm – Wine tasting at Herdade das Servas
The Serrano Mira family has been growing grapes and making wine since at least 1667.
Nowadays, the brothers Luís and Carlos Mira, the most recent generation of the family, carry the tradition forward. The estate of Herdade das Servas is their dream come true.
The family cares for 220 hectares of vineyards. The vines, aging from between 20 to 60 years, are planted in plots that are afforded the best possible growing techniques. Red grape varieties include Touriga Nacional, Syrah, Alicante Bouschet, Aragonês and Trincadeira whilst the white grapes list Roupeiro, Antão Vaz, Rabo-de-Ovelha and Arinto.
The construction of the winery at Herdade das Servas began in 1999. The winery melds technology and tradition in an infinite number of details that only a personal visit can reveal.
Herdade das Servas welcomes visitors to see for themselves the secrets of one of the oldest wine-producing families in the Alentejo. It is our pleasure to share our experience and our traditions of making historic wines.
After the wine tasting we will return to Torre de Palma where dinner will be included at the hotel.
Friday, October 14, 2022
10am – 12:30pm – Walking Tour of Evora – UNESCO World Heritage City
This tour invites you to explore the medieval city of Évora, classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage City, due to its excellent preservation along the centuries. An open-air museum according to UNESCO since 1986. Its walls have been guarding the streets and building practically unaltered throughout the centuries.
The fascination with this walking tour starts with its impressive walls keeping the “eborenses”; safe for a long time now. Inside them, you are awaited by traces of Roman times, medieval buildings, palaces and convents which are witness to the golden era of Portugal (15th and 16th centuries).
Visit the enigmatic church of St. Francis and its Chapel of the Bones. Continue up the narrow streets of the old town reaching the Giraldo square where the Inquisition once had its headquarters. Visit the millennium-old Roman Temple and visit the interior of the 13th-century cathedral.
Finish your visit to Evora with lunch at a local restaurant (included).
Transfer to the Lisbon International Airport (LIS)
Portugal 6 day/5 night Tour Includes:
- Private arrival transfer in a minibus with driver and guide
- Half-day Foodie Walking Tour (two guides and tastings included)
- Fado dinner & show
- 3-night accommodation at Portobay Liberdade DBL room (breakfast included)
- Full-day Sintra & Cascais with driver & guide in a minibus
- Lunch on Sintra & Cascais tour
- Day 2 – dinner included at hotel
- Coasteering activity in Sesimbra (picnic after coasteering included)
- Sunset cruise in Tejo river – Lisbon (2 hours) I Catamaran
- Transfer to Alentejo in minibus
- Visit & lunch at Herdade do Esporão
- 2-night accommodation at Torre de Palma in Half-board (breakfast and dinner included)
- Visit privately guided to Estremoz
- Visit and wine tasting at Herdade das Servas – tapas included
- Walking tour in Évora (entrance fees to Bones Chapel and Cathedral included)
- Lunch in Évora at a local restaurant
- Private departure transfer with driver & guide in a minibus
- At Torre de Palma: Yoga Lesson & Tour of the property by horse-drawn carriages OR Relaxing localized massage (45 minutes)
Pricing
$2899 USD per person (based on double occupancy)
Single supplement $675 USD
Junior Suite at Torre de Palma $50 USD supplement
30% deposit due to confirm with final payment due 60 days before departure
Cancellation Deadlines and Penalties
| Up to 60 days prior to arrival | 59 – 30 days prior to arrival | Less than 29 – 15 days prior to arrival |
| 30% non-refundable | 50% non-refundable | 100% non-refundable |
Email amy@charmandawe.com to sign up for this trip or ask questions.
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