Private and Bespoke
Travel
ESSENTIAL PORTUGAL
Discover the absolute best of Portugal on this 9-day essential Portugal travel plan. You will quickly fall in love with the sights, tastes and friendly smiles of this awesome country. Learn all about its rich history and traditions, award winning food and stunningly pretty beaches. Portugal here you come!
SUGGESTED PLAN
Day 1
PORTO FOOD & CULTURE EVENING TOUR
Let’s kick off our trip with a fun evening food and culture tour to hit the ground running! This food and culture tour will take you on a journey of discovery through the streets of Old Town Porto. You will visit small restaurants, cafes, the most famous monuments and sights and the oldest specialty stores and grocery stores in the city.
Day 2
PORTO CITY TOUR AND CELLAR VISIT
Meet your local host at the Porto historical center, classified as World Heritage by UNESCO. Your day tour begins with a panoramic tour of Porto’s many highlights. Praça de Batalha, Rua Catarina, Majestic Café, Igreja São Francisco, and Funicular dos Guindais, São Francisco Church, and the Stock Exchange Palace (Palacio do Bolsa). You will then get a chance to visit one of the best Port Wine cellars in the city for a visit and tasting of their top wines.
Day 3
DAY TRIP TO DOURO VALLEY
On this one-day trip, you’ll revel in the Douro Valley’s creased and folded mountain slopes, combed with verdant vines that craft juicy Douro wines and legendary ports. You’ll be swept off to the heart of the Valley where you’ll visit a family-owned winery who has redefined Douro wines internationally. Renowned for their warmth and charm, you’ll be given an exceptional private tasting of both their port and still wines. Lunch will be hosted inside a cozy little restaurant, tucked away inside the narrow streets of Ervedosa. After a one-hour boat cruise coasting along the Douro River, revel in a premium wine tasting and vineyard tour perched just over River Tavora. Then in the late afternoon, return to Porto.
Day 4
TRAIN TO LISBON, FADO, MOURARIA TOUR
In the morning check out of your hotel and take the Alfa Pendular (fast train) to Lisbon. In the evening you will learn all about the national music style, known as Fado, that was born in Lisbon. Its history continue to be an important part of everyday life. Discover the Mouraria, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Lisbon, where the Fado movement started and where it is the most traditional. You’ll end up at a local restaurant and fado house that is small and intimate. There you will taste many different traditional “petiscos” and wine, whilst you listen to the best Fado music Lisbon has to offer.
Day 5
LISBON HIGHLIGHTS TOUR
Meet your local guide for a private tour that begins with a panoramic overview of Lisbon with an emphasis on the evolution of the city from its inception to modern times. Continue with a visit to the lovely Tower of Belém on the banks of the Tagus River. This UNESCO site was built to commemorate Vasco da Gama's expedition and is a reminder of the great maritime discoveries that laid the foundations of the modern world. Next, visit the Jerónimos Monastery founded in 1502 by King Manuel I to commemorate the great voyages of Portugal’s explorers during the Age of Discovery.
Day 6
DAY TRIP TO SINTRO & CASCAIS
Your private guide will meet you in your hotel lobby to start your trip to these two amazing locations. You’ll walk around the village of Sintra (with a possible visit one of the castles/palaces). Enjoy the view and nature in the cape before a delicious fish lunch in Guincho/Cascais. We’ll then walk on the old Cascais bay and drive back to Lisbon..
Day 7
DAY TO EVORA END IN ALGARVE
Check out of your hotel and meet your guide and driver. Your first stop of the day is Evora where you will enjoy a private guided walking tour. Here you'll visit several memorable places, including the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones), a fascinating chapel with a very macabre atmosphere. Additionally, you'll revel in the Templo de Diana, which is considered the best preserved Roman temple on the Iberian Peninsula. We’ll stop for lunch in a charming local restaurant, before getting back on the road and driving south to the Algarve. We’ll get you checked in to your luxury seaside resort on arrival.
Day 8
BENAGIL CAVE & BEACH DAY FROM THE ALGARVE
After a leisurely breakfast, head out to Praia de Benagil where we take kayaks and go inside the Benagil Cave, where the only access is by water. We spend around 30min inside the cave, where you can walk around, take pictures or swim inside the cave. Then head back to your private slice of beach at the resort for a chill beach day.You deserve it!
Day 9
OYSTER IN FARO END IN LISBON
For your final day, end in style with a proper insight into local fish farming and oysters. You’ll explore the rich natural wetlands of Ria Formosa Natural Park with a local biologist; explore one of the most exquisite islands in the Algarve, renowned for its quaint and historic fishing culture; a guided harvest of both mussels and oysters to savor as an appetizer; and finally, a traditional Cataplana lunch sourcing fresh ingredients from the sea. At the end of the day we will drive you back to Lisbon where our 9 day Portugal itinerary will come to an end.