Sunny Portugal with Porto

Sunny Portugal with Porto

From the northern city of Porto, renowned for its deep-rooted connection to port wine, through the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, to the sunny cliffs of the Algarve and Portuguese Riviera, venture along Portugal’s stunning shoreline. Discover the charms of Portuguese Riviera. In Évora, step inside a medieval city with Roman ruins. Enjoy a leisurely 3-night stay in the Algarve region. Take advantage of a free day to soak in the Portuguese sunshine and savor local flavors. Visit the charming village of Monchique, with its Moorish inspired architecture. Encounter picturesque towns, winding cobblestone streets, oceanfront promenades, and quaint villages.

Tour Portugal Collette Escorted Portugal

From the northern city of Porto, renowned for its deep-rooted connection to port wine, through the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, to the sunny cliffs of the Algarve and Portuguese Riviera, venture along Portugal’s stunning shoreline. Discover the charms of Portuguese Riviera. In Évora, step inside a medieval city with Roman ruins. Enjoy a leisurely 3-night stay in the Algarve region. Take advantage of a free day to soak in the Portuguese sunshine and savor local flavors. Visit the charming village of Monchique, with its Moorish inspired architecture. Encounter picturesque towns, winding cobblestone streets, oceanfront promenades, and quaint villages.

Highlights

  • Porto, known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon, and is located in northern Portugal. The city dates back to the 4th century. Porto’s city center is one of the oldest city centers in Europe. One of Portugal’s well known exports, port wine, is named for Porto since the metropolitan and surrounding area was responsible for the production and export of the fortified wine.
  • The Stock Exchange Palace, also called Palace of la Bolsa de Madrid, is a building located in Madrid, Spain that houses the stock exchange. The palace was founded in 1841 and is the largest of Spain’s four regional stock exchanges.
  • Whatever your beliefs, you can’t help but be impressed by the vast reserves of faith that every year lead as many as 6 million people to the glade where, on May 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary is said to have first appeared to three awestruck peasant children. Where sheep once grazed there are now two huge churches on opposite ends of a vast 1km-long esplanade. For Catholic pilgrims, Fátima has a magnetic appeal like few places on earth, and a trip here will provide any visitor with new insights into Portugal’s religious facet.
  • The Riviera stretches from Lisbon and Cascais. The coastline has become a place where the elite vacation between September and October, and a popular tourist destination for its chic look. Removed from the city, the Lisbon coastline is easy access to all the culture that Lisbon offers. It has become a major hotspot for major international celebrities from the world of fashion, sport, and entertainment. The Riviera is also known for is world class conditions for surfing.
  • As Portugal is a small country, Cascais is a resort retreat just a half hour west of the city of Lisboa. When settlers first came to Cascais, the beaches were covered with shells in which its current name has derived. Cascais is a quaint coastal town and previously a fishing village until it gained a substantial reputation as the royal family of Portugal chose the town to be its summer residence in the 19th century. Located just off of the Tagus River, one of Portugal’s most noteworthy rivers, Cascais sits just past its mouth where the Atlantic Ocean begins. The coastal town emanates beauty, peace and tranquility while delving into above par seafood and wine.
  • Óbidos is a small town located on the Atlantic Coast of Portugal. The town’s origins can be traced back to an early Roman settlement. The area of the town is located on a hilltop, surrounded by a fortified wall. From its streets, squares, fortified wall and castle, the town remains as a well preserved example of medieval architecture. It is because of this that the town is a popular tourist destination.
  • With its rippling mountains, dewy forests thick with ferns and lichen, exotic gardens and glittering palaces, Sintra is like a page torn from a fairy tale. Its Unesco World Heritage–listed centre, Sintra-Vila, is dotted with pastel-hued manors folded into luxuriant hills that roll down to the blue Atlantic. The jewel on the crown lording ominously over the picturesque town center is the National Palace, once the summer retreat of the Portuguese monarchy.
  • Visit a local cork factory, where you’ll learn about the product’s importance to the local economy. Harvested from the cork oak, or sobreiro as it’s known in Portuguese, cork is transformed into hundreds of different products.
  • One of Portugal’s most beautifully preserved medieval towns, Évora is an enchanting place to delve into the past. Inside the 14th-century walls, Évora’s narrow, winding lanes lead to striking architectural works: an elaborate medieval cathedral and cloisters; the cinematic columns of the Templo Romano (near the intriguing Roman baths); and a picturesque town square, once the site of some rather gruesome episodes courtesy of the Inquisition. Aside from its historic and aesthetic virtues, Évora is also a lively university town, and its many attractive restaurants serve up hearty Alentejan cuisine.
  • Travel across the famous Alentejo region of southern Portugal, known for three things; pottery, wine, and cork. Sparsely populated, the Alentejo region is rolling green hills, orchards of sobreiro trees, and vineyards.
  • The town lies along the bank of the Rio Bensafrim, with 16th-century walls enclosing the old town’s pretty, cobbled streets and picturesque plazas and churches. Beyond these lies a modern, but not overly unattractive, modern sprawl. The town’s good restaurants and range of fabulous beaches nearby add to the allure. With every activity under the sun (literally) on offer, plus a pumping nightlife, it’s not surprising that people of all ages are drawn here. Aside from its hedonistic appeal, Lagos has historical clout, having launched many naval excursions during Portugal’s extraordinary Age of Discoveries.
  • The Algarve is alluring. Coastal Algarve receives much exposure for its breathtaking cliffs, golden beaches, scalloped bays and sandy islands. But the letter 'S' (for sun, surf and sand) is only one letter in the Algarvian alphabet: activities, beach bars (and discos), castles (both sandy and real), diving, entertainment, fun. Coastal Algarve is not all there is to the region. The enchanting inner Algarve boasts pretty castle towns and historic villages, cork tree– and flower-covered hillsides, and birdlife.
  • Spread across steep hillsides that overlook the Rio Tejo, Lisbon offers all the delights you’d expect of Portugal’s star attraction, yet with half the fuss of other European capitals. Gothic cathedrals, majestic monasteries and quaint museums are all part of the colorful cityscape, but the real delights of discovery lie in wandering the narrow lanes of Lisbon’s lovely backstreets. The Lisbon experience encompasses so many things, from enjoying a fresh pastry and bica (espresso) on a petite leafy plaza to window-shopping in elegant Chiado. It’s mingling with Lisboêtas at a neighborhood festival or watching the sunset from the old Moorish castle.
  • Standing proudly on the bank of the Targus river in Lisbon is Belém Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This 16th-century tower was where explorers from the Age of Discovery set out towards the New World, across the Atlantic.
  • Heritage is the legacy of the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. A World Heritage Site is a place of special cultural or physical significance and is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). To be nominated a site must meet at least one of the 10 cultural and natural criteria. UNESCO World Heritage sites included on your tour are Jerónimos Monastery, Tower of Belém, Evora, and Sintra.

Hotels

  • Turim Porto Hotel — Porto
  • Hotel Baia — Cascais
  • Vila Galé Évora Hotel — Evora
  • Vila Galé Lagos — Algarve
  • Lumen Lisboa Hotel — Lisbon

Details

Tour Operator
Collette
Start City
Porto
End City
Lisbon
Duration (Days)
13
Activity Level
Level 3

What's Included

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