Portugal

Hotels in your Tour:

Hotels will be confirmed at time of booking

Day 1: Lisbon

Arrival to Lisbon airport. Pick-up your car at the airport and start the recommended sightseeing of Lisbon. Check-in and overnight at the hotel in Lisbon.

Day 2: Lisbon (Sintra, Cascais, Estoril)

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning drive to the district of Belém, where monuments alluding to the time of the Maritime Discoveries in the 15th and 16th centuries were built. Make your first stop at the Belém Tower (classified as World Heritage by UNESCO), the 15th century fortress and starting point of caravels and sailors who gave new worlds to the world. Then make a stop at the Discoveries Monument that marks the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator, and visit the church of the Monastery of Jeronimos (classified as World Heritage by UNESCO), a masterpiece of Manueline architecture. Your passage through Belém will end with a visit to the National Coach Museum, containing one of the most important and richest collections of coaches in the world. From the Monumental Lisbon go onto the Old Lisbon, strolling through the old and traditional district of Alfama. Continue your tour by noticing the cosmopolitan aspects of the Portuguese capital, passing in the extraordinary Praça do Comércio, Rossio (heart of the city) and Avenida da Liberdade, Lisbon’s boulevard. In the afternoon, set off to Sintra, a magnificent UNESCO World Heritage village to discover its charms and history starting with a visit to the National Palace (or Town Palace), situated in the heart of the village. Its conical chimneys, the outstanding collection of tiles and the mixture of architectural styles make this monument a unique local symbol. Enjoy exploring the historic center and taste the local sweet delicacies: travesseiros and queijadas. The next stage of your tour will be stopping at the westernmost point of mainland Europe, Cabo da Roca. On the way to Cascais along the coast, appreciate the seascape. In Estoril, notice the gardens of the largest Casino in Europe. Return to the hotel in Lisbon for overnight. [B]

Day 3: Lisbon

Breakfast at the hotel. Use this day to continue your visit, maybe going to St. George’s Castle that dominates the city and provides a phenomenal 360 degrees view of the capital and surroundings tour the Gulbenkian Museum and Foundation or go shopping down town. This evening you may want to have dinner at a Fado house to enjoy a traditional meal and listen to the melancholy Fado songs. Overnight in Lisbon. [B]

Day 4: Lisbon, Funchal

Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Drive to the Lisbon airport to drop-off your car and board your flight to Funchal (not included). Upon arrival in Funchal pick-up your car and drive to your hotel in the city. Funchal is the largest tourist, cultural and commercial center of the Madeira archipelago. In the form of an amphitheater, the municipality of Funchal extends on a hill that rolls from sea level to Pico do Arieiro, at 5,965 feet of altitude. In Funchal, let yourself be charmed by the colors of the Lavradores Market, where the flowers, vegetables and typical sales-women’s clothes form a mosaic full of life. A few steps away, take the cable car to reach the town of Monte and contemplate the bay and bordering moored yachts. After arriving at the summit, continue your peaceful walk through the beautiful Tropical Garden Monte Palace. Overnight in Funchal. [B]

Day 5: Funchal (Cāmara de Lobos, Curral das Freiras)

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before leaving Funchal towards the west to discover the small fishing typical town of Câmara de Lobos and Cap Girão, the highest promontory in Europe and the second highest in the world with 1,903 feet. The former English first minister, Winston Churchill, painted this exceptional portrait when he visited the island in 1950. It is in this community that the singular parish of Curral das Freiras is located. Situated in a deep valley, Curral das Freiras offers one of the most impressive landscapes of the island, attracting the admiration of all visitors with its breathtaking panoramas (over 1,640 feet above sea level at the Eira do Serrado viewpoint). Return to Funchal. Overnight in Funchal. [B]

Day 6: Funchal (Calheta, Sāo Vincente)

After breakfast at the hotel take the direction of the sunny coasts of Ponta do Sol and Calheta, very rich in bathing areas that invite you to swim. You can also visit the Casa das Mudas Arts Center, which offers an extensive cultural program throughout the year. The beaches of the picturesque villages of Jardim and Paul do Mar offer sports lovers excellent surfing. Then take the direction of Porto Moniz and regain strength, during an invigorating bath in the famous natural swimming pools dug into the rock. The journey continues in the direction of São Vicente, on a road dotted with waterfalls and where the contrast between the majestic green and the crystalline blue of the seawaters is obvious. Here you can visit the caves and the Center of Volcanism. Take the center’s Lime Route or simply walk through the narrow streets of this charming little town. Return to Funchal. Overnight in Funchal. [B]

Day 7: Funchal (Santana)

Breakfast at the hotel before heading towards the town of Santana, declared Reserve of the Biosphere by UNESCO in 2011. This reserve incorporates a terrestrial element, corresponding to the whole surface of the municipality, but also a marine element, which presents a great diversity of natural, human, landscape, environmental and cultural values of local, regional, national and international interest. The municipality, that for a very long time was inaccessible by sea and by land allowed its inhabitants to preserve their characteristics without undergoing any external influences. One of the examples of this isolation is the architectonic style of its typical houses with thatched roofs more commonly known as "Santana's small houses". Return to Funchal. Overnight in Funchal. [B]

Day 8: Funchal, USA

After breakfast at the hotel check-out.in time to drive to and drop-off your car at the airport. Then, board your flight to Lisbon to connect with your flight back home. [B]

[B] = Breafast

Note: Most monuments are closed on Mondays and on national holidays

Tour Prices:

Prices are per person and may change without notice

In the periods below the rates applied are those from July to October:

• March 29th to April 1st, 2018
• May 10th to 13th, 2018

The Dinner Supplement does not include drinks

Tour Code: PT07LIS18OT