If you are short on time but want to see it all, join a three-day packaged tour from Lisbon to explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites, coastal towns, medieval villages and must-see monuments of beautiful Portugal! Discover in three days the best of Portugal, driving by a landscape with windmills, fruit trees, vineyards, olive trees, and the vast plains. into the past, visiting the roman heritage, medieval castles, and churches!
This morning you will be picked up at a centrally located hotel in Lisbon. We set off for the majestic and romantic Palace of Pena, an astonishing fairytale castle located on one of the highest peaks of the Sintra hills. At the end of the morning, there is free time to wander the streets of Sintra (a UNESCO classified Cultural Landscape). We leave for Colares, a demarcated region recognized for its quality table wines, continuing onwards until Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point on continental Europe, passing the beach of Guincho until Hell’s Mouth and always enjoying the sea framed landscapes until Cascais and a brief visit to this coastal town. We return to Lisbon along the Estoril Coast with panoramic views of the Casino and its gardens. Meals: L
Leaving Lisbon, we first head north with our first stop in Óbidos, a small town surrounded by medieval walls, with its traditional whitewashed houses and wrought-iron balconies, its handicrafts and the famous Pousada do Castelo. Then we head on to Alcobaça to visit the Monastery Church (UNESCO World Heritage Site), both the longest and the first church built entirely in the gothic style in Portugal, Our lunch is served in Nazaré, the most typical and colourful Portuguese fishing villages.
Whenever possible, we continue onto Sítio with its beautiful views over the beach and the ocean beyond. In the afternoon, we visit the wonderful Batalha Monastery Church (UNESCO World Heritage Site), a masterpiece in the gothic style, with particularly beautiful stained-glass windows. Then, we arrive at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, a centre of the Christian faith and world pilgrimage site. To visit: the Basilica, housing the tombs of Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta, and the Chapel of Apparitions at the heart of the shrine. When possible, there is time to attend mass. We return to Lisbon through a rich agricultural region. Meals: B, L
After breakfast, depart to the town of Évora, a mosaic of culture, history and traditions. Leaving Lisbon, we cross the bridge over the river Tagus and head through a beautiful and bucolic landscape of olive trees, cork oak trees and vineyards before arriving at Évora – UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the narrow streets of this whitewashed town, we walk back through time visiting some of Évora’s most important monuments, the Roman Temple, the Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral, Saint Francis Church with its “Chapel of Bones” and the University.
At the market, we see and feel the richness of the products applied in preparing one of the most elaborate and best-appreciated gastronomies of Portugal. Throughout the visit, we also get to admire the diversity and authenticity of local handicrafts with cork, ceramic and copper objects. Time for lunch. In the afternoon, we depart for Azeitão where we visit one of the oldest and most important wine cellars in Portugal and ending the visit with a tasting of the traditional Moscatel de Setúbal before arriving in Lisbon. Meals: B, L
Daily departures (except Wednesday) from April to October 2020
