In and Around Lisbon: Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Azeitao
City, seaside & country: regional food & wine visits
Rich Portuguese culture: Fado evening & Pena Palace
Historic & gourmet guided tour of Lisbon
5 days/4 nights, chauffeured tour with an Art Deco 4* hotel
Tour description
The bright yellow trams, steep, labyrinthine streets and impressive monuments of Lisbon show that the capital city of Portugal has its own unique charm. On this luxurious 5 day break, stay in an art-deco designed hotel, and relax in the comfort of chauffeured transportation out of the city. In Sintra be wowed by the fairytale Pena Palace and enjoy the boutiques at the seaside gem of Cascais. Authentic food and wine tastings await you in the rural region of Azeitao, where olives, cheese and grapes are grown. With our Lisbon tour guide you will be shown both hidden haunts and impressive monuments, as well as have an introduction to the food and cuisine of Portugal. Before your departure, bask in the melancholy music of Fado, Portugal’s national song. All of these delightful experiences await you on your Luxury Lisbon Food and Wine Getaway Tour!
On arrival at Lisbon airport to begin your vacation, our private chauffeur will be waiting to transfer you in a luxury vehicle to your hotel. You will check into your genuine Art Deco 4* boutique hotel in the heart of Lisbon which echoes the glamour of the 1940’s. Classified as a historic building, this small and unique hotel is located on a quiet street alongside the cosmopolitan Avenida da Liberdade. You will most likely be tired after your journey hence a short siesta is suggested before you start to get acquainted with this fabulous city of Portugal.
If San Francisco had a sister, it would be Lisbon. Both cities have twin bridges and famously foggy weather. Both are situated on the best natural harbors on the west coast of their respective continents. Both have bright yellow trams from the 1930´s rattling up and down steep hills past characteristic buildings. And both have survived horrific earthquakes. In 1755, an estimated 9.0 earthquake leveled two-thirds of Lisbon. Within a month, a new city was designed, and downtown Lisbon was rebuilt on a progressive grid plan, with broad boulevards and square squares. Today, Lisbon is a charming mix of old and new and still feels like Europe’s gateway to the world. In your Luxury Lisbon Getaway Travel Journal you will find an array of recommended restaurants. Start your tour of Portugal with a taste of some local Portuguese cuisine this evening!
Tour in a nutshell: Private chauffeured transfer from Lisbon airport. Overnight in a genuine Art Deco 4* boutique hotel in the heart of Lisbon.
Your Officially Licensed guide will be waiting at your hotel, to take you on a private gourmet and historical tour of Lisbon. You will start with Moorish St George’s Castle, from where you will have impressive views over the sea and city below. Leading down from the castle to the river, you will traverse the Alfama, the old sailors’ quarter. Its tangled street plan is one of the few parts of Lisbon to survive the big quake, making the Alfama a cobbled playground of Old World color. Urban-jungle roads are squeezed into a maze of confusing alleys, designed to frustrate invaders trying to get up to the castle. Gnarled houses snuggle together in their romantic shabbiness; the air drips with laundry and the smell of clams and raw fish. Onward now to the Baixa and Chiado districts where there are many well-known cafes to enjoy a coffee stop and a typical Portuguese cake. You will be visiting a specialized gourmet delicatessen stocked with authentic local delights such as the typical Bacalhau (dried, salted cod), exclusive wines, traditional sweets, chorizo sausages and much more.
This evening you are set for a fabulous Fado experience, Portugal’s national music. You will dine at an authentic, elegant Portuguese Fado restaurant in Lisbon’s picturesque Bairro Alto. Founded in 1931 this institution in Lisbon has entertained prime ministers and presidents. The show is composed of Fado Sessions until 2am so you can stay as long as you wish, although most of our guests leave around 11pm.
Tour in a nutshell: Private guided gourmet & historic tour of Lisbon. Delicatessen lunch with wine. Fado Evening. Overnight Lisbon.
Today your discovery of Portugal continues to Azeitao, south of Lisbon. First up is a tour of a famous wine estate, owned by a major art lover and one of the wealthiest men in Portugal. Your winery tour includes a visit to the estate’s 16th century renaissance gardens and vineyards. You will visit the largest collection of antique Portuguese tile work in the Azulejo room, the Japanese garden and finally, the wine cellars where you will finalize your tour with a tasting of their best wines. Your journey then continues onto the pretty little Portuguese village of Azeitao, nestled among olive and cork trees and situated at the foot of the Serra da Arrabida. Dotted with country palaces, running fountains and narrow alleyways, it is famous for its wines, olives and creamy sheep cheese, the latter prized as one of the best in the country. You will visit the local cheese museum where you will have a full guided tour and an opportunity to not only learn about the typical cheese of this area but to also put on an apron and make your own! You will then stop for a delicious Portuguese lunch with typical wines served at a local hostelry, an ideal opportunity to taste the local sweet speciality, Tortas de Azeitão.
This afternoon you will visit the oldest producer of wines in Portugal, with nearly 200 years of wine making tradition. You will have a guided tour of the museum and the cellars, followed by a tasting of their famous wines and moscatel. After a fascinating full day we are sure you will want to relax and perhaps have a light dinner at your hotel, alternatively we also have many suggestions for great restaurants in the area in your Luxury Lisbon Getaway Travel Journal.
Tour in a nutshell: Chauffeured tour to the Azeitao countryside. Cheese tasting. Two prestigious winery tours with tastings. Overnight Lisbon.
The gorgeous little mountain city of Sintra is where our chauffeur escorts you today. Verdant and graceful with stunning palaces and gardens, including the one and only Palacio da Pena. This extraordinary palace was built in the 1840’s for Queen Maria II by her husband, emulating the castles of Ludwig from Bavaria. You will meet your guide at the palace and will together visit this unique, historical site. Afterwards explore the windy, mountainous city streets, incredible Old World European architecture, the breathtaking Moorish Castle and lastly the Monastery dos Capuchos.
Following the amazing tour you will continue your journey to Cascais, an old Portuguese fishing-town, now considered a high-end district. Here we have arranged a delicious, elegant and typical Portuguese lunch with wine. After this delicious meal you may like to stretch your legs by strolling the cobblestone sidewalks of this quaint place, admiring the traditional tile-work on the buildings and maybe indulging at designer boutiques. We suggest a visit to the Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães, a pretty little museum, which is housed in a historic villa with gardens, featuring an array of tapestries, paintings, furniture and art. As always, we have many fantastic suggestions for you to experience the best of Portuguese food and wine for dinner, located in your Luxury Lisbon Getaway Travel Journal.
Tour in a nutshell: Private guided visit to Palacio da Pena in Sintra. Visit to Cascais. Overnight Lisbon.
It is always sad to say goodbye, but this is the last day of your brief and refreshing Lisbon Getaway Tour. After breakfast you will check out of your Lisbon hotel and have a chauffeured transfer to the airport for your onward journey.
We do hope you will join us for this very exciting food, wine and cultural tour of Lisbon- there is nothing like travelling to learn new things!
Tour in a nutshell: Private chauffeured transfer to Lisbon airport.
Tour quotation
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