Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Evora & Algarve: effortless romance
Fine wine, authentic foods, Pena Palace, picture perfect moments
Architecture, history and incredible beaches
Relax in comfort with chauffeured transportation
8 days/7 nights, luxury 5* hand selected hotels
Tour description
Enjoy the effortless romance of Portugal on this 8 day sojourn. You will visit bustling Lisbon, serene Cascais, awesome Sintra, beguiling Evora & immaculate Algarve. Chauffeur driven all the way, you will be staying in fantastic luxury 5* spa hotels that are waiting for you to lounge around their pools! Discover fine wine, delicious food, fascinating history and great photo opportunities. This relaxing Portugal tour is the ideal romantic vacation.
On arrival at Lisbon Airport our private chauffeur will be waiting to transfer you to your 5* luxury hotel. Your unique accommodation was once a 19th-century Palace and is set in a beautiful sub-tropical garden nestled on a hilltop overlooking the Tagus River. Your hotel is situated in the prestigious diplomatic district of Lisbon and is just a 10 minute taxi ride from the city. In 1988 the Palace was converted into a hotel and is an example of 19th century Portuguese design, with beautiful stained glass windows and classic furniture. We are sure you will be tired after your journey, but a short siesta is the answer before you get acquainted with this fabulous city. 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 harbours on the west coast of their respective continents. Both have trolleys rattling up and down their steep hills past characteristic buildings. And both have survived horrific earthquakes. In 1755, an estimated 9.0 earthquake levelled 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. Even today, Lisbon still feels like Europe’s gateway to the world.
You may choose to relax this afternoon, lounging around the outdoor pool, or making use of the hotel’s spa facilities by revitalizing in the sauna or being pampered with a relaxing massage. For dinner tonight your Romantic & Relaxing Portugal Tour Personal Travel Journal contains many restaurant recommendations in Lisbon. However, if you prefer a romantic candlelit dinner for two, we will be delighted to make prior reservations for you.
Tour in a nutshell: Chauffeured transfer from Lisbon Airport. Overnight in a luxury 5* hotel in the hills 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. 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. During your private tour of Lisbon you will visit some of the best photo spots in the city. Lisbon’s beautifully scenic waterfront location on a series of hills makes it highly romantic and a perfect chance to capture that special keepsake of the two of you.
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.
Your Romantic & Relaxing Portugal Tour has you journeying to Sintra, a gorgeous little mountain city, home to the one and only “Palacio da Pena” (Pena Palace), the greatest expression of 19th-century romanticism in Portugal. The Pena Palace was built in the 1840s for Queen Maria II by her husband to rival the castles of Ludwig of Bavaria. You will have a private guided visit to the Palace and then free time to stroll in the gardens. The palace was built in such a way as to be visible from any point in the park, which consists of a forest and luxuriant gardens with over five hundred different species of trees originating from the four corners of the earth. Your chauffeur will then take you to Cascais, a lovely fishing-town where we have arranged a delicious, elegant and typically Portuguese lunch at a prestigious local restaurant with great views. After such a delicious meal you will surely wish to stretch your legs, strolling the cobblestone sidewalks of this quaint and pretty place, admiring the traditional tile-work on the buildings and maybe indulging in some shopping at designer boutiques.
Onward now to Evora, laid out over a gently sloping hill rising out of the huge Alentejo plain. On arrival you will head to the outskirts of town, to check in to your spa hotel, a former convent that has been renovated and turned into a 5* luxury hotel. It was originally built and funded by one of the kings in Portugal as a place to come to escape Lisbon and have some quiet time. We suggest a relaxing afternoon and evening – perhaps a visit to the spa and a wonderful massage followed by dinner this evening at your beautiful hotel.
Tour in a nutshell: Chauffeured transportation. Private guided visit to Palacio da Pena in Sintra. Elegant lunch with wine. Overnight in a luxury 5* spa hotel in Evora.
Today our officially licensed guide will meet you at your hotel to take you on a cultural walking tour of Evora. Evora has a proud, rich and imposing past. It guards its historic centre with a vast outer wall and represents a valuable cultural legacy that UNESCO has classified World Heritage. The Romans were here, but so were the Moors, who occupied the narrow streets with quaint small white washed houses. Later the Christians garnished the town with squares, churches and a different lifestyle. You will visit the enigmatic church of St. Francis and its uniquely chilling Chapel of Bones. Then head through the narrow streets of the old town reaching the Giraldo square where the Inquisition once had its headquarters – the former Court of the Inquisition still displays the Holy cross with the sword and olive branch. You will also explore the millennium old Roman Temple and the 12th century cathedral. Along the way you will also enjoy some local food and wine tastings and a visit to the century old university courtyard. In the 16th century Evora thrived with culture and tradition in its university as much as it still does today and you will soon understand why Evora was once the second most important city of Portugal.
The rest of your afternoon is free, but perhaps you may wish to return to your hotel? Why not relax around the outdoor pool and enjoy a cocktail at the poolside bar, indulge in a relaxing spa treatment, unwind in the jacuzzi or stroll in the gardens. Then later this afternoon your hotel provides a fascinating tour for guests to learn of the old convent building of the XV century, plus, later on, with their sommelier you can try the nectars from their collection of wines!
Tour in a nutshell: Private guided tour of historic Evora. Overnight Evora.
The magnificent sea awaits you today! You will be leaving the Alentejo region behind and heading to The Algarve. Your private chauffeur will be waiting to transfer you in comfort, but we couldn’t let you leave the area though without visiting one of the best wine estates in the region first! Your private winery tour is to one of the best known wineries from Portugal’s Alentejo wine region. The history of the estate goes back 700 years with the boundaries first being established in 1267. The winery, however, is more recent, beginning in the 1970s, and has now become one of the most dynamic and forward-thinking wineries in Portugal. The last 25 years have seen major investment, innovation and the launching of new products apart from wine such as high quality olive oils, cheese and vinegars. Australian David Baverstock is their winemaker who makes many single varietal wines with native Portuguese grapes (a technique proven very successful in ‘new world’ wines). Enjoy a fascinating visit to the estate, the vineyards and of course the atmospheric cellars, followed with a tasting of their best wines and olive oils.
Sit back and relax as your chauffeur transfers you to The Algarve to check in to your fantastic 5* Resort Hotel and Spa. This relaxing haven enjoys a prime location facing the beach and the marina.The resort boasts various swimming pools, spa facilities and gardens that are decorated with plants, shrubs and trees from five continents and surround the private saltwater lake filling the scenery with color and scent. Enjoy your beautiful hotel and take some time now to relax for a couple of days!
Tour in a nutshell: Private chauffeured transportation. Private guided tour of a top Alentejo winery. Tasting lunch with local wines. Overnight in a 5* Resort Hotel and Spa in The Algarve.
The Algarve is Portugal’s southernmost region, and one of the most popular vacation destinations in Europe. Blessed with a superb coastline and some of the country’s most beautiful beaches, it is an ideal spot to complete your Romantic & Relaxing Portugal Tour. A string of sandbar islands and lagoons form part of a beautiful and protected natural park, and a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere pervades the border towns and villages. Over to the west, a very different Algarve beckons. Wilder and more remote, this is a place to escape the crowds and where surfers seek communion with a restless Atlantic Ocean.
Faro, the capital of The Algarve is full of history and culture. Surprisingly for a city, it retains its peaceful ambience and traditional charm that is centered around the pretty walled Old Town and area surrounding the marina. Faro Cathedral originates from the 13th/14th centuries and may not look very grand from the outside, but inside is another story with intricate gilded carving, decorated tiles (azulejos) and works of art that are well worth seeing. The Museu Municipal is housed in a former 16th-century convent that is worth visiting for its beautiful Renaissance cloister alone. The Museum traces the city’s cultural heritage and the permanent collection, arranged chronologically, spans prehistory until today. Away from the main tourist route Igreja do Carmo, with its twin bell towers, is well worth a visit too. This 18th-century church features the earliest example of Rococo architecture in the Algarve and probably the strangest sight of Faro, the Capela Dos Ossos; the bone chapel. The bones of overcrowded cemeteries were stored in the small chapel and were incorporated into the designs of the chapel, with skulls lining the walls!
Tour in a nutshell: Free day in The Algarve. Overnight The Algarve.
Today is another day where you can play it by ear. Enjoy a swim in one of the gorgeous pools; take time out for a luxurious massage; sip a delicious Portuguese wine on the terrace while taking in the magnificent views; delight in a long and wine filled luncheon, perhaps finished with a fine Portuguese Port – just relax and enjoy yourselves!
Alternatively, we will be delighted to provide a private chauffeur for you today so that you can discover more of The Algarve at your leisure. A wonderful town to visit is Lagoa, situated inland, a few miles away from the coast, with tourist hot spots nearby like Carvoeiro and Ferragudo. On the coast near Carvoeiro you will find some of the most beautiful beaches of the entire Algarve, small sandy bays on both sides protected by steep limestone rocks. The rugged rock formations of yellow limestone and the grottos and caves shaped by the sea and the erosion over thousands of years can be explored by boat or walking on top of the cliffs. Nearby is the village of Porches which is well known for its ceramic artworks, so there are many shops offering a large variety of handmade wonders to take home! Another option is to venture west along the coastline that winds past lovely villas, remote beaches and beautiful cliff tops. Another wonderful stop is Lagos, one of the most attractive towns in the Algarve, and delightful to stroll around with its Roman remains, beautiful 18th-century church, Igreja de Santo Antonio and a lively modern marina. For dinner ideas peruse through your Romantic & Relaxing Portugal Tour personal travel journal.
Tour in a nutshell: Free day in The Algarve. Overnight Algarve.
This is the last day of your Romantic & Relaxing Portugal Tour. After checking out of your hotel, our chauffeur will be waiting to transfer you to Faro airport for your onward journey.
We do hope you will join us for this sumptuous and indulgent tour of Portugal! Here with our insider knowledge, you can enjoy some of the very best food, wine and cultural experiences that Portugal can offer. No doubt it will be a truly memorable vacation!
Tour in a nutshell: Chauffeured transfer to Faro airport.
Tour quotation
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