Best of Portugal

Best of Portugal

Tours Starts: Lisbon, Portugal

Tours Ends: Lisbon, Portugal

Day 1

Depart the US for Lisbon

Set off for your European adventure starting on an overnight transatlantic flight to Portugal.

Day 2

Arrive in Lisbon

Welcome to Lisbon, where your journey begins! If you purchased airline tickets through YMT Vacations, a friendly representative will welcome you at the airport and transport you to the hotel. The evening is yours to enjoy until guests are invited to sit down for a delicious dinner at the hotel. Get acquainted with your traveling companions and learn about the exciting days ahead. (D)

Aldeia dos Capuchos or similar

Day 3

Lisbon to Leiria

After an included breakfast, set off for Sintra. Enjoy a guided city tour of this charming town, located in the foothills of the Sintra Mountains, and famous for its pastel buildings and lush terrain. Next, continue to Óbidos for a short walking tour, where guests can explore Óbidos Castle on their own. You'll have some free time for lunch and photos before we head to Fátima for a self-guided tour of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima, the location of a 1917 miracle and an important Catholic pilgrimage site. After a memorable day of sightseeing, transfer to your hotel in Leiria for an evening at leisure. (B)

Hotel Tryp Leira or similar

Day 4

Leiria and Coimbra

Start your morning in Leiria, watched over for centuries by the magnificent Leiria Castle. Enjoy a self-guided tour of the UNESCO-listed Monastery of Batalha, commissioned in the 14th century by King John I and among Portugal’s most beloved historic monuments. Continue to Coimbra, one of Portugal’s loveliest college towns. Enjoy lunch on your own and perhaps visit the library and grounds of Universidad de Coimbra, originally founded in 1290. The university is dazzling, and you can visit many of its most impressive sites, including the Great Hall, Baroque Library, and Natural History Collection. (B)

Eurostars Heoismo or similar

Day 5

Porto with Wine Tasting

Porto is one of Portugal’s oldest cities, and is a spectacular place to spend the day. First settled around 300 BC, it has since been captured by the Romans, the Moors, and even Napoleon; its historic center is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy a city tour with included admission to the 19th century Stock Exchange Palace and an included port wine tasting at Sandeman Cellars. After free time and lunch on your own, take a self-guided tour of Guimarães, whose medieval city center is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spend the evening relaxing in Porto. (B)

Eurostars Heoismo or similar

Day 6

Viseu, Belmonte, and Evora

Start your active day in Viseu, where during free time you will have the opportunity to walk around the history-rich birthplace of Alfonso I The Conqueror, Portugal’s first king. Next, enjoy lunch on your own in Belmonte, plus an included olive oil tasting and admission to the Belmonte Jewish Museum. Dinner is included at your hotel in Evora. (B, D)

Hotel Dom Fernando or similar

Day 7

Evora

After breakfast, take a guided tour of the Cortiçarte cork factory, a fascinating facility where cork is produced using traditional methods that haven’t changed for hundreds of years. See everything from the trees whose bark is sustainably harvested every nine years, to the boiling vats where the cork is sterilized, to the gift shop selling a wide variety of gorgeous products. Next, travel to Evora, whose medieval town is one of Europe’s finest. For even older history, just look for the easy-to-spot 14 surviving columns of the Roman Temple of Diana, built around the 1st century A.D. Enjoy free time for lunch and shopping, then taste local wines on an included winery tour. (B)

Hotel Dom Fernando or similar

Day 8

Evora to Lisbon

Start the day with a terrifically enjoyable tour of the Leiveira-Azulejos de Azeitão ceramic factory. Portugal’s Azulejo tiles –tiny, often remarkably detailed pieces of art glazed in a striking blue –are one of the country’s most beloved cultural signatures. Dating back to the 13th century, Azulejos are the result of all of Portugal's influences: the Moorish invasion, the Roman Catholic church, the Age of Discovery, all the way up to the bustling country’s modern needs and trends. Learn how the tiles are made, and even try your hand at creating one yourself under the tutelage of a master tile painter. After a stunning photo stop at Serra de Arrabida, enjoy free time on your own and a leisurely afternoon in Lisbon to relax on your own or sign up for one of our fabulous optional tours. (B)

Aldeia dos Capuchos or similar

OPTION: DINNER & SUNSET RIVER CRUISE:

Prior to embarkation enjoy a 3-course dinner on the bay, then cruise the Tagus River at sunset while enjoying a welcome drink and viewing the many spectacular castles and cathedrals of Lisbon. $119 p/p.

Day 9

Lisbon

Spend the final day of your tour in Lisbon, Portugal’s hilly coastal capital watched over by 7 picturesque hills. The peaks’ view of Lisbon’s historic cobblestoned streets and stately ruins, mixed seamlessly with the modern world that grew up around them, is one of Europe’s prettiest. Take a guided tour of the city’s highlights, including admission to the Jerónimos Monastery, a dazzling monument built in the 1500s as a potent symbol of Portugal’s immense wealth and power at the peak of their global navigation period. Enjoy lunch on your own and an afternoon at your leisure before ending your tour with a delicious farewell feast. (B, D)

Aldeia dos Capuchos or similar

Day 10

Depart for Home (B)

Please note that this is a proposed itinerary; the actual itinerary may vary due to season, special events, or weather. Because our tour arrangements are often made a year or more in advance, YMT Vacations reserves the right to alter the itinerary. Itinerary changes are made to improve your vacation experience, as well as respond to any unforeseen circumstances that mandate alterations. By their nature, all tours vacations involve a certain level of physical activity. While YMT tours have been designed with our guests in mind and are not physically demanding, this tour does include walking and periods of standing during the sightseeing visits. You will also encounter steps and some uneven ground along the way, particularly at older, historical sights.