Seven Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon, for those who want to get to know Portugal.
A week distributed mainly in the north central Portugal with visits to some of the most important cities, as well as the most recognized monuments.
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We leave some curiosities about the Portuguese gastronomy, because you will surely “cross” with some of these dishes:
Cod fish is still very present in Portuguese cuisine. The Portuguese were the first to introduce this fish into the culinary, a fish can be preserved during long periods.
Cod is consumed in Portugal since the time of the Great Navigations and became a national dish. Bacalhau à Brás, bacalhau roast, cod rice, codfish, fried fish (a kind of dumpling made with flour, without potato) are just some of the most traditional recipes in the country.
Seven Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon
One of the best known desserts is the sweet rice that came originally from Thailand, with only rice and sugar, earning gems and cinnamon in Portuguese cuisine.
The green soup, prepared with cabbage and potato, has roots in the north of Portugal and was elected in 2011 one of the 7 wonders of Portuguese cuisine.
The Serra da Estrela Cheese made with sheep’s milk has a strong flavor and creamy texture. It is not as well known outside of Portugal, though much appreciated by cheese lovers.
Portuguese sweets make up an appetizing palette of shades of yellow, since most desserts have egg as the main ingredient. Each region has its quitutes, such as the Azeitão pie and the soft eggs of Aveiro.
Seven Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon
Other recipes are found in several places, with variations such as the queijada and the famous cream cake or as it is called called pastel de Belém, in Brazil. However, the only pastel of Bethlehem in Portugal is in Lisbon, in the neighborhood of Belém, where the original factory is still active. In the rest of the country, the candy is called cream cake.
Take all your doubts about our Seven Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon right away !!!
the first day of our Seven Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon will be specially dedicated to Lisbon, city that was practically devastated by the earthquake of 1755, the largest ever recorded in Europe, so it was necessary to design a new city with the first anti-seismic constructions, drawn with a set of straight and perpendicular streets organized around an axis the central part of Rua Augusta.
In these streets were given the names of the various crafts of the time and artisans of that time among them; cobblers, corraliros, of gold.
“Baixa de Lisboa” is also known for the monumentality of its buildings, which represent a new social order that values the merchant and financial class. To test the resilience of these buildings to a new earthquake used troops marching inside buildings.
In Belem the region that personifies the epic of the Portuguese Discoveries with several monuments classified Cultural Patrimony of the Humanity by Unesco such as the Jerónimos Monastery and Torre de Belém of the Manueline style in an urban set unique in the world and also, more modern the Monument of the Discoveries and the Plaza do Imperio complete the sense of grandeur of the times of the Great Portuguese Empire.
Wander through the elements that tell the story.
All this in a pleasant place next to the Tagus River with green spaces and unique atmosphere with marinas and sailing clubs and still a cycle path where the pure air of the sea competes with the beauty of the view. You will not want to miss the Pastels of Bethlehem, this secret and magical recipe that makes us smile.
Our second day of our Seven days private tour in Portugal, will take us to Sintra the Portuguese Aristocracy paradise, we will discover the charm of the narrow alleys and the typical and regional products stores, letting yourself be taken to the Piriquita pastry where the famous sweets ” Queijadas de Sintra and “Travesseiros de Sintra” are waiting for you.
The choice of what palace ( or palaces ) to visit its just yours, the guide will suggest that it is best for you to visit between; “Quinta da Regaleira”a palace from the XIX. although it seems to be older, with a decoration that impresses, rich in Masonic symbolism.
The Moorish Castle a testimony of the Islamic presence in the region, built between the 8th and 9th centuries and enlarged after the Reconquest or why not the Palaçio da Pena, a fantastical and revivalist reconstruction, to the taste of nineteenth-century romanticism, which was owed to the passion and imagination of the artist D. Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, consort of D. Maria II.
The geological formation of ”Cabo da Roca”is also known among the sites as “The Snout of the Rock”, others prefer to call it a poetic way “Promontory of the Moon,”, the beauty of this place is imaginable.
With thousands of visitors every year, Roca Cape was mentioned by the Portuguese poet Camoes in “Os Lusíadas”, In his words this was the place “where the Earth ends and the sea begins”, part of the Natural Park of Sintra-Cascais and from there it is possible to put on the shoes and follow the ecological rails of the Serra de Sintra.
Time to explore Cascais this ancient fisherman´s village turned into a beautiful and cosmopolitan beach resort, bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, next to it there´s Estoril, famous for its casino ( largest gambling room in Europe ) and by the fact of the Yan Fleming wrote the first 007 nobel Casino Royale during the 2nd world war from here will get back to Lisbon along road “Marginal” enjoying breathtaking ocean scenery along the coast.
On our third day of our Seven Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon we will leave Lisbon towards Evora, the residence of some Portuguese kings, a point of convergence of renowned artists, supported by the patronage and dynasty reigning in Portugal.
The period of the discoveries was of glory to Evora creating particularly favorable conditions in the construction of numerous aristocratic mansions of the city as the Jesuit university.
From ancient “Temple of Diana” next to the Evora Cathedral built in the Roman´s period, we can see the magnificent aqueduct of “Agua da Prata”, outside the city walls and extend from the outskirts of the city, some of its arches are still visible inside the city, built in the 16th century to ensure the water transportation.
However, the ex-libris will be the Church of San Francisco, especially the Bones Chapel, clothed with skulls and bones of 500 monks, attracting thousands every year and proclaiming “We bones, here we are, for yours we will wait” at the entrance of the it.
Another option for our day will be a visit to a Cork factory, Cork is the bark of a kind of oak, a bark with great characteristics, is light, elastic and resistant to fire among others, each year the bark grows, however, only after nine to nine years it must be removed from the tree, being able to reach 25 centimeters of thickness, defenitively an excellent protection for the tree against the heat, cold and fires, after removing the tree forms a new bark,.
Portugal is responsible for 55% of world cork production, valued worldwide for decorative cork coatings on walls and floors, the manufacture of sporting goods being even the ideal material for the kernels of baseball or the cable of fishing rods.
However, cork is best known for being the cork raw material, since it allows very small amounts of oxygen in contact with the wine, without spoiling the aging process.
On our fourth day we leave Lisbon an have the first visit Fatima, we will them find three places of interest where you can attend a mass ( optional ), the Chapel of the Apparitions, the first Chapel to be built immediately following the apparitions occupying a prominent place, not by size or grandeur, but yes by the location, practically in the center of the Sanctuary.
The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, built in 1928 in Neo Baroque style, it houses today the tombs of the children, but also the tomb of Sister Lucia who passed away in 2005, and the Basilica of Santissima Trindade, built in 2007 with more than 8000 seats and 40,000 m² of area was designed by the Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, a modern and quite imposing church.
Time to get to Coimbra, where we will start our visit by the Coimbra´s University ( oldest in Europe ) with it´s highlight the Joanine library, built in the XVIII century on the former prison of the University, simply one of the most beautiful libraries in the world
Its decoration was only finished, close to the XVIII century, the renovation it, on the ceiling the frescoes were executed by Mestre António Ribeiro and Vicente Nunes, and the portrait of Dom Joao V was done by the Italian Domenico Dupra.
After visit the library our Seven Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon we will continue visiting Coimbra´s University and visit other interesting places like; Saint Michel Chapel, “sala dos Capelos”, the “cabra” tower between others.
Coimbra´s downtown situated, between the Mondego river and the University, a lovely sidewalk street where you can relax and get lost in this charming city narrow streets and beautiful alleys, and squares, you will find countless cafes, pastry shops and restaurants.
Rich in culture and with an unforgettable gastronomy, this area has been the commercial center of the city for hundreds if not thousands of years, maintaining its genuine atmosphere and unique personality. Then we will continue our trip to Oporto.
Day to visit Oporto where we will start trough the Avenida dos Aliados (Avenue of the Allies), the city´s focal point, where everything happens, from manifestations to celebrations on this thoroughfare, there is the imposing Oporto Municipal Council building, not far we have the Lello Bookstore perfect for literature and architecture lovers especially “Harry Potter” fans.
Its staircase is a major attraction, the cause… JK Rowling who, despite never having spoken openly about the period she was in Portugal, was married to a Portuguese and lived in Porto at the time she started writing “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. ”
Another attraction will be Sao Bento’s train station, where 20 thousand tiles from Portuguese artist Jorge Colaco will take you a virtual trip through Portugal in the North in general, with a special emphasis on the different civilizations that have passed here and the different occupations.
At the Oporto Cathedral, a church with a Roman-Gothic structure that was began to be built in the 12th century, however with several renovations in the XVII and XVIII centuries, inside it stands the medieval rosacea of the 12th century, and from outside the highlight goes to the lateral galilee, work of Nicolau Nasoni in 1736, decorated with tiles.
The Church of San Francisco built in the 12th century. initially of Romanesque architecture was transformed into Gothic style and later Baroque, three naves covered with gilded carvings, in which it is thought that were used more than 300 kilos of gold dust, another one of the curiosities of the Church the Tree of Jessé, a sculpture of polychrome wood considered one of the best in the world of its kind.
Time to visit Gaia where Port wine is being aged in hundreds of different cellars, visit one of those cellars, enjoy its atmosphere and taste this unique wine it is obligatory to know whole process, from the harvest to the final product.
Seven Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon
Stroll through the historic center, walk through the old streets, see the typical houses and the history that the city counts, with the river and the bridge.
For those who like to appreciate the ancient architecture, in Amarante, mainly in the historical center, there are numerous examples of the Romanesque and still many buildings of the Middle Ages, along S. Gonçalo bridge (name of the Dominican friar who will have it built) and enjoy some of the most touristic points of the city: the Church and Convent of São Gonçalo and the Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso Museum.
As he walks by the convent, especially at the end of the week, he will notice the stalls of the vendors of the delicious S. Gonçalo sweets who, because of their phallic appearance, are always a source of curiosity and great laughter.
The name of the candy also helps … they are popularly called “quilhõezinhos de S. Gonçalo”, tradition tells us that, at the S. Gonçalo festivities in June, the boys offer the girls they want to conquer.
Certainly one of the most beautiful places in the Douro region, the Pinhao Railway Station, built in the nineteenth century, its tiles representing the landscape and the life of the people in this region, with images of Port wine production from the harvest, the peculiar tread of the grapes with the feet, and the transport of wine in rabelos boats, typical boats that make the transport of the wine from there to the city of Oporto or more precisely Gaia.
Strange would be to take a walk to the oldest wine region in the world without making at least one visit to a local winery, where you will be shown the different aspects of winemaking and also taste some of the best wines in the world according to world renowned Wine Spectator, at the end you should understand the methods and the different kind of grapes and wines here create.
We begin touring the first capital of Portugal by exploring the hill where a statue of D. Afonso Henriques (first king of Portugal), the Guimaraes Castle, followed by São Miguel Church and Paço dos Duques de Bragança (Bragança´s House Palace). Exploring the old medieval streets that were left to tell the tale and history, ending in the the squares reign, like Sao Tiago, Toural and Oliveira, last but not least we take a little time to taste the delicious Santa Clara’s Pastry.
One of the most important medieval cities, with its historical center classified as World Heritage by UNESCO in 2001.
Now its time to visit Braga, a modern city but full of rich roman and medieval past. Commencing in the Cathedral (Monument from the eleventh century), one of the main attractions is the cross used in the first mass service in Brazil, also see the majestic pipe organs .
We will visit the high pulpit and the mortuary chapels that hold the tombs of some of Braga´s most notorious archbishops and also the graves of our first king´s parents (D. Henrique e Dona Teresa).
The Bom Jesus Sanctuary is composed of a staircase, which represents the Via Sacra that goes up to the church. The architectural complex also includes the Bom Jesus Park (a forest area), and some hotels.
Surrounded by a lush forest. The construction is of the XVIII and XIX centuries, crossing the baroque, rococo and neoclassical styles. Composed of the chapels of the Via Sacra and the Church, a monumental alley and staircase punctuated by statues and symbolic sources, this model had wide repercussions in Portugal and Brazil.
The sanctuary of Bom Jesus served as inspiration for numerous constructions around the world such as the Bom Jesus de Congonhas, in Congonhas, Brazil, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies in Lamego, among others.
Another curiosity will be t he Bom Jesus Elevator is the only water powered elevator in use, its construction is due to a nineteenth-century Bracaran businessman, built by two well-known engineers of the time, Nikolaus Riggenbach and Raul Mesnier.
A water tank that fills in the upper plane and empties in the lower one. The amount of water is in function of the existing passengers. At the time of departure the driver of the lower cabin informs the superior by a sound signal the number of passengers in that cabin.
Then the driver of the upper cabin will fill the tank with a quantity of water according to the signal received from the lower and according to the number of passengers in that cabin.
On our seventh day we came back to Lisbon, but on the way we will visit other cities such as ; Aveiro known as the Portuguese Venice, where we will suggest you a boat ride on a “Moliceiro”to get to know and understand the 3 kilometers of canals that made the support of the city itself, be it moliça (a seaweed used in agriculture and for pharmaceutical purposes), as well as Salt.
Curiosity will be to know the market of Aveiro a construction in wrought iron and glass very to the type of Gustavo Eiffel and to the innumerable buildings Art New all cataloged what they reveal the importance and even the wealth of this city.
Nazaré is a pictorial village with an intense past, well portrayed in the architectural heritage, with many churches and traditional houses that bring a very picturesque atmosphere, being the first place of worship in Portugal.
In the recent past the phenomenon of the Nazaré Cannon, phenomenal waves that made Nazaré famous worldwide, in 2013 the American surfer McNamara broke the world record when surfing a wave about 30 meters high. Another curious thing will be the “seven skirts” wife’s from Nazare,that proudly shown them to there visitors.
In Obidos (UNESCO’s world heritage site), we will take you back in time, as we walk you through the beautiful and narrow streets full of traditional shops, along the white painted old houses, walk through its walls imagining how the medieval period would have been there.
Obidos was used has a wedding gift from D. Dinis to his wife D. Isabel, the village became part of the Casa das Rainhas, only extinct in 1834, and most of the Portuguese Queen passed through it, leaving great benefits. D. Catarina orders to be build the aqueduct and fountains.
We hope that our Seven Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon was as pleasant for you as it was for us
Excellent service
Myself and my family (5 people) were very pleased with the chosen 7 day tour. Guide very well prepared and very friendly. Punctuality and excellent cordiality. New car. We will definitely use Walkborder again and recommend to friends as well.
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