Come and visit Portugal in our Ten Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon, a cultural trip, from the biggest cities like Lisbon and Oporto to the most traditional villages like Monsanto and Amarante
We wanna make you fell as a Portuguese, understanding our culture, the Portuguese way of live, and this is definitely the best way to do it !!!
9:00AM
18:00
We leave you some curiosities about Portugal, in order to invite you to visit our country:
During the Roman Empire, Portugal was known by Lusitania, so its inhabitants were known as Luso.
In 1543, the Portuguese arrived at the island of Tanegashima, being the first European country to reach Japan, where they ended up leaving strong influences on language, cooking and even Japanese metallurgical techniques.
Some Japanese words of Portuguese origin; Botan (Button), Buranco (Balance), Joro (Jarro), Juban (Gibbon), Karuta (letter), Kappa (cover), Konpeito (Confect) Kirisutan (Christian), Oranda (Holland), orugan (Bread) and Shabon (Soap).
Ten Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon
Did you know that Lisbon is known as the “City of 7 Hills” ? The Castle Hill among others; Graça, Monte, Penha de França, Sao Pedro de Alcântara, Santa Catarina and Estrela.
Lisbon the capital of Portugal has about 600 thousand inhabitants, representing approximately 28% of the population of Portugal.
The first houses in Oporto appeared in 800 a.C, the city was called Cale ate the time, and only later Portucale, from there the name Portugal is born.
The famous Port wine “came” in the 17th century, when the British began to import wine from Portugal in large quantities in an attempt to make the product resist the difficult trip, the Portuguese began to add alcohol in the barrels, which ended up conferring a flavor different from wine, making it sweeter.
Ten Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon
In 1755 a great earthquake destroyed practically all of Lisbon. With its epicenter at sea, it hit the Portuguese capital with great force. After the earthquake were recorded dozens of fires and a tsunami of 20 meters. It is estimated that 90,000 people died on this fateful day.
The Cape of Good Hope, known as the most extreme point of the African continent, was then called Cape of Storms, due to the large number of storms in the region, however when the Portuguese crossed the Cape then name was changed to Cape of Good Hope.
The largest bridge in Europe, the Vasco da Gama bridge was inaugurated in 1998 in Lisbon with 17.2 km. of these, 10 km are on the waters of the Tagus River.
Take all your doubts about our Ten Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon
The first days of our Ten Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon will be dedicated entirely to Lisbon, city that was 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.
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.
Sintra the 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 which 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, 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 Pena Palace, a 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 had lived there and wrote the first 007 nobel Casino Royale during the 2nd world war.
Time to get to Lisbon enjoying breathtaking ocean scenery along the coast, on our Ten Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon.
On this Third day of our Ten Days Private Tour in Portugal from Lisbon, we will visit 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.
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 the cork oak, 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 of our Ten Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon we leave Lisbon an have the first visit to Obidos (UNESCO’s world heritage site), Obidos inhabited since the Paleolithic mainly because its excellent location ( by the sea and a Lagoon ) the Phoenicians here were as well as the Romans.
The first Portuguese king, D. Afonso Henriques, conquered Obidos to the Moors, belonged to the defensive pentagon (of the five castles), from the center of the kingdom, idealized by the Templars. The huge earthquake of 1755 made the village feel strong, knocking down parts of the wall, as well as some temples and buildings, and altered unfortunately some aspects of the layout and the Arab and medieval.
Time to go to Sanctuary of 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.
In 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 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.
We leave Coimbra to Oporto, but on the way will visit 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.
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.
In Costa Nova we will visit original haystacks constructed with local materials, rising on stakes set in the dry sand with the exterior plank arranged horizontally and painted bright red, saluting the sea with color and energy, helping fishermen to find their haystacks on very foggy days. The interior space was ample, without any division, fulfilling its function of being nothing more than a warehouse.
Over the years, some fishermen began to transform the haystacks by adapting them to accommodation spaces that began to accommodate families during the summer season.
The sixth day of our Ten Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon we will visit Oporto starting 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.
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.
Guimaraes, the first Portuguese capital, lets explore the city, where a statue of D. Afonso Henriques (first king of Portugal) waits for us, 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.
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 has a Elevator as one of the great attractions, although it is not a normal elevator is the only water powered elevator in us allover the world, 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.
The weight of the water together with the weight of the passengers then makes this cabin down and up the opposite. Each cabin also has a brake to adjust the tempo and to slow down and stop before reaching the stops at the end of the course.
Ten Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon
Today is time to leave Oporto, our first stop will be Amarante, visiting it´s historic center, walk through the ancient 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.
The Douro Valley is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful regions in the world, a place where wine culture coexists with small villages and humble people in a harmonious way, the region with the denomination of controlled origin of the World, famous for its Port wine, but also for its table wines (white and red).
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.
Now we will visit 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.Overnight in the region.
We start our 9th day leaving the Douro Valley and visiting Lamego, this beautiful historical village here we will be able to visit one of the two sparkling wine makers: Murganheira or Raposeira, both leaders in the country by their famous sparkling wines.
Now its time to explore the highest spot in continental Portugal ” Serra da Estrela” with beautiful landscape, Serra da Estrela Natural park an exceptional place, with more then 100 thousand hectares distributed in different six municipalities it was the first natural park created in Portugal, holding the record for the largest protected area in the country.
Also famous in this region there is cheese, appreciated allover the world, the Serra da Estrela cheese, to make it so unique there are strict rules and is demarcated.
Either in the summer, with its green pastures, or in winter, with its white snowy slope, Serra da Estrela invites to a walk to know the pastoral traditions and also the heritage of these villages and villages.
From this large belvedere one has a wonderful view of the landscape of valleys embedded in a zone of contact between schist and granite, cut by several water courses, famous for its snow sheets during the winter months, place where the lower temperatures of Portugal are recorded on the summit of the Sierra, even reaching -20 ° C in winter.
The village of Monsanto consists of houses made of granite, situated on a steep elevation that can be seen well from afar, and which culminates in the Castle and its tower as higher points, although they already exist during other civilizations its constitution is attributed to the Templars.
In its narrow streets we find architectural and historical treasures; chapels, ovens and cisterns, fountains, traditional lots of old Portuguese families to traditional products stores in the region. A village has an active and cheerful life, and even a young one. In a direction opposed to the rural exodus, there are people there who have abandoned the city life and taken refuge in Monsanto for a healthier and natural life amidst the beauty and magic of the village with a dazzling as well as mysterious landscape.
Time to leave Monsanto to Tomar, to understand the importance of the Order of the Templars the most important of all time, for the creation of Portugal.
The entrance of Convent of Christ is made through a portico, an authentic sculpture by João and Diogo de Castilho, in the first church built by the Templar´s master Gualdim Pais, the oratorio or the Charola, a rare octagonal form, where the monks walked around praying, in16th century the Portuguese king D. Manuel add magnified sculptures, paintings and gilded carving.
With the glories of the maritime expansion is renovated with lush constructions in Manueline style, which has in the famous Window of the Chapter its greatest evidence.
In 1312, the Order of the Templars had already been transformed into the Order of Christ, under the care of the infant D. Henrique, who will receive valuable knowledge that will be used for the overseas epic. This Convent crosses times and artistic languages that travel through Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline, Renaissance, Baroque, Unesco World Heritage since 1983.
Another importance place to visit will be the Church of Santa Maria dos Olivais, also known as the Church of Santa Maria do Olival, located on the left bank of the river Nabao, in the city of Tomar, Portugal.
The first temple founded around 1160 by D. Gualdim Pais, master of the Order of the Knights Templar, where a Benedictine monastery was formerly erected, was the seat of the Order of the Templars in Portugal, having served as pantheon of the Order’s masters.Possible lunch at Tomar´s center on one of the sides of Marao river.
Let´s visit another important Portuguese city, Santarem a city of great antiquity, has a valuable geostrategic situation, with a mild climate and the surrounding landscape of great beauty, have made the place very coveted by pre-Romans, Romans, Barbarians, Moors and Christians, considered a “delightful paradise” by the Arabs, an idea that is not foreign to its geographical situation, in a plateau above the river Tagus, which Portuguese Nile is synonymous with abundance, because its floods flood the extensive muds around, making very fertile.In this city he is buried the Portuguese navigator that discoverer Brasil, Pedro Alvares de Cabral.
We hope that our Ten Days Private Tour Portugal from Lisbon was as pleasant for you as it was for us
We used Walkborder to design a customized package of tours and transportation, including airport transfers to our hotels and several tours. We had a half-day tour of Sintra, a full-day tour of the coastline from the Sintra area, and a half-day tour of the highlights of Lisbon. Joaquim was our driver/guide for these tours, and he was wonderful. She was very knowledgeable about the areas we visited, flexible with the itinerary, patient while answering our many questions and an excellent driver as well!
WhatsApp us