6 Days Portugal Tour

A full day dedicated to visiting Porto, the second-largest city in Portugal. We’ll start our tour at Casa da Música, this monumental amphitheater with modern yet functional architecture, and head towards Matosinhos, with its port, and Foz, where Porto’s upper-middle class resides.
In downtown Porto, we’ll pass by Avenida dos Aliados, home to the city’s most emblematic building: the City Hall, as well as the statue of Dom Pedro I of Brazil, symbolizing his love for the city, where his heart was left.
The beautiful São Bento Station, with its 20,000 tiles by Jorge Colaço, will take us on a journey through Portuguese history and the traditions of the Douro and Minho regions. It’s like an open book waiting to show us the city’s authentic experiences.
Next, we’ll explore Porto’s busiest street, Rua de Santa Catarina, filled with both national and international shops. One of the major attractions here is Café Majestic, a luxurious café that tells the story of Porto in the 1920s, with its political intrigues and intellectual debates—the Porto of the “Belle Époque,” frequented by many writers and artists.
Our tour continues with a visit to one of the most famous and beautiful bookstores in the world, Livraria Lello. It is said that one of the Harry Potter films was inspired by this incredibly charming bookstore, whose interior resembles woodwork. Next, we’ll visit Porto Cathedral, offering fantastic views of the city, followed by Palácio da Bolsa, São Francisco Church, and more.
We’ll then cross the Dom Luís I Bridge to Gaia, where we’ll visit one of the Port wine cellars to learn about the production process of this unique wine. Nearby, we’ll visit the Monastery of Serra do Pilar, which offers a stunning view of Porto and the Douro River estuary.

Discovering this region means immersing yourself in Minho, starting in Guimarães, a UNESCO World Heritage city since 2001, located on a sacred hill where a statue of King Afonso Henriques stands watch.
There, we will uncover the secrets of its castle and the founding of Portugal, the Church of São Miguel, and the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza. We will stroll through streets that seem to have stepped out of a medieval tale, adorned with beautiful squares such as São Tiago, Toural, and Oliveira. Don’t miss the chance to taste a pastel de Santa Clara.
After lunch, we’ll explore Braga, a modern city with a palpable Roman heritage. We will visit its Cathedral, where the cross used in the first Mass in Brazil is kept, admire its magnificent pipe organs, visit the choir loft, and the mortuary chapels of some of Braga’s archbishops, including the tombs of the parents of Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques.
The Bom Jesus Park, surrounded by lush forest, was built between the 18th and 19th centuries, featuring diverse architectural styles, including Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical, along with chapels of the Via Crucis and the church. A monumental staircase, punctuated by symbolic statues and fountains, adds to its charm.
Imagine being carried by a water-powered funicular, the oldest in the world to have never had an accident. The upper cabin is filled with water, creating a weight difference that allows the other cabin to ascend the hill. Once it reaches the bottom, the water is emptied.
No visit would be complete without seeing some of the city’s other attractions, such as the Episcopal Palace with its Santa Bárbara gardens, the Largo and Church of the Cross, and finally, República Square, where you can feel the vibrant pulse of the city.
There will still be time to be spiritually moved by the chapels narrating the Stations of the Cross and to relax in the lush gardens.

On this day of our 6 Days Portugal Tour, we depart from our hotel in Porto and head to Coimbra, stopping at the University Palace, home to the stunning Joanina Library. Built between 1717 and 1728 atop a former royal prison, this Baroque masterpiece features exquisite frescoes by renowned artists and a portrait of King João V by Italian painter Domenico Dupra.

Important: If visiting the University of Coimbra is essential for you, please let us know when booking your tour to reserve tickets (not included in the price). Visits to the Joanina Library are limited, and it is nearly impossible to enter without a reservation. Once booked, the cost (€11.5/person) will be charged at the end of the tour, even if the visit is canceled.

After exploring the library, we will visit other notable sites within the university, including the São Miguel Chapel and the Great Hall of Acts. Next, we’ll wander through Coimbra’s “Baixa” (Lower Town), rich in culture and history, with charming narrow streets, cafés, and local shops. Don’t miss the 12th-century Romanesque Cathedral and the Church of Santa Cruz, the burial place of Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques.

Finally, we will arrive in Fátima, one of the world’s most significant Marian shrines, where we will visit the Basilicas of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Holy Trinity, along with the historic Chapel of the Apparitions, which holds deep spiritual significance.

We will depart from your hotel at the agreed time to visit “New Lisbon,” the Parque das Nações, where in 1998 Lisbon hosted Expo 98, inspired by the glorious era of Portuguese maritime expansion. With its bold yet functional architecture, we’ll explore the grand work of Santiago Calatrava, the same architect who designed the Museum of Tomorrow in Brazil.
A modern Lisbon, where public transportation operates efficiently, has greatly improved access to the city center and serves as the hub for many national and international companies.

In Alfama, we’ll explore the oldest part of Lisbon, with its narrow streets and alleys. After the Christian reconquest in the 12th century, the Arab civilization that lived here was moved to another hill, giving rise to the Mouraria district. Discovering Alfama is immersing yourself in the authenticity of being Portuguese. Fado, Portugal’s most typical and charismatic music, was born in this neighborhood, embodying the unique melancholy known as “saudade.”

Next, we will reach the São Jorge Castle, one of the few remaining physical vestiges of Arab civilization in Portugal. After our visit, we’ll head toward the downtown area (Baixa), passing by the Lisbon Cathedral, a Romanesque structure built in the 12th century shortly after the Christian reconquest. We will also visit the birthplace of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of matchmaking, who was of Portuguese origin.

In Baixa de Lisboa, the area most devastated by the great earthquake of 1755, we’ll take time to understand the importance of Pombaline architecture. After the earthquake, buildings were reconstructed in a completely different manner, with wide streets and squares, and anti-seismic construction was employed, foreseeing future tremors. The Marquês de Pombal, a statesman, was responsible for the reconstruction of Lisbon and the social and economic changes that followed.

At Marquês de Pombal Square, we will stop near Eduardo VII Park and reflect on the treaties between Portugal and England and their significance for Brazil’s future. We will also take in the stunning view.

After lunch, we will continue our tour to Belém, an open book about Portugal’s maritime expansion. This area was home to the old shipyards and docks of Lisbon, from which brave Portuguese explorers set sail in the 15th century, discovering sea routes to India, Africa, and Brazil. Celebrating this glorious past, we will visit three important monuments: the Belém Tower, the Jerónimos Monastery, and the Monument to the Discoveries. Our final stop will be at the Belém pastry shop, where we will taste the famous “pastéis de Belém,” a conventual sweet that attracts millions of visitors each year.

A day to visit Sintra, starting with the optional visit to the Queluz Palace, where the Portuguese royal family stayed during the French invasion, forcing them to move the capital to Brazil. Interestingly, Dom Pedro IV of Portugal, who was simultaneously Dom Pedro I of Brazil, was born and died in this palace.
The rococo style of the palace is highlighted in its fantastic gardens, disguised by a sequence of terraces and Tuscan-columned galleries, topped by a monumental staircase. Strong decorative elements include statuary clearly inspired by classical mythology, and the geometric beauty of the boxwood hedges blends with the colorful tiles, stone, and bronze statues.

Next, we will enjoy the Sintra town center, with its narrow streets and numerous Portuguese craft shops. Don’t miss the famous Travesseiros de Sintra pastries at Piriquita Bakery.
Sintra is a location rich in historical monuments and fascinating tourist attractions. It boasts over 10 national monuments, including opulent palaces, ancient ruins, and decorative palatial homes scattered across the region’s hills. Your guide will help you decide which palace to visit (we recommend a maximum of two), with options including the Pena Palace, Monserrate Palace, and Quinta da Regaleira (with its initiation well). For something more medieval, perhaps the Moorish Castle—the choice is yours.

Continuing through the beautiful Sintra Mountains toward Cascais, we will make a mandatory stop at Cabo da Roca (the westernmost point of mainland Europe), where “the land ends and the sea begins,” as written by Luís de Camões in The Lusiads (Canto VIII).
Atop its imposing 165-meter-high cliff, the lighthouse built in 1772 stands as a symbol of Portugal’s important role during the era of maritime expansion.

Arriving at the village of Cascais, with its beautiful bay, you’ll find a charming place to live or take a vacation, dotted with small fishing boats. You’ll have free time to explore this small village, which attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Between the bay of Cascais and the Sintra mountains, Cascais became the summer retreat of the Portuguese royal family in the 19th century, drawing the entire nobility. In Largo de Camões, the village’s historic center, you’ll find many shops and restaurants. Estoril, famous for espionage during World War II and as the home of Ian Fleming, the renowned author behind the James Bond series, is also home to impressive properties and the Estoril Casino, considered the largest in Europe.

On the last day of our six-day tour of Portugal, we will visit Évora, starting with a visit to a traditional cork factory where we will learn about the entire process, from the cork oak tree to the final product.
Did you know that cork bark regenerates every year and is harvested every nine years, reaching a thickness of up to 25 cm? Cork is highly resistant to heat, cold, and fire. After removal, the tree regenerates, and Portugal is responsible for 55% of the world’s cork production. Today, cork is valued for decorative wall and floor coverings, sports items, and even baseball cores and fishing rod handles.
In many countries, cork is best known as the raw material for wine bottle stoppers, as it allows micro-portions of oxygen to interact with the wine, enabling it to age while preserving its quality.

We will then explore Évora, a beautiful medieval town that attracts thousands of visitors each year. The Chapel of Bones is particularly captivating, with its walls and pillars covered with human bones and skulls—estimated to belong to over 5,000 monks. Don’t be alarmed by the entrance sign, “We bones that are here await yours,” as it is a poignant reminder of life’s fragility.
Another significant monument is the Temple of Diana, a testament to the Romans’ reverence for this city, located near the Évora Cathedral, which dates back to the Roman period. From here, we can see the magnificent Água da Prata Aqueduct, built in the 16th century to ensure water supply to the city.
Évora was also home to Arabs in the 11th and 12th centuries, who built its streets and alleys, and later became a residence for Portuguese kings. It was a convergence point for renowned artists, supported by Portugal’s reigning dynasties.

During our six-day tour, we also have the option to visit a winery in Alentejo, where we’ll enjoy a personalized visit to a wine cellar and learn about the winemaking process, from grape reception to bottling, followed by wine tasting.
Alentejo produces unique wines thanks to its hot, dry climate. Vineyards rely on drip irrigation, and the region’s sunny climate ensures the perfect ripening of grapes. Alentejo’s wines are known for their soft, slightly acidic whites with tropical fruit aromas and their rich, full-bodied reds with wild berry and red fruit aromas.