Portugal Discoveries
Itinerary Highlights

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Day 1
Flight to Porto, Portugal.

Days 2-3
Porto—Guimarães
First settled by Roman traders, Porto flourished during the era of maritime exploration. It became a showcase of wealth. Guimarães, the birthplace of this nation, served as home to royalty. During our visit to these cities, we:

• walk the Praça de Liberdade, lined with bright flowers and paved with mosaic tiles, to the São Bento Train Station, famous for its historic murals made of azulejo tilework.
• tour the Bolsa stock exchange and its magnificently gilded Arabian Room, in addition to marveling over the 450 pounds of gold used to build the 14th-century Church of San Francisco.
• enjoy mouthwatering cuisine by the Douro River.
• take part in the pleasures of sipping ports in one of the famous lodges.

Days 4-5
Porto—Aveiro—Buçaco
From Porto, we head to Aveiro, a town with canals and colorful boats. Of special interest:

• the barcos moliceiros — floating folk art. These brightly painted swan-necked boats glide through the canals.
• a private Fado concert in our secluded hilltop palace-turned-hotel, which overlooks the Buçaco forest.
• Coimbra, an historic and lively university town.

Days 6-7
Buçaco—Conimbriga—Tomar
An opportunity to walk through the Buçaco Forest, with a variety of paths dedicated to specific botanical, historic and spirtual landmarks. This part of our tour shows us the Beiras territory, an unspoiled and scenic region that also:

• offers a glimpse of the Romans, who inhabited Conimbriga.
• showcases the medieval ways and treasures of the Knights Templar.
• celebrates the land’s great navigators by using ropes, nets and other nautical themes in its Manueline architecture.

Days 8-9
Fatima—Alcobaça—Óbidos
We travel now into the Estremadura and Ribatejo territories to see:

• the shrine of Fátima. Pilgrims journey from many lands to pray at this site commemorating several miraculous appearances of the Virgin.
• the Dominican Abbey of Batalha, where we marvel over a masterpiece of Portuguese gothic architecture.
• the Alcobaça Monastery. The tombs of Dom Pedro and Inés de Castro represent the country’s finest Gothic carvings – and the tale of furtive love, royal murders, and grim revenge.
• the white walled village of Óbidos, which King Dinis presented to his bride Isabel of Aragon in 1282.

Days 10-11
Lisbon—Sintra
The coastline — stretching westward from Lisbon to the resorts of Estoril and Cascais and north toward Sintra — displays sophistication, intrigue and historic significance. The Lisbon coast offers:

• a scenic drive up winding roads to the Pena Palace, an architectural fantasy featuring an Arabic minaret, a portal guarded by gigantic sea monsters, a stained-glass ballroom and a spectacular view.
• lunch on the Estorial coast and a stroll into the fashionable bay resort of Cascais.
• a leisurely afternoon at Lisbon’s Azulejo museum.

Day 12
Return flight home.

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