Portugal Tour – Religion and Tradition

In your arrival at Lisbon airport our driver/guide will give you a warm welcome and will drive you to your Hotel. This private tour will allow you to discover the most genuine Portuguese tradition and religion, from Lisbon to the most Northern region. Check-in at the Hotel and you will have time to rest.

Overnight stay in Lisbon.

Our Tour will start with a Full-Day through the Capital of Portugal. It is the country’s star attraction, filled with majestic monasteries, gothic cathedrals and world-renowned museums. Lisbon’s origins can be traced to the Phoenician times and its Mediterranean climate also makes it popular, as well as its breath-taking architecture and a bevy of great shops and restaurants. After a great breakfast at your Hotel, our driver/guide will lead you through the area of Belem. This city served as departure place for the ships that sailed to explore new lands during the 16th century. For this reason, here you can admire the Belem Tower, a fortress classified a UNESCO site, the famous Monument to the Discoveries, where you can find the most important characters of those golden centuries and the undisputed heart-stealer Jeronimos Monastery, considered one of the world’s most beautiful monasteries with its incredible cloisters and an impressive symbol of the country's wealth and power on that Age. And our trip will proceed, reaching the most important sites of this charming city: from the imposing Castle of St. George, placed on a hill overlooking the city and the Tagus River, to the city’s downtown with its sunshine-yellow trams, Commerce and Rossio Squares, Chiado and Liberdade Avenues, leafy plazas serving fresh pastries and good espresso, famous gardens and to the picturesque Alfama district, home of Fado melody.

Overnight stay in Lisbon.

Departing from Lisbon, today we will reach the beautiful and small town of Tomar. Being closely linked to the Order of Knights Templar, it marked one of the most important chapters of the Portuguese History. Its twisting cobbled streets whitewashed and terraced cottages, pedestrian-friendly historic center, stunning riverside and abundance of ancient monuments make it a fascinating attraction. Here you can stroll through these local treasures and admire the biggest pearl: The Convent of Christ, a UNESCO site and former headquarters of the legendary Knight Templar. Built from the 12th to the 17th centuries, this magnificent structure is a perfect mixture of Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance architecture. Then we will proceed to Fatima, one of the most important sites of Pilgrimage in the world. This Shrine welcomes millions of pilgrims and tourist from all over the world. This fame is due to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary reported by three local shepherd children in 1917. The Sanctuary is placed at Cova de Iria and its primary building is the Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima, a gleaming Neoclassical Church. You can also admire the Chapel of Apparitions, an open-air chapel built on the exact location of the believed apparitions and the Berlin Wall Monument, a memorial of the alleged God’s intervention in bringing down the Communism. And finally, we´ll drive to the historic city of Coimbra. The medieval capital of Portugal for over a hundred years, is a city famous for its astonishing collection of prominent churches, noble monasteries, characteristic streets and for being a busy commercial hub with many shops, boutiques, cafes and restaurants. It is the home of one of the oldest universities in the world and you can witness the influence of the academic life. Here stroll through its streets and the riverbanks of Mondego River.

Overnight stay in Coimbra.

After a great breakfast, we will keep exploring the beautiful city of Coimbra. We will appreciate its University, once located in a medieval palace and rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries in Baroque and Neo-Classical styles. Here we can find some of the most celebrated tourist attractions, as the stunning eye-catching Joanina Library. The great Cathedral also deserves a visit, as well as the famed Sta. Clare’s Church. Then you will have a very comfortable and private transfer to the emblematic city of Porto. In the second largest city of Portugal, we will have a tour through its most important local treasures. This remarkable city is turning heads all over the world and is famous for its live Culture and Tradition, Douro River and Port Wine. Classified as the Best European Destination in 2012, 2014 and 2017, its streets are full of churches with tiled façades, beautiful buildings of various styles and brightly painted houses alongside the riverbanks. You can stroll through its historic center, considered a UNESCO site since 1996. Among the impressive monuments and sites that we will admire, like the Cathedral, the Ribeira Square, Lello bookshop, São Bento Railway Station, Sta. Catarina street, Luis I Bridge, etc., we will visit the St. Francis Church, classified as National Monument in 1910 and World Heritage in 1996, by UNESCO. It has been successively enriched to a point that was considered the richest and most beautiful Portuguese gilded woodwork repository. And this Tour will end with a special visit to one of the most famous Port Wine Cellar, with a sweet Port Wine tasting.

Overnight stay in Porto.

Today, we will discover the Northern Portugal, one of the most beautiful and green regions in the country. This land is often associated with natural and rugged landscapes, sparkling “green wines”, noble palaces and with an incredible biodiversity spread throughout the valleys that cross four rivers and numerous beaches on the coastal zone. We suggest Braga as our first stop. Braga is one of the oldest cities in Portugal, but it is also crowded with young people who study at its university. Founded by the famous “Augustus”, it was built on one of the main Iberian Roman roads and it is nowadays a lively city. Being one of the country’s main religious centers, we will explore its magnificent Cathedral and the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus, with its gorgeous and imposing stairway. After this visit we will proceed to the city of Guimarães, considered the cradle of Portugal (the land where D. Afonso Henriques – First King of Portugal – was born). Here we will stroll through the most important and ancient streets of its historic center and we will admire its impressive castle, one of the most famous monuments in this country.

Overnight stay in Porto.

Our private driver/guide will pick you up at your Hotel and today we will cross the border of Spain, reaching the splendid city of Santiago de Compostela. This city, located in the north-west, is the destination of the legendary medieval way of pilgrimage, named “Camino de Santiago” (Way of St. James). Many devout Catholics still trek to achieve this land, paying their promises to this saint, whose tomb were supposedly buried here. The Old Town of this city was elected a UNESCO site and the Cathedral stands out, an impressive Romanesque structure with a Baroque façade. And grouped around this monument, we can find imposing Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings, many of them from the Middle Age. Be sure that you admire the palaces, churches, narrow alleyways, squares and granite houses in a great walk around its historic center. And after this visit, we will explore the beautiful Portuguese city of Viana do Castelo. This land is blessed with both an appealing sixteenth-century historic center and lovely beaches just outside the city. Our first stop here can be the Shrine of Santa Luzia. Located on the top of the hill with the same name, it was inspired by Sacré-Coeur in Paris. This Monument-Temple that crowns the city is a neo-Byzantine church, with breath-taking views over the Lima River that cross the bucolic green valley, the endless sea through which caravels departed to the discovery of new worlds centuries ago, and over the beautiful city affectionately called the Lima’s Princess. And we will also have time to stroll through its magnificent city center, with Manueline, Renaissance, Baroque, Art Deco or tile architecture and traditional alleys.

Overnight stay in Porto.

On the penultimate day of this marvellous private Tour we’ll head to Lisbon. And on our way, we will visit three of the most picturesque villages in Portugal: Alcobaça, Batalha and Óbidos. Here we can feel that Tradition alive and all of them are important Portuguese pearls. The ancient city of Alcobaça is a landmark, located on the countryside, so close to the sea. It is famous for its unmatchable architecture and holds one of the most important Cathedrals of the Iberian Peninsula, the Monastery of Alcobaça. It is considered one of the most magnificent Gothic monuments in the country. Batalha will be our next stop and here the Monastery of St. Mary of the Victory – widely known as Batalha Monastery. Considered a World Heritage site by UNESCO, it is also elected one of the most original examples of Late Gothic architecture in this country. And the friendly village of Óbidos also deserves a visit. This land is located on a hilltop, encircled by a fortified wall. It was captured from the Moors by the first king of Portugal and its well preserved narrow cobbled streets, houses painted white with blue or yellow trim, flower boxes and old lamp lights stand out.

Overnight stay in Lisbon.

After a delicious breakfast and your check-out, our driver will transfer you to the Lisbon airport. End of our services.

Tour Ends!!