Portugal Uncovered with Madeira - Small Group

Welcome to Porto, home to tiled churches, baroque facades and one of Europe’s great riverfronts. After checking in, meet your Travel Director and fellow travelers before heading out on an evening walk through the city. Get to know the historic center as you explore its steep streets, old merchant buildings and lively squares, with the Douro never far from view. Dinner is served in a local restaurant, where the bold flavors of northern Portugal give you your first taste of the city.

This morning, discover Porto by historic tram with your Travel Director, following the riverfront and passing through neighborhoods that show another side of the city. Continue on foot through the old town, stopping in the area around Porto Cathedral, inside São Bento station and in the narrow streets of Porto’s old riverside quarter. The rest of the day is yours to explore at your own pace. You could cross to Vila Nova de Gaia to visit the port lodges, browse Mercado do Bolhão or head to Foz where the Douro meets the Atlantic.

Journey into the Douro Valley, stopping first in Guimarães, often called the cradle of the Portuguese nation. Join your Travel Director for an orientation through the old town, taking in Largo da Oliveira, Largo do Toural, the Church of Nossa Senhora da Oliveira and views of the castle. Continue to Peso da Régua for a look across the valley’s terraced hillsides before traveling on to Pinhão. Here, board a traditional Rabelo boat for a ride along the Douro, then spend some free time in the village before heading to your hotel in the Douro Valley.

Spend the day in the Douro Valley with time to enjoy the setting around your hotel. You could relax and take in the views or explore more of the valley at your own pace. At lunch, join a Be My Guest experience at a local quinta, where you’ll meet your hosts and learn more about life in one of Portugal’s best-known wine regions. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy in the Douro, with more time to slow down and take in the landscape.

Travel south through Portugal’s agricultural heartland to Coimbra, one of the country’s oldest cities. Join your Travel Director for an orientation through the historic center, seeing the university quarter, the old cathedral and medieval streets, then enjoy free time in the Baixa district. Continue to Ericeira, a fishing town on the Atlantic coast known for its beaches, seafood restaurants and surf culture, where you’ll stay for the next two nights.

Today is yours to enjoy Ericeira at your own pace. You could explore the historic center with its whitewashed lanes and blue-trim houses, walk the clifftop paths for Atlantic views or head down to the beach for a stroll. There’s also time to browse the town’s artisan boutiques or sit down to fresh seafood in a traditional marisqueira.

Travel along the Portuguese Riviera to Sintra, known for its hillside setting, old streets and pastry shops, and join your Travel Director for an introduction to the town before visiting Pena Palace (subject to availability) and its gardens high above the surrounding hills. Continue through Cascais, where elegant villas, Atlantic views and a long connection to Portuguese royalty give the town its standing on the coast. Later, arrive in Lisbon, Portugal’s seafaring capital, where grand squares, tiled streets and river views mark the start of your two-night stay.

Join your Travel Director for an introduction to Lisbon, beginning in Belém where the Monument of Discoveries and Belém Tower recall the voyages that carried Portuguese ships out from the Tagus and turned Lisbon into a seafaring capital. Continue to Alfama, the city’s oldest quarter, where steep lanes and hillside streets reveal a more traditional side of Lisbon. The afternoon is yours to explore further, whether you choose a museum, a viewpoint or one of the city’s historic tram routes. Come together with your small group for dinner and Fado, the traditional music of Portugal, to toast to your journey.

Fly from Lisbon to Funchal and begin your stay in Madeira’s capital, set between the sea and the hills. After settling into your hotel, meet your Travel Director or Local Host and head out on a walking tour that introduces you to the city through its food and culture. As you explore the streets of Funchal, learn more about Madeira’s history and the influences that have shaped life on the island, with local flavors offering your first taste of what makes this part of Portugal distinct.

Make the most of a slower day on Madeira, whether that means time by the sea, enjoying your hotel or heading into Funchal for a look around the capital. You could also choose an Optional Experience to the south-west of the island, taking in Ponta do Sol, the Cabo Girão skywalk and Câmara de Lobos.

Today is yours to enjoy Madeira at your own pace. You could browse the boutiques of Funchal, explore the old town streets of Zona Velha or visit Mercado dos Lavradores, where fruit, flowers and local produce have long been part of daily life in the capital. You might also take the cable car up to Monte for views over the bay and the city below. You could also join an Optional Experience and hike one of Madeira’s levada trails. This evening, join your fellow Small Group travelers for a final dinner.

This morning, your stay in Madeira comes to an end. After breakfast, bid farewell to your Travel Director and fellow travelers as your tour concludes in Funchal.