Country Roads of Portugal - Small Group

Arrive at Lisbon Airport and take your complimentary transfer into the city, passing the wide Tagus estuary and the hillside districts built in pale limestone and terracotta. Check in to your hotel and settle in, with time to get a sense of the surrounding streets and tram routes that cut through the Portuguese capital’s older neighborhoods. In the evening, join your Travel Director and small group at a local restaurant for the first meal of the trip.

Explore Lisbon with a Local Expert, traveling down the broad avenues of the Lower Town and tracing the city’s rebuilding after the 1755 earthquake. You’ll continue to Belém to see the riverside fortifications of the Belém Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries, set along the Tagus where Portugal’s maritime journeys once began. Step inside the cloister of Jerónimos Monastery, known for its detailed Manueline stonework, before stopping to try a Pastéis de Belém in the district where the original recipe is still baked since 1837. In the evening, you can join an Optional Experience to explore more of Portugal’s food and culture.

Cross the River Tagus and travel south towards the Algarve, following the main route across the Alentejo plains before reaching the coastal town of Lagos. You’ll join your Travel Director for an orientation through the historic center and harbor linked to Portugal’s early maritime activity, with time to explore the lanes around the main square or stop for lunch before continuing south. Later, continue to your hotel in the Algarve. Once settled, you could walk to the beach for some time along the sand or find a nearby place serving grilled fish and other regional dishes common across the south.

Today you’ll set off on a boat tour for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience through the Ria Formosa Natural Park, gliding past sandbanks and wetlands rich in birdlife. Pause at an oyster farm to learn about cultivation and export before a guided tasting of this local delicacy. Later, travel inland to the medieval walled city of Évora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its Roman remains, whitewashed streets and long history as a regional capital.