Costsaver: Picturesque Portugal End Lisbon
Day 1 - Arrive Lisbon
Pastel and azulejo-clad facades line Lisbon’s narrow streets which ramble across and over its seven hills from St. George Castle to the Tagus River. Gaze over the Portuguese capital’s terracotta rooftops, soaking up its small-town atmosphere before kicking off your adventure later this evening. Tonight you’ll join your Travel Director and fellow travelers for dinner and sample some of the local favorites that you’ll encounter throughout your journey across Portugal.
Accommodations: VIP Executive Zurique
Meals: Dinner
Day 2 - Lisbon sightseeing and free time
Explore the Age of the Discoveries and Portugal’s role as a global maritime power many centuries ago when you join a Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour. See the Hieronymite Monastery and the medieval quarter as well as views of the alabaster-white Belém Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries before taking the rest of the day to explore on your own. Consider joining a Choice Experience to Portugal’s Golden Triangle of Cascais, Estoril and Sintra to see some of the country’s most extravagant palaces during your free afternoon. This evening, perhaps join an optional traditional Portuguese dinner amidst the heart-wrenching, melancholic sounds of the fado.
Accommodations: VIP Executive Zurique
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3 - Lisbon free day
Que bom! A full free day in Lisboa to explore the enchanting Portuguese capital your way. The secret to living a long life lies in eating a big breakfast, but as you’ll come to discover in Lisbon that may extend to a big lunch and dinner too. Spend the day indulging in a culinary adventure on your own or choose an optional visit to the fishing village of Nazaré, set on a wide bay overlooking the Atlantic. This Choice Experience also includes a visit to Óbidos where you’ll have time to explore the medieval walled city with its whitewashed houses and cobblestone lanes. Aside from its obvious charm and history that pre-dates the founding of Portugal, Óbidos is also home to the delightfully decadent Ginja cherry liqueur served up in tiny chocolate cups. Don’t go home without a taste or two!
Accommodations: VIP Executive Zurique
Meals: Breakfast
Day 4 - Lisbon – Tomar – Fátima
Leave Lisbon behind, bound for the Templar city of Tomar for an orientation with your Travel Director, a beautiful reminder of Portuguese Renaissance. Continue to Fátima, a site of a celebrated religious miracle where three young shepherds are said to have seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1917. Explore the Basilica and Sanctuary on your own before dinner at your hotel with your travel companions.
Accommodations: Sao Jose
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5 - Fátima – Coimbra – Porto
Travel to Coimbra to explore the city your way before continuing to Porto. Arrive in time for a sightseeing tour with a Local Specialist of the city’s UNESCO-listed medieval Ribeira Quarter, the port and the remarkable bridges that span the Douro River. With an evening to do as you wish, you may be tempted to head to the water's edge and one of the city’s Port wine cellars for a tasting and insights into the centuries-old tradition of local Port production.
Accommodations: Gaia Residence
Meals: Breakfast
Day 6 - Porto free day
Savor a full day to go back in time and explore Porto’s historic center with its beautiful Baroque facades. You could choose instead to join a Choice Experience to Braga, Portugal’s religious capital. A Local Specialist will reveal insights into Braga’s historic center and you’ll have an opportunity to see Europe’s largest and most magnificent sculpted Baroque staircase. This evening, an optional cruise along the Douro, followed by a dinner of local specialties, is a fitting way to end your journey through Portugal. Watch the city light up as you enjoy a night cap and the fresh river breeze.
Accommodations: Gaia Residence
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7 - Depart Porto – Lisbon
It’s time to say goodbye to Porto and hello again to Lisbon as your adventure comes full circle. You’ve uncovered Portugal’s rich history, indulged in the unique flavors of the Atlantic, and created lasting connections with your fellow travelers. Transfer back to Lisbon, where you’ll be dropped off at the Costsaver Lisbon hotel at approximately 5pm—perfect for one last evening to explore or relax before heading home.
Meals: Breakfast
Porto (Oporto)
Porto (Oporto), Portugal's second largest city, is full of interest, and the district it heads offers the visitor plenty to see. Along the coast, there are resorts like the cosmopolitan beach of Espinho, busy ports like Matosinhos, with splendid seafood, or traditional fishing towns like Póvoa de Varzim, and there is also an animated casino. Charming Amarante has 17th century mansions overlooking the river and is famous for a sweet egg pastries called "papos de anjo" (angel bellies). In Vila Nova de Gaia, there are lodges where Port wine is blended and aged and where tasting are offered, or visitors may take a river cruise along the Douro. The whole district is filled with prosperous towns, but there are also many calm roads with wonderful views over the river and a rugged and still unspoilt coastline.
Excursions
Portugal: Porto Wine Excursion - 4 hours
Portugal: Porto Wine Excursion - 4 hours
Highlights
In this tour you’ll discover all about the wines from the city of Porto!
You will start the tour by doing a sightseeing tour from the port (located in Matosinhos) to the city center. After that, you'll visit the first winery with high quality of Douro wines for a Douro red and white wines tasting as an exclusive experience.
Then you'll visit a second Port Wine company (Real Companhia Velha) for another special Port Wine tasting. Real Companhia Velha is simply the oldest Port Wine company in Porto, established by a king in 1756. When this tour is finished you will return to Porto Pier.
What's included?
- Private guided tour (4h)
- Visit and wine tastings
- Transportation
What's not included?
- Meals and drinks not mentioned
- Souvenirs
- Gratuities
Highlights of Porto (4 hours)
Highlights of Porto (4 hours)
Highlights:
Take in the attractive surrounding with visit to the opulent Stock Exchange Palace and St Francis Church. Enjoy a port wine tasting at one of the famous riverside lodges in the pretty Riberia district.
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Tour can operate: Morning/Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 8 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Not Included:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities
Lisbon
Portugal’s capital is an 18th-century city - elegant, open to the sea and carefully planned. Most places of interest are within easy walking distance. Rossio Square, the heart of Lisbon since medieval times, is an ideal place to start exploring. Many rebuilt houses with original façades provide stores and restaurants with modern interiors. High above Baixa is Bairro Alto - with its teeming nightlife. There are many monuments and museums, such as San Jeronimos Monastery, Royal Coach Museum and Gulbenkian Museum. Two well-known landmarks are the Monument to the Discoveries and the Tower of Belem. A statue of Christ looms above Europe’s longest suspension bridge. Madragoa, Bica and Bairro Alto, Lisbon’s older sections, offer a variety of sights: the Church of Sao Roque, with its beautiful tiles; St. George Castle, which offers a splendid view from its location above the Alfama quarter; the botanical gardens, featuring an unusual, cold greenhouse; and the cathedral, stunning with its Moorish design. Renowned Gulbenkian Museum is the cultural center of Portugal.
Excursions
An Exploration of Lisbon (8 hours)
An Exploration of Lisbon (8 hours)
Highlights:
Lying north of the River Tagus estuary and stretching over seven hills, Portugal's capital city has much to offer. Receive a warm welcome at the port by your private guide and driver and from here commence your engaging tour of Lisbon.
Explore the Belem district with its magnificent Jerónimos Monastery, an extraordinary example of Portugal's 'Manueline' style of architecture. Once populated by monks, the UNESCO-listed monastery was commissioned by King Manuel I to celebrate Vasco da Gama's discovery of a sea route to India in 1498. Time permitting, visit Torre de Belém (Belém Tower), one of Lisbon's most iconic buildings and symbolic of Portugal's great Age of Expansion.
Next, it's time for a refreshment stop, where you may wish to sample the famous and scrumptious Pastéis de Belém (Portuguese custard tarts). From here you return to your cruise ship.
- Discover the beautiful Belem district with its magnificent Jeronimos Monastery
- Behold the priceless treasures on display at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and try the exquisite pasteis de nata local pastries
Tour Duration: 8 hours
Tour can operate: Morning/Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 8 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Not Included:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities
Queluz, Sintra and Estoril (8 hours)
Queluz, Sintra and Estoril (8 hours)
Highlights:
Venture outside of Lisbon to explore Queluz, Sintra and Estoril during your private shore excursion. Take the short driver to the sumptuous 18th-century Queluz Palace, where you can admire the magnificent formal gardens and azulejo-lined canals.
Afterwards visit Sintra, the summer retreat of Portuguese monarchs and Moorish emirs before them. Today, this town, nestling on the north side of the Sintra Mountain, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Stroll through the town where charming streets are filled with fine handicraft shops. You then descend to Guincho beach for a fabulous view of Cape Rock, the westernmost point of the European continent and continuing to the resort town of Estoril on the scenic coastal road with fantastic views, en route back to your cruise ship.
- Explore Queluz Palace, the summer residence of the Portugese Royal Family
- Take a short drive to Sintra, the summer retreat of Portuguese monarchs and a UNESCO Word Heritage Site
Tour Duration: 8 hours
Tour can operate: Morning/Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 8 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Not Included:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities
Highlights of Lisbon (4 hours)
Highlights of Lisbon (4 hours)
Highlights:
See Belem Tower, one of Lisbon's iconic buildings and symbolic of the nation's Age of Expansion. Admire the impressive collection of painted and gilded Baroque coaches at the National Coach Museum.
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Tour can operate: Morning/Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 8 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Not Included:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities