Baixa de Lisboa

Day dedicated entirely to Lisbon, city that was practically devastated by the earthquake of 1755, the largest ever recorded in Europe, so it was necessary to design a new city with the first anti-seismic constructions, drawn with a set of straight and perpendicular streets organized around an axis the central part of Rua Augusta. In these streets were given the names of the various crafts of the time and artisans of that time among them; cobblers, corraliros, of gold.

Alfama

Alfama, the oldest quarter of Lisbon, this old Medina with small rows and alleys, a perfect defensive system during the Arabah period in Portugal from the 8th to the 12th century, after the Christian reconquest the Arab civilization that lived here were moved to the Bairro da Mouraria, to discover Alfama is plunged in the Portuguese authenticity. Do you already know Fado, the most typical and charismatic Portuguese music? Fado was born here in this pour neighborhood in the midst of this melancholy of the Portuguese whom they called saudade.

Torre de Belem

Belém or Bethlehem, was born as an autonomous city of Lisbon until 1945, a holy city from where the sailors set out to discover the new World, not without partaking in the solemn masses to beg for protection. Here we go to understand how important was the Portuguese golden age from the 16th to the 18th centuries, with a visit to the Jerónimo’s Monasteries, the Belem Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries, a modern monument, a stylized caravel leaving the city in search of the unknown.

Palacio de Belem

No less important will be the visit to the Pasteis de Belem factory, this century-old pastry that didn’t allowed the success change the will of the first members of the family to keep the place unique in the sale of this wonderful Portuguese sweets. Overnight in Lisbon

Centro Historico de Sintra

Our second day of our Seven days private tour in Portugal, will take us to Sintra the Portuguese Aristocracy paradise, we will discover the charm of the narrow alleys and the typical and regional products stores, letting yourself be taken to the Piriquita pastry where the famous sweets ” Queijadas de Sintra and “Travesseiros de Sintra” are waiting for you.

Park and National Palace of Pena

The choice of what palace ( or palaces ) to visit is just yours, the guide will suggest that it is best for you to visit between; “Quinta da Regaleira”a palace from the XIX. although it seems to be older, with a decoration that impresses, rich in Masonic symbolism. The Moorish Castle a testimony of the Islamic presence in the region, built between the 8th and 9th centuries and enlarged after the Reconquest or why not the Palaçio da Pena, a fantastical and revivalist reconstruction, to the taste of nineteenth-century romanticism, which was owed to the passion and imagination of the artist D. Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, consort of D. Maria II.

Farol do cabo da Roca

The geological formation of ”Cabo da Roca”is also known among the sites as “The Snout of the Rock”, others prefer to call it a poetic way “Promontory of the Moon,”, the beauty of this place is imaginable. With thousands of visitors every year, Roca Cape was mentioned by the Portuguese poet Camoes in “Os Lusíadas”, In his words this was the place “where the Earth ends and the sea begins”, part of the Natural Park of Sintra-Cascais and from there it is possible to put on the shoes and follow the ecological rails of the Serra de Sintra.

Marina de Cascais

Time to explore Cascais this ancient fisherman´s village turned into a beautiful and cosmopolitan beach resort, bathed by the Atlantic Ocean

Casino Estoril

Estoril, famous for its casino ( largest gambling room in Europe ) and by the fact of the Yan Fleming wrote the first 007 nobel Casino Royale during the 2nd world war from here will get back to Lisbon along road “Marginal” enjoying breathtaking ocean scenery along the coast. Overnight in Lisbon

Museu do Santuario de Fatima

On our fourth day we leave Lisbon an have the first visit Fatima, we will them find three places of interest where you can attend a mass ( optional ), the Chapel of the Apparitions, the first Chapel to be built immediately following the apparitions occupying a prominent place, not by size or grandeur, but yes by the location, practically in the center of the Sanctuary.

Basilica de Nossa Senhora de Fatima

The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, built in 1928 in Neo Baroque style, it houses today the tombs of the children, but also the tomb of Sister Lucia who passed away in 2005, and the Basilica of Santissima Trindade, built in 2007 with more than 8000 seats and 40,000 m² of area was designed by the Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, a modern and quite imposing church.

Universita Di Coimbra

Time to get to Coimbra, where we will start our visit by the Coimbra´s University ( oldest in Europe ) with it´s highlight the Joanine library, built in the XVIII century on the former prison of the University, simply one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, Its decoration was only finished, close to the XVIII century, the renovation it, on the ceiling the frescoes were executed by Mestre António Ribeiro and Vicente Nunes, and the portrait of Dom Joao V was done by the Italian Domenico Dupra.

Se Velha De Coimbra

Coimbra´s downtown situated, between the Mondego river and the University, a lovely sidewalk street where you can relax and get lost in this charming city narrow streets and beautiful alleys, and squares, you will find countless cafes, pastry shops and restaurants. Rich in culture and with an unforgettable gastronomy, this area has been the commercial center of the city for hundreds if not thousands of years, maintaining its genuine atmosphere and unique personality. Then we will continue our trip to Oporto. Overnight in Oporto

Porto City Hall

Day to visit Oporto where we will start trough the Avenida dos Aliados (Avenue of the Allies), the city´s focal point, where everything happens, from manifestations to celebrations on this thoroughfare, there is the imposing Oporto Municipal Council buildin

Livraria Lello

The Lello Bookstore perfect for literature and architecture lovers especially “Harry Potter” fans. Its staircase is a major attraction, the cause… JK Rowling who, despite never having spoken openly about the period she was in Portugal, was married to a Portuguese and lived in Porto at the time she started writing “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. ”

Sao Bento Railway Station

Another attraction will be Sao Bento’s train station, where 20 thousand tiles from Portuguese artist Jorge Colaco will take you a virtual trip through Portugal in the North in general, with a special emphasis on the different civilizations that have passed here and the different occupations, at the Oporto Cathedral, a church with a Roman-Gothic structure that was began to be built in the 12th century, however with several renovations in the XVII and XVIII centuries, inside it stands the medieval rosacea of the 12th century, and from outside the highlight goes to the lateral galilee, work of Nicolau Nasoni in 1736, decorated with tiles.

Iglesia De San Francisco

The Church of San Francisco built in the 12th century. initially of Romanesque architecture was transformed into Gothic style and later Baroque, three naves covered with gilded carvings, in which it is thought that were used more than 300 kilos of gold dust, another one of the curiosities of the Church the Tree of Jessé, a sculpture of polychrome wood considered one of the best in the world of its kind.

Churchill's

Time to visit Gaia where Port wine is being aged in hundreds of different cellars, visit one of those cellars, enjoy its atmosphere and taste this unique wine it is obligatory to know whole process, from the harvest to the final product. Overnight in Oporto

Igreja De Sao Goncalo

For those who like to appreciate the ancient architecture, in Amarante, mainly in the historical center, there are numerous examples of the Romanesque and still many buildings of the Middle Ages, along S. Gonçalo bridge (name of the Dominican friar who will have it built) and enjoy some of the most touristic points of the city: the Church and Convent of São Gonçalo and the Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso Museum. As he walks by the convent, especially at the end of the week, he will notice the stalls of the vendors of the delicious S. Gonçalo sweets who, because of their phallic appearance, are always a source of curiosity and great laughter. The name of the candy also helps … they are popularly called “quilhõezinhos de S. Gonçalo”, tradition tells us that, at the S. Gonçalo festivities in June, the boys offer the girls they want to conquer.

Pinhao Railway Station

Certainly one of the most beautiful places in the Douro region, the Pinhao Railway Station, built in the nineteenth century, its tiles representing the landscape and the life of the people in this region, with images of Port wine production from the harvest, the peculiar tread of the grapes with the feet, and the transport of wine in rabelos boats, typical boats that make the transport of the wine from there to the city of Oporto or more precisely Gaia.

Quinta do Tedo

Strange would be to take a walk to the oldest wine region in the world without making at least one visit to a local winery, where you will be shown the different aspects of winemaking and also taste some of the best wines in the world according to world renowned Wine Spectator, at the end you should understand the methods and the different kind of grapes and wines here create. Overnight in Oporto

Casal de Loivos Viewpoint

The best view at the Douro Valley

On our seventh day we came back to Lisbon, but on the way we will visit other cities such as ; Aveiro known as the Portuguese Venice, where we will suggest you a boat ride on a “Moliceiro”to get to know and understand the 3 kilometers of canals that made the support of the city itself, be it moliça (a seaweed used in agriculture and for pharmaceutical purposes), as well as Salt.

Aveiro Railway Station

Curiosity will be to know the market of Aveiro a construction in wrought iron and glass very to the type of Gustavo Eiffel and to the innumerable buildings Art New all cataloged what they reveal the importance and even the wealth of this city.

Nazaret - Artesanato e design de Autor

Nazaré is a pictorial village with an intense past, well portrayed in the architectural heritage, with many churches and traditional houses that bring a very picturesque atmosphere, being the first place of worship in Portugal. In the recent past the phenomenon of the Nazaré Cannon, phenomenal waves that made Nazaré famous worldwide, in 2013 the American surfer McNamara broke the world record when surfing a wave about 30 meters high. Another curious thing will be the “seven skirts” wife’s from Nazare,that proudly shown them to there visitors.

Castelo de Obidos

In Obidos (UNESCO’s world heritage site), we will take you back in time, as we walk you through the beautiful and narrow streets full of traditional shops, along the white painted old houses, walk through its walls imagining how the medieval period would have been there. Obidos was used has a wedding gift from D. Dinis to his wife D. Isabel, the village became part of the Casa das Rainhas, only extinct in 1834, and most of the Portuguese Queen passed through it, leaving great benefits. D. Catarina orders to be build the aqueduct and fountains. Overnight in Lisbon

Centro Historico de Evora

we will leave Lisbon towards Evora, the residence of some Portuguese kings, a point of convergence of renowned artists, supported by the patronage and dynasty reigning in Portugal.The period of the discoveries was of glory to Evora creating particularly favorable conditions in the construction of numerous aristocratic mansions of the city as the Jesuit university. From ancient “Temple of Diana” next to the Evora Cathedral built in the Roman´s period, we can see the magnificent aqueduct of “Agua da Prata”, outside the city walls and extend from the outskirts of the city, some of its arches are still visible inside the city, built in the 16th century to ensure the water transportation.

Chapel of Bones

However, the ex-libris will be the Church of San Francisco, especially the Bones Chapel, clothed with skulls and bones of 500 monks, attracting thousands every year and proclaiming “We bones, here we are, for yours we will wait” at the entrance of the it.

Ervideira

Alentejo wine has a unique profile, something that seems impossible to happen in a region of hot and dry climate making it indispensable to add water to the vine, with soils and reliefs a very sunny zone allowing the perfect maturation of the grapes. This is a practically a flat region that produces white wines generally soft, slightly acidic and have aromas of tropical fruits, the red wines are full bodied, rich in tannins and with aromas of wild and red fruits. In our tour is included a visit to one of these wineries and its tasting, the choice of it will be according to the winery agenda butt will eventually be; Foundation Eugenio de Almeida (Cartuxa wines) Ervideira, among others.

Corticarte - Arte em Cortica

Another option for our day will be a visit to a Cork factory, Cork is the bark of a kind of oak, a bark with great characteristics, is light, elastic and resistant to fire among others, each year the bark grows, however, only after nine to nine years it must be removed from the tree, being able to reach 25 centimeters of thickness, defenitively an excellent protection for the tree against the heat, cold and fires, after removing the tree forms a new bark,. Portugal is responsible for 55% of world cork production, valued worldwide for decorative cork coatings on walls and floors, the manufacture of sporting goods being even the ideal material for the kernels of baseball or the cable of fishing rods. However, cork is best known for being the cork raw material, since it allows very small amounts of oxygen in contact with the wine, without spoiling the aging process.