Spain & Portugal for Second Timers: Aveiro Madeira Nerja

I'd make this 4.5 stars if I could. We had a five-star experience with a few glitches, but they were addressed quickly and kindly.

Zicasso’s travel specialist is a gem. She goes out of her way to clearly communicate what to expect, who you'll be with, and the times for meets and activities. She made us feel special, as though we were her personal guests rather than just clients. We had a luggage issue that she went out of her way to help resolve.

We asked to stay in nice places with AC and king-size beds, and she delivered. All places were great and a bit different from what we're used to and from each other. Most of the drivers were also a lot of fun to be with and spoke at least reasonably good English.

I offer two suggestions for those who use this service. One, always verify meet times and contact info that you receive. Two, don't pre-book two meals in a day if you're staying at a place that offers breakfast. It's just too much food too close together.

We had an 11-day vacation. We chose variety rather than immersion, so went from Porto to Douro Valley to Alentejo to Lisbon to Lagos in the Algarve area, with some stops in between and drivers who brought us everywhere. Next time, we'd likely choose two or three places for a more immersive experience.

I highly recommend this travel company and the travel specialist in particular.

Zicasso’s travel company did a fabulous job preparing our itinerary and working with us to customize it as necessary. When we finally arrived in Portugal and Spain for our trip, everything went smoothly and as described in our itinerary. We had zero issues with any part of it and people always showed up (guides/drivers) exactly when we were expecting them.

The guides the travel company picked were also very good and knowledgeable. What I really appreciated was the hotel selection, as in every case we were in the best location in each city, whether that was Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, or Barcelona. This made a massive difference when it came to sightseeing because most things were walkable or very close by. Also, the nearby restaurants and shops were great.

Overall, I think this was one of my family's favorite trips and I highly recommend this travel company if you're thinking of doing something similar.

My husband and I had a wonderful week touring central and northern Portugal with this Zicasso travel company. The itinerary developed by our travel specialist was excellent, as were the hotels she selected.

Above all, we appreciated our driver. He was kind, patient, and full of knowledge. He guided us through many sites and provided a history of each place we visited. He answered all our questions. We would never have had the depth of understanding on our own. He was also flexible if we needed to make changes and had the patience of Job driving through the busy streets of Lisbon and Porto, and through winding roads of the medieval towns... again, something we could not have done on our own.

Our entire trip was very personalized to our interests. We have already recommended the travel company to our friends. We look forward to coming back because we had such a beautiful trip.

The trip was simply amazing. It exceeded our expectations. The accommodations were first class and conveniently located in Lisbon and Porto. The guides were all top-notch. They were both informative and entertaining. We never felt like we were sitting in a lecture hall.

Also, my group just turned 70 in age and the guides and drivers accommodated our pace. In Porto, the guide acquired taxis to get us from the river up the hill to the cathedral. In the Douro Valley, the guide was able to arrange for us to be dropped off on the far shore to avoid some of the mountain roads. The drivers were also a delight and we felt safe with them at the wheel.

In addition, we would all recommend Zicasso’s travel company and, in particular, our travel specialist. He was easy to work with in laying out the itinerary and it was obvious he knew the best guides, drivers, and accommodations. He was always attentive. We experienced no problems at all on the trip and my only communication with him was to tell him how excellent everything was going.

Our trip to Portugal, via an itinerary planned and executed by Zicasso’s travel specialist, was perfect. We spent a significant amount of telephone time with the travel specialist prior to the trip and he was able to transform our travel wants into a program that aligned with our style and pace.

We were able to have three wonderful experiences—São Miguel, Porto, and Lisbon. He gave us just enough time in each location to see and feel, and eat and drink, the particular flavor of that region. The hotels were very nice and in great locations, and in some cases exceptional. The guides and drivers were all committed to making sure we were comfortable and having the experience we hoped for.

We cannot say enough about the quality of the local partners. All were of a very high standard of customer service.

Our guides in São Miguel made sure we had the true feeling of the islands.

Our guide in Porto was a force that we were able to enjoy. We loved her dedication to the local communities, especially the fishing villages. It was special spending that time with her.

Our guide was inspirational in the Douro Valley.

And in Lisbon, many thanks to our guide for bringing us close to his heart and sharing so much with us. He was very educational and fun. At the same time, no one could surpass our other guide. We loved her style and energy. We had such a wonderful experience with both of them. We would love to travel with them again.

Thank you for helping us make wonderful memories and we will spread the word about you to all of our traveling friends.

We will be back in touch for our next trip!

My wife and I have been lucky enough to travel to many places around the world, but our April 2025 journey organized by Zicasso's tour company was easily one of the best. Our agent and her team thought of every detail. All we had to do was show up and enjoy these two beautiful countries!

We went to Four cities: Lisbon, Porto, San Sebastián, and Barcelona. The itineraries were thoughtfully planned to give us great experiences without wearing us out too much. And the guides in each city were fun, knowledgeable, and engaging. The transportation was always easy and on time, and the hotels were top-notch.