Hidden Treasures of Portugal Tour for Elderly Travelers
What to expect on this itinerary
For years, travelers have come from all corners of the globe to witness the wonders of Portugal, such as its storied history and well-known palaces. This customizable 10-day Portugal tour leads you to off-the-beaten-path gems of Portugal that are often overlooked. Indulge in a boat tour down the Douro River, visit the archaeological wonders of Citania de Briteiros, go on a kayaking adventure, and spend an evening on a farmstead.
Customizable Itinerary
Porto – Sail down the Douro River
When you land in Porto, your private driver will greet and transfer you to your accommodation in the city. After having some time to relax and settle in, you will sail down the Douro River. For your tour, you will be guided by a local fisherman on their actual boat. After enjoying the gorgeous views during your sail, you will return to your accommodation for the evening. You will have the remainder of the evening to spend at your leisure.
What's Included:
Ponte De Lima – Archaeological Wonders
Ponte De Lima – Kayaking and Touring
Serra da Penada – Hiking and Glamping
Miranda do Douro – Informal Cooking Course
Piodao – Peruse Piodao Village
Serpa – Portugal’s Finest Fare
Sao Domingos – A Former Mining Town
Alcoutim – Algarve’s Most Peaceful Town
Alcoutim – Departure
Trip Highlights
- Savor the flavors of Serpa, which is an idyllic village in Southern Portugal that is known for its amazing sheep’s milk cheese and Alentejo fare
- Escape for a day in the most peaceful town in the Algarve and explore an ancient castle
- Go on a hiking and glamping adventure in the protected area of Serra de Peneda, which will give you the chance to reconnect with nature
- Visit the archaeological wonders of Citania de Briteiros and be amazed as you step into this ancient site
- Indulge in an intriguing and intimate private tour down Porto’s Douro River, which will allow you to see the sights with a local fisherman
- Spend a morning kayaking along a river in Ponte de Lima before touring the historical gems of the iconic town
- Tour of the former mining settlement of Sao Domingos before spending the evening on a working farmstead
Detailed Description
Designed specifically with seniors in mind, this exciting 10-day Portugal tour offers intrepid travelers an authentic and off-the-beaten-path experience. From sailing down the Douro River with a local fisherman to hiking in the pristine wilderness of Serra de Peneda, this curated journey will lead you on an exhilarating and enlightening adventure.
Your journey will begin in Porto, where you will spend your first evening sailing down the Douro River with your fisherman guide. As you begin your first full day in Portugal, you will head to Citania de Briteiros to view the archeological wonders, including ancient ruins of a fortified village from more than 2,000 years ago. You will then spend the evening in Ponte de Lima.
After spending the evening along the river in Ponte de Lima, you will enjoy a morning kayak adventure before taking a historical tour of the city, which will include its medieval bridge. A hiking and glamping excursion in Serra da Peneda is how you will spend your next day. This will be followed by a trip back in time to Miranda do Douro, where you will witness an authentic folk dance and learn how to make a delicious Portuguese dish from a secret family recipe.
The village of Piodao will be your destination for day six. After spending the day delving into the past among its historical gems, you will head to Serpa on day seven to taste some of the country’s finest fare, including fresh sheep milk’s cheese.
Day eight will find you heading to Sao Domingos, which is a former mining town. Here, you can explore the ghostly remnants of a once-thriving town before spending the night on a unique and fascinating working farmstead. Your final stop on your exploration of Portugal will be Alcoutim, which is known as the Algarve’s most peaceful town. Here, you can escape from it all and roam among the town’s resident castle.
Each night during your trip, you will stay in luxurious accommodations and have all the logistics taken care of, including all private transfers to and from every destination. You can further customize this itinerary once you are in Portugal to better suit your moods and interests.
Starting Price
$3,300 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
The starting price is based on travel during the low season for a minimum of two travelers staying in shared 3-star accommodations. Please inquire for a custom trip quote based on your travel preferences and travel dates.
Verified Traveler Reviews
Based on 1368 reviews
The trip was very well organized; Zicasso's travel company listened to our wishes and delivered. We would definitely use you again and would highly recommend. We were very happy with Zicasso's travel designer's communication and quick responses.
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My husband and I traveled with our two adult children for 12 days through Portugal. Our trip was absolutely amazing, with every transfer, lodging, and tour detail seemingly tailored especially for us. Zicasso's travel expert was so wonderful to talk with as he planned our trip; he asked great questions to understand what kind of travelers we are and our interests. Our itinerary was perfect as we reviewed it prior to our trip, but as we experienced every transfer guide, tour specialist, and lodging, we could not have asked for a better experience. "Mahalo nui" (thank you so much) for helping us to experience your beautiful country and your even more beautiful and kind people. We can't wait for our trip back.
I wanted to make a special note of recognition about our transfer drivers/guides: they were absolutely amazing; so experienced and warm. We all enjoyed learning from them about Portugal and just felt so very well taken care of as they seamlessly transported us through your beautiful country and made sure we knew where to go and where to meet later. One of our drivers walked us through a local pastry shop to see the pastries being made; without him, we would have surely missed that experience. In Douro, another driver recommended a "locals" restaurant down the hill from our hotel. The owner was so kind he arranged for our server to drive us up the steep and winding hill to our hotel! These "special" experiences so reminded us of our beautiful Hawai'i and the spirit of "aloha" we felt so strongly in Portugal! At our departure, another driver walked us with our luggage into the airport departure terminal and showed us where to go (it was so much larger than any terminal we had been in). We would surely have been lost without his expert guidance.
Your tour guide selections were all simply amazing. We felt each guide's love ("aloha" for us) and attachment to each place we visited. We cannot thank you enough for all your work in planning so that we could truly enjoy and now have lasting memories until we return again.
With much "aloha" and gratitude, our "'ohana."
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My wife and I recently returned from our trip to Portugal, booked with Zicasso's tour operator, and let me say, we could not have been happier. She helped us create an ideal trip in a little over a month, since we decided to book a relatively last-minute getaway.
Our travel expert was a pleasure to work with. We told her what we were looking for and she put together a fantastic itinerary for us. We were beyond happy with the hotels she suggested and booked, as well as every excursion, including private hikes and boat tours. Every part of the trip was well coordinated, including all the private transfers and guides, who were all exceptional themselves. She even met us at the airport when we arrived and even saw us off at the end of our trip, helping guide us around the airport to make that as efficient as possible.
Even on the days we had to ourselves without any planned excursions, she still put together a tentative itinerary, including suggestions of what to explore based on the location we were at.
Our travel expert was very responsive throughout our planning and you can tell she really cares about making her clients' experience the best it can possibly be. We cannot say enough good things about this company and therefore, highly recommend them if you are looking to travel to Portugal. Thank you again!
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The trip was well planned by Zicasso's tour company, with only one scheduling snafu. The hotels were nice. The travel agents were very communicative and helpful.
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Zicasso's travel designer was a great travel agent. She came up with great options, found us some interesting and unusual experiences (a porcelain factory, a unique silversmith in Lisboa), and was incredibly available to help us through the inevitable glitches.
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Wow! Zicasso's travel designer put together a truly amazing trip, with some of the best drivers, guides, and tours we've ever had! I can't say enough good things about this trip! We really appreciated the close communication and the emergency number when we arrived, just in case we needed anything. Some of the experiences were beyond our imagination and I'm so glad we had her to plan this for us. I highly recommend her and the travel company!
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