Illuminating Tour of Portugal’s Historic & Cultural Roots
What to expect on this itinerary
The history of Portugal fascinates the world, and this 10-day Portugal tour immerses you in the storied history of the country. Attend a private yoga session by the river, marvel at the archaeological wonders of Citania de Briteiros, follow in the footsteps of the Knights Templar, and witness the location where Portugal’s first king was born.
Customizable Itinerary
Porto – Walking Tour of the City
Your trip will begin in Porto, where a private driver will greet and escort you to the comfort of your accommodation. After having some time to relax after your flight, your guide will lead you on a walking tour of the city. You will begin in Porto’s city center before being led to the Church of Santa Clara, Liberdade Square, the monument to King Peter IV of Portugal, the Ponte de Dom Luis I bridge, and Ribeira Square. After your tour concludes, your guide can provide you with excelling dining recommendations.
What's Included:
Ponte De Lima – Citania De Briteiros
Ponte De Lima - Riverside Yoga
Braga – Portugal’s Oldest Cathedral
Guimaraes – Portugal’s First King
Chaves – Sip the Wine of the Dead
Coimbra – Portugal’s Oldest University
Tomar – The Past of the Knights Templar
Sintra – Visit Sintra and Cascais
Sintra – Departure
Trip Highlights
- Stroll through Porto on a walking tour that will introduce you to some of the city’s oldest sites
- Take an evening stroll around Ponte de Lima and marvel at its iconic bridge
- Indulge in a private yoga session by the river in Ponte de Lima before embarking on a tour centered around the region’s folklore
- Visit the archaeological wonders of Citania de Briteiros
- Witness the Bom Jesus sanctuary in Braga and visit the oldest cathedral in the country
- Visit the location where Portugal’s first king was born before learning about the hamlet of Guimaraes
- Be captivated by Coimbra’s ancient past and peruse the city’s oldest gems
- Dive into the dramatic history of the Knights Templar on an interactive tour
Detailed Description
This 10-day Portugal tour has been catered to the history lover in you. This Portuguese escapade will begin in Porto, where you will have a private tour that will immerse you in the historical gems of the city. The following day, you will transfer to Ponte de Lima. En route, you will stop at Citania de Briteiros, which is a well-preserved Celto-Iberian village. Upon your arrival in Ponte de Lima, you will spend the afternoon and evening along the riverside and among the charming streets of the city.
After waking in Ponte de Lima, you will enjoy a private yoga session along the river before having a private tour of the city. The next day, you will venture to Braga, where you will witness the Bom Jesus. In Guimaraes, you will witness where Portugal’s first king was born.
Chaves will be your next destination. Here, you can indulge in the area’s natural springs before learning about and sampling the “wine of the dead.” The next day, you will transfer to Coimbra for a tour of the oldest university in Portugal, the Se Velha, and more. The Knights Templar and their storied past will present you with your next adventure.
Sintra and its architectural wonders will serve as your next point of interest before you transfer to Cascais. Here, the Pena Palace and the shoreline of Cascais are premier highlights.
Starting Price
$3,900 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 1340 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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