Insider’s Tour of Lisbon: One-Week Cultural Exploration

Our Zicasso travel agent curated a private tour for the six of us, including the perfect mix of historical, gastronomical, wine, and cultural experiences. 

We stayed in Lisbon, Évora, the Dao Valley, the Douro Valley, and Porto. We traveled in a comfortable Mercedes van and, to break up our trips, we stopped at amazing sites along the way as we traveled from city to city. 

Some of our favorite things were a private sunset sail in Lisbon, a fado dinner, the Évora Cathedral, a cork trek and wine tasting in Alentejo, the monastery at Batalha, wine tastings in Santar (Dao Valley), a boat ride on the Douro, wine tastings and hiking in the Douro Valley, the Bom Jesus shrine in Braga, the Port tasting and dinner in Porto, and multiple pastry tastings along the way. 

Our guides were fantastic. They were attentive, on time, and very knowledgeable about the history and culture of each place we visited. 

There were very few issues on our 17-day tour, which was literally one of the smoothest and best-curated trips we have ever had. We will use our travel company and agent again as we intend to go back to Porto and the Douro Valley.

The travel agent from Zicasso's tour company planned for my family of four the most spectacular and luxurious two-week trip around Portugal. We traveled to and enjoyed the highlights of Lisbon, the romantic architecture in Sintra, the incredible history of Évora, the beautiful coastline of the Algarve, the laid-back atmosphere and gorgeous scenery of Madeira, the beautiful, historical, bustling city of Porto, and the stunning scenery of the Douro Valley. 

The travel agent's suggestions and bookings were all perfectly aligned with what we envisioned and the accommodations booked were all beautifully appointed and family-oriented – five-star hotels that catered to the entire family, with indoor pools and kids greeted with backpacks and toys at the door, and nightly treats on pillows.

The tour guides booked were all very knowledgeable and kind. They were patient with my two- and four-year-olds, and taught us all so many new, amazing things.

Every day was a highlight, but I would say my girls really enjoyed the tile painting as well as the pastel de nata-making workshops.

My husband and I really enjoyed Évora and Sintra, and truly seeing the beauty and history of it all.

We absolutely fell in love with Portugal, the culture, and the food. My only regret is not having more time so we could’ve seen the Azores as well and stayed even longer. 

We so look forward to this travel agent planning us another perfect vacation in the near future!

This was a fantastic trip to Porto, Lisbon, and the surrounding areas, tailored to our needs and interests. We had an extensive walking tour of Lisbon, vineyards, and historic sites with our tour guide. Zicasso's travel agent provided personalized service consistent with a good small company. There was a rail strike while we were there and they handled it.

Zicasso’s travel specialist and company thought of everything. Everything was well planned and the private transportation and transfers to places and tours were excellent.

We particularly loved the food tours in Lisbon and Porto. The leaders were great and we learned so much while tasting and drinking delicious samples of Portuguese life and tradition.

We received information each day as to what to expect, with great detail. A “turnkey” operation without the crowds of large organized tour trips. The travel specialist did a great job! Thank you.

We loved the entire experience with our travel company. Zicasso made it easy to find them, but from there, our specialist was a great partner. She worked with me to tailor our trip to maximize each day and include experiences and places that would allow us to see the most of Lisbon and São Miguel.

Our guides were amazing! Even our tween kiddos loved one of our guides; he was so personable and knowledgeable. Both of them tailored our days to us; they were flexible with plans to accommodate tired and hungry kids, helped make lunch reservations, and knew so much about the history and culture of Portugal. We've never had a guided vacation like this before, but were highly impressed and would do it again.

Our agent and the entire team were very responsive before and during the trip. She helped find amazing hotels for our family. Highly recommended.

My wife, sister, and I had an incredible adventure in Portugal, thanks to Zicasso’s travel specialists. We spent 12 days exploring most of the UNESCO sites in the country. The weather was a challenge, but we got to see what we wanted and had some wonderful memories created along the way. The team really went out of their way to make sure we had the best possible trip.