Stepping into Portugal’s Storied Past: Two Week Historical Tour

What to expect on this itinerary
This 2-week Portugal tour immerses you in the country’s cultural delights and storied past. While Portugal is not as widely known as Greece is for it’s history, Portugal is a country that is home to thousands of years of history and is often overlooked by travelers. Uncover the historical treasures of Obidos, follow in the footsteps of the Knights Templar, and attend an authentic fado performance.
Customizable Itinerary
Lisbon – Introductory Tour
When you arrive in Lisbon, a private driver will be waiting to greet and transfer you to your accommodation in the heart of the city. Upon your arrival, you will have some time to settle in and relax after the long flight before meeting your guide for a private tour of the city. Your tour will focus on the historical gems of the city, such as the Alfama district, Castelo de São Jorge, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, and Torre de Belém. After your tour, you will have the remainder of the evening to spend at your leisure.
What's Included:
Sintra – The World of Sintra
Cascais – Morning in Estoril
Cascais – The Queluz National Palace
Obidos – Visit Mafra’s Palace
Obidos – Alcobaca & Batalha
Nazare – A Charming Fishing Village
Nazare – Morning Yoga Session
Fatima – The Chapel of the Apparitions
Tomar – The Knights Templar
Coimbra – The Origins of Coimbra
Porto – Attend a Fado Performance
Porto – Enjoy a Dinner Cruise
Porto – Departure
Trip Highlights
- Take a private tour of Lisbon’s historical highlights, including Castelo de São Jorge, the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, and the Torre de Belém
- Spend a day in the land of Sintra, perusing the Pena Palace and Sintra town
- Marvel at the treasures of Obidos, which is Portugal’s iconic medieval village
- Marvel at the Batalha Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória and appreciate its impressive cloisters
- Visit Nazare and explore Portugal’s most charming fishing village
- Delve into the fascinating stories that surround the Virgin Mary and her past ties to the pilgrimage site of Fatima
- Follow in the footsteps of the Knights Templar on an exciting visit to Tomar
- Venture into Porto’s past on a private tour of its historical sites and attend an authentic fado performance
- Explore Coimbra and its wealth of history during a private tour
- Embark on a dinner cruise during a delightful evening in Porto
Detailed Description
This 14-day Portugal tour begins in Lisbon. Here, you will spend your first evening on a private tour of the city’s highlights, such as the Belem Tower. You will then make your way to Sintra, where you will have the opportunity to explore Pena Palace and Sintra town. Cascais will beckon to you on day three, and after spending the morning in Estoril, you will spend the evening along Cascais’ lovely streets. You will then journey to the Queluz National Palace for a private tour.
The following day, you will embark on a tour of Mafra, during which you will be afforded visits to its resident palace and medieval village of Obidos. The historical enclaves of Alcobaca and Batalha will host you the following day. Here, you can visit the Mosteiro de Santa Maria and the Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória. You will then venture to Nazare, which is Portugal’s most famous fishing village. From Nazare, you will travel to the religious pilgrimage site of Fatima, where you will learn about the city’s ties to the Virgin Mary.
Tomar will be your next stop, and here, you will follow in the footsteps of the Knights Templar. You will then travel to Coimbra before continuing to Porto. In Porto, you will spend a day exploring the city’s iconic sites before attending an authentic fado performance. Your final full day in Portugal will be spent visiting Braga and Guimaraes.
Starting Price
$4,600 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 1361 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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