Portugal: Lisbon, Porto & the Douro

Upon your arrival in the dynamic capital city of Lisbon enjoy a private transfer to your hotel where you will have the rest of the day free to unwind from your journey, settle into your hotel and explore the local neighborhood.

A tour of the city is on the agenda for today. Your private guide will help you get acquainted with the various parts of town. You will wander along the winding streets and up into the hilltop lookouts, ride one of the iconic yellow trams and head up an antiquated funicular. The tour includes a visit to the Park and National Palace of Pena to the northeast of the city, a former monastery surrounded by magnificent parkland.

After breakfast, you meet your private driver and guide for a more historic tour of Lisbon. The city has been visited by various civilizations, including Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Moors and the Portuguese after 1147. This tour covers the Alfama, Lisbon's oldest neighborhood, St. George Castle, the downtown district and Chiado. You will also visit The Tile Museum, which covers the tile-making process from the pottery to the painting – and includes a private tile-painting class.

Today enjoy a 3.5-hour private transfer north to the city of Porto on the Douro River. En route, your driver will stop at Coimbra, where you will meet a local guide to explore several historical relics, including the Chapel of São Miguel and its Baroque library. After the tour, you continue to Porto and check into your hotel in the city’s historic district, which offers a beautiful view of the famous Avenida dos Aliados.

A tour of Porto highlights the city's trendiest and most cultural regions, Boavista and Foz, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed historical city center, the Church of San Francisco, the Stock Exchange Palace and a few renowned wine cellars. The perfume of the slowly aged port wine will fill the air as you cross the D. Luis Bridge, and you will learn everything about one of the most coveted beverages in the world.

After breakfast today, you depart for the Douro Valley, a 90-minute journey eastward. On arrival, you will meet your private driver and guide for a tour of the area. The first stop is Peso da Régua, which was chosen as the center of one of the world's first demarcated regions by the Marquis of Pombal. The second stop is the Vila Real district, which includes the Mateus Manor House, which was built in the 18th century by one of northern Portugal's wealthiest families. After strolling through the streets of Vila Real’s historic center your private driver will transfer you to the hotel.

Today, the driver will take you to a traditional manor house for a morning cooking class to immerse yourself in the Douro's rich history, culinary traditions and wine culture. The Viscountess will lead you on a tour of her beautiful countryside estate, its grounds filled with olive groves and organic gardens. After the lesson, lunch will be served in the elegant dining room or al fresco on the patio, where you can sample the dishes you prepared. The rest of the day is at leisure.

This morning after breakfast meet with your private driver and guide and travel to the Quinta do Noval winery which is located in the Cima Corgo, just a few miles from the small town of Pinhão in the heart of the Douro Valley. It is renowned for producing some of history's most recognized port wines and for pioneering the first stratified port wine bottle. After being welcomed to the estate, you will have the opportunity to explore the property and its cellar, where you will feel the weight of history in every corner, enjoying a wine tasting and a delicious lunch before returning to the hotel.

After breakfast, enjoy a private transfer back to Porto to spend the rest of the day at your leisure.

Your amazing visit to Portugal comes to an end today, with a transfer back to the airport ahead of your return flight home.