Lisbon and the Charming South of Portugal

This holiday can start on any date you request with arrival to Lisbon or Porto.

Day One - Arrive Lisbon and transfer to your hotel for 2 nights

Lisbon is one of the least visited of the ancient European capitals. A fascinating city which lays itself out like a map, tracing the indelible marks left by its colourful and diverse history and cultural influences. Much remains of this Golden Age with castles, monasteries, towers and palaces defining the skyline but the real joy of Lisbon is in soaking up its laid back feel, loosing yourself in the cobbled village-like streets, taking a ride on yellow trams and dining in a pretty shaded square.

Day Two - Morning walking tour of the Alfama quarter

This morning you will meet with a guide for a fascinating tour around the medieval Alfama quarter. Hear the tales and legends of the Visigoths, Romans, Moors, crusaders and Kings as you wander past whitewashed houses and Fado taverns in the narrow streets, stairways and viewpoints.

The tour will finish with a Pasteis de Belem (custard tart) in a traditional café.

In the afternoon you will be free to explore deeper into the barrios or visit some of Lisbon’s new “niche museums” particularly the awe-inspiring collection at the Museu Gulbenkian.

Day Three - Collect your hire car and transfer to Evora for 2 nights

Today you will leave behind the cosmopolitan city and head east into the sunbaked, agricultural landscape of the Alentejo region. Here you find Evora. An impressive city, widely considered the most interesting and enjoyable of Portugal! Shaped by its Roman and later Moorish past, it has the best preserved Roman temple in Portugal and a delightful historical centre full of cascading white washed houses and noble palaces.

The town is bursting with convents, palaces, museums and churches – a UNESCO World Heritage site; it is surely the finest example of “The Golden Age” of Portugal.

Day Four - A day exploring the surrounds of Evora

The area around Evora is as fascinating as the town itself dotted with castles, megalithic burial sites and stone circles and a car is the best way to see all these out of the way treasures. A circular drive take you from the spectacular Evoramonte Castle; on to the carpet selling town of Arraiolos and south to the megalithic archeological sites to see dolmens and stone circles enchanted by local legends.

You can also visit Elvas, an episcopal city almost on the border with Spain. It is truly one of Portugal’s hidden gems and one of the most fortified towns in Euros. Layers of interconnecting walls and battlements that create a unique star shape when see from above. An inspiring day!

Day Five - Transfer to Mertola for 1 night

Today head further south through the unpopulated plains of rural, un-spoilt Portugal with rolling farms; medieval fortifications and humble, sleepy towns. Your destination is Mertola; a beautiful town set high on an outpost above two rivers, guarded by the remains of a Moorish castle. The town is set within the Natural Park of Vale do Guadiana where the Black Stork and many other interesting and endangered wildlife species can be seen.

Day Six - Transfer to Estoi, Faro for 2 nights

Today you will touch the coast of the Algarve at Vila Real de Santo Antonio, right on the Spanish border; and actually one of the most architecturally interesting towns of the Algarve which was based on the Baixa quarter of Lisbon. As you continue east along the coast you will drive through the Natural Reserve of Ria Formosa with its stunning inland beaches, lagoons and hundreds of sand bank Islands until finally you reach Faro; the capital of the Algarve and a good base to explore the nearby coastal villages and take a boat trip to the surrounding islands “ilhas”.

A perfect time for a stroll back in time around the old part of the town, lined with cobbled streets, Moorish and 18th Century Portuguese architecture and experience the traditional Algarve cuisine at one of the many quaint local restaurants.

Your hotel is based just 14km from Faro, in the foothills of the Serra do Caldeirào; a laid back village with cobbled streets, in an 18th century palace of Rococo architecture.

Day Seven - A day to explore and maybe take a boat trip around the Islands

This morning you could take a boat trip from Faro on a traditional Portuguese boat to explore the channels, lagoons and paradise like islands that make up the beautiful Algarve coastline. Experience the unique habitat of the area, local wildlife and traditional economic activities such as clam farming.

In the afternoon you could relax the beach or maybe take the car to explore the mountains where you can discover the most genuine characteristics of the regions culture amidst the untouched tiny villages & rural farmhouses.

Day Eight - Transfer to Sagres for 1 night

Today you head further west to the point which was once considered the end of the world and where it was said “the setting sun made the waters of the ocean boil each evening”. Sagres is the south-westerly tip of Europe and it was at this wind-swept, rugged headland that Prince Henry the Navigator gathered all the great mariners, cartographers, astronomers & ship builders together to build and navigate the ships that brought about the Age of Discovery.

The coastline is exposed and dramatic but the town of Sagres is sheltered and picturesque – locals grill small fish in the street outside their houses and bistro style restaurants line the squares where the townsmen play boules.

Day Nine - Transfer back to Lisbon for 1 night

Your journey back to Lisbon from the most southwesterly point of Europe takes you along one of the most under developed and untouched coastlines of Europe. The whole area is a designated nature reserve with white sand beaches, dramatic cliffs and huge sand dunes.

Day Ten - Overnight in Lisbon before saying farewell to Portugal!