Flavors of Portugal - Porto to Lisbon

It is a 5-night, 6-day guided tour running north to south, from Porto to Lisbon. You arrive in Porto on day one and the tour ends after breakfast on day six with a transfer to Lisbon airport. There is also a Lisbon to Porto version of the same route if you would rather finish in the north.

Day one is arrival in Porto with a guided sightseeing tour and a welcome dinner. Day two is the Douro region, with Regua, a tasting at a local estate, lunch at a quinta and a boat trip on the river. Day three is Aveiro then Fatima. Day four is Obidos, Cabo da Roca and Sintra, ending in Lisbon. Day five is a full day in Lisbon, and day six is the airport transfer.

Included are bed and breakfast from the night of day one to breakfast on day six in a four-star hotel, a lunch at a quinta, drinks at meals, a grand tourism coach and a tour guide per the programme, entrance fees to the church and cloisters of the Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon and the City Palace in Sintra, the visits and tastings in the programme, the Douro boat trip, and dinner every night including a Fado evening in Lisbon.

Accommodation is in four-star hotels on a bed and breakfast basis, from the night of day one through to breakfast on day six. You stay two nights in Porto, one night in the Fatima area and two nights in Lisbon, so there are only two changes of hotel across the whole tour. Exact hotel names for your departure are confirmed with your booking.

Breakfast is included every morning, dinner is included every night, and there is one lunch at a quinta in the Douro. The other lunches are free time, so you can choose where to eat. Drinks are included with the included meals at a set allowance per person, covering water and a house beverage. Anything beyond that allowance is payable locally.

Day two is a full day out from Porto into the Douro. You visit Regua, the capital of the Douro region, with its green terraced landscape, then a local producer for a tasting, followed by lunch at a quinta, or estate. In the afternoon there is a boat trip on the river before you return to your Porto hotel for dinner.

The cruise runs from Pinhao upstream to Tua and back to Pinhao and takes about two hours. Pinhao sits in the heart of the demarcated Douro region, and this stretch has some of the most dramatic terraced hillsides on the river. It is included in the tour price and is the best way to see the valley from water level.

A moliceiro is a small, brightly coloured flat-bottomed boat with painted bow and stern, traditionally used for harvesting seaweed in the lagoon at Aveiro. Aveiro is known as the Portuguese Venice for its canal system, and a mini-cruise aboard a moliceiro is included on day three.

Ovos moles are an Aveiro speciality: a sweet egg-yolk filling inside a thin wafer shell, often shaped like shells or fish. A short workshop on how they are made is included on day three, along with a tasting. Before it, you stop at Aveiro's railway station to see the tile panels on the facade that illustrate the monuments of the city and the region.

On the afternoon of day three you continue to Fatima and visit the Sanctuary, one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world, with time at leisure afterwards. You overnight in the area, so if your visit coincides with a pilgrimage day you can see the evening devotions as well as the basilica and the vast prayer esplanade.

Obidos is a beautifully preserved fortified town dating from the Middle Ages, with picturesque streets inside its walls. The visit includes a tasting of the local Ginginha speciality, traditionally served in a small chocolate cup, and the chance to watch a local artisan hand-painting tiles. Both are included in the tour price.

Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point of continental Europe, a headland of high cliffs above the Atlantic west of Sintra. The tour stops there on day four, between Obidos and Sintra. It is exposed and often windy even in summer, so take a jacket for the short walk out to the viewpoint and the lighthouse.

Sintra combines mountain-top medieval fortifications, fairytale palaces, lush forest and elaborate gardens in one place, and was the favoured residence of Portugal's rulers for six centuries. Entry to the City Palace in Sintra is included in the tour price, and the Pena Palace is one of the listed highlights of the journey before you continue to Lisbon for the night.

Day five explores one of Europe's oldest capitals, starting in Belem, from where the caravels of the Discoveries set out. You visit the church and cloisters of the Jeronimos Monastery, a masterpiece of Manueline art with entry included, and see the Tower of Belem from outside, with a chance to try the famous pastel de Belem. The day also includes the Tile Museum and a tile-making workshop.

One of the included dinners in Lisbon is accompanied by Fado, the melancholy Portuguese song style that UNESCO recognises as intangible cultural heritage. It is performed live while you dine, and it is included in the tour price rather than being an optional extra. It makes a fitting last evening of the tour.

The tour begins in Porto on day one with a transfer to your hotel, and ends on day six with a transfer to Lisbon airport, so book an arrival flight into Porto and a departure flight from Lisbon. International flights are not included. Many travellers add a night in Porto beforehand or in Lisbon afterwards, which we can arrange.

Yes, and it is designed to work that way. It makes a natural pre-tour before the Trans-Iberian Express, El Transcantabrico Gran Lujo or the Costa Verde Express, all of which continue into Spain. As Official Representative and Authorized Renfe Sales Agent for Spain's luxury trains, we can book both the tour and the train and line up the dates so the transfer works.

The lead-in fare is from about 2,475 euros per person sharing a twin or double room, covering the five nights of four-star hotel accommodation with breakfast, all dinners, the quinta lunch, the coach, guide, entrance fees, tastings and the Douro boat trip. Fares vary by departure date, so the exact fare for each date is shown on this page.

Yes, a room for sole use can be arranged on request at a supplement over the sharing fare. Because the supplement depends on the hotels held for your particular departure, it is quoted individually rather than published. Ask a travel specialist and we will confirm the single rate in writing before you book.

Email travel@palacetours.com, call 786-408-0610 or message https://wa.me/17864080610, and a travel specialist or our AI assistant will help. Departures run from late September to the end of November 2026 and every date listed on this page is bookable directly. A deposit of 25 percent confirms your place, with the balance due 65 days before departure.