9 days & 8 nights package – Flavours of Portugal

After breakfast explore the Portuguese Capital. Lisbon tour by TUK TUK with food & wine experience (duration 2:30 hours).

The most authentic experience of Lisbon combining history, iconic sights and portuguese gastronomy. See some of the typical Lisbon quarters, admire beautiful views of the ‘city of seven hills’ and experience some portuguese ‘tapas’ and wines. Lunch and time at leisure.

Dinner at Bairro do Avillez (not included) in Chiado quarter. Spacious and surprising, with different eating areas inspired by the best Portuguese flavors and owned by Jose Avillez, a two Michelin star Portuguese chef, considered one of the great references of gastronomy in Portugal. Overnight in Lisbon

After breakfast leave Lisbon and travel through Alentejo region, filled with flavours, landscapes, tradition and historical legacies.

Stop to check out the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Évora city. Walk through its narrow streets with white houses and see along the way Praça do Giraldo, the Cathedral and Sao Francisco Church with its curious Chapel of Bones, the Roman Temple, known as ‘Templo de Diana’.

Stop at Ferreira do Alentejo, to visit ‘Oliveira da Serra’ the largest olive grove in the country and the winner for the World’s Best Olive Oil on various occasions (the most award-winning Portuguese olive oil brand in the World). Continue to Beja and overnight.

Check out after breakfast and explore Beja , the major town of lower Alentejo region. Walk around the town and visit Santiago Church, the Cathedral and the Castle Keep, known as ‘Torre de Menagem’, and climb to its top to admire beautiful countryside view.

Visit ‘HERDADE dos GROUS for wine tasting and lunch with ‘Wine Pairing´ menu (included).

Magnificent country estate 'Herdade dos Grous' nestled in beautiful countryside composed of olive groves, cork oak forests and vineyards, located in ‘Baixo Alentejo’, about 20 minutes drive from Beja.

'Herdade dos Grous' (estate of the cranes) is an exquisite country estate that offers tranquility and unspoilt nature on more than 2718 acres. Splendid colorful gardens, an artificial lake, vineyards and olive groves. Visitors can learn all about olive plantations, organic farming and the cultivation of top-class awarded premium wines

Alentejo is a wine producing region with a long tradition and known for its excellence. The distinct characteristics of the soils, the long hours of sun exposure and a group of selected grape varieties enable high quality production, combined with the ability to preserve the tradition of flavor.

Continue south driving along Alentejo flatness fields of cork trees, vineyards and olive trees, were landscape combines with the sun, the heat and a slower pace of life. Arrive at the Algarve district and overnight in Lagos.

After breakfast take an adventure Kayak guided tour(included) for two and half hours, weather permitting, and explore amazing caves and grottoes and the beautiful hidden beaches, a real paradise for nature lovers. Stop at a secluded beach and try some snorkeling to admire the crystal clear waters. Some beaches around Lagos are considered the most beautiful in the Algarve. Lunch at leisure in a local restaurant.

In the afternoon visit Lagos, a beautiful and historical city. It was here that, in the 15th century, Henry the Navigator led the Portuguese into the Age of Discoveries, the epic journey discovering other peoples and cultures, setting off for the coast of Africa and finding that Cape Bojador was not the End of the World.

Stroll through the streets of Lagos historic centre and the charm of this ancient city. Visit the Church of Santo António, and the Municipal Museum, with an interesting collection of archaeology and sacred art. Continue to Praça Infante D. Henrique, where the first slave market in Europe was held, a space now transformed into a cultural centre for exhibitions and handicrafts shop.

Dinner at leisure. Try the local cuisine, being the main ingredients the fish and shellfish: from snacks with clams, prawns, octopus, squid, soups and açordas (bread casserole), carapaus alimados (skinned marinated horse mackerel),  dom rodrigo (egg and almond sweet) a magnific local specialty , a recipe from the nuns of Nossa Senhora do Carmo Covent. Overnight in Lagos

Breakfast in your hotel. Drive to Ponta da Piedade promontory and admire  the magnificient views of the Atlantic and rock formations. Continue to Sagres and Cape St. Vincent, the most western point of Europe. Admire the unspoilt coastline, with its dramatic horizons of cliffs where the sea is a constant presence and where nature combines with history to create a unique region. A place surrounded by a mythical atmosphere, with memories of the Portuguese Discoveries and the enigmatic figure of Prince Henry the Navigator.

Drive to one of Sagres beachs for a surf lesson (not included), optional and weather permitting. Lunch at leisure in a local restaurant.

After lunch take the road and continue discovering the Algarve, the most southern region of Portugal with over 3,000 hours of sunshine per year and a low annual average rainfall. The hallmark of the region are the beaches of fine white sand that stretch for around 200 kms of coastline.

Drive to Silves, a pretty and historical town once the capital of the ancient Arab kingdom of Algarve.

Take a walk through narrow streets up to the Castle considered the most beautiful military monument from Islamic Portugal. Built on a hill for territory defense purposes, offers today excellent views over the fertile fields covered with orange trees. See the Cathedral, once an ancient great Mosque,  with Gothic and Baroque influences. Silves was conquered from the Moors in 1189 by King Sancho I, but they were only finally expelled in 1242 under King Afonso III.

Continue  to Faro, the capital of the Algarve since 1756, and also the gateway for those arriving by plane. The Manuel Bivar Gardens are a beautiful reception area for visitors,  overlooking the marina, the Ria Formosa and the sea. Overnight in Faro.

After breakfast drive to Olhão, a lovely town with houses built in the shape of white cubes, like a north african style house.  Fishing was for many years the main source of income in Olhão and you may experience that  atomosphere by visiting the typical and lively  fish and vegetable  market.  Lunch at leisure at the right place to experience new Algarvian flavours like the famous grilled sardines or  ‘xerem’ a typical dish made out of corn flour normally combined with clams, shellfish or a very small type of fish.

Continue to the charming  town of Castro Marim, located on the bank of Guadiana river which marks the Portugal’s frontier with Spain. The spanish town of  Ayamonte is about 10 minutes away by car.

This humid zone known as the Marshland Nature Reserve of Castro Marim  is a privileged site for the reproduction of fish, crustaceans and shellfish, that find shelter before they venture the sea.

Visit the natural salt pans,         which for centuries was the main source of the region. Learn about the traditional hand harvesting process dating back to Roman times, that enable to produce a truly natural gourmet salt called ‘Flor de Sal’. Flor de Sal is the cream of the crop, a thin and glistening layer of flaky crystals formed at the surface, very rich in minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium. This specific composition gives it a distinctive flavour, a world away from common table salt and other processed sea salts. Flor de Sal is a perfect finishing salt for everyday use and brings a special taste to all prepared dishes.

Experience the Spa set within the salt pans (included). Take a mineral bath in hot mineral waters highly rich in salt minerals which help relaxing.

Take the road back and visit the small village of Cacela Velha with whitewashed single-storey houses and admire the magnificient views over the sea and the vast dunes  of  Ria Formosa  Natural  Park.

Continue to Tavira, one of the most picturesque towns in the Algarve. Among the charms of Tavira we may find the narrow streets along the River Gilão,  the castle walls for fine views of the town, the Church of Misericordia with its Renaissance doorway among a multitude of churches spread throughout the town.

Return to Faro to be at the local restaurant for 6.30 pm.

‘Tertulia Algarvia’ restaurant  (included)       - a gastronomic experience ‘From Kitchen to Table’ including a brief history of the ‘cataplana’, a cookery workshop, a full meal and a participation certificate.

Overnight in Faro.

After breakfast  and before heading back to Lisbon, take sometime to walk around  the old fortified city of Faro, the capital of Algarve.  Cross the ’Arco da Vila’ that gives access to the old town. Here you will find the 11th century Arab Gateway, the oldest horseshoe arch in the country, which was the gate through the walls for those arriving by sea. From here, a tangle of streets begins and are well worth meandering through to explore their nooks and crannies. Many archaeological finds that testify to the city's history are to be found in the Municipal Museum at the 16th century Convent of ‘Nossa Senhora da Assunção’. In Largo da Sé, dominated by the buildings of the Bishops’ Palace, you will find the Cathedral, erected in 1251 after the Christian recon quest on the site formerly occupied by the mosque. Inside is one of the most remarkable collections from the 17th and 18th centuries in the Algarve, a period that is also well represented in the Church of São Francisco with its beautiful gilt carvings and tiles. Nearby lie the two watchtowers that protected the Arco do Repouso, so named because, according to the story, it was here that King Afonso III rested during the conquest of Faro.

In the afternoon leave the Algarve. On your way back and before taking the Vasco da Gama bridge to Lisbon stop at Freeport Fashion Outlet for some shopping.

Check-in at your hotel and get ready for the unique experience of Fado, one of Lisbon’s pearls and part of UNESCO’s  World Cultural Heritage. Dine at São Miguel d’Alfama Fado Restaurant, a family owned restaurant  and  one of the oldest in the Alfama quarter, with daily young voices that dare to continue the tradition of Fado (dinner and drinks included).

Overnight in Lisbon

Breakfast at your hotel.

Leave your car at Lisbon airport, check-in and board your flight back home.