This guided tour of Portugal is a relaxed pace, thanks to the well-planned 2-night stopovers in Lisbon, Oporto, and the Algarve, and overnights also in Tomar, Viseu, and Evora. Start and end in Lisbon, and see the interior and almost the entire coastline of Portugal. Throughout this Portugal tour, you will visit the must-see attractions, including the Ossuary Chapel in Evora, with its walls covered with thousands of human bones and skulls; the Sanctuary of our Lady of the Rosary in Fatima, a pilgrimage site where apparitions of the Virgin Mary were reported by three local children in 1917; the Church of Sao Francisco in Oporto, the city's most important gothic temple originating from the 14th century; and Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon. Built in the 16th century and now regarded as Lisbon’s most important landmark, it was traditional for Portuguese seafarers to pray in the chapel before their departure to the unknown. Enjoy the Roman ruins of Conimbriga, tour the excavations, view the well-preserved mosaics, and visit the excellent museum. Spend time in the Algarve, Portugal’s most popular vacation area, and enjoy an excursion to the Promontory of Sagres, where Henry the Navigator lived and planned his overseas expansion. For those interested in food and wine, Globus has arranged some special treats for you. Enjoy an olive oil tasting in Belmonte (birthplace of Pedro Alvares Cabral, discoverer of Brazil), a wine tasting at a Port wine cellar in Oporto, and more. All of this and much more await you on this wonderful, in-depth Portugal escorted tour—a vacation of a lifetime!

Lisbon:

LISBON

Welcome dinner; guided sightseeing, visit the Alfama quarter and Jeronimos Monastery;

enjoy a cocktail and farewell dinner

OBIDOS

Walking tour of the medieval town

ALCOBAÇA

Visit the Church of Santa Maria Monastery

NAZARÉ

Lunch break

FATIMA

Visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary

TOMAR

Visit the Convent of Christ

CONIMBRIGA

Visit the Roman ruins and the museum

COIMBRA

Visit the University Library

OPORTO

Guided sightseeing, visit the Church of Sao Francisco and the Arabian Hall in the Stock Exchange;

wine tasting at Sandeman & Co.

GUIMARAES

Walk through the medieval center

QUINTA DE AVELEDA

enjoy Portuguese tapas with wine and explore its splendid gardens

VISEU

Dinner at a local restaurant

BELMONTE

Visit the Jewish Museum;

olive oil tasting

CASTELO DE VIDE

Walk through the Jewish quarter

EVORA

visit Cork Factory, guided walking tour, visit the gothic cathedral, the Sao Francisco Church, and the Ossuary Chapel

ALGARVE

Excursion to the Promontory of Sagres, Cape St. Vincent, and Lagos

AZEITAO

Visit a tile workshop

Cabo da Roca; The most Westerly point in Continental Europe.

Somewhere out there is Cape Spare NL, the most Easterly point of North America.

Palace of Queluz: Summer Home of Queen Maria

Cacais: Hideout for spies and Royal Families fleeing the second world war, The Casino was the setting and inspiration for Ian Fleming's Book "on Majesty's Secret Service which was filmed in this town.

Monastery of St. Jerome

The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Portuguese pronunciation: [muʃˈtɐjɾu duʃ ʒɨˈɾɔnimuʃ]), is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in the parish of Belém, in the Lisbon Municipality, Portugal; it was secularised on 28 December 1833 by state decree .

Torre de Belem: prison with dungeons in the basement that became flooded with sea water waist high when the tides were high.

The first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic was made by the Portuguese naval aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral in 1922, to mark the centennial of Brazil's independence. Coutinho and Cabral flew in stages from Lisbon, Portugal, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, using three different Fairey III biplanes, and covered a distance of 8,383 kilometres (5,209 mi) between March 30 and June 17.[1][2] Although the North Atlantic had already been traversed in a non-stop flight by John Alcock and Arthur Brown in 1919, Coutinho and Cabral's flight remains notable as a milestone in transatlantic aviation, and for its use of new technologies such as the artificial horizon.[2]

Padrao dos Descobrimentos

Monument of the Discoveries) is a monument on the northern bank of the Tagus River estuary, in the civil parish of Santa Maria de Belém, Lisbon. Located along the river where ships departed to explore and trade with India and Orient, the monument celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery (or Age of Exploration) during the 15th and 16th centuries.

Alfama District - Lisbon Old Town

Alfama is Lisbon's most emblematic quarter and one of the most rewarding for walkers and photographers thanks to its medieval alleys and outstanding views. Because its foundation is dense bedrock, it survived the 1755 earthquake, and a walk through this old-fashioned residential neighborhood is now a step back in time. It's a village within a city still made up of narrow streets, tiny squares, churches, and whitewashed houses with tile panels and wrought-iron balconies adorned with pots of flowers, drying laundry, and caged birds. It was settled by the Romans and the Visigoths (it was also an important Jewish quarter in the 15th century), but it was the Moors who gave the district its atmosphere and name (alhama means springs or bath, a reference to the fountains and hot springs found in the area). They were also responsible for its web of streets created as a defense system, while at the same time enabling their homes to remain cool in the summer. Most of the older residents have lived here all their lives and retain a strong sense of community, although an increasing number of wealthier people are investing in their properties and moving in. Other renovated buildings directly below the castle have been converted into some of the city's most atmospheric and unique hotels, and many of the traditional buildings are now charming apartments. Alfama has influenced poets and novelists, and although Bairro Alto is the city's traditional Fado quarter, it's Alfama that has always been the inspiration for Fado songs, and is just as popular with Fado Houses. The district has an intangible quality that needs to be experienced to be truly appreciated, and the best way to get to know it is to get a little lost (something almost impossible to avoid), and wander around admiring the postcard-perfect views, visiting the churches, and walking up to the castle for the most breathtaking panorama of the city and the greatest sunsets.

Day 3

April 28TH 2018

TOMAR

The Convent of Christ (Templers)

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, also known as the Order of Solomon's Temple, the Knights Templar or simply as Templars, were a Catholic military order recognized in 1139 . The fortunes amassed by these fearless fighters was systematically stolen by the church of Rome through a campaign of slander (accusing the Templers of homosexual activities etc.)

April 28 2018:

The Alcobaça Monastery is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Alcobaça, in Oeste Subregion. The monastery was founded in the medieval period by the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, in 1153, and maintained a close association with the Kings of Portugal throughout its history. The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal, and, together with the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, it was one of the most important of the mediaeval monasteries in Portugal. Due to its artistic and historical importance, it was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1989. In the transept of the church are located the tombs of King Pedro I and his mistress, Inês de Castro, who was assassinated, in 1355, under the orders of Peter's father, King Afonso IV. After becoming King, Pedro ordered the remains of his beloved to be transferred to her tomb in Alcobaça and, according to a popular legend, made her be crowned as Queen of Portugal and ordered court members to pay her homage by kissing her decomposing hand. This pair of Royal tombs in Alcobaça, of unknown authorship, are among the best works of gothic sculpture in Portugal. The tombs are supported by lions, in the case of the King, and half-men half-beasts, in the case of Ines, and both carry the recumbent figures of the deceased assisted by a group of angels. The sides of Pedro's tomb are magnificently decorated with reliefs showing scenes from Saint Bartholomew's life, as well as scenes from Pedro and Ines' life. Her tomb is decorated with scenes from the life of Christ, including the Crucifixion and with the Last Judgement.

Coimbra, a riverfront city in central Portugal and the country’s former capital, is home to a preserved medieval old town and the historic University of Coimbra. Built on the grounds of a former palace, the university is famed for its baroque library, the Biblioteca Joanina, and its 18th-century bell tower. In the city’s old town lies the 12th-century Romanesque cathedral Sé Velha.

Law Faculty

The students at Coimbra University are well dressed compared to Canadian students, standing all neatly standing in a row in their full academic uniform as they sell faculty pencils to the hoards on tourists arriving by the bus loads.

O'Porto

April 29:

The unique modern hotel reconstructed within four historic buildings in the coastal city of Porto known for its stately bridges and port wine production. In the medieval Ribeira (riverside) district, narrow cobbled streets wind past merchants’ houses and cafes. São Francisco Church is known for its lavish baroque interior with ornate gilded carvings. The palatial 19th-century Palácio de Bolsa, formerly a stock market, was built to impress potential European investors.

Stock Exchange:

The Douro River Porto

Wine cellar in Porto

Porto Train Station with its large elaborate ceramic tiles depicting the history of the region.

McDonald's Art Deco restaurant in Porto Portugal

May 2ND 2018:

Interesting visit to a Cork Factory to discover the process of transforming raw cork into the products that are sold all over Portugal. Portugal is the world's leading manufacturer of cork and represents 53% of world production. In spite of corks being the most familiar object, many other things are made of cork, especially in areas where it grows as Alentejo, where 72% of the total production is concentrated. Cork is essentially an impermeable buoyant material, the phellem layer of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber (the cork oak), which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa.

Cork Factory visit: Here the cork is graded and piled according to quality.

First Harvest 30 years after planting successive harvests at 9 year intervals.

Drive through the cork producing area where there are miles and miles of fields of cork trees and grazing cattle.

May 1ST 2018:

Quinta da Aveleda Winery and its splendid enchanting gardens filled with flowers and follies followed by wine and cheese tasting was a treat to remember. The Guedes family has been producing wine on this estate since 1870 but the main building dates back to 1671. Although they don’t live there year round, the family still makes use of their splendid house and grounds for family weddings and functions.

The gardens are captivating, not just for their blooms and foliage but for their quirky structure such as the helter skelter goat shed or the elaborately carved 15th century stone window from which Dom João IV was proclaimed King of Portugal. Originally part of the house where Prince Henry the Navigator was born, it now sits, surrounded by flowers, on one of three islands in a lake.

Since 1870, Aveleda has been managed and cared for by the Guedes Family. Aveleda is a multi-generation name. The first records of the sale of bottled wine date from 1870, by the hand of Manuel Pedro Guedes (1837-1899), known for his strong entrepreneurial vocation and considered the founder of the business as we know it today. His work was fruitful and the quality of the Aveleda wines began to be recognized, as evidenced by the gold medals won in the international competitions of Berlin (1888) and Paris (1889).

May 2ND 2018:

Belmonte is the birthplace of Pedro Álvares Cabral, the navigator who discovered the land of Vera Cruz, now known as Brazil. Located in the Church of Santa Maria is the iconic statue of Nossa Senhora da Esperança (Our Lady of Hope), which Cabral took with him in his voyage. Until 1834, the statue was held by the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Esperança. The former religious facility has been adapted for use as a modern boutique hotel.

The singer Zeca Afonso lived in Belmonte for part of his childhood, between 1938 and 1940. He lived with his uncle, the mayor of the town, whilst his parents were living in Mozambique.

Belmonte is home to the last remaining community of marranos in Portugal (known as the Belmonte Jews). They officially returned to Judaism in the 1970s and opened a synagogue in 1996. In 2003, the American Sephardi Federation founded the Belmonte Project, designated to raise funds to acquire Judaic educational material and services for the community, which now numbers 160-180. They opened a Jewish Museum of Belmonte (Portuguese: Museu Judaico de Belmonte) on 17 April 2005.

May 3RD 2018:

The Capela dos Ossos or the Chapel of Bones is one of the best known monuments in Évora. The Chapel gets its name because the interior walls are covered and decorated with human skulls and bones. It was built in the 16th century by a Franciscan monk who, in the Counter-Reformation spirit of that era, wanted to prod his fellow brothers into contemplation and transmit the message of life being transitory, a very common spirituality theme summed up in the motto memento mori. The number of skeletons of monks was calculated to be about 5000, coming from the cemeteries that were situated inside several dozen churches. Some of these skulls have been scribbled with graffiti. Two desiccated corpses, one of which is a child, dangle from ropes.

May 3RD 2018:

Évora, a walled city with narrow streets of Moorish origin contrasting with squares full of light, is on sloping hill out of the huge Alentejo plains. Évora was conquered by the Romans in 59 BC, named as Liberalitas Julia. After the Portuguese reconquest in the 12th century, an urban area grew beyond the city walls. The city was very important for several Portuguese kings of the first and second dynasties. During this period, all of it was endowed with various palaces and monuments, particularly during the reigns of King John II and Manuel (15th and 16th centuries). Major monuments include: the historic center with medieval white streets, Royal Palace, City Garden St. Francis Church and Chapel of Bones, Geraldo Square, Gothic cathedral of the XIII century, Roman temple from the first century AD and Real Jesuit University.

The Roman Ruins at Conimbriga

May 3RD 2018:

Relaxing two days in Algarve. It is Portugal’s southernmost region, known for its Atlantic beaches and golf resorts. Whitewashed fishing villages on low cliffs overlooking sandy coves were transformed in the 1960s, and now its central coast between Lagos and Faro is lined with villas, hotels, bars and restaurants. The region's western Atlantic coast and rugged interior are less developed.