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Best of Portugal, Day by Day
Our Best of Portugal tour combines a dazzling mix of Roman, Moorish, and Baroque architecture with the food, wine, and music of this tradition-rich country. Your Rick Steves' Europe guide takes you on an intimate adventure that connects you with the Portuguese people, from trendy urban hotspots to slow-your-pulse villages, and dramatic coastlines to lovingly tended vineyards. Tag along on this day-by-day slideshow preview of our Best of Portugal in 13 Days tour. Let's go!
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Day 1: Welcome to Portugal
We'll gather at our Porto hotel for a short "Welcome to Portugal" meeting, followed by an orientation walk through our neighborhood and the vibrant Bolhão Market. Tonight, we'll get to know one another over dinner together.
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Day 2: Savoring Proud Porto
This morning we'll take a walking tour of Porto's riverfront Ribeira district, including the lavish rooms of its Stock Exchange Palace, the exquisitely gilded Church of São Francisco, and São Bento train station. Then we'll enjoy a peaceful cruise on the Douro River, floating under many of Porto's majestic bridges. The afternoon and evening are all yours to wander through Porto's lively city center — or seek out some sipping at a port-wine lodge.
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Day 3: Douro Wine Country
After breakfast, we'll board our comfy, spacious bus and drive to Portugal's most famous wine-making region: the lush, green Douro Valley. We'll stop for a vineyard tour, port-wine tasting, and lunch at a historic family estate and winery (quinta) with spectacular views, before making our way to our hotel. Tonight, you're free to relax, sip, and savor the sunset.
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Day 4: Classic Coimbra
Today we'll drive through more terraced wineries on our way out of the Douro Valley and toward our next destination: Portugal's historic capital of Coimbra. After settling into our hotel, we’ll make our way to Coimbra's steeped-in-tradition, 700-year-old university, which features a palatial library that's a bibliophile's dream — with 30,000 books from the 18th century. This evening, you're free to enjoy dinner on your own in the heart of Coimbra's Old Town.
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Day 5: Tiles and Tunes of Coimbra
We'll start the day learning about Coimbra's treasured tradition of hand-painted tiles, before enjoying a performance of the unique, local style of fado…more likely devoted to revolutionary student ideals than lost love. The rest of the day is yours to explore Coimbra's Arab-flavored Old Town with its twisty maze of narrow lanes, old-timey shops, tiny restaurants, and vibrant market — and make your own discoveries in this delightful college town.
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Day 6: Batalha and Fátima
Today, we'll continue our journey south, stopping in Batalha to visit its grand Monastery of Santa Maria, a symbol of Portuguese pride and its victory (with help from English archers) over Spanish domination 600 years ago. Then we'll visit the nearby pilgrimage site of Fátima — a favorite of Pope John Paul II — where three children shared controversial visions of the Virgin Mary in 1917. We'll finish in the quaint town of Tomar, where we'll take an orientation walk along the lush riverside and enjoy dinner together.
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Day 7: Tomar's Medieval Mystique
This morning we'll take a tour of Tomar’s Castle of the Knights Templar and Convent of Christ. Built in the 12th century by the mysterious and powerful Knights Templar, its stunning Oz-like circular church is where knights would go to be blessed before battle. The rest of the day is free for you to ride a tuk-tuk, nurse a coffee at the edge of the town's checkered main square, or just wander Tomar's time-warp streets and enjoy its old-world scene.
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Day 8: Olives, Oaks, and Bones
Today begins with a memorable visit to a working farm and estate, where you'll have a chance to meet farming locals, taste-test their olive oil (and wine), and wander their forest of cork oak. After lunch on the estate, we'll continue south through the laid-back Alentejo countryside to the history-rich university town of Évora, where we'll tour the preserved-in-whitewash old core, marveling at its Corinthian-columned Roman Temple and its poignant Chapel of Bones. The rest of the day is free for you to explore more of Évora.
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Day 9: Portugal's South Coast
Today's destination is Portugal's dramatic, sun-baked south coast: the Algarve. Along the way, we'll stop at Cabo São Vicente — Portugal's "Land's End" and Europe's southwestern most point — before continuing to salty, maritime Sagres to explore its weatherbeaten fortress and have lunch together at a historic Pousada. After arriving at our hotel, your guide will orient you to our neighborhood before setting you free for the evening.
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Day 10: Free Day in the Algarve
You'll take a "vacation from your vacation" today to explore the sandy beaches, jagged rocks, and rolling green hills of the Algarve. Luxuriate in the breezy resort vibes of Lagos…rent a kayak to paddle the crystal-clear waters of the Atlantic…take a boat cruise along the coast to get a different view of the seaside cliffs…or kick back and soak up the sun at one of the areas many fine beaches.
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Day 11: Seafaring Belém
After breakfast, we'll drive to Lisbon — stopping at its seafaring Belém District, home to many of the city's most historic buildings. Sticking close to the waterfront, we'll learn about Portugal's golden age of exploration at the 16th-century Belém Tower and heroic Monument to the Discoveries and discover how faith, money, and a knack for sailing combined to build the dazzling Monastery of Jerónimos. Then, after settling into our hotel, the rest of the day is all yours to explore the city and find dinner on your own in Lisbon's exciting food scene.
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Day 12: Neighborhoods of Lisbon
This morning we'll take a walking tour through Lisbon's colorful downtown neighborhoods — the Bairro Alto, the Alfama, and the Baixa. Along the way we'll learn about "village" Lisbon's neighborhood life, the poetry of the revered Fernando Pessoa, and Portugal's "Carnation Revolution," which peacefully ended nearly five decades of fascist rule in 1974. You'll have the rest of your afternoon free to visit any of Lisbon's "niche" museums (tile, fado, port wine, and other Portuguese specialties). Tonight we'll regroup to enjoy a soulful fado performance and a farewell dinner, sharing travel memories and toasting new friends. Saúde!
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Day 13: Tour Over After Breakfast
Your guide will help steer you to Lisbon's airport, which is an easy metro or taxi ride away. Or you may want to stay for further Portuguese adventures on your own. Adeus!
Learn more about our Best of Portugal in 13 Days tour!
Itinerary specifics subject to change.