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Discover Portugal
Join Odyssey Traveller on an immersive 18-day small group tour of Portugal, a multi-sensory experience taking us through Portugal's many historic sites, natural wonders and scenery, charming villages and hidden gems. "Discover Portugal" is especially designed for mature-aged or senior travellers and offers a rich sampling of the culture and history of this European country. We will be accompanied by a Program Leader and a local guide or tour guide based in the destinations we will visit.
Our tour itinerary:
As we wind our way up the coast of Portugal, we visit a number of fascinating cities and towns, including:
Lisbon:
Steep hillsides overlooking the Atlantic; cobbled streets and buildings covered in vivid blue and white azulejos (tiles); grand Renaissance monuments: few cities are as picturesque as Portugal's capital, Lisbon. During the European Age of Discovery, Lisbon was the 'Queen of the Sea', as trade from around the world made Portugal one of Europe's richest and most cosmopolitan countries. We explore the legacies of Lisbon's Age of Discovery at the Jerónimos Monastery and Torre de Belém, each built in ornate and exuberant 'Manueline' style. Beyond this, we also uncover Lisbon's Arabic history in the warren-like Alfama and the city's Moorish castle, while giving you plenty of time to explore this extraordinary city for yourself with our travel notes on Lisbon. Whilst based in Lisbon we travel out early one morning to visit the colourful Pena Palace in the Sintra mountains.
Évora:
With a history going back 5000 years, the hillside town of Évora is one of Portugal's best preserved medieval landscapes. As the home of the Portuguese royal family in the 15th century, the UNESCO World Heritage listed historic centre is packed with spectacular buildings, from Manueline convents and churches to Portugal's second university, the azulejo-covered and Jesuit-run University of the Holy Spirit. Our tour delves into Évora's Roman history with a visit to the Roman Temple, the best preserved on the Iberian peninsula, and reflects on the universality of life and death at the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones), a momento mori with walls and columns decorated in the bones of over 5000 people.
Óbidos:
Nicknamed the Vila das Rainhas (City of the Queens), because of a medieval tradition in which the Portuguese king gave the hilltop town of Óbidos to their queen, Óbidos today feels like a trip back to the Middle Ages, a charming warren of cobblestone streets and whitewashed houses. Make sure to visit the medieval castle and view (or - depending on your tolerance of heights - walk) the city's preserved Moorish walls.
Fátima:
In the summer of 1917, the Virgin Mary is said to have visited three children while they were caring for their family's sheep on the farmlands outside Fátima. Claiming to have seen the Virgin five times, the children predicted that they would see her one more time, on October 13, 1917. Following the children's prediction, a crowd of over 70, 000 pilgrims gathered in Fátima - and aftewards claimed that they had seen a miracle, as the sun performed zig zags in the sky, and moved dramatically toward the Earth. After investigation, the Catholic church declared that the conditions for a miracle had been met, and Fátima became a major destination for Catholic pilgrims from around the world. Today, this small town receives more than 6 to 8 visitors each year. Our visit will take you to the heart of Portugal's Catholic religion: whatever your beliefs may be, it's hard not to be awed by the devotion that brings visitors here from every part of the world.
Luso:
For the Portuguese, agua di Luso is synonymous with good quality water. Historically, Luso brought visitors from all over Portugal to 'take the waters', which were held to cure ailments ranging from kidney failure to skin conditions. Today, Luso remains a spa town, with a medical centre specialising in the treatment of arteriosclerosis, an arterial disease occurring mostly in the elderly. However, even those in good health will enjoy Luso's historic buildings, ranging from the 18th century to the age of Art Nouveau. The highlight is the nearby Buçaco Palace, a 17th century monastery turned into a grand hotel in the late 19th century, built in an elaborate style recalling the Manueline buildings of the Renaissance.
Porto:
The city that gave its name to port wine, Porto's historic centres is one of the best preserved in Europe, with buildings dating back to the 14th century. Here we explore the city's prosperous - and delicious - trade in port wine on a tour through the hillsides where port grapes are grown (including a tasting in a cellar), and take a cruise down the Douro to see the city at its best advantage. Fans of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series will enjoy the beautiful, neo-Gothic Livraria Lello & Irmão (Lello & Irmão Bookstore), which is said to have inspired her writing during her time in Porto in the 1990s.
We also visit several destinations in Portugal listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites, including the historic centre of Sintra, a fairy tale of quirky and gothic castles built in the 19th century; the Convent of Christ in Tomar, once a stronghold of the Knights Templar; the impressive Monastery of Batalha, built to commemorate the 1385 Portuguese victory over the Castilians; and Alcobaca's monastery and church, the first Gothic buildings built in Portugal.
Local Traditions & Unique Experiences
As part of our tour, we will delve into local Portuguese traditions, giving you an authentic experience of this extraordinary country. We will be the audience for a stunning Fado performance at a local restaurant. Fado ("fate") is a uniquely Portuguese expressive and melancholic musical performance, dating back to the 1830s. Developing in the port districts of Lisbon that were home to Portugal's maritime working class of sailors and fishwives, fado is believed to take influence from medieval cantigas (songs), Moorish traditions, and the chants of Africans singing at sea. The mournful tunes tell the stories of Portugal's seafarers and urban poor, with a sentiment of resignation to fate from which the genre takes its name.
In Nazare, we will have a guided half-day tour to learn more about the town's fishing traditions. Even as the town has attracted surfers from around the world, you can still see fisher women wearing traditional clothing: skirts with seven petticoats, wooden clogs and a black scarf. While various reasons are offered for the seven petticoats - the seven days of the week, the seven colours of the rainbow - it is likely that the tradition originated in the old days, when women waited by the shore to see fishermen - sons, boyfriends, husbands - return from their time at sea. In order to keep warm, they would wear seven petticoats to wrap around themselves in protection from the cold Atlantic winds.
Much like the rest of southern Europe, gastronomy is at the heart of Portuguese culture. We will have plenty of opportunities to sample Portugal's unique cuisine, including a visit to the Fabrica dos Pasteis de Belem in Lisbon, which has been baking Portuguese custard tarts according to a top-secret recipe since the 19th century. We will stroll through the beautiful café-factory and taste the creamy tarts. On our day trip to Sintra, we will try the travesseiros (puff pastry filled with almond cream) from the Piriquita, a famous local cafe and bakery. While in Obidos, we will have a chance to taste a favourite local drink: ginginha (cherry liquor native to Portugal). After finishing the liquor, make sure to eat the cup, which is made of chocolate! And of course, a trip to Portugal would not be complete without a visit to its wine cellars to sample port wine and sweet Moscatel.
Our tour also allows you to take in the natural beauty of Portugal's Atlantic coast. We will enjoy spectacular views of the cities from famous viewpoints: Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol over Lisbon, Miradouro do Suberco over Nazare, and Cape Roca - the westernmost point of mainland Europe - which provides a panoramic view of the Atlantic.
Our tours in Portugal mix guided tours with plenty of free time, and the small group setting affords travellers focused attention and flexibility. For more details, click the ‘Top 5’ or ‘Itinerary’ buttons above! If you’re keen to experience this tour, please call or send an email. Or, to book, simply fill in the form on the right-hand side of this page.
If you're interested in this tour, you may also want to look at our Spain and Portugal tour and our in-depth tour of Barcelona.
Articles about Portugal published by Odyssey Traveller.
External articles to assist you on your visit to Portugal
Other Odyssey Tours:
Our tour of Portugal is only one of the many Spain and Portugal tours offered by Odyssey Traveller. For more details, click the ‘Top 5’ or ‘Itinerary’ buttons above! If you’re keen to experience this tour, please call or send an email. Or, to book, simply fill in the form on the right hand side of this page.