Wander to Portugal

Apr 27

Highlights: Arrival day, welcome dinner

Included: Dinner

After landing at Lisbon Airport, you’ll be transferred to our centrally located hotel. Once you’ve checked in, you’ll have time to rest and settle in before we gather for our orientation meeting to meet your fellow travelers and review the plan for the days ahead. In the evening, we’ll go out together for our first group dinner where we'll get our first taste of the country's rich culinary traditions.

Apr 28

Highlights: Walking tour of Lisbon, sunset river cruise

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We’ll start the morning on foot in Lisbon, walking through some of the city’s oldest neighborhoods where narrow streets, small squares, and tile covered buildings show how the city has grown over the centuries. We’ll pass through local markets and traditional shops, and we’ll stop for a Portuguese custard tart still warm from the bakery.After lunch at one of our favorite local restaurants, the afternoon will be yours to enjoy at your own pace. You can head out to Belém, a riverside district connected to Portugal’s Age of Discovery, to visit Jerónimos Monastery and see some of Lisbon’s most important waterfront landmarks, or stop into the Maritime Museum for a closer look at the country’s seafaring past. If you want something more modern, you can visit the MAAT, Lisbon’s museum of art, architecture, and technology, or spend time at LX Factory, a former industrial site that is now filled with cafés, small shops, and creative spaces. In the late afternoon we’ll meet by the river for a sunset cruise on the Tagus, watching Lisbon’s shoreline drift past as the light changes while we enjoy a delicious Portuguese pizza onboard.

Apr 29

Highlights: Enchanting palaces, coastal town

Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Today we’ll head out of Lisbon for a full day focused on palaces and the coast. Our first stop will be Palácio Fronteira, a 17th century residence best known for its gardens and azulejo tilework. We’ll take time to look at the large painted tile panels around the property, a helpful introduction to a craft we'll keep seeing throughout Portugal. From there it’s a short drive to Queluz Palace, one of Portugal’s grandest royal homes. Inside we’ll walk through richly decorated rooms and formal halls built for court life and ceremonies, then step outside into manicured gardens made for slow, easy strolling. After our visit we’ll continue to Cascais, a seaside town with a scenic waterfront promenade, sandy bays, and a small old center that’s easy to explore. You’ll have time to stretch your legs by the ocean, browse small shops, and stop for a drink if you feel up to it. We’ll return to Lisbon by train in the late afternoon, and the evening will be free for you to have dinner and enjoy the city at your own pace.

Apr 30

Highlights: Local farm experience, ginginha and chocolate tasting

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After checking out, we’ll take a quick 40 minute drive to the Sintra area for a morning that connects us to the region’s food and countryside, made possible through local contacts. We’ll spend time at a working, community based farm connected to the Cascais area, walking the fields and seeing how seasonal produce is grown here, followed by a light walk and some vegetable picking. We’ll then sit down for a picnic lunch with local bites, tasting what people in this area often eat day to day. After lunch we’ll drive about an hour to Óbidos, a medieval town still enclosed by its old stone walls. Once inside, we’ll explore at an easy pace along cobblestone lanes lined with whitewashed houses, small shops, and flower boxes. In the evening, we’ll gather for a ginginha and chocolate tasting, learning how this sour cherry liqueur is produced and how it’s traditionally enjoyed, before sitting down together for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in the country.

May 1

Highlights: Free time, beautiful beaches

Included: Breakfast, Lunch

The morning will be free for you to explore Óbidos at your own pace. Options include walking a section of the old walls for wide views, exploring the castle area, browsing small shops for ceramics and local products, or settling into a café and watching the town go by. Later we’ll drive about 30 minutes to Baleal, a narrow peninsula with open Atlantic views on both sides and a strong connection to Portugal’s surf culture, even if you never step on a board. After our time by the sea, we’ll learn about traditional coastal life in the area, then stop for lunch at a seafood tavern before returning to Óbidos for another evening inside the walls.

May 2

Highlights: Fishing villages, Coimbra

Included: Breakfast, Lunch

We’ll leave Óbidos and drive about 30 minutes to Nazaré, a working fishing town that has become known for the huge winter swells. We’ll head up to the Nazaré Lighthouse on the clifftop for a clear view of the coastline and the ocean below, and to understand why this spot can produce waves said to reach over 100 feet when conditions line up. Afterwards we continue for lunch and try suckling pig, slow roasted until the skin turns crisp and the meat stays tender. In the afternoon we’ll visit Batalha Monastery, then continue to Coimbra to check in and take a break. In the evening, we’ll come together for a traditional Fado performance that leans into saudade, Portugal’s word for longing and nostalgia.

May 3

Highlights: Xisto Villages

Included: Breakfast, Lunch

We’ll leave Coimbra this morning for a scenic 1.5-hour drive into the hills to reach the Xisto Villages, a cluster of small mountain hamlets built almost entirely from schist, the local slate stone. You’ll notice it right away, dark stone houses, stone steps, and narrow lanes that blend into the landscape and feel a world away from the cities. We’ll spend time exploring a few of these villages, including Talasnal, where we can wander along quiet footpaths between restored homes, peek into tiny corners of village life, and take in the views over the valley from the higher terraces. Lunch will be at a local tavern, where we’ll sit down for a regional specialty, roasted lamb, cooked slowly in the traditional style, before we head back to Coimbra in the afternoon.

May 4

Highlights: Drive to the Douro Valley

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

After checking out this morning, we’ll begin our journey north with a 1.5 hour drive to Costa Nova, a small seaside town known for its striped houses painted in bold colors. These “palheiros” were once used by fishermen, and the patterns helped them spot their buildings from the sea. We’ll stretch our legs with a relaxed walk along the boardwalk, with time to enjoy the ocean air, the sand dunes, and the easy pace of the beach. In the afternoon we’ll continue on another scenic drive of about 1.5 hours to the Douro Valley, a UNESCO listed wine region where steep vineyard terraces follow the curves of the river. We’ll arrive in time to check in and settle into our family run guesthouse in the heart of the Douro, then the rest of the day is yours to unwind. Options include sitting out on the terrace with vineyard views, enjoying any homemade snacks our hosts have prepared, or relaxing in the jacuzzi before heading out for dinner in the valley.

May 5

Highlights: Boats, food and wine

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today will be dedicated to experiencing the beauty and flavors of the Douro Valley. We’ll start with a scenic drive through the valley before boarding a traditional Rabelo boat for a relaxed cruise on the Douro River. These flat bottomed boats were once used to transport barrels of port wine downstream toward Porto, and from the water you’ll have a clear view of the terraced vineyards and the small wine estates that dot the slopes. After the cruise we’ll visit a winery and vineyard, where we’ll walk through the property and step into the cellars to learn how wine is made here, from the local grape varieties to the methods used for both table wines and port. We’ll finish with a tasting and a picnic with simple regional foods, then the evening will be yours to relax at our accommodations before another great dinner in the valley.

May 6

Highlights: Walking tour of Porto

Included: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning will be free for you to enjoy a slower start in the Douro Valley before we check out, with time to take in the vineyard views and the river below. We’ll then drive about 1.5 hours to Porto and sit down together for lunch to try the francesinha, a hearty local sandwich finished with a warm beer based sauce. After lunch we’ll check into our hotel and take a short break before heading out on a guided walking tour of Porto’s UNESCO listed historic center. We’ll walk older streets lined with azulejo tiles, pass churches and viewpoints, spend time along the lively riverfront, then wrap up with a port wine tasting that puts the city’s story in context.

May 7

Highlights: Azulejo workshop, free time, farewell dinner

Included: Breakfast, Dinner

We’ll start the day with a hands on tile painting workshop, where you’ll learn the basics of azulejo, the hand painted ceramic tiles you’ve been seeing across Portugal on houses, churches, and public buildings. With guidance from local artisans, we’ll look at common patterns and how the painting process works, then you’ll create your own tile to take home as a personal keepsake from the trip. The afternoon will be free for you to explore Porto at your own pace, with time to revisit a favorite neighborhood, browse shops, or relax at a café by the river. In the evening, we’ll come back together for our farewell dinner and a final night to share stories from our amazing Portuguese journey.

May 8

Highlights: Departure day

Included: Breakfast

You will be picked up at the hotel by a private driver who will take you to the airport for your departing flight.