Self Drive: Portugal and Islands

Arrive at Lisbon airport. Pick up the rental car at the airport and 2h30 car trip to Évora. Free afternoon to relax and recover from the jet lag. Overnight in Évora.

In the morning, you'll discover Évora, a book of Portuguese art history, in a walking tour. With narrow streets of Moorish origin contrasting with squares where the light floods in, discover why this city was classified as World Heritage Site. The medieval walls, the Cathedral, the Graça Church and São Francisco Church, with its curious Chapel of Bones are unmissable. Free afternoon. Overnight in Évora

After check out, 3h car trip to Covilhã, in the heart of Serra da Estrela. Overnight in Serra da Estrela

Take the rental car and explore the region. Serra da Estrela Natural Park is the largest protected area in the country, designing by rocky outcrops, boulders and crags. It's known by its breathtaking sceneries but also by the high quality wool and delicious cheese. Overnight in Serra da Estrela

Continue your journey towards the Douro valley. Before reaching your hotel, visit Lamego, with remaining evidences of mediaeval times. Overnight in Douro Valley

Douro Valley, classified World Heritage, is a region of schist mountains, with poor, harsh soils, transformed by the actions of the men who planted the vineyards step by step. Drive around the region to admire some breathtaking landscapes: the valleys, the blue ribbon of the river meandering down below, the terraced vineyards, the pure air. You'll have opportunity to visit one of the many estates that produce Douro wine and Port and taste it in the land that produces them. Douro river is also famous for being difficult to navigate, impeded by natural barriers, being the rabelo boat, a unique and ancient vessel, the only one able to do it. Nowadays, these types of boats are used for tourism, and you'll take a 1h river cruise. Overnight in Douro Valley

After check out the hotel, drive towards Oporto but on the way, do a stop in Amarante, a city full of history and tradition, with an iconic bridge, which defense was one of the most striking episodes of the Second French Invasion. Overnight in Oporto

Today you'll discover the amazing city of Oporto. With your private guide, start this walking tour, by visiting some historical monuments. S. Bento Station, with its atrium lined with tiles, is a great way to start! Just ahead is the Cathedral followed by Clérigos Tower, worth climbing for a different view of Oporto. Don't forget to stop in the Lello bookshop, that inspired some of the Harry Potter stories. Then pop in to the Café Majestic for a break. Continue south and descend by steps and mediaeval streets to Ribeira with its café terraces and picturesque corners. On the other side of D. Luís Bridge you'll find all the Port wine lodges, where you'll visit and taste the famous Port wine. Overnight in Oporto

Gastronomy is a very important aspect of Portuguese culture, as every meal is a moment for sharing, especially when we have guests or are socializing. In the morning, join a food tour and explore typical neighborhoods of Oporto city while discovering regional delicacies. Free afternoon. Overnight in Oporto

It's time to return to Lisbon. On the way, stop and visit Coimbra University, the oldest in Portugal and one of the oldest in Europe, visiting the Joanine Library, with more than 300,000 works dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries arranged in beautiful gilt-covered bookcases. Then, visit the magnificent Batalha Monastery, a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture, constructed in 1386 in honour of Portuguese independence against the powerful Kingdom of Castille. Before reaching Lisbon, visit the delightful town of Óbidos, with white houses adorned with bougainvilleas and honeysuckle is one of the most picturesque and well preserved in Portugal. Inside the walls you can sense a cheerful medieval ambience of winding streets, Manueline porticoes, colourful window boxes and small squares. Drop off the rental car at the hotel. Overnight in Lisbon

Today, with your private guide, you'll discover Lisbon. Lisbon, the city of the seven hills, will seduce you in every neighborhood, on every street. It’s old. It’s modern. It is, without doubt, always surprising. It's a cosmopolitan city with so much to see and do that it is difficult to have enough time to see everything you want. For today, we suggest a selection of things from amongst all those you can do, which cannot be missed in the Portuguese capital. Start with the historic Alfama and Castelo districts, with one of the most fabulous views over the city and the river. Follow towards Belém, the neighborhood of the Discoveries, with the Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery, both World Heritage. In Chiado and Bairro Alto, the most bohemian part of the town, stroll around, feel the atmosphere and do some shopping. In the evening, have a typical dinner at a Fado house while enjoying a Fado performance. Whether or not you like the style of music, dinner by candlelight listening to fado in Lisbon is unmissable. Overnight in Lisbon

Free day to stroll around the city. In the evening, learn how to prepare a traditional Portuguese meal with a fun cooking class. Overnight in Lisbon

Sintra, the Mountain of the Moon, is a place full of magic and mystery. The town and the northern slope of the Serra de Sintra has wonderful natural characteristics and impressive historic landmarks, which you'll discover with your private guide. It's difficult to see all of Sintra has to offer in one single day, so our suggestion goes to one of the most romantic palaces in Portugal, the Pena Palace, a fancy, revivalist reconstruction built in the Romantic period. Another option is the Palácio and Quinta da Regaleira, boasting impressive decorations laden with Masonic references. On the way back to Lisboa, stop in westernmost point of mainland Europe, Cabo da Roca. Continue your journey towards, Cascais and Estoril, one of the most cosmopolitan and touristic places in Portugal. It’s worth going on a stroll around town, feeling the atmosphere. Overnight in Lisbon

Transfer to Lisbon airport for your domestic flight (included) to Funchal. Transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon, you'll do one of the most famous activities in Madeira Island: a walking tour in a levada. Levadas are a network of irrigation channels, used to distribute the abundant water that flows from springs at the top of the mountains amongst the slopes and valleys, covering several protected areas. With some of them you can discover the soul of the island, away from the beaten track. Overnight in Funchal

A local guide will show you this beautiful island. The Island of Madeira, the floating garden of the Atlantic, is known for its natural beauty. You'll find exotic colours of the flowers standing out from among the blue sea and the emerald green vegetation, where the largest Laurisilva forest in the world is located. Overnight in Funchal

Transfer to Funchal airport for your domestic flight (included) to Ponta Delgada. Transfer to your hotel to drop off your luggage. With your local guide, head east and you’ll reach, in the interior of the island, Lagoa do Fogo (Fire Lagoon), and stop in Caldeira Velha to relax in a small pool of warm water, surrounded by a lush forest of ferns. Overnight in Ponta Delgada

Azores one of the largest whale sanctuaries in the world. Among the resident and migratory species, you can see more than 24 different types of cetaceans. In the morning, you'll do a whale watching tour. In the afternoon, in a jeep tour, in the west part of the island you’ll find Sete Cidades Lagoon, a giant crater with the Verde (Green) and Azul (Blue) lagoons together. Here you’ll find also the great Lagoons of the Azores (Santiago, Rasa, Canário, Éguas, Empadadas, Caldeirão Grande and Carvão Lagoons). Continue towards Ponta da Ferraria, with natural pools with warm seawater mixed with volcanic hot springs. Overnight in Ponta Delgada

Today you'll discover Furnas with a local guide. Visit Vale das Furnas, with its fumaroles (calderas) of hot water, mud, medicinal waters and more than twenty thermal springs, Lagoa das Furnas where “cozido nas caldeiras” (mixed-meat stew) is made using the heat from the earth, and Terra Nostra Park, one of the most beautiful gardens in S. Miguel, with a lake-pool with its mineral-rich thermal water. Overnight in Ponta Delgada

Transfer to Ponta Delgada airport for your flight back home.