Portugal

• Departure from Montreal Airport (P.E. Trudeau) on an international flight to Lisbon.

Note: Arrival at the airport at least 3 hours before departure.

❖ Accommodations: 3-star hotel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle

• Arrival in Lisbon, where you will be greeted by a French-speaking host and transferred to the hotel to check in.
• Dinner on your own.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast / Accommodations: 3-star hotel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle

A day spent exploring Lisbon, one of Europe’s oldest capitals:

• Tour of the Ajuda National Palace, the official residence of the Portuguese royal family from 1861 until the end of the monarchy in 1910.   The palace faithfully preserves the layout and decoration of its rooms. It houses important collections of 18th- and 19th-century decorative arts: silverware, textiles, furniture, glass, and ceramics, among other items.
• Tour of the Belém neighborhood, a historic district located along the Tagus River and away from the hustle and bustle of the city, from where Portuguese caravels set sail during the Age of Discovery in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. Dinner on your own.

  Attractions: The Church of the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower, built to protect the city from potential attacks from the sea. These are two iconic monuments of 16th-century Manueline art, a style that combines royal, religious, and maritime decorations and motifs, reflecting the values of the dominant culture of the time. While you’re there, be sure to try the pastel de Belém, Lisbon’s signature pastry.

• In the afternoon: a stroll through the traditional Alfama neighborhood, with its winding alleys and flower-filled balconies. The tour continues with Rossio and Praça do Comércio, iconic buildings in the business district. Free time to wander and explore this vibrant city.

• Return to the hotel and dinner on your own.

❖ Meals included : Breakfast / Accommodation : 3* Hotel / Transport : Air-conditioned vehicle.

Departure for Queluz:

• Tour of its famous 18th-century National Palace (the “Portuguese Versailles,” blending Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical styles), which served as the summer residence of the Portuguese royal family. Sumptuous halls and gardens. Dinner on your own.
• We continue on to the steep cliffs of Cabo da Roca (in Colares), the westernmost point of the entire European continent.
• Finally, we headed toward the Sunshine Coast and its beaches: Estoril, a fine-sand beach popular with a very cosmopolitan crowd, and Cascais, a traditional fishing port that’s also a lively seaside resort. We’ll stop in Cascais to admire the beautiful bay.
• Dinner on your own.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast / Accommodation: 4* Hotel / Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

• A tourof Óbidos, a medieval town surrounded by high, extremely well-preserved ramparts that pedestrians can also walk along. A stroll through its picturesque streets lined with charming white houses offers a true immersion in a setting from another era. Visit to a “Ginjinha” production facility, where this traditional sour cherry liqueur is made. Tasting.
• We continue on to Nazaré, one of the most picturesque fishing villages, home to Portugal’s most traditional and colorful beach.
• Free time to walk around. Dinner on your own.
• Departure for Coimbra, a university town overlooking the Mondego River. It has inspired many poets, who have hailed it as the “City of Arts and Letters.” Tour of the university(subject to availability), one of the oldest in Europe. Continue to the lower town, passing by the “Repúblicas” (student houses), and discover the traditions that live on in this university setting. Dinner on your own. Check-in at the hotel.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast / Accommodations: 4-star hotel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle.

We set off for Porto, the city that gave the country its name! Porto is the country’s second-largest city and, by tradition, a trading hub.

• Tour of the famous cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia, where the renowned Port wine is aged: a technical tour and tasting.
• Dinner on your own.
• Stop at the San Benito train station to see its magnificent azulejo panels (more than 20,000). Azulejos are ceramic tiles typical of Portugal and Spain.
• A tour of the Stock Exchange Palace and its famous Arab Room, followed by a stroll through the historic Ribeira neighborhood, located near the Douro River.
• Dinner on your own.
• Check-in at the hotel.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast and dinner / Accommodation: 4* Hotel / Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

Dive into the heart of Portuguese culinary and agricultural traditions!

• Cooking workshop in Baiao, where you’ll learn to make the traditional corn “broa,” a rustic bread with an authentic flavor, whose recipe has been passed down from generation to generation.
• While the “broa” is baking in the oven, enjoy a local dinner in the cozy atmosphere of a farmhouse, by the soft glow of an oil lamp. Take in the scents of the countryside and the intoxicating aroma of meat grilling over hot coals!
• On the way back to Porto, we’ll stop in Penafiel to visit a “quinta, ” a farm dedicated to producing Vinho Verde, one of northern Portugal’s most iconic wines. An authentic setting to discover the secrets of these fresh, light, and characterful wines, born of a unique terroir. Wine tasting on site.
• Return to the hotel; dinner on your own.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast / Accommodation: 4* Hotel / Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

• We continue on to Aveiro, the “Portuguese Venice,” a city crisscrossed by numerous canals where colorful boats with upturned bows are moored. We’ll make a detour to the train station to admire the magnificent azulejo tile panels that decorate the building’s exterior and interior walls. You’ll have the chance to sample “Ovos Moles,” a type of wafer filled with egg custard, a local specialty.
• We continue on to central Portugal , with dinner on your own along the way.
• Visit a local olive oil producer to learn the secrets behind making this unique product. Tasting on site.
• We continue on to Tomar, in the heart of Portugal, for a journey through time. Tomar is an ancient city of the Knights Templar, revealing stories of knights, mystery, and heritage at every turn. With its charming narrow streets, quiet squares, and the imposing Convent of Christ (viewed from the outside), Tomar reveals the soul of authentic Portugal, where history is told through the stone, the light, and the majestic silence of its monuments.
• Check-in at the hotel.
• Dinner on your own.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast and dinner / Accommodations: *Hotel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle.

Departure for Évora (a city designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site), a veritable museum of Portuguese architecture.

• Tour ofthe Church of St. Francis, the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral (exterior view), and the Chapel of Bones (built by a Franciscan friar to encourage his fellow friars to meditate, and containing the bones and skulls of 5,000 people) Tour of the ruins of a Roman temple.
• Dinner on your own.
• Early in the afternoon, enjoy some free time to soak up the magical atmosphere of Évora and let yourself be charmed by the Moorish character of its narrow streets, the dazzling whiteness of its houses, and its rich history. Take a stroll through the enchanting setting of its old streets.
• At the end of the afternoon, a cooking workshop with a generous and passionate woman who is a guardian of local culinary traditions. She’ll share secrets and techniques passed down from generation to generation, and we’ll prepare a few of the region’s signature dishes. We’ll enjoy an authentic dinner right there.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast / Accommodation: 4* Hotel / Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

• A tour of a cork factory.
• Continue on to Reguengos de Monsaraz, a truly picturesque village. Visit a winery and enjoy a tasting on site.
• Dinner on your own.
• We continue on to São Pedro do Corval, a village where pottery is an art form in its own right. We’ll meet a local potter, learn about his techniques, and see the results of his work.
• Dinner on your own.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast / Accommodations: * Hotel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle.

• A trip tothe Algarve, the southern region of the country, located on the Atlantic coast.
• Lunch and dinner are on your own.
• Arrival in Lagos and check-in at the hotel.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast / Accommodation: 4* Hotel / Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

• We’ll head to the heart of Lagos, the former capital of the Algarve from 1576 to 1756, from where most of the African expeditions of that era set out. A picturesque walled city that still boasts narrow streets lined with dazzling white houses. Explore Infante D. Henrique (where the statue of Henry the Navigator stands),the former slave market (which was the first of its kind in Europe), and Ponte da Piedade: the reddish rock of the Atlantic cliffs contrasts spectacularly with the green of the crystal-clear water.
• Dinner on your own.
• We continue on to Sagres, home to Cape St. Vincent, a windswept rocky promontory located at the extreme southwestern tip of Europe, which plunges 75 meters straight into the sea. It has always been considered a sacred place, particularly by the Romans, who called it the promontorium sacrum. Explore the fortress built in the 16th century to protect the coast from attacks by pirates and privateers, as well as the occupants of the convent that once stood there.
• Return to the hotel at the end of the day.
• Dinner on your own.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast / Accommodations: * Hotel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle.

• Head to Olhão to explore the fish market with its colors, aromas, and atmosphere.
• Onward to Tavira, the most beautiful and authentic city in the Algarve. Tour of the old town: the Church of Misericórdia, the ruins of the Moorish castle, and the Roman bridge. Take a short boat ride to Tavira Island, where you’ll have the option to enjoy a dinner of grilled fish at a beachfront restaurant. Dinner on your own.
• Then, head to Ria Formosa for a 45-minute boat ride through a natural park made up of numerous rias (inlets that extend inland and form channels).
• Return to the hotel; dinner on your own.

❖ Meals included : Breakfast / Accommodation : 4* Hotel.

• A free day to relax in this lively seaside town, which is full of restaurants and fantastic spots to enjoy the sea breeze and the sunshine.

❖ Meals included : Breakfast / Accommodation : 3* Hotel / Transport : Air-conditioned vehicle.

• Trip to Lisbon. Dinner on your own.
• Arrival in Lisbon.
• One last night to enjoy the capital’s nightlife. Dinner on your own.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast / Transportation: air-conditioned vehicle and plane.

• After breakfast, we’ll head to the Lisbon airport for our international flight to Montreal.

Lisbon: HOTEL BORGES 3* / 4 nights

Coimbra: NH DONA INES 4* / 1 night

Porto: CATALONIA 4* HOTEL / 2 nights

Tomar: HOTEL DOS TEMPLARIOS 4* / 1 night

Évora: NOBLE HOUSE 4* HOTEL / 2 nights

Lagos: VILA GALÉ 4* HOTEL / 4 nights

International flights

Airport shuttles

Transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver

All 3-star and 4-star accommodations

All breakfasts, lunch on Day 7, and dinner on Day 9

All activities and points of interest listed in the itinerary

A French-speaking local guide who accompanies the group at all times

2 Portuguese cooking workshops, followed by traditional meals

Visit to a local olive oil producer

Tours of 3 wineries and tastings of local specialties (Port, Vinho Verde, etc.)

Tour of a cork product manufacturing facility

A Visit to a Pottery Artisan

All taxes

Organization from A to Z

24/7 Support from Voyages Miaterra

• Lunch and dinner (except for lunch on Day #7 and dinner on Day #9)
• Beverages
• Tips
• Personal Expenses

• Please note that the itinerary may change at any time for logistical reasons, but that the list of activities and visits on the program is always respected. Please also note that the version of the program appearing on our website takes precedence over any printed version.