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

Note: Please arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before departure.

❖ Meals included: Dinner / Accommodations: Youth Hostel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle.

• Arrival in Lisbon, where you’ll be greeted by a French-speaking host and transferred to the youth hostel to check in.
• Dinner on site.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner / Accommodations: Youth hostel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle.

First day exploring one of Europe’s oldest capitals:

• After breakfast, we’ll head to the Belém district, a historic neighborhood located along the Tagus River and away from the hustle and bustle of the city, from where the Portuguese caravels set sail during the Age of Discovery, which spanned the 15th to the 17th centuries. Explore on your own.

Points of interest to note: the Church of the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower, built to protect the city from potential attacks from the sea (admission fees apply). These are two iconic monuments of Manueline art, an architectural style that was in vogue in Portugal in the early 16th century. The style combines royal, religious, and maritime decorations and motifs, which clearly reflect the values of Portugal’s dominant culture at the time, when the country was a true maritime power enriched by the spice trade. The sumptuous details of these buildings can be seen and appreciated from the outside. Tip: Be sure to try the famous pastel de Belém, Lisbon’s signature pastry, available at the best bakeries in the neighborhood.

• Picnic dinner.
• Participation in the City Explorer team-building activity. This activity is designed to help students discover the city’s history in a fun way. Participants, divided into several teams, must answer questions, locate specific places, interact with locals, and take photos. The activity takes place in the city center and allows students to explore important sites and monuments in Lisbon: Praça da Figueira, Rossio, Bairro Alto, Praça do Comércio, Chiado, Largo do Carmo, Cais do Sodré, Mercado da Ribeira, and Elevador da Bica.Included in the activity: 1 iPad per team, tickets for the Bica Elevator, one pastel de nata per student, chocolate candies, and a CD of the photos taken during the activity.
• Back to the youth hostel for dinner there.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner / Accommodations: Youth hostel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle.

Departure for Sintra via the Sunshine Coast:

• Stop at Estoril Beach , a beautiful beach with fine sand frequented by a very cosmopolitan crowd, and stop at Cascais, a traditional fishing port and lively seaside resort.
• Continue on to Sintra and stop for photos at Cabo da Roca (in Colares), the westernmost point of the entire European continent.
• Arrival in Sintra and departure for a 3- to 4-hour hike. This outdoor activity is designed to allow students to get some exercise while enjoying the beautiful natural surroundings. Along the way, the hike will take them past the Capuchos Convent, the ruins of Tholos, and the Church of St. Saturninus, as well as offering magnificent views of the Atlantic coast, the surrounding valleys, and the village of Colares from the peaks of Monge and Peninha (488 meters).
• Picnic dinner halfway through.
• At the end of the day, we headed back to the youth hostel in Lisbon. Dinner on site.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner / Accommodations: Youth hostel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle.

After breakfast at the inn, the students got to work:

• A cooking workshop that allows students to learn a few recipes and the basics of Portuguese cuisine, while also supporting a charity, since the meals prepared by the students will be donated to a charity that helps people in need. This activity promises students hours of fun while enriching them in every way!
• Dinner on site.
• Return to the inn at the end of the day. Dinner at the inn.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner / Accommodations: 3-star hotel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle.

• Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner / Accommodations: 3-star hotel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle.

Off we go for another day of exploration:

• Guided tour of 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. This part of the city is, in fact, closed to vehicular traffic.
• Picnic dinner.
• We continue on to Nazaré, a typical fishing village on the Atlantic coast, known for its giant waves. Enjoy a leisurely stroll along its beaches, where you can see the fishermen’s colorful boats and fish-drying racks.
• Trip to a youth hostel located in the Centre Region. Dinner and overnight stay on site.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner / Accommodations: 2-star hotel / Transportation: air-conditioned vehicle.

Let’s set out to explore Coimbra, Portugal’s quintessential college town. Walking tour of the city:

• A stroll through the campus of his university, which is one of the oldest universities still in operation in the world. Discover the richness of its buildings and monuments. You may spot students still wearing the traditional black academic gown—an outfit now more often reserved for official ceremonies (graduation ceremonies, etc.), but which was mandatory until the early 20th century. It was this traditional attire, incidentally, that inspired the author of Harry Potter to create her characters.
• Continue on to the Républiques (student dormitories) to discover the student traditions that have been passed down there.
• Picnic dinner.
• We continue on to Aveiro, the “Portuguese Venice,” a city crisscrossed by numerous canals where colorful boats with raised bows are moored. We make a detour to the train station to admire the magnificent azulejo tile panels that decorate the building’s exterior and interior walls. Azulejos are ceramic tiles typical of Portugal and Spain.
• Drive to Porto. Arrival and check-in at the youth hostel. Overnight stay and dinner on site.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner / Accommodations: 2-star hotel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle.

After breakfast, we’ll set out to explore Porto, a welcoming and bustling port city and trading hub. This aspect is well known to the Portuguese, who have dedicated one of their popular sayings to it: “While Porto works, Coimbra studies, and Lisbon plays.”

• A stroll down Rua de Santa Catarina, a lively pedestrian street known for its many shops and cafés.—A chance to stop in front of #112 to admire the magnificent Café Le Magestic- See the 20,000 azulejos at S. Benito Station, depicting scenes from the traditional life of northern Portugal’s inhabitants. – The exterior of the Clérigos Tower and the Nicolau Nasoni Church- The exterior of the Lello bookstore, considered the third most beautiful in the world with its highly ornate white façade and monastic-inspired interior décor
• We’ll continue on to the Baixa neighborhood for a picnic dinner and a boat tour (the “6 Bridges” mini-cruise), which will allow the students to experience the city from a completely different perspective.
• Return to the youth hostel for the night. Dinner at the hostel.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner / Accommodations: 2-star hotel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle.

Let’s set out on a guided tour of the region:

• After breakfast, we’ll head to Barcelos, the Portuguese capital of crafts, where we’ll find the famous Barcelos Rooster, the country’s emblem.
• We continue on to Braga, home to one of the most remarkable monuments of Portuguese architecture: the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte (Santuário do Bom Jesus do Monte). This Baroque masterpiece, perched atop a hill, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is famous for its monumental zigzag staircase dedicated to the five senses. There is a fountain on each landing (5 in total), each designed to purify one of the senses. Picnic dinner.
• We continue on to Guimarães, the cradle of the Portuguese nation, a city of great charm boasting several monuments and historic buildings: Largo da Oliveira Square, the medieval heart of the city with its old half-timbered houses and cobblestone streets; Guimarães Castle, the birthplace of the first Portuguese king in the 10th century; and St. Michael’s Castle Church, where he was baptized.
• Return to the youth hostel in Porto. Overnight stay and dinner there.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner / Accommodations: Youth hostel / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle.

After breakfast, we set off for one last day of exploration:

• Drive to Batalha, home to Portugal’s most important Gothic monastery, the Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória—a symbol of Portugal’s independence and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tour of the monastery’s church and a picnic dinner.
• We’ll continue on to Porto de Mos to visit an olive oil producer and learn how this unique product is made. Tasting on site.
• Return to the youth hostel in Lisbon. Overnight stay and dinner there.

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

• After breakfast, transfer to the Lisbon airport and international flight to Montreal.

• Lisbon: WHOT PATEO SOCIAL Youth Hostel ( or equivalent) 5 nights
• Central Region: CASA DE SAO NUNO, 3-star hotel (or equivalent), 1 night
• Porto: HOSTEL GALERY, 2-star hotel (or equivalent), 3 nights

• International flights (including baggage allowance of 23 kg per person, maximum)
• Airport shuttles
• Transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver
• All accommodations
• 3 meals a day
• All activities and points of interest marked in red on the itinerary
• A French-speaking local guide who accompanies the group at all times
• Team-building activity on Day #3
• Day 4 of the Mountain Hike
• Cooking Workshop/Community Activity on Day #5
• Mini-Cruise, Day #8
• Farm Tour and Product Tasting on Day #10
• “Comprehensive Coverage for Youth and Chaperones” insurance policy from Manuvie
• Tips
• All taxes
• Organization from A to Z
• 24/7 Support from Voyages Miaterra

• Beverages
• Personal Expenses