THE HIGHLIGHTS OF PORTUGAL

10 DAYS/8 NIGHTS

Day 1 – Departure

Depart New York this evening for Portugal.

Day 2- Lisbon

Welcome to Portugal! After check-in at the hotel and time to freshen up meet with your Learning Through Travel guide for a panoramic tour of Lisbon, the city of seven hills built nearly 2500 years ago.  From atop the Edward VII Park you will have a magnificent view of the lower part of Lisbon as well as the River Tagus.  Visit the Belem Tower and the Jeroniomos Monastery.  Enjoy a welcome cocktail party and dinner this evening at the hotel.

Day 3 – Day at Leisure or Optional Sintra/Cabo da Roca/Cascais

This day is at your leisure or you may join an optional tour to Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Cascais. In Sintra, visit the Paço da Vila de Sintra one of the most important examples of regal architecture in Portugal, classified as a National Monument. The gradual multiplication of buildings, with different styles, is largely responsible for the enigmatic enchantment of this ancient palace, dominated by great twin chimneys atop the kitchen that constitute as authentic ex-libris of Sintra. Enjoy your leisure time, exploring the small town shops or have a special Sintra pastry.  Continue to Cabo da Roca the westernmost point on the continent of Europe, which the poet Camões defined as "where the land ends and the sea begin". Proceed to Cascais where you will be able to enjoy the seaside and lunch.  Return to Lisbon in time for dinner. 

Day 4 – Obidos/Fatima’s Sanctuary

After breakfast, depart Lisbon for a full day tour. Completely enclosed by lofty medieval walls, Obidos is a small town with whitewashed houses brightened by colorful bougainvilleas. Today the massively towered castle is a converted elegant pousada. Churches: Nossa Senhora do Carmo (Romanesque-Gothic), Santa Maria (Renaissance, housing an art collection by the Portuguese painter Josefa d’Óbidos), Misericórdia (15th-18th centuries) and São Pedro (18th century). Nearby is the Senhor da Pedra Sanctuary. Proceed to Alcobaca’s Monastery. Famous for its Cistercian abbey, Alcobaca is located in a valley where the rivers Alcoa and Baca join. The Monastery (1178) is one of the first examples of Gothic architecture in Europe. The facade was remodeled in the 17th and 18th century in baroque style. Interesting features include the Gothic portal; tombs of King Pedro and D. Ines; and a watercourse diverted to run through the ancient kitchen. Your final visit will be Fatima’s Sanctuary.

Day 5 – Faro (Algarve)

This morning a short flight takes you to Faro, the administrative center for the Algarve region with a population of over 40.000 people. The city has both Arab and Roman ruins, however most of the attractive older buildings were constructed after the disastrous earthquakes of 1532 and 1755.

Day 6 – Faro/Sagre/Cape St. Vincent/Faro

Today visit Sagre, its greatest claim to fame is that Henry the Navigator, said to have had a "school of navigation" here. Continue to see the Cape St Vincent lighthouse, one of the most famous in the world due to its location on the extreme south-west tip of Europe. It guards one of the world's busiest shipping lanes between North America, Northern Europe, and the Mediterranean Suez Canal. Return to Faro.

Day 7 – Faro

Enjoy the day at your leisure on the beach or shopping.

Day 8 – Faro/Funchal (Maderia)

Today take a short flight to Funchal, population 100,526 the capital of the Madeira Islands. The island is the largest of a group located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Today Funchal is a modern city, located in a unique area; the natural geological features form an "amphitheatre" surrounding the city, which begins at the harbor and rises almost 1200 meters high on gentle slopes. Providing a natural shelter, it attracted the first settlers. The day is at your leisure. This evening meet with singles of the area.

Day 9 – Funchal

After breakfast, enjoy a day of sightseeing visiting Porto Moniz and Paul da Serra. Porto Moniz is a remote coastal village located at the north-westernmost point of Madeira. Set high on a hill looking over the seafront, the town is well sheltered by a narrow peninsula that points toward a picturesque islet called Ilhéu Mole. Continue to visit Porto Moniz. Lunch is included today. Your farewell dinner is arranged for this evening.

Day 10 – Departure

Farewell to Portugal as you transfer to the airport for your return flight.  Arrive home, your hearts and minds filled with happy memories of Portugal!

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• International air New York/Lisbon/New York
  

• Domestic Air Lisbon/Faro – Faro/Funchal/Lisbon
  

• 3 nights accommodation in Lisbon at a 4-star hotel
  

• 3 nights accommodation in Faro at a  4-star hotel
  

• 3 nights accommodation in Funchal at a  4-star hotel
  

• 7 Breakfast,  7Lunch, 3 Dinner 
  

• All sightseeing and entrance fees as per program
  

• Hotel taxes and service charges
  

• Porterage of 1 piece of luggage
  

NOT INCLUDED

• U.S. Departure Tax and Airport Security fees.
  

• Items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls, fax, inter-net, travel insurance, tips for drivers, guides, transfer and restaurant personnel, soft drinks, coffee tea (excluding breakfast), alcoholic beverage, mineral water, etc…
  

PLEASE NOTE: Itinerary sequence subject to change.