10 Days Gastronomic Tour in Portugal
This 10-day gastronomic train will take you from the city of Porto in the north to Lisbon in the centre. Followed by the fishermen´s towns of Olhao in the southern Algarve´s region. In between you will visit the Venice of Portugal, Aveiro. You get to know everything about the best typical gastronomic experience in Portugal and go deep into one of Portugal´s most prestigious wine region.
Highlights
Day 1 - Arrival to Porto
On the day of arrival to the coastal city of Porto, a private taxi takes you to your hotel. Depending on the time of arrival, you may have the option to walk around the city for some first impressions of its surprisingly steep hills and grand squares.
Porto is absolutely spellbinding with its tenaciously textured buildings, valorous variety of architecture and Mesmerizing mix of colour shades. Enter this laid-back city with a few great options to check off the travel list.
Take a cruise of the Douro River and connect with the Portuguese nautical triumphs and kindred relationship with the water. You’ll pass under the 6 bridges connecting both sides of the city, including Ponte de Dom Luís I, designed by Gustave Eiffel.
Optional activity: Hop on hop off bus
If you don’t fancy walking too much on your first few days but want to ensure you don’t miss a thing? Catch a hop on hop off bus with us and follow our insider tips on where to get on and off and what to not miss.
Price: € 18,- per person for one day or € 20,- for two days
Day 2 - Porto - its blue tiled houses and the Port wineries
Today charters an alluringly full day of marching around the city and taking in the various aspects of this old-world, rejuvenated city, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.
Porto is a decorated playground of mazes and cobbled, tangled streets and hills. Brimming with brilliantly blue tiled buildings adorning the centre, the streets eventually widen into well-manicured, wide walkways.
Porto will tempt you today with charming options to see the city, don’t worry intended sites can be revisited tomorrow as well.
Stroll along the boulevards and reach the Ponte de Dona Maria Pia, connecting Porto and its friendly neighbour across the Douro River, Vila Nova de Gaia. This bridge was completed in the late 1800’s by Gustave Eiffel (already famous for his Eiffel Tower in Paris) and is a star of the city still today. Cross the Douro river to visit the Port wineries on the other side in Vila Nova de Gaia. We’ll share our expertise on which wineries to visit and which Ports to try.
Every city has their token market, and Porto has the Mercado Bolhão, an identity on its own and a favourite of locals and tourists alike. Indulge in a gastronomic array of Portuguese delectables,
and the shop owners will be happy to share their stories with you here.
You’ll need some calories for the days coming up and we’ve got just the right thing. At any local stop, try the Francesinha, a Portuguese bragging right and one monstrous sandwich, you won’t believe it until you try it!
Optional activity: Petisco gastronomy Tour, Porto
Wait no more to taste the local food at the “Petisco” (small bites) bars in this privately guided tour of the city. The 3 hour, 5 stop visit offers a drink, perhaps the unique to Portugal “Ginjha”, a cherry liquor, and a petisco, typical of this and the northern regions.
Price: € 55,- per person
Day 3 - Porto - Full day wine excursion
The famous Douro valley, for nature and wine lovers, is a landscape blessed with a swirling river running through its hills. Today should be filled with hand-constructed terraces on the edge of its vineyards.
In this full day tour, you´ll be picked up from your accommodation where the driver will take you to your first bodega. Then you´ll visit a second bodega, where you will also have a Portuguese lunch. Then you´ll visit another bodega and brought back to your accommodation.
Day 4 - Porto - Aveiro – Lisbon
After breakfast you will take the train from the beautifully tiled São Bento and in less than one hour you’ll pull into the colourful town of Aveiro. Famous for its canals and coined the “Venice of Portugal”, it allows you to take a local gondola or walk around the town following its waterways.
Being Portugal, it of course also offers exquisite cod fish, often cured in this salt. There are ample choices to taste this perfection of the centuries by having lunch while gazing at the Atlantic. For dessert, Aveiro’s own sweet secret – Ovos moles, a lesser known sweet bite found at any pastry shop along the route.
In the afternoon you will continue by train to Lisbon where you …
Optional activity: Canal tour. Want to reserve your canal tour before you arrive, then you can do that right here. The tour is for one hour on a gondola boat through the canals in a small group with an English-speaking guide through Aveiro. Price: € 18,- per person
Day 5 - Lisbon – From the colourful city of Aveiro to the historic city of Coimbra
Its city rebuilt from calamity to splendor through the centuries. Here you’ll find historical richness and creative brilliance alive in past and current form.
Lisbon is absolutely loaded with precious things to see and do, therefore we advise you to get ready to do some walking! But wait…Lisbon has seven different hills as well, so also expect to do some climbing! It’s a well laid-out and planned city thanks to recent rejuvenations, so for those of you who prefer to take it a bit easier, we’ll assist you with other methods of transportation.
First things first – the classic “Tram 28”. This well-known and favourite tram route is a perfect ride to catch as it visits most of the tourist destinations, and it can save your legs on the surprisingly hilly streets of Lisbon. After a thorough ride and absorbing an initial sense of the city’s vibe, colours, rhythm and beauty, hike up the first of the 7 hills, to Saint Jorge’s Castle. It’s one of the first fortifications built, dating from the 1st century BC, and is currently in wonderful medieval form.
It offers spectacular views of the red-tiled roofs and sweeping landscape of the city.
Avenida de Liberdad is a must, either in day or evening. The avenue was built in 1879, is 1100m long, and has ten lanes divided by large pedestrian pavements that are an absolute pleasure to stroll down. Shaded under the trees and decorated with gardens and mosaic tiles so wonderful you won’t want to walk over them. You’ll find it’s a refreshing stroll through an area offering some of the most expensive shopping in Europe, and linking two main parts of Lisboa.
In the evening visit a Fado bar, Lisbon’s famed bitter-sweet music style traced to the 1820’s, where you’ll enjoy a live show complete with traditional dress and settings – it’ll whisk you to another time and tell an expressive melancholic tale of its own.
If you’re looking for Lisbon nightlife – look no further and make your way to Pink Street! Surely you’ve heard of it, it’s not only picturesque, but home to some of the best bars…and yes, the street
is actually pink! Originally the Red Light District, and a hot spot for sailors, its shady beginnings have been transformed into hip happenings, some still carrying their original Port names.
Day 6 - Coimbra - Evora
In less than four hours, including a transfer stop in Lisbon, you arrive to Evora. You still have the morning in Coimbra to walk around and see a few sights which you hadn´t seen the day before. You arrive early in the evening in Evora, just on time to checkin, have a shower and had off for diner and finish of for an evening walk through the centre.
Day 7 - Evora
In the morning, put on your walking shoes for visiting the town of Evora. You start of at the main square visiting the cathedral. You walk past the Roman Diana Temple and make a visit to the historic university. For lunch you have a choice out of many restaurants and you will notice that there is more meat than fish on the menu, completely different. In the afternoon you can visit a church with the inside adornments full of skulls and bones, some you will have never seen before.
Optional excursion: Private walking tour through the centre of Evora visiting all its highlights with explanation by an English-speaking guide for 2,5 hours. You receive all the inside information with the story behind the buildings. Price: € 55,- per person including a private English-speaking guide and entrance to the monuments
Day 8 - Evora - Lisbon
You will arrive today at the train station Lisbon Oriente and have your final check-in and ready for your last destination to explore. Since Lisbon has a lot to see and offer we advise you to get ready to do some walking! Lisbon has seven different hills, so expect to do some hill climbing as well. You can take the classic tram 28 to visit most of the touristic destinations. Take a hike up to the medieval Saint Jorge´s castle with spectacular views of the city. In the evening visit a Fado bar, where they will have live show´s of this local music.
Go out at the pink street:
https://onceuponajrny.com/destinations/europe/portugal/cais-do-sodre-pink-street-lisbon/
Optional excursion: Join Nuno with a small group on an E-Bike tour through the city. You will get to climb the 7 hills from the city and marvel each time at the different viewing spots at each hill. Learn in this 3-hour tour all about the history of the city. Price: € 35,- per person including an English-speaking guide, an E-bike and helmet.
Day 9 - Lisbon - Going to the area of the navigators of the sea or make a daytrip to Sintra
Start the day by going to the coastal area where there is an enormous statue of the navigators from the 16th century. Here famous explorers like Magallanes, Henry the Navigator and the great Vasco de Gama are here to see. Visit the tour of Belén and its adjacent monstary famous for the sweet treats of “Pasteis de Nata” , a custard flavoured pastry. If you decide to go on a daytrip and explore more about the region of Lisbon, we definitely recommend you to visit the colourful palace of Sintra, less than an hour away. See the optional excursion for more details.
Optional tour: Sintra and Cascais tour. On this 8-hour tour you will see all the important sights of the Cascais Nature Park. You will go to the most western point of Continental Europa at Cabo de Roca, see steep cliffs, the towns of Cascais and Estoril. The highlight of the tour will be the UNESCO world heritage site of the Sintra palace, called Pena Palace and Pena Park. The colourful, fairy tail palace is something you hav never seen. Price: € 58,- per person including English-speaking guide, transportation and entrance to the Sintra Palace.
https://go2lisbon.pt/tour/sintra-amazing-daily-tour-pick-up-tickets-included/
Day 10 - Lisbon - Home ?
Depending on your flight you have some last time at the centre to do some souvernir shopping. Today you fly back home from Lisbon airportº. We will arrange a hotel pick-up for you by private taxi to make sure that you come on time at the airport. Do you wish to extend your trip or add a few extra stops, let us know and we will taylor make this trip for you as you wish.
Important Information
Total Price: €1500 per person
Including:
- 9 Nights in a 2- to 3-star hotel including breakfast (let us know if you prefer an upgrade to a 4- or 5-star hotel).
- Train tickets as mentioned in the above itinarary.
- Pick-up and drop off from and to the airport.
- Insider tips from us from where to go and what to do.
Excluding:
- Plane tickets (we can arrange these for you if you wish).
- Insurance.
- All other food and drinks not mention in the description.
- Tips and all other private expenses.
