One-Week Best of Lisbon Tour

A transfer from the airport is part of your travel experience and will provide you with your first glimpse of Lisbon’s grand city streets and vibrant colors. You will be greeted at Portugal’s largest airport and transferred to your luxurious accommodation in Alfama, which is a hillside neighborhood of cobbled lanes and old-world tales. While you can take a tourist tramcar along the same route, your tour will be more private and authentic. A local guide will accompany you on the public tram. This evening, you will have a dinner table reserved at a charming and traditional restaurant in Alfama for a hearty dose of Lisbon’s old cuisine.

Today’s private tour will celebrate the architectural side to Lisbon, from a time of riches when Vasco de Gama was sailing around the country, ruling the seas. Most of your tour will take place in Belem, which is Lisbon’s grandest old suburb and where you will also taste the original pastel de nata, which is a small and sweet custard tart. The history of Lisbon also exists elsewhere, so, later today, you will gaze upon the city from a castle to discover the divine churches of the city. You should consider dining at one of Lisbon’s renowned markets this evening, and your local guide will reveal how you can indulge in street food from Michelin-starred chefs.

Dusty plains and cork forests dominate the landscape Southeast of Lisbon, and vineyards nestle between the trees, offering swathes of green on an otherwise brown and ochre scene. These vineyards produce some of Europe’s most notable wines, and you will visit two of them. You will begin your tour with a laid-back tasting and an opportunity to meet the winemaker at a charming estate. Then, you can go for lunch and a tasting at a glorious farmhouse on a vineyard that put Alentejo on the world map. This afternoon, you can wander through Evora, which is a city that proudly narrates 2,000 years of history.

Lisbon’s most iconic day trip leads you into the hills and along the coast to the Moorish palaces of Sintra and the 19th-century resort town of Cascais. It is worth getting an early start today, so you can explore royal palaces before the hordes of tour buses descend on Sintra. After exploring the palaces, you will stroll the town’s backstreets with your guide as they narrate Byron, who famously wrote some of his finest work here. After your tour, you can also kick back on the beaches and bask in the Lisbon sun. Cascais has some stunning restaurants, and your guide can arrange tables for this evening.

Today, your local guide will show you around to the neighborhoods of mazy hillside streets. Graffiti dominates these roads, and it will prove to be quite a show. This private tour will also be an excellent chance to immerse yourself in Lisbon and venture off the beaten path. In these neighborhoods, you will find idyllic boutiques and cafes along with a gregarious atmosphere that encourages you to linger. Most of the afternoon will be at your leisure. Then music may carry you away this evening because Fado is similar to the more famous Spanish flamenco, although it has a more melancholy edge.

Today, you will indulge in the authenticity of Obidos, which is a postcard-perfect town of whitewashed walls and a glistening history. It is also a wonderful place to stroll around, especially on the last day of your vacation. It is easy to spend a full day in this medieval town, but you can customize your tour further by visiting other old towns and UNESCO World Heritage Sites on this side of Lisbon, such as Batalha Monastery. Back in Lisbon, you will have dining reservations at one of the city’s most celebrated restaurants. In the same hands for more than 40 years, the restaurant serves up traditional Lisbon cuisine with a contemporary twist.

Today will be at your leisure, so you can explore more of Lisbon or return to some of your favorite places. Late check-out will be arranged, and you will be transferred privately to the airport for your outbound flight.