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Exclusive Luxury Portugal Self-Drive Tour
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Self-drive Tour – 14 days / 13 nights
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This Self Drive tour was specifically designed to give you the
best experiences in Portugal as far as accommodation, gastronomy
and Portuguese culture are concerned. This itinerary will take
you to the most well known sites in Portugal but also to the
deep and unexplored country allowing you to really absorb what
is in fact the true Portuguese spirit.
Day 1: Arrival to Lisbon
On this first day of your arrival you will check-in at the Lapa
Palace Hotel in order to recuperate from your flight and have a
deserved rest before the beginning of the Portuguese adventure.
It'll be a good day to enjoy the hotel amenities or take a first
sight at this glamorous city.
Luxury accommodation in Lisbon:
Hotel:
Lapa Palace Hotel
Day 2: Visit to Lisbon
Today it will be time to start exploring Lisbon! If you
really want to know the capital of Portugal in detail and in a
more relaxed way we highly recommend you to have a Full-Day
Private Tour with one of our expert Lisbon guides. Lisbon was
settled by many people’s dating as far back as 1200 a.C. when
the banks of the Tagus river attracted Phoenicians, Romans and
lather on the Moorish empire. Still today it’s on the oldest
neighborhood of Lisbon – Alfama – that this Moorish presence can
still be seen on the narrow winding streets leading up to the
Castle. But Lisbon’s golden age was about to begin when the
first Portuguese explorers –Vasco da Gama, Pedro Álvares Cabral,
Prince Henry the Navigator – “gave new horizons to the know
world” and with the profit of the exotic products from the India
and the far east, transformed Portugal into the wealthiest
nation on earth. All of this presence can still be seen on the
monuments in the waterfront district of Belém, including the
Monastery of Jerónimos (1502) and the Tower of Belém.
Luxury accommodation in Lisbon:
Hotel:
Lapa Palace Hotel
Day 3: Visit to Sintra and Estoril Coast
On this third day of your stay in Portugal, you'll pick-up
your car in the town centre and start the exploration of one of
the most incredible little towns of Portugal: Sintra. The
Portuguese royalty left their presence behind in two amazing
royal palaces (the extravagant Pena Palace and the genuine Vila
Palace) that you can visit either on your own or with a more
detailed approach with one of our expert guides in a Full-Day
Sintra Tour without worrying about lines to buy tickets, relying
only in the brief historical information provided by the palace.
If you decide to explore just one of these Palaces or even any
other in alternative then you just need to save some time to
explore the amazing Estoril Coast and its celebrated beaches
where the European royalty sought refuge during World War II.
Roadbook - Approximate distances and times:
Lisboa - Sintra --- 30Km (30minutes)
Luxury accommodation in Lisbon:
Hotel:
Lapa Palace Hotel
Day 4: Departure to the Douro Valley, passing through
Óbidos, Alcobaça, Batalha & Viseu
Today it will be time to leave the region of Lisbon behind and
enter the Portuguese countryside. Just one hour outside of
Lisbon is where you’ll find one of the hidden gems of the
Portuguese countryside: the medieval town of Óbidos. This
completely walled city still presents with pride the white
washed houses that the Moorish occupation left behind in a maze
of narrow cobbled streets on the way up to the castle. In Óbidos
it will be hard to choose either to explore the little ceramic
shops along the way or enjoy the pleasures of the celebrated
local Cherry Liquor known as Ginjinha. By the time you leave
Óbidos behind you will be heading to the World Heritage Site of
Alcobaça. In the foundation of Portugal the King donated the
land to the Cistercian monks that initiated the construction of
one of the simplest but yet most spectacular buildings in
Portugal: the Monastery of Alcobaça. After the visit to Alcobaça
and maybe a taste of some local specialties for lunch it will be
time to continue to the Monastery of Batalha where the
Portuguese golden generation of the discoveries is buried in an
ensemble of late gothic with the Portuguese Manueline style of
architecture. Leaving Batalha behind you will finally be on your
way to the Douro Valley. After you’ve been driving across
Portugal the city of Viseu will come as a perfect place for you
to stretch your legs in the old but yet trendy city centre
admiring the traditional shops displaying the best that the city
has to offer. At the end of the day you will finally arrive to
what is for certain one of the most amazing landscapes in
Europe.
Roadbook - Approximate distances and times:
Lisboa - Óbidos --- 100 Km (1 hour)
Óbidos - Alcobaça --- 38 Km (30 minutes)
Alcobaça - Batalha --- 21 Km (25 minutes)
Batalha - Viseu --- 170 Km (2h10 minutes)
Viseu - Peso da Régua --- 70 Km (50 minutes)
Luxury accommodation in Peso da Régua:
Hotel:
Aqua Pura Douro Valley Hotel
Day 5: Visit to Porto
In the north of the country there is a city that is called
the “Unbeatable” by its inhabitants, where people are proud of
being “Tripe eaters” and where the aroma of Port Wine is present
in every meal: this is the city of Porto. Porto is located on
the banks of the river Douro overlooking its younger sister Vila
Nova de Gaia on the South Bank of the city where the Port Wine
ages in its well kept Wine Cellars that you can visit. In Porto
the rich Port Wine merchants exhibited their wealth and power in
the altars of the S. Francisco Church in an exuberant example of
gilded wood carvings; in the Stock Exchange Palace and its
amazing Arab room, whereas the ordinary people woke up with the
gentle sound of the river water’s in the waterfront district of
Ribeira where you can now go for a stroll or just sit down in
one of the many cafés at the taste of a nice glass of Port.
Return to your hotel in Régua.
Roadbook - Approximate distances and times:
Peso da Régua - Porto --- 126 Km (1h30 minutes)
Luxury accommodation in Peso da Régua:
Hotel:
Aqua Pura Douro Valley Hotel
Day 6: Visit to the Douro Valley
Today it will be time to explore the Douro Valley and all
its enchantments. After leaving the hotel in the morning you
should head to the Wine Estate of “Quinta da Pacheca” to know
all of the secrets of this family owned winery just a very short
drive from your Hotel. After a traditional lunch in any of the
small waterfront restaurants accompanied by one of the flavorful
Douro wines we suggest you to explore the river Douro on a
private cruise on a traditional “rabelo” boat starting in Pinhão.
At the end of your cruise you will be more than ready and
relaxed to visit the Wine Estate of Quinta do Seixo and let the
day come to an end while enjoying a glass of Port Wine. After
the visit of the Quinta do Seixo you just need to decide if you
want to drive back to your hotel in time to relax before dinner
or if you just want to enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the
Douro Valley for a little longer and arrive at Régua a little
later but still on time for a deserved rest.
Roadbook - Approximate distances and times:
Peso da Régua - Pinhão --- 27 Km (30 minutes)
Luxury accommodation in Peso da Régua:
Hotel:
Aqua Pura Douro Valley Hotel
Day 7: Departure to the Alentejo Region, passing through
Guarda & Marvão
The seventh day of your self-drive tour will take you across
Portugal towards the pure region of the Alentejo. The first stop
will take you to the city of Guarda – the highest in Portugal at
1.000 meters – know for its 14th century cathedral and Jewish
quarter and where once the Portuguese fought bravely against the
Spanish invaders. Your journey across Portugal will take you to
the town of Marvão where the almost forgotten walls located at
1.000 meters still embrace the old white washed houses
overlooking the rolling hills of the Alentejo and where you will
feel that you've reached the heart of the genuine Portugal.
After walking around in the windy streets of Marvão it will be
time for you to continue to Évora where the Convento do
Espinheiro Hotel is waiting for you for a nice relaxed evening.
Roadbook - Approximate distances and times:
Peso da Régua - Guarda --- 155 Km (1h55m)
Guarda - Marvão --- 195 km (2h10m)
Marvão - Évora --- 123 km (1h30m)
Luxury accommodation in Évora:
Hotel:
Convento do Espinheiro Hotel
Day 8: Visit to Évora and optional visits to Wine Estate
and Vila Viçosa
Once you’re in Évora it will be time to slow down, and just like
the locals enjoy the serenity of life commanded by the pace of
nature. In the next morning Évora will be waiting for you.
Starting at the top nearby the Roman Temple you will be amazed
by the fact that somehow the everyday life goes around it just
like it did two thousand years ago… Descending from the temple
you will reach the Cathedral entering the narrow shopping
streets that display proudly the different utilizations of the
most celebrated material of the region: cork! By the time you
reach the central Giraldo Square you will be just a few steps
away from the unique Chapel of the Bones where the bones of
5.000 people exhibit a macabre but yet amazing devotion for
death. During the afternoon it will be up to you to decide if
you want to go back to your hotel and relax or enter the world
of the wines of the Alentejo. In the little town of Estremoz the
Seis Reis Wine Estate is waiting for your arrival in what will
be a surprising discovery of the well matured Alentejo red wines
that somehow maintain all of its youth. If you still want to
explore the world of the Portuguese royalty you will be amazed
by the Vila Viçosa Palace just before your return back to the
hotel.
Roadbook - Approximate distances and times:
Évora - Estremoz --- 47 km (30 minutes)
Estremoz - Vila Viçosa --- 26 Km (20 minutes)
Luxury accommodation in Évora:
Hotel:
Convento do Espinheiro Hotel
Day 9: Day to relax in the Alentejo region.
Today might be the perfect day for you to stay in bed for a
little longer and enjoy the serenity of the Hotel Spa or the
swimming pool. After a delightful Spa Session or just a relaxed
morning in the company of a book it might be the perfect timing
for you to discover the secrets of the gastronomy of the
Alentejo. For that we would advise you to drive to little town
of Reguengos where the Wine Estate of Esporão will present you
some of the best secrets of the regional gastronomy in their
restaurant. Of course there will be nothing better to digest a
nice lunch than a walk in the vineyards and in the old wine
cellars accompanied by one of the expert wine guides of the
Esporão or even to climb up the walls of the nearby medieval
village of Monsaraz. We are sure that the smooth drive back to
the hotel will be a mixture of longing for what was left behind
and a sense of anxiety for what the next day will bring!
Roadbook - Approximate distances and times:
Évora - Reguengos --- 39 Km (35 minutes)
Luxury accommodation in Évora:
Hotel:
Convento do Espinheiro Hotel
Day 10: Departure to the Algarve
This day will take you to the best resort of Portugal: the
Algarve. Leaving the hotel during the morning you will start
driving towards the South crossing the landscape of the pure
Alentejo plains. The Algarve is located on the southern most
part of Portugal in an unique location allowing it to absorb the
influences from the pure Mediterranean climate combined with the
imposing Atlantic cliffs and beaches. In this region we present
you two different kinds of luxury accommodation that represent
the best resorts of the Algarve: the Vila Vita Parc Hotel in an
unique combination of the authentic architecture of the Algarve
and the tranquility of the Portuguese countryside; or The Lake
Resort Hotel in the cosmopolitan Vilamoura where the nightlife
and the casino combined with the brand new infrastructures of
the Hotel will always keep you entertained.
Roadbook - Approximate distances and times:
Évora - Algarve --- 214 Km (2h30 minutes)
Luxury accommodation in the Algarve:
Hotel :
Vila Vita Parc (Porches)
or
Hotel :The
Lake Resort (Vilamoura)
Day 11 and 12: Exploring the Algarve
After exploring the whole country you will surely deserve
some time to relax and enjoy the best that the Algarve has to
offer. If you would like to explore some of the beaches of the
Algarve all you need to do is choose between the cliff protected
beaches of the West Coast or the long stretches of sand of the
East Coast of the Algarve. On the other hand if you would like
to explore the historical Algarve then try to enter the almost
magical world of the nautical school of the Sagres or the walled
city of Lagos. On the East Coast of the Algarve Tavira still
represents the most authentic Algarve with its old castle at the
top of the hill. Don’t forget about the little seaside
Mediterranean villages with their white washed houses that still
today are proud to offer some of the best grilled fish in the
country.
Luxury accommodation in the Algarve:
Hotel :
Vila Vita Parc (Porches)
or
Hotel :The
Lake Resort (Vilamoura)
Day 13: Return to Lisbon along the Vicentina Coast
Today it will be time to return back to Lisbon but you can
make it a lot more than just a transfer. Leaving the Algarve in
the morning it will be time to enter the Vicentina Coast in one
of the least explored areas of Portugal. The laws that protect
this nature park kept it away from the mass tourism giving you
the opportunity to explore the authentic Portuguese coast while
enjoying the tranquility of the seaside towns of Odeceixe or
Vila Nova de Milfontes.
Roadbook - Approximate distances and times:
Algarve (Vilamoura) - Odeceixe --- 105 Km (1h20 minutes)
Odeceixe - Vila Nova de Milfontes --- 46 Km (45 minutes)
Luxury accommodation in Lisbon:
Hotel:
Pestana Palace Hotel
Day 14: Delivery of rental car and end of our services.
End of Self-Drive Tour |
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Price
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See
all prices |
Duration
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14 days/ 13 nights |
Inclusive
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13 Nights accommodation on selected hotel (level A or B)
13 Full Breakfast
12 days AVIS rent-a-car (airconditioned vehicle) with CDW and TP insurance & unlimited kms. |
Exclusive
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Circulation Fee not included on price and payable directly at
the desk. |
Extra's
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Car collection at Airport
Car Delivery at your Lisbon hotel
Additional driver
GPS |
Options
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In case you wish to stay longer in the area please contact us in order to provide you accommodation solutions.
Also available for groups. |
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