Tour Director - Jess Floe

Minimum: 6
Maximum: 12

NOTE: The tour begins in Lisbon at 6 pm. Your flight should arrive no later than 3:30 pm. The tour ends after breakfast in Porto on September 18, 2025. You can book your flight to depart at any time. You should book your flight into Lisbon and out of Porto. 

Day 1 - Overnight in Lisbon - D 
Welcome to Portugal! After your arrival at the Lisbon Airport you will be met by a driver and transferred to our hotel. We kick off our Portugal Food and Wine adventure with a welcome dinner at a local restaurant where we will enjoy our first taste of Portuguese cuisine and, of course, Portuguese wine. 

Day 2 - Overnight in Lisbon - B, D 
Our first full day in Portugal will begin with a private tour of Lisbon. We'll tour the city by minibus, stopping to see the sites and learn about the history of this beautiful city. We'll also make a few stops to taste some of the foods of the city and you'll get some ideas of sites you might want to return to during your free time.  After the tour, you'll have the afternoon free before we meet back up to experience a Fado concert. Originating in Lisbon in the mid 19th century, Fado is a Portuguese musical genre that combines poetry and music, and is known for its melancholic and expressive nature. After the concert it'll be time to head to the cooking school.  Here we'll spend the rest of the evening learning to cook the Portuguese way. It'll be a fun, relaxed time enjoying Portuguese wine, cooking our meal and then sitting down to dinner to eat our creations. 

Day 3 - Overnight in Lisbon - B
Today we’ll spend outside the city as we visit the beautiful towns of Cascais and Sintra, set amidst the pine-covered hills of the Serra de Sintra. Because of its hilly and cooler client, this area attracted the nobility and elite of Portugal to build their extravagent palaces and gardens. Here we’ll see some of Europe’s finest example of the colourful Romanticism style of architecture. We’ll enjoy an outside visit of the famous, whimsical Pena Palace as well as walking through the beautiful quiet parks and gardens of Sintra. Next you'll have some free time in town to grab lunch before we head to the coast. Depending on the weather, we may spend some time walking the paths of the area and enjoying the views by foot. We'll stop at Cabo da Roca, the western most spot of continental Europe. Here we'll enjoy the views before heading back to Lisbon where you'll have have the evening free to spend as you'd like. 
 
Day 4 - Overnight at Casa Cimeira, Douro Valley - B, L, D 
After checking out of our hotel we’ll begin our journey to the Douro Valley. On our way we’ll make a stop to visit the historic town of Coimbra, the former capital of Portugal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Coimbra is a preserved medieval town and home to the University of Coimbra, where one may see students dressed in its traditional black capes with black cassocks. We’ll meet our local guide and enjoy a unique way of touring this beautiful city, by electric tuk tuk! A few of the sites we’ll see are the Coimbra Cathedral built in 1139, the medieval town and the Santa Clara Monastery. After the tour we’ll stop for lunch at a local restaurant before completing our drive to the Valley. Upon arrival and checking into the hotel we'll enjoy dinner with our host at the hotel.

Day 5 - Overnight at Casa Cimeira, Douro Valley - B, L
Today we'll start with a private boat cruise along the Douro River. We'll enjoy seeing the valley from a different perspective and marvel at its beauty. Next we'll head into the vineyards themselves. We'll meet a local wine maker and enjoy an 8 km loop through the Douro Valley countryside. We'll spend time with this local couple and get off the beaten path to a village called Ervedosa do Douro. You'll hike through fields of vines from their family and then enjoy lunch at their house where they have their barrels with aged Port wine. It'll be the perfect first day in the Douro Valley. After we return to the hotel, you'll have the even free to spend as you'd like. 

Day 6 - Overnight at Casa Cimeira, Douro Valley - B, L
After breakfast we’ll enjoy what might be the most special day in the valley as we meet Mafalda and perhaps her brother Mateus, fifth generation wine makers and friends of Becky and Jess. We'll start at Mateus Nicolau de Almeida. Here we’ll enjoy a tour and tasting, followed by lunch in the vineyard at Quinta do Monte Xisto. Located on a striking schist (xisto) outcrop overlooking the rivers Douro and Côa, Quinta do Monte Xisto is not usually open to visitors so our lunch will be exclusively for us outside by the vines. We’ll enjoy getting to know the owners and learning more about the family’s history in the winemaking industry. After another special day in the Douro Valley, we’ll transfer back to our hotel where you’ll have the rest of the evening free to do as you choose.

Day 7 - Overnight at MO House, Porto - B, D
After breakfast we’ll check out and enjoy a train ride on one of the most scenic rides of Europe as we make our way to Porto. Upon arrival, we'll check into our hotel and head out to explore some of the sites of Porto. You'll have some free time to grab lunch and explore a bit on your own before we meet back up for dinner as a group. 

Day 8 - Overnight at MO House, Porto - B, L
After breakfast we'll enjoy a tour of the highlights of Porto on a tuk tuk tour. Some of the sites we'll see are the Catedral do Porto. Torre dos Clergies, Miragai, and Avenida Dos Aliados. After the tour, you'll have the rest of the day to explore on your own. 

Day 9 - Overnight at MO House, Porto - B, L, D
After a free morning to spend as you choose, we’ll begin by walking south across the amazing Dom Luís I Bridge, connecting Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia. If the bridge looks a bit familar, it could be because it was designed by a student of Gustave Eiffel, the mastermind behind the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Today we’ll start by seeing the city from a different vantage point as we float between the river banks of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in a typical Rabelo boat and discover the beauty of Douro River and the city of Porto. After our relaxing cruise, we’ll visit one of the port caves of Vila Nova de Gaia where we’ll have a private tour and tasting. We’ll begin to better understand the different between a regular wine and a port wine, we’ll learn the history of Porto and why for centuries they have brought the barrels of port down the Douro river to be stored and aged here. After our second tasting it will be time for dinner, where we’ll enjoy a private meal at one of the port caves, learning more about this unique wine and enjoying the Portuguese cuisine.
 
Day 10 - Overnight at MO House, Porto - B, D
Today we'll enjoy a fun walking tour of Porto where we will  learn about the foods and wines of Portugal from a historic perspective until present day. We’ll visit some of the highlights of the city as well as some off the beaten tourist path locally-owned specialty food stores. We’ll meet the owners and find out why they are an integral part of what makes gastronomy in Porto so unique. As we taste our way through Porto, we will begin to understand how port wine got its name and the important part it plays in Porto cuisine.  After the food tour we’ll make a stop at the Lello Bookstore, consistently named one of the world’s most beautiful bookstores in the world. After our visit, you'll have the afternoon free to spend as you'd like before we meet back up for our farewell dinner. We'll toast to new friends and special memories made. 
 
Day 11 - B
Unfortunately, it’s time to leave this beautiful country. After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport according to your flight schedule.