Best of Portugal: Porto, Lisbon, Sintra, Albufeira Tour

            This past October my wife and I took a comprehensive three-week guided tour of Portugal, starting out in the Algarve, traveling north through the interior as far as the Douro valley and Geres National Park, then heading south down the coast, ending in Lisbon.  When we initially chose Portugal as our destination, friends remarked “Three weeks in Portugal!  Will there be enough to do?”  I confess that when we originally chose Portugal as our destination, we had only a vague idea of the cultural and scenic riches in store.  We can now attest that Portugal has it all.  Small in area, it nonetheless offers amazing variety–gorgeous beaches, beautiful mountains studded with medieval walled villages, breathtaking vistas of river valleys, arid land with expanses of cork and olive trees, lush wine estates, unusual and sometimes quirky World Heritage sites, and two fabulous cities.  Looking back, three weeks was barely enough time to accomplish all we had hoped to do.

I. The Plan. As return clients of Zicasso, we have come to expect that they will put us together with top-notch tour directors, and the company that designed our tour of Portugal was no exception.  This company is first rate in every respect.  The travel planner, co-owner and director, was first in touch by email, offering a preliminary itinerary based on the general specifications we had given. We then had an extended, very productive chat by phone.  The travel planner’s charm and enthusiasm came through instantly, and it was evident that she knows Portugal like the back of her hand.  She is a great listener, and picked up right away on our interests and touring style.  We were less interested in relaxing at the beach or in wine tastings, and much more in visiting museums and exploring picturesque villages and historic sites. We are generally driven to squeeze in as much as possible in the allotted time, and presented her with a sizable list of towns we would like to include. The travel planner was back in touch the next day with a thoroughly revamped itinerary that incorporated virtually everything we had wanted to do (excluding just a few places that were not feasible due to time and distance).  On tour this plan proved to be extremely well constructed, ambitious but do-able, keeping an energetic pace and having an occasional long day.  This plan was ideally suited to us, and we loved every minute. 

II. The Tour. When we arrived at the Lisbon airport, the travel planner and co-owner were there to greet us.  The travel planner had prepared a very handy comprehensive guidebook that included the complete itinerary, descriptions with historical background, maps, vouchers, and pertinent details such as hotels and times for pick-ups.  She also provided a portable wi-fi hotspot that was a real boon throughout the tour.  Although the itinerary was charted out in great detail, it was still flexible, and guides introduced additional attractions based upon our interests.  

The travel planner and her staff were at the ready to address any questions or concerns that arose.  When we decided at the last minute that we wanted to tour the amazing caves off the coast at Lagos by speedboat, even though a kayak adventure had already been booked, the travel team made sure that happened.  And they were always happy to attend to special arrangements and details. When I wanted to make a reservation at a fine restaurant for my wife’s birthday, they secured a reservation at one of the top spots in Lisbon.  The staff there was thoroughly aware of the occasion and gave us a table in a special alcove.  I sensed the travel team's guiding hands in making this evening so memorable.  These are just two examples of the great care and responsiveness of the travel planner and her team.

III.  The Guides.  Although the travel planner offered the possibility of a self-guided tour with rental car, we opted to have a driver-guide with us from start to finish, a luxury that we consider well worth the added cost.  The travel planner ensured that all the transition points were seamless; without fail every guide was waiting for us at the appointed time.  We had a total of six driver-guides during the tour, each a local in the area we were touring.  Each was a unique and charming individual.  All were polished professionals who loved their country and wished to share its history and beautiful sights with the visitors.  All had a perfect command of English and were wonderful people with whom we have formed lasting friendships.  Our experiences with these people were indeed the very heart of this tour.  We feel intimately acquainted with the Portuguese people, their history, and their culture. 

Our first guide introduced us to the prehistoric menhirs outside Évora, a fascinating cork factory, a very authentic Taberna, and the lovely family pottery makers of Sao Pedro do Corval.  We also explored the wonders of Évora itself, with its narrow winding streets, aqueduct, beautiful churches, and the famous chapel of bones.

The next focused on Portugal’s rich history, from the Neolithic rock art at Foz Côato Roman ruins at Mértola and Ammaia, with marvelous museums explicating their significance.  He took us to fortresses and castles built as bulwarks against the Spanish at Mértola, Castelo de Vide, Marvão, and we walked castle walls and climbed up many a keep; he led us through picturesque medieval villages, often perched on a mountaintop, and greeted his friends in these sites. The town of Piódão, built entirely of schist, was unforgettable, especially with its lights at night.  A wine making tour was very educational, and followed by a tasting.  At the end of our stay, he took us to an unforgettable evening of fado music and dinner.

Our next guide played recordings of fado music during our travels, and we became enamored of the legendary Amalia Rodrigues and other performers.  We cruised the Douro Valley with its lovely vineyards, took a gondola ride in Aveiro, toured the sumptuous library and tiled rooms of the University of Coimbra, and explored the city of Porto, with its impressive Casa de música and a wonderful museum.  It seemed that everyone was a friend of our guide!

The next guide led us through the breathtakingly beautiful Geres National Park, where he lives.  He gave a botanical tour during a hike, and also stopped at a little stone village with a population of 15.

Our next guide took us to lovely churches, such as that in Batalha, and the polygonal oratorio of the Templar Knights in Tomar.  We toured the huge palace of Mafra, the deserted Roman ruins and museum at Conimbriga. and the picturesque villages of Óbidos and Nazaré. 

And our last guide gave us a wonderful overview of Lisbon, with highlights the Jerónimos Church and Monastery, the National Tile Museum, and the best pastel de nataof Portugal!  On another day we ventured out to the Palace of Queluz with its lovely gardens, and the impressive National Palace of Sintra, her home town.

IV.  Hotels and transportation.  The hotels were excellent and varied—the luxury resort-spa in the Algarve, a wonderfully located hotel in the center of Porto, an intimate little hotel situated among the vineyards of the Douro, a former convent transformed into a lovely hotel, and modern lodging with a gorgeous view of the city of Lisbon.  We were presented with alternatives for every town and had a part in choosing our hotels. All of the cars used were spacious, air-conditioned, spotless, and new.

V. Summary. This was one of the best tours we have ever taken, perhaps the best.  Everything, from start to finish, was perfect.  We would love to return, and, if we do, we would hope to book the tour again with this great company! 

We enjoyed our trip to Portugal, even though the weather did not cooperate. The chauffeurs were all wonderful and on time every step of the way. Our food tour in Porto was great and the trip to the Douro Valley was spectacular. The tour of the wine lodge was also excellent.

Lisbon was a total washout. Our trip to Sintra almost did not happen. According to our itinerary, we were to meet between 8am and 9am, but would get confirmation and an exact time 24 hours before. We did not receive the information, so we were sure to be there at 8am. The guide told us we should have been there at 7.50am and that if we had not shown up at 8am, he would only have waited five minutes before leaving. The weather was horrible and continued throughout the next day when we were to have a food tour that included a boat trip. We canceled the food tour and should have received a refund as there was no way we could have walked around and gone on a boat. I was extremely disappointed that a refund was not issued. The tour group claimed it went ahead, but there was no way a boat trip and walk in the torrential rain was possible. A refund should have been made. The tour company did not cancel, but it left us feeling they just wanted the money and did not care about the experience provided.

We went to the Algarve and the rain continued. We had a wonderful food tour and the guide was excellent! The next day we had a bike tour and luckily the rain held off. We did fine, but it was not an easy tour since the rain took its toll on the unpaved route. That afternoon we were scheduled for a boat tour. The weather was quite threatening and when we arrived, the rain started almost immediately. We had to turn back and got thoroughly soaked. That trip should have been canceled to begin with. We were told safety was the main concern. It was not!

As far as hotels go, the one in Porto was lovely and the staff were excellent. Lisbon was OK and the hotel there was lovely, but we had to leave at 3.30am for our flight, so did not get a chance to enjoy it. The hotel in the Algarve was definitely not four-star.

The Zicasso travel agent and her team were fantastic to work with. Communication was prompt and detailed, and we felt very sure they would take great care of us. Our itinerary was well organized and appropriate for our family, including three children.

There were aspects of the trip that were unforgettable and amazing, and there are definitely some things we wish we had done differently. As we traveled to three countries, I will separate my comments for each.

While it may be easy to focus on the things we would have liked to be different or found to be a problem, overall, we had an amazing time and were very happy with our agent and her team. They took excellent care of us and tried very hard to give us a fantastic adventure.

In Morocco, we enjoyed our hotels very much and our excursions were generally excellent, with fantastic guides in Marrakech. The walking food-tasting tour was particularly memorable. The sidecar tour felt short, but it was fun. Starting with the walking tour was the right choice, but the children found it a little slow. We enjoyed walking through the market area. It felt like we were in a different world, which was the point of visiting Marrakech.

On the other hand, the local tour group responsible for us in Morocco caused us stress and things felt chaotic at times. Here are the details that explain this:

We were told to meet our guide for the food-tasting tour in the square, but the guide went to pick us up at the hotel. Our contact person from the tour company in Morocco did not respond to our text messages when the guide didn't appear at the pick-up location. I then called him and he contacted the guide. As a result, we waited 30 minutes in the square for the guide and the tour started late. In the other countries, we were given the guides’ contact information so we could contact them directly, but not in Morocco.

Our itinerary had us going to a different belly-dancing restaurant than the one booked for us. It was difficult to find the restaurant we were booked at and I couldn't show locals its name because our itinerary had the wrong one. Again, I had to call our local contact person to figure out where to go.

There was a holiday in Marrakech. For our transfer to the Agafay desert, we were given different times by different people. It did not seem like everyone was on the same page.

The tour to the Agafay desert was not what was in our itinerary. It was supposed to be eight to nine hours, but was only four-and-a-half hours. Part of this was due to the holiday and the Berber villages being closed. We were not informed in advance that the trip would be shorter and were not given alternative activities. There was a suggestion on the itinerary that we could visit a waterfall or do a hike. This was never offered by the driver. Instead, we were dropped off at the hotel early.

The camel ride was supposed to be at sunset. Instead, it was in the middle of the day in the hot desert sun. While still a great experience, it was not what we were expecting.

The airport in Marrakech was chaos. We almost missed our flight because of the long lines for passport checks. Two hours is not enough there.

Our plane tickets to Malaga from Marrakech, booked by the agency, included three tickets in the exit row. Because you have to be 16 years old or older to sit in the exit row, our two younger children had to sit by themselves.

Overall, our time in Spain was tremendous. The hotels were great and the activities even better. We loved pretty much everything we did and wished we had had more time in each location. Communication with our agent's team was tremendous.

While the hotel/apartment in Estepona was very nice, it was isolated from any village/town, requiring an Uber to get to most restaurants, etc. Because of this, we wished we had had a car or stayed somewhere within walking distance of the town.

Stops in Gibraltar, Benalauría, Granada, Estepona, and Nerja were all fantastic. We loved the canyoning, kayaking, and jetski adventures. We did wish we had had more time to explore the towns of Gibraltar and Granada, but felt a little rushed. The time in Benalauría felt intimate and special.

Sevilla was just incredible. While it was hot, we made the best of it with time at the hotel pool in the afternoons. We very much appreciated the nice touch of getting us front-row seats for the flamenco dancing. The food-tasting tour in Sevilla was not as good as the others we did. We only stopped at two restaurants, whereas in Morocco and Portugal, we stopped at many more. The truth is, we could have done this one without a guide, though he was very pleasant and friendly.

The trip to Jerez may not have been necessary, but on the other hand, our paella-making experience was incredible. Our guide in Jerez was so lovely. The Doñana national park was a nice place to visit on our way to Portugal. The jeep tour there was fun and informative.

We enjoyed being in Portugal, but this part of the trip may not have been the most well-organized for our family. The places were all good, but perhaps this should have been organized differently.

The resort in Sagres was beautiful and could have been relaxing. However, we were only there for one night. Seeing the cliffs at the corner of Europe was indeed memorable and they were beautiful. We also loved the local fish restaurant that was suggested for us. With that said, it was a lot of driving to get there, followed by a lot of driving the next day to get to Lisbon. We probably should have gone directly to the Lisbon area and bypassed Sagres.

The reason for this is that our time in Lisbon didn't include a stop in Sintra, which was a mistake. Fortunately, our guide in Lisbon offered to drive us to Sintra so we could visit for a couple of hours after our food-tasting tour in Lisbon. So we got to see it, but didn't have enough time. We were not particularly impressed with Lisbon and wished we had stayed in Sintra instead. Lisbon seemed less clean and interesting, at least the parts we got to see. Sintra seemed more magical and unique, though we were rushed there.

Our hotel in Lisbon was just OK. Then they emailed me saying we took a water bottle and charged us 15 euros. We didn't take the water bottle! The location of the hotel was just OK as well. With that said, our guide in Lisbon for the tasting tour and trip up the coast of Portugal to Porto was awesome.

Once in Porto, we visited the Douro Valley. Our guide for the day was great, but the tour was not as special as what we've heard from others or other tours we've taken to wine-making regions. We visited a large commercial vineyard. All of their wines can be purchased in the US. It is a huge operation. In Tuscany and Japan, we visited small, family-run vineyards, where the owners prepared us very special meals. In both cases, we were the only people there for the day and they paired their wine with the food. It was so much better.

We also thought the trip would include a boat ride, but ours did not. Perhaps that was a mistake on my part. The point is, this trip was disappointing, whereas we've heard from others that their Douro Valley trip was a highlight.

Many people told us that if we liked Spain, we would love Portugal. This is a very accurate statement. This tour agency made our 15 day trip a memorable experience. Our guides/drivers were professional, personable, knowledgeable and passionate about their country and vocation. In addition, this tour agency arranged for a tour of the Lisbon Synagogue with a member of the congregation, and a special tour guide, for the Jewish Museum and Quarter in Belmonte.

Our Destination Expert, was very hands-on. Upon our arrival, she and our guide met us at the airport and provided us with a portable WI-FI and for our return flight, she even guided us through the airport to navigate check-in, baggage tagging, and security. She was always on top of our travels, especially notifying our guide when there were unplanned changes, such as the change in the time of the mass in Belmonte from Sunday to Saturday evening.

We visited the castles and villages in the East where you could see Spain in the distance. We toured and tasted wine from the Alentejo region. Our visit to the Douro Valley included a Port wine tasting and production tour. This area had spectacular vistas which we viewed from. the highest peak and from the boat tour on the river which gives you a very different perspective of the terrace grape vines. Next, we traveled to Porto, the second largest city in Portugal, and added a tour of the Casa da Musica built in 1999 and the Serralves Museum and sculpture garden. Lello bookstore was a magnificent surprise. What a beautiful interior! From Porto to Lisbon, we visited many beautiful seaside villages. We loved our tour of St George’s Castle and the Alfama area. Our evening at a Fado House with dinner and music was a special experience. Cooking Lisbon was tasty, and we can hardly wait to make some of the dishes at home.

Over the course of our trip we visited magnificent churches from the 13th to the 19th century and we never get tired of looking at the Azulejos. The pastries throughout Portugal are exceptional, though we are glad we waited until Belem to try the pasteis de nata, a delicious warm custard pastry. Of course, we sampled other treats during our travels.

The guides truly listened to us. When we expressed a delight in seeing the Roman Temple of Diana in Evora, our guide asked if we would like to take a short side trip to see a small Roman excavation, Ammaia. It was delightful. Also, when visiting Sintra. Our guide gave us a choice with the pro and cons about visiting Queluz National Palace rather than the Pena Palace. We decided on the Queluz National Palace. It was a wonderful and a relaxing tour.

If we attempted to tour Portugal on our own, we would not have visited the great range of sites that the agency provided. Moreover, without the expert commentary of our guides, we would not have understood the subtleties of Portuguese culture and history as well as we did.  This agency is an excellent resource and should we re-visit Portugal, we would not hesitate to use it again.