Private Hidden Treasures of Portugal Tour

We had a wonderful 11 nt. trip to Portugal 9/21-10/3, 2023. It was far hotter (95-98) than we thought it would be, but we were okay. First off the hotels our travel agent selected were perfect.

Here are the highs and lows of the trip.

The tasting at Sandeman in Porto was wonderful.

The 9/23 tour of Porto was very good… our guide was very knowledgeable and the driver was excellent. I would skip the Lello's Bookstore---very touristy, crowded, and hot. The Bolsa Palace was fascinating.

There was a mixup or screw-up about our trip to the Douro Valley. Our boat cruise scheduled for 11 AM was canceled 2 weeks before arrival and rescheduled for 5 PM that day. And we couldn't go to the second Quinta. Very disappointing. Our driver on 9/24 was excellent. Lunch at Terracu's at Quinta Nova was okay... a beautiful location. Starters and desserts and wines were very good. The main entrees (cod and lamb shank) were so salty as to be inedible. And the accompanying veggies were served cold. The wait staff felt badly and offered a glass of port at the meal's end as an apology. The wait staff were very nice. I expected better entrees. To kill time until our 5 PM boat trip, we had a wine tasting at Quinta Nova---the identical wines we had just consumed at lunch. Originally our agent had suggested we spend 2-3 hours in Pinhao, but I pushed back on that as all the reviews of Pinhao describe it as "scruffy" and not a lot to do. And the reviews were correct--there is nothing to do there. Luckily we did the wine tasting instead. Our river cruise was very nice---the crew was so friendly and we were the only folks on board.

The 9/25 secret walking tour of Porto was a disaster. The guide was nice but uninteresting sights and the tour included so many steps with no railings that it was very difficult for my husband. We bailed after 1 hour and had a lovely lunch along the river. I would not recommend this tour to anyone.

The tour to Braga was lovely. The guide and driver were good and the tibia pastries are not to be missed. The Cathedral of Braga was magnificent.

9/27 trip from Porto to Lisbon---good driver. First stop, Coimbra---he left us at the university square on our own. We saw the library and students in their capes---I would not do this again...

Next stop Obidos– which we loved, a quaint walled city with shops and restaurants and the local ginja.

9/28 food and wine tour. Hmmm… Our young guide walked us for 2+ hours in 95-degree heat never asking if we wanted water or a rest. The description of the tour is nothing like what we got. We met no locals, we had no petiscos, no codfish cake, no verde vinho, no cheeses. We finally stopped at a wine bar and had a tasting with a charcuterie plate and olive oils. The staff was very knowledgeable about wines but we got the impression that our guide was bored and not engaged with us. We finally told him we were fine and he could leave us.

The trip to Belem was lovely. Our guide was a last-minute replacement for our original guide and I'm not sure he was informed of what we were to see. Contrary to what our agent told us, there were cut-the-line tickets for the Monasterio and our guide got us in. We loved the Monasterio (sadly the church was closed) and also went to see Belem Tower and the Monument to Discovery, wonderful. We never saw the Coaches Museum nor the Maritime Museum which is on the itinerary. Nor did we get to taste the famous Pasteis de Belem pastries.

The trip to Sintra and Cascais was a disaster. Our young guide was nice but not assertive. It was very hot, very crowded, you wait 30 min for the bus to Pena Palace, another 45 min wait to get into the Palace, and then at least a 15 min wait to go from room to room. We bailed after 2 hours--nice view but that's all. He suggested we skip downtown Sintra to make it to Cascais, but I was disappointed. He took us to a nice seafood restaurant for lunch on the water. That took 1.5 hours. The food was delicious but I would have preferred to lunch in downtown Cascais. We had no time to walk around Cascais. So disappointed. We never saw Cabo da Roca.

10/1 The Tuk Tuk tour was a highlight! Our driver was knowledgeable and what was supposed to be a 1 hour tour turned into a 2 hour tour. We loved it and him.

Just so you know, the Lisbon airport on our arrival was confusing and we had to walk long distances to retrieve our international flight luggage, then walk to the intraPortugal flight area with our luggage, check-in, put our luggage in, wait in security and get to our gate. Luckily there were folks there to help with directions.

We had a really wonderful trip with 5 days in Barcelona where we had an excellent guide for visits to Gaudi sites as well as the Sagrada Familia church and on a separate day a very educational tour of the Picasso museum. Our travel company arranged the guide for us. 

After Barcelona we boarded a cruise ship to Lisbon with stops in several cities in Spain and Gibraltar. At the dock in Lisbon we were met by a driver, arranged by this travel agency, who drove us to our hotel also arranged by the agency. Our guide in Lisbon was excellent. She guided us on a long walk in the Alfama neighborhood to the castle at the top. She also took us to a restaurant for a respite and introduced us to a typical Portuguese snack. Our travel agency arranged a driver and guide to take us to Evora where despite rain we had an interesting tour of the old university and the church followed by a lunch. On the way to Evora we had the opportunity to see cork trees which was very interesting and encouraged my wife to buy a cork purse and other cork gifts. The next day our trip took us to Cascais and Sintra with our guide. A beautiful area with wonderful history and a beautiful palace. We went to a restaurant that night and experienced a Fado performance.

Next we were driven to Porto by our driver, a very friendly, talented person who was an excellent driver. In Porto our guide was very good at introducing us to Porto including the train station and the old palace, all of which we enjoyed very much. The following day we had a fun time going to a recommended winery, Churchill's on the other side of the Duoro river by taking the subway and cable car. After spending time at Churchill's sampling and buying port, we walked back to have lunch and then to our hotel where the next morning we were met by our driver who drove us back to Lisbon for an overnight stay and then our flight home the next day.

We had a wonderful trip to Portugal with an itinerary created by this travel agency based on our preferences. They met us at our first hotel in Porto with a programmed GPS, cell phone and a device to create a WiFi hot spot wherever we traveled. They offered a guide with a car to sites in Porto, Braga and Guimares and again in Lisbon and Sintra. This freed us to relax and enjoy the cities without a car but also learning so much of the history of Portugal provided by our guides. They secured a a rental car for us to continue through the Douro Valley Wine country then south visiting smaller towns with castles and fortifications as far back as the Romans. We chose mid level accommodations that were all unique. A restaurant and dinner reservation they arranged in Evora was intimate, family owned and the best culinary experience of the trip. Transport to and from airports, connections with guides, rental car pickup and drop off was all seamless and stress free.

We had a terrific trip to Portugal visiting Porto, Lisbon, and the surrounding areas. This travel company specializes in Portugal and was very responsive to both our budget parameters as well as to our unique interests in food, art, and culture. 

Everything from the lodgings to the tours to the guides and drivers was extremely professional. We stayed in the cities and did day trips in Porto to the Douro valley and in Lisbon to Sintra, Cascais, and to an organic farm on the outskirts of the city. Each outing was well planned making optimal use of our time. We didn't need to think about ground transportation or timing and our travel planner even allowed for sufficient free time so that we could explore the cities on our own.

Our visit was slightly complicated by requirements for EU proof of vaccination (as opposed to CDC vaccination documentation). However, nothing was insurmountable and our travel planner facilitated testing appointments for our return to the USA (72 hours in advance was required).