Stepping into Portugal’s Storied Past: Two Week Historical Tour

Colorful skyline of Porto in Portugal

What to expect on this itinerary

This 2-week Portugal tour immerses you in the country’s cultural delights and storied past. While Portugal is not as widely known as Greece is for it’s history, Portugal is a country that is home to thousands of years of history and is often overlooked by travelers. Uncover the historical treasures of Obidos, follow in the footsteps of the Knights Templar, and attend an authentic fado performance.

Countries Visited

Portugal

Places Visited

Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Obidos, Tomar, Nazare, Coimbra, Porto, Fatima

Suggested Duration

14 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

Lisbon – Introductory Tour

When you arrive in Lisbon, a private driver will be waiting to greet and transfer you to your accommodation in the heart of the city. Upon your arrival, you will have some time to settle in and relax after the long flight before meeting your guide for a private tour of the city. Your tour will focus on the historical gems of the city, such as the Alfama district, Castelo de São Jorge, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, and Torre de Belém. After your tour, you will have the remainder of the evening to spend at your leisure.

What's Included:

Transfer
Accommodation
Tour
Day 2

Sintra – The World of Sintra

Day 3

Cascais – Morning in Estoril

Day 4

Cascais – The Queluz National Palace

Day 5

Obidos – Visit Mafra’s Palace

Day 6

Obidos – Alcobaca & Batalha

Day 7

Nazare – A Charming Fishing Village

Day 8

Nazare – Morning Yoga Session

Day 9

Fatima – The Chapel of the Apparitions

Day 10

Tomar – The Knights Templar

Day 11

Coimbra – The Origins of Coimbra

Day 12

Porto – Attend a Fado Performance

Day 13

Porto – Enjoy a Dinner Cruise

Day 14

Porto – Departure

Trip Highlights

  • Take a private tour of Lisbon’s historical highlights, including Castelo de São Jorge, the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, and the Torre de Belém
  • Spend a day in the land of Sintra, perusing the Pena Palace and Sintra town
  • Marvel at the treasures of Obidos, which is Portugal’s iconic medieval village
  • Marvel at the Batalha Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória and appreciate its impressive cloisters
  • Visit Nazare and explore Portugal’s most charming fishing village
  • Delve into the fascinating stories that surround the Virgin Mary and her past ties to the pilgrimage site of Fatima
  • Follow in the footsteps of the Knights Templar on an exciting visit to Tomar
  • Venture into Porto’s past on a private tour of its historical sites and attend an authentic fado performance
  • Explore Coimbra and its wealth of history during a private tour
  • Embark on a dinner cruise during a delightful evening in Porto

Detailed Description

This 14-day Portugal tour begins in Lisbon. Here, you will spend your first evening on a private tour of the city’s highlights, such as the Belem Tower. You will then make your way to Sintra, where you will have the opportunity to explore Pena Palace and Sintra town. Cascais will beckon to you on day three, and after spending the morning in Estoril, you will spend the evening along Cascais’ lovely streets. You will then journey to the Queluz National Palace for a private tour.

The following day, you will embark on a tour of Mafra, during which you will be afforded visits to its resident palace and medieval village of Obidos. The historical enclaves of Alcobaca and Batalha will host you the following day. Here, you can visit the Mosteiro de Santa Maria and the Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória. You will then venture to Nazare, which is Portugal’s most famous fishing village. From Nazare, you will travel to the religious pilgrimage site of Fatima, where you will learn about the city’s ties to the Virgin Mary.

Tomar will be your next stop, and here, you will follow in the footsteps of the Knights Templar.  You will then travel to Coimbra before continuing to Porto. In Porto, you will spend a day exploring the city’s iconic sites before attending an authentic fado performance. Your final full day in Portugal will be spent visiting Braga and Guimaraes.

Starting Price

$3,700 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

The starting price is based on travel during the low season for a minimum of two travelers staying in shared 3-star accommodations. Please inquire for a custom trip quote based on your travel preferences and travel dates.

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Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 547 reviews

Spain, Portugal Luxury Travel Review: Wine and Food Tastings, Cooking Class, Flamenco, City Tours, 12 Nights
"It was an absolutely amazing and unforgettable trip. Our travel company made all the dreams come true, and in only a handful of messages and phone calls."

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Portugal Travel Review: Waves of Nazare, Obidos, Alentejo Region, Cork Factory Tour, Local Artist, Food & Drink
I booked this trip before the CoVid pandemic. We postponed the original trip scheduled in March of 2020 to December of 2021. I just returned from Portugal with my daughter. The trip was amazing! We were fully vaccinated and boosted and Portugal is doing an excellent job with safety! Testing was frequent and everyone was masked. We spent three nights in Porto and five in Lisbon. The waves at Nazare are a sight to behold as are the towns of Obidos, Sintra, and many more. Be sure to have a cherry drink of Jinha served in a chocolate cup! The Alentejo (wow, cork factory tour pretty cool) and Douro regions (the winery!) provided delicious wines and Ports as well! Oh and the food…delicious! I cannot say enough about the kind, warm people we met and our guides were amazing! If you go in December, the Christmas lights, roasted chestnuts and shopping are all incredible. The hotels that Zicasso/the travel company chose were above and beyond also! They clearly know the area and provided a top notch experience to us. We will be traveling with this company again! Thank You!

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Luxury Portugal Travel Review: Porto, Lisbon, Duoro Valley, Sintra, Cascais, Farm Visit, Chef Experience, Local Markets

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).

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Portugal Travel Review: Coimbra, Sintra, Cascais, Douro Valley, Food & Wine, Culture & History
We had an absolutely amazing trip to Portugal organized and hosted by the travel company.  The travel designers and their team were wonderful.  From the start, our travel designer did a great job working with us to understand the type of trip and experiences we were looking for and then crafting a customized itinerary for us.  We spent 5 nights in Lisbon and 4 nights in Porto with numerous day trips to include Sintra, Evora, and the Duoro Valley.  We also were able to stop at several historical towns on our transfers between Lisbon and Porto to include Coimbra, Obidos, Tomar, and Nazarre.  The designer organized several tours for us to include food and wine tasting tours in both Porto and Lisbon that were incredible.  She also did a wonderful job providing us with some great cultural and historical experiences throughout our time. We were very fortunate to have our travel specialist for our transfers between Lisbon and Porto and back as he is a wealth of knowledge on the history of Portugal and really made our stops at various historical sites come to life.  We could go on and on, but, suffice it to say, we had a phenomenal time and would highly recommend the services of this travel company to anyone considering a trip to Portugal.  You will not be disappointed!

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Luxury Portugal Trip Review: Porto, Lisbon, Cascais, Douro Valley, Winery Tour, Fado Dinner, Medieval Towns
Very helpful in setting up tours of Porto, Lisbon and surrounding medieval towns (that we requested) as well as Cascais. Filomena and George were easy to talk to and very accommodating in helping us to set up our vacation which turned out first rate!

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Portugal Trip Review: Convent, Castle, Library, Douro Valley Grape Harvest, Hiking, Port Cellar Tour, Local Cuisine, 18 Days
"Our travel agents made sure the trip went flawlessly. The attention to detail was unsurpassed. They deserve more than five stars."

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

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