Very Best of Portugal Vacation in 10 Days

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).

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.

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.

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.