Grand Tour of Central Portugal PO16
Lisboa to Porto in two weeks
Based on 14 nights self-drive independent tour in Portugal
All the highlights of central Portugal; Lisboa to Porto passing through Coimbra and the lesser-known gems of the Alentejo and Centro de Portugal on the way.
Crammed with World Heritage Sites from beginning to end the tour crosses several major wine regions and offers wonderful regional cuisine, from the ocean and the land, at every stop.
From the surf-washed Atlantic coast to the high mountains and plains of the interior to the dramatic gorge of the Douro Valley you will discover an area of outstanding beauty and delightful contrasts.
- Tour Highlights:
- Lisboa, Coimbra & Porto – the ‘big three’ Portuguese cities
- Historic Évora and the potteries and vineyards of the Alto Alentejo
- World Heritage in Estremadura – Batalha, Alcobaça & Tomar
- Discover the Planalto – historic fortress towns on the border with Spain
- Porto – Old Town, Ribeira; history and wine
- Stunning scenery, gastronomy and wines
£1575 p/p
* Indicative mid-season price for 14 nights (including car hire – flights not included) in our suggested hotels.
Full details (PDF)
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More about Portugal
Day 1 & 2 – Lisboa & around
- Hop a tram and explore Portugal’s exciting capital
- Rossio square and train station
- Skip out to Sintra, and the beaches of Cascais & Aldeia do Meco
- Bar hop in Bairro Alto, dine in style in Chiado
- Mosteiro dos Jerónimos – a Manueline delight
Day 3, 4 & 5 – Alto Alentejo
- World Heritage Évora, Roman ruins, medieval walls
- Alentejo wines, Portugal’s finest
- Hilltop fortress towns of Monsaraz, Marvão and Castelo Vide
- Pottery towns among the vines El Corval and Redondo
- “Marble towns” of Vila Viçosa and Estremoz
- World Heritage Elvas with its magnificent Roman aqueduct
Day 6 & 7 – Estremadura
- The magnificent monasteries of Batalha and Alcobaça
- São Martinho do Porto a little pearl set on a string of surf washed Atlantic beaches
- The Convent at Tomar, delightful city of the Templars
- Sierras de Aire y Candeeiros Nature Park – riddled with caves
- Medieval Óbidos with its famous white houses
Day 8 & 9 – Coimbra
- Coimbra University – stunning buildings, stunning views, fascinating museums
- Sé Velha, Portuguese Romanesque at its finest
- Take in a fado show – Coimbra style of course
- Jewish Quarter – especially magical by night
- Roman ruins at Conímbriga
Day 10, 11 & 12 – Planalto & the fortress towns
- Fortress towns – Trancoso, Almeida, Castelo Rodrigo
- Paleolithic rock-art in the Côa Valley 22000 years old!
- Local wine and olive oil of the Beira Alta
- Faia Brava nature reserve with wild horses, cattle and large birds of prey
- Explore the Douro International Nature Park
- Jump the border to Ciudad Rodrigo and Salamanca
Day 13 & 14 – Porto
- Ribeira, Porto’s fascinating historic centre, a World Heritage site
- Cross the impressive Dom Luis I iron bridge to the Port Wine Lodges
- Art for all from finest museums to simple galleries
- Walk the lanes, sail the river, live and breathe Porto
- Ferry to Afurada and the golden beach of Estrela
The itinerary includes the following:
- Accommodation in our listed hotels – 2 sharing 1 std. double ensuite, B&B
- Economy 4dr car hire
- Regional guide book
- Personal Travel App including highlights, weather forecast and restaurant suggestions for all areas en-route
- Instructions to find all accommodation
Not included:
- Flights – but we are able to advise
- One-way car hire charges, where applicable (see your quote email)
- The following car hire extras – these can be added at pick-up point
- extra driver
- Portuguese toll device (we highly recommend to take this service)
- child seats
- GPS
- Garage parking where applicable (mostly city stops) – please ask us about parking charges
Fly directly to Lisboa / Lisbon and hire a car – the best options are:
From London Gatwick: Easyjet or TAP Portugal
From London Stansted: Ryanair
From London Heathrow: British Airways or TAP Portugal
From Luton: Easyjet
From Edinburgh: Easyjet or Ryanair
From Manchester: Ryanair, Easyjet or TAP Portugal
From Bristol: Easyjet
From Dublin: Ryanair, TAP or Aer Lingus
Or fly directly to Porto / Oporto and hire a car – the best options are:
From London Gatwick: TAP Portugal or Easyjet
From London Stansted: Ryanair
From Liverpool: Ryanair
From Manchester: Easyjet, TAP or Ryanair
From Birmingham: Ryanair
From Luton: Easyjet
From Bristol: Easyjet
From Dublin: Ryanair and TAP
Alternative airports
Faro in the Algarve region is a good entry point for tours in the Alentejo
Santiago de Compostela in Spain is a good entry point for northern Portugal tours
PLEASE NOTE some flights are seasonal.
NB: Flights are not included
Getting around
As part of your package we will include a hire car. Normally we include a 4 door economy class car but please let us know if you would like something different.
AITO reviews
We sought a holiday travelling around the centre of Portugal to see key sites over a couple of weeks and our holiday was exactly what we were after.
Accommodation arranged for us ranged from top-notch hotels to small bed and breakfasts, from city centre to rural locations, and all were excellent quality, the diversity of styles being ideal….. Casas Cantabricas had provided us with exactly what we were looking for, from our first approach after finding their web site.…. The Vamoos app, that Casas Cantabricas provided, worked perfectly and was a great aid, guiding us between accommodation locations.
I would strongly recommend Casas Cantabricas to anybody seeking an independent holiday travelling around Portugal.
Excellent tour of Portugal starting from Lisbon and ending in Porto. The choice of hotels were outstanding and could only come from a tour company with such intimate knowledge of the area.
Although we thoroughly research what we want to see on a holiday the information given by our tour operators was fab. Loved the app also. Great way to make sure you don’t lose any vital paperwork.
Fabulous tour of northern Portugal – Excellent
Multicentre touring holiday a mix of city and country hotels. Particularly loved Lisbon, Evora and Castillo Rodrigo.
They created a bespoke holiday for us to suit our travel dates. Very helpful and answered any queries promptly. Information provide on Vamoos App very useful.
