Top 3 Portugal's Main Regions: Road Trip

Suggestion for the day:

• Visit the Douro Valley: With three World Heritage Sites recognized by UNESCO, there is no shortage of reasons to visit the Douro Valley, one of the most stunning landscapes in all of Portugal. In the Historic Centre of the city of Porto, you will find remarkable buildings lining the riverbanks. Many of these buildings are directly linked to the production of wine and bear witness to the urban development that this production has provoked over the years. On the opposite bank of the river, you will find the city of Vila Nova de Gaia, a hive of commercial activity with the famous Port wine cellars. Book here your Douro River Cruise Tour. 

Suggestions for the day:

• Drive to Braga ( 35 mi/ 56 km, approximately 40 minutes). Highlights in Braga: Sé Cathedral, Museum of Sacred Art, Former Archbishop's Palace, Bom Jesus do Monte (an absolute must-visit), Arcos de Valdevez and Peneda Gerês National Park: Gerês, also known as Peneda-Gerês National Park, is the oldest and largest National Park in Portugal. In this park, you can explore the lush vegetation that Portugal has to offer, with its endemic species like the Gerês lily, which illuminates the vegetation with its unique and eye-catching blue-violet hues. Explore the rivers and streams of this Edenic park that run through the Peneda, Soajo, Amarela, and Gerês mountain ranges. You can also look forward to being dazzled also by its breathtaking scenic landscapes.
• Drive to Guimarães (33 mi/ 54 km, approximately 40 minutes). Guimarães is known as the "Cradle City" of Portugal since it was here that the first King of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques, was born. Associated with the formation of Portugal, the historic center of Guimarães was classified as an official World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The city is remarkably well-preserved, and its rich heritage and history is demonstrated by the graceful iron balconies, granite balconies, and porches, manor houses, arches connecting narrow streets, floor slabs smoothed by time, towers and cloisters that abound everywhere the eye can see. In this city, for a moment, it seems as if you stepped back in time to a medieval setting, where nobility built jaw-dropping villas, like the Casa Mota Prego, the Palácio de Vila Flor, do Toural, and many others--all of which give Guimarães a unique and awe-inspiring atmosphere. Highlights in Guimarães: Palace of the Dukes of Bragança, Guimarães Old Town, Guimarães Castle, Citânia dos Briteiros.

Check out from the hotel in Porto. Drive to Lisbon (191 mi, 315.5 km, approximately 3h).

Suggestion for the day:

• Before you arrive in Lisbon, we recommend stopping at Sintra and visiting the Old Town and one of the following monuments: Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, Monserrate Palace, Sintra National Palace, or the Moorish Castle. 

Suggestion for the day:

• Downtown Lisbon: Visit the Chiado, Baixa, Belém, and Bairro Alto districts (Bairro Alto is known for its nightlife scene). Highlights: São Roque church, São Pedro de Alcântara garden, the ruins of Carmo church, Santa Catarina viewpoint, Luís de Camões Square, Torre de Belém, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Pastéis de Belém, Augusta street, Terreiro do Paço, Santa Justa lift. Or book here your Food City Walking Tour.
• Suggestion for dinner: Lisbon Fado Night With Dinner

Suggestion for the day:

• Drive to Évora (83 mi/ 134 km, approximately 1h30 drive). Highlights: Sé Cathedral, Roman Temple, Capela dos Ossos, Giraldo Square, Évora university, Água da Prata aqueduct, Cromlech of Almendres.
• The Alentejo region of Portugal is a feast for all the senses, from its northernmost tip to its sunkissed southern shores. While the north offers visitors pastoral scenery, like horses grazing in the flatland, the central portion of the region is marked by the vast plain with rows of cornflowers blowing in the wind. As one makes their way to the Alentejo coast, wild and unmarred natural beauty awaits to awe and inspire. Take some time for a wine-tasting experience! 

Suggestion for the day:

• Lagos. Highlights: Black and White Coffee Shop, Camilo beach, Ponta da Piedade). Sunset in Cabo de São Vicente, Sagres.
• Save some time for an Algar de Benagil Boat Tour! 

Suggestion for the day:

• Portimão. Highlights: Rocha beach, Megalithic Monuments of Alcalar, Vau beach, Fortaleza de Santa Catarina, Alvor beach, Alvor. 

Suggestion for the day:

•  Dolphin Watching Excursion. Book your adventure here. 

• Explore Albufeira

Highlights:

• Albufeira City Center
• Pescadores Beach
• Oura Beach
• São Rafael Beach
• Olhos da Água Beach
• Falésia Beach
• Marina de Albufeira.