Lisbon & Northern Regions: Road Trip

Suggestion for the day:

• Visit Braga, Guimarães or Aveiro

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. Book here your Guimarães & Braga tour.

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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 are 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.

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Situated between the sea and the ria (estuary) and crisscrossed by a network of channels, it is no wonder that Aveiro is often referred to as "The Venice of Portugal". Visitors can cruise the water-filled landscape of Aveiro aboard moliceiros (these slim, colorful boats used to be used by locals to collect algae and seaweed), or hop on a "BUGA" bicycle to cruise the flat streets of the city.  Marvel at the beautiful Art Nouveau architecture that marks the city along the main channel. Visit Aveiro's many museums dedicated to its history, art, and architecture.  Book your Aveiro tour here. 

Check out from the hotel in Porto and drive to the Douro Valley (60 mi/ 97km). Check-in at the hotel in Douro Valley.

Suggestion for the day:

• Casal De Loivos Viewpoint
• Abelheira Viewpoint
• São Salvador do Mundo Viewpoint. 

Suggestion for the day:

• Drive to Pinhão for a Douro River boat cruise tour.

For the afternoon, we suggest a visit to a winery:

• Quinta da Pacheca,
• Quinta da Roêda
• Quinta das Carvalhas
• Quinta de La Rosa
• Quinta do Crasto
• Quinta do Panascal
• Quinta do Seixo
• Quinta do Valado.  

Check out from the hotel in Douro Valley and start driving your way down to Lisbon (240 mi, 380 km).

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
• Monteserrate Palace
• Sintra National Palace
• Moorish Castle.

Check-in at the hotel in Lisbon and have a free day for personal activities

Suggestion for the day:

• 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 Lisbon Food 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. 

Check out from the hotel in Lisbon. Drive to the airport and drop off the car rental. Return flight home.