Portugal Solo Adventure - 7 Days

Once you have arrived at Lisbon International Airport, a representative will meet you and transfer you to your accommodation, where you spend the night in Lisbon.

After breakfast, we begin a sightseeing tour of Lisbon, starting in Belem. Here, we visit the 16th century Monastery of Jeronimos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, before stopping at the Belem pastry factory, in business since 1837, to taste the original pasteis de Belem. The morning continues with a stop at Belem Tower for photographs, before we return to the accommodation.The afternoon is free for you to explore Lisbon independently. Sintra, the most romantic of Portugal's towns and itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is well worth a visit, and in its centre you could stop at the Piriquita coffee shop to try the local travesseiros and queijadas pastries.

You also have the option of joining one of several optional tours in Lisbon, at an additional cost. A half-day trip to Sintra, Cascais and Estoril takes in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park and the Sintra National Palace, a former royal residence, before following the coast to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe (available April to October, weather permitting), and on to the Boca do Inferno, or Hell's Mouth, cliffs. Alternatives include a sailing tour on the Tagus River with sparkling wine and snacks, an evening of live Fado music in the Chiado district, an electric bike tour taking in Castelo de Sao Jorge, the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte viewpoint and the Alfama and Graca districts, a small-group food and wine tour sampling cheese, chourico, bifana and traditional rice dishes alongside Alentejo wines, or a guided gastronomic tour with ten tastings of traditional Portuguese dishes.

We start the day by heading north from Lisbon, with our first stop at the medieval walled city of Obidos. Its narrow cobbled streets and quaint houses sit beneath an imposing hilltop castle that once guarded the region.

We continue to Nazare, a fishing village and seaside resort famous for its towering waves, before reaching Batalha, where we have time to admire the Santa Maria monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The day ends with our arrival in Fatima, where we spend the night.

This morning is spent in Fatima, one of the largest centers of Marian worship in the world. You can explore the town independently, with the option to visit Aljustrel, a small hamlet on the outskirts of Fatima and the birthplace of Lucia dos Santos, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, who are said to have witnessed three apparitions of the Angel of Peace in 1916.

From here, you continue to Aveiro, known as the Venice of Portugal, where you have some free time to explore. A Moliceiro boat tour along the river is a good way to see the city's Art Nouveau buildings and salt pans, or you could try the local ovos moles pastries.You then continue on to Porto and are transferred to your accommodation, with the rest of the evening free.

Porto sits beside the Douro River and is one of Western Europe's most engaging cities, with a long history, plenty to see and do, and a lively nightlife. This morning, we take a sightseeing tour to get to know the city's main attractions.The afternoon is free for you to continue exploring independently. The Ribeira district, with its warren of narrow historic streets, is well worth wandering, and the surrounding region is known for producing Port wine, stored and matured in cellars along the banks of the Douro River. You might finish the day with a walk through the Jardins do Palacio de Cristal, which offers pleasant views over the river.You also have the option of joining one of several optional tours in Porto, at an additional cost. These include a tuk tuk ride through the city paired with a boat trip along the Douro River past its six bridges, a private walking food tour with ten tastings that takes in the Bolhao food market, a visit to a Port wine cellar with a tasting included, a wine cellar visit combined with a Fado show, a tile-painting workshop where you create and keep your own design, or an evening panoramic tour of the city followed by a meal and a live Fado performance.

After breakfast, you drive to Coimbra, a city on the Mondego River known as the city of students and home to the first university in Portugal, one of the oldest in Europe. You have the option to visit the university, once the residence of Portuguese kings, whose library is considered one of the most beautiful in the world and is itself a World Heritage Site. There is also free time to walk through the city before you continue to Lisbon, your final destination, and transfer to your accommodation.

Today, you are transferred back to Lisbon International Airport to check in for your onward flight.