Spend six days exploring northern Portugal’s most enchanting cities, beginning with a memorable religious pilgrimage. See the first Portuguese Gothic-style church in Alcobaca, admire the Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitoria, and attend the candle-lit procession at the Marian Shrine in Fatima. Explore one of the world’s oldest universities in Coimbra, stroll through the alleys of Alveiro, and make a stopover in Oporto, an acclaimed UNESCO-listed World Heritage site
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
Fatima: This impressive religious pilgrimage site welcomes up to six million visitors a year.
Oporto: Portugal’s second largest city greets you with unforgettable landmarks and delicious local wine.
Nazare: Considered one of the most traditional villages in the country, Nazare is a lovely place facing a beautiful sandy beach.
Day 1: MADRID – SALAMANCA– PORTO (570 Km – 6 Hrs)
Join the group at the meeting point at 8:30 in the morning (Departure from established hotels in Madrid. Please refer to your documentation for detailed departure information). From there drive to Salamanca. Here you can spend some free time wandering around this World Heritage University City of great architectural and artistic value. Afterwards, drive across the Portuguese border until reaching Porto, where you will check in to your hotel for the night.
Overnight in Porto.
Day 2: PORTO
Wake up to breakfast at the hotel before stepping out into the UNESCO-listed city of Porto. Spend the morning enjoying a panoramic sightseeing tour of this iconic Portuguese destination. The tour takes you to some of its most iconic locations, including the Cathedral, the Stock Exchange building and the Santa Clara church. Afterwards, enjoy a different perspective of the city along the river Douro aboard the Cruise and discover the historic heritage visiting one wellknown Port Wine Cellars with a wine tasting. Rest of day at leisure.
Day 3: PORTO – COIMBRA – FATIMA (215 Km – 2,5 Hrs)
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and then depart to your next destination: Coimbra, home to one of the oldest universities in Europe and the birthplace of Fado. After some free time wandering around the city, continue to Fatima, a world-renowned centre for the Christian Faith and a World Pilgrimage Sanctuary. Contemplate its impressive Basilica and the Cova da Iria, the legendary place where the Virgin Mary miraculously appeared. The Chapel of the Apparitions, heart of the sanctuary, contains the tombs of the three shepherds who witnessed the miracle, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. At night, conditions permitting, you have the option to attend the procession of the candles.
Day 4: FATIMA – BATALHA – NAZARE – ALCOBAÇA – LISBON (190 Km – 3 Hrs)
After breakfast at the hotel, hit the road and drive to the Batalha Monastery, a masterpiece of the Gothic and Manueline styles, listed as a World Heritage place by UNESCO. Continue then to the picturesque fishing town of Nazaré, where you’ll spend some free time absorbing its quint atmosphere. Continue later to Alcobaça, yet another World Heritage site, and visit its famous 12th-century church and the tombs of Pedro and Inés de Castro. Then one last drive takes you all the way to Lisbon, where you’ll check in and spend the night.
Day 5: LISBON
Breakfast at the hotel is followed by a morning sightseeing tour of the ancient Olissipo, as Lisbon was known in Roman times. Drive through its main squares and avenues, and see renowned landmarks like the Belem Tower, the Jeronimos Monastery, the Coach Museum, the Monument to the Discoverers, Marquis of Pombal Square and Liberty Avenue. Spend the afternoon at leisure wandering through the nostalgic corners of the Alfama Quarter, the old city gathered next to the city castle, with old buildings nested in narrow twisting ruas of coloured houses and genuine tabernas playing Fado late into the night.
Day 6: LISBON – MERIDA – MADRID (615 Km – 6,5 Hrs)
After breakfast at the hotel depart towards Merida, the capital of Extremadura. Declared a World Heritage Site, Merida is renowned for its rich historical heritage, including its well-preserved Roman ruins: the theater, the amphitheater, the Roman bridge, and more. Free time and then continue to Madrid, where the tour reaches its conclusion.
