Portuguese Cities, Trains & Douro Valley

ITINERARY

Day 1 – Fly to Lisbon

We start our tour by taking a lunchtime flight from London Heathrow to Lisbon with coach transfer to our hotel for the next 5 nights.

Day 2 – Lisbon at Leisure

A free day to explore Portugal’s capital city using your public transport pass which is included. The Lisbon Card includes unlimited travel on trams buses, elevadores (funiculars) and the metro as well as access to several museums.

Day 3 – Trams in Lisbon

Today we visit the Carris Museum, full of public transportation history and memorabilia of Lisbon. The remainder of the day is at leisure to make use of your Lisbon Card.

Day 4 – Entroncamento Railway Museum & Almourol Castle

We take a morning train to the railway hub of Entroncamento where we visit the National Railway Museum. This afternoon we transfer to the medieval Almourol Castle, located on an island in the middle of the River Tagus. Almourol is one of the most distinctive castles in Portugal due to its military history and location.

Day 5 – Sintra

After breakfast we take the train to the picturesque town of Sintra with its brightly coloured palaces and castles, once a summer retreat for Portuguese nobility and royalty. The best way to get around Sintra is via the circular bus route, for which we have a day ticket for unlimited travel and the day is yours to explore at leisure.

Day 6 – North to Porto

Transfer to the railway station for a train north to Porto, on arrival we check in to our centrally located hotel for the next 4 nights.

Day 7 – Porto Trams

A morning tour of the “Museu do Carro Eléctrico” – Porto’s tram museum, which as well as exhibitions about the evolution of the tramcar network and a collection of trams, houses the machinery hall of the Massarelos Thermoelectric Power Plant. The remainder of the day is at leisure to explore the city using the transport card included.

Day 8 – The Douro Historic Train

After a morning at leisure we take the train to Régua for the Douro historic train. Riding on this train is like travelling back in time. The route runs along the bank of the River Douro to Tua, with the historic carriages hauled by Steam Engine 0186, which was built in 1925 by Henschel & Son. A unique trip back into the past through the beautiful Douro Valley, classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Day 9 – Tour of Porto & Port Tasting

This morning we take a guided walking tour visiting the charming squares, breathtaking viewpoints and cobbled streets of Porto. Afternoon visit to Cockburn Port Cellar for lunch and a guided tour with port tasting.

Day 10 – Homeward Bound

Morning train back to Lisbon where we board an evening flight back to London.

Due to the topography of Portugal and the locations visited, group participants must have a reasonable level of fitness and be able to walk up and down steep hills for a reasonable duration.