Portugal Discovered

Like Rome, Lisbon was born among seven hills at the head of the Targus River, making it a most strategic port for centuries. In 1755 much was destroyed after a massive earthquake. Evidence of the wealth accumulated during the Age of Discovery can still be seen at magnificent UNESCO sites such as Jerónimos Monastery and the nearby Tower of Belém, Today, its hilly, cobblestone streets are divided into districts: lively Baixa, bohemian Chaido and Bairro Alto, and coast hugging traditional Alfama.

Check into your boutique hotel and meet your fellow travellers over a welcome dinner.

Today’s highlight is a curated visit to one of the world’s greatest private art collections, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation & gardens.
Of Armenian origin, Calouste Gulbenkian was born in Turkey, in the middle of the Ottoman Empire. In 1896, due to the persecution suffered by the Armenian community, Gulbenkian left Turkey with his family and with the outbreak of the WWII, Gulbenkian moved to Lisbon, where he was given safe haven and stayed until his death in 1955. With guidance from Kenneth Clark, he amassed one of the worlds most impressive private collections - the finest examples of Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Mesopotamian, Islamic Oriental, Armenian, Far East and Western art and a remarkable collection of works by René Lalique.
This afternoon visit Belém to explore some its outstanding museums in Lisbon’s culturally most significant precinct with wide open spaces. parks and gardens, the city’s most famous pastry shop and many monuments in Manueline – style.
This evening a stirring private Fado performance in an ambient underground cistern.

Long the seat of royals, Sintra’s lush forests and exotic gardens are a perfect background for fairy tale extravagant palaces and private mansions that represent the first wave of 19th C European Romantic architecture in the use of Gothic, Egyptian, Moorish and Renaissance elements.

Once a fishing village, Cascais in the 19th C became the seaside playground for royals, aristocrats and the well-heeled as mansions, theatres, hotels and thermal spas were built.

Not only can you visit some of the significant sites but also have the opportunity to walk in nature and go off road in a 4x4.

Today you embrace the beautiful, sparsely populated rural interior of the Alentejo that overlooks the Serra da Estrela Mountains. This stunning region is characterised by SLOW, by endless fields of wheat, olive and cork trees, ancient dolmens, historic fortified villages, unique cuisine and fabulous wine and olive oil.

You stay two nights at a 2,000-acre property, which has stayed with the same family for eight generations, home to 24 spacious rooms with shaded terraces and cottages, all subtly decorated with found objects and soaking tubs. There’s a vegetable garden, a vineyard for the estate’s in-house wine production, and cattle grazing on the property.

En route, a stop for a walking tour of Évora, the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site. Set to be the European capital of culture in 2027, Évora’s attractions include the Roman temple of Diana, São Francisco Church, with its curious Chapel of Bones (Capela dos Ossos), and Cromeleque dos Almendres, the largest megalith of the Iberian Peninsula.

Today’s highlight is to meet with distinguished winemaker, David Baverstock, either at Ravasqueira where he was recently appointed as Chief Winemaker or at his own Howard’s Folly in Estremoz.
Originally hailing from the Barossa valley, David has been in Portugal since 1982 making award winning wines for the Symington Group, Quinta do Crasto and Esporão where we first met him. His mission at his new posting at Ravasqueira is to consolidate the company as one of the most ambitious and modern projects in Portugal, producing wines of distinctive quality.
At Howards Folly, the first urban winery, lawyer Howard Bilton has invested more of his time and money in three of his most treasured passions: wine, art and philanthropy, the three pillars upon which Howard’s Folly was built, in partnership with award-winning winemaker David Baverstock.

David is a forerunner of modern oenology in Portugal and responsible for wines that combine nature with winemaking tradition and knowledge and innovation, was awarded the title of 'Portuguese Oenologist of the Year” and was one of the 'Flying Winemakers' immortalized in a Time magazine article about Australian oenologists revolutionizing wine production techniques around the globe.

This morning visit Terramay, nestled by the shores of Alqueva - a bold regenerative farm project initiated in 2018 by David de Brito who spent most of his professional life in Germany and Switzerland, with his wife, Anna de Brito, and his Swiss friend Thomas Sterchi.
On the 562-hectare organic farm they aim to combat desertification and build an ecological, social and economically sustainable business. Their farm has a cork oak forest, biological vegetable gardens, pastures, and arable land, Mertolenga cattle, Pata Negra pigs, Serpentine goats, Merino sheep, chickens, ducks, Lusitan horses, and beautiful quails.
After your farm to table lunch, a most scenic drive through the dramatic Serra da Estrela to reach the village of Manteigas that overlooks the stunning the Zêzere Glacier Valley, one of the largest in Europe, that boasts unparalleled geological beauty from your divine boutique hotel.

This morning, gentle trek in bracing mountain air followed by a visit to the innovative Burel textile factory founded by Isabel Costa and her husband João Tomás in 2006. Utilising traditional and sustainable techniques and the special local wool, this factory produces the most innovative designs and colours in textiles, clothing, furniture, accessories and decor.
The afternoon to enjoy the hotel, pool and spa.

Today you stop off for a tasting of the country’s most famous Serra cheese.
The ultimate destination is one of the oldest working quintas whose history officially begins in 1747. However, its origins date back to even earlier times, when the art of viticulture was already being felt. The Jesuits brought with them innovative agricultural methods that transformed wine production in the region. Their influence can still be felt, especially in the chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph, a sacred space that bears witness to the devotion and commitment of the Jesuits in shaping the future of this place.
It is now a contemporary wine hotel and spa with cinematic views over the valley and an infinity pool.

Long famous for the country’s beloved fortified Port wines, grown on dry, steeply terraced vines interspersed with cherry trees, her sun-baked slopes plunge down to the wide, slow-flowing Douro river as it winds towards the great Port houses in Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.
The Douro Valley is increasingly also known for exciting table wines.
Today enjoy the splendid vistas of the valley, more beautiful than any photos convey, to explore some its picturesque historic villages and visit two special wineries with tutored tastings including an education in the olfactory art of wine blending with a ‘ploughman’s lunch’.
The day ends with a peaceful traditional Rabelo boat ride.

A city of architecture, music, literature and theatre; history and culture; river and sea; gastronomy and wine; sports; days and nights; of strong accent and fierce feelings; of and for all ages... One of the oldest in Europe, Porto’s old town in the city center is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996, rich with history and culture.
This afternoon, after a local tasca lunch, enjoy an historical walking tour of the city, seeing a number of monuments and architectural points of interest including the Jewish ghetto of Olival, the tiled walls of Carmo´s church and São Bento Train Station, Clerigos Tower, Aliado´s Avenue and of course sampling some of its unique cuisine.
Your stay for 2 nights is a 5-star, centrally located boutique hotel converted from an original soap factory that has a garden with a pool and is a short walk from the city's main attractions.

This morning visit the Serralves Foundation, the foremost museum for contemporary art in Portugal, uniquely sited in the grounds of the Serralves Estate, which also comprises an 18 hectare Park of formal gardens, woodlands, and a traditional farm, and a Villa that is a unique example of Art Deco architecture, built in the 1930s.
Like Spain, Portugal also reveres the conservation of fish, considered a luxury product. This afternoon visit Conservas Pinhais, one of the last tinneries from 1920 to understand how and why they preserve this long tradition of artisanal excellence.
Late afternoon option: Taylor's, considered by many connoisseurs of the wine world as the best producer of Port wine, has its famous port wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia where you can visit for tutored tastings.

After breakfast, drive down the Atlantic coast to your final resting place via the important historic small city of Coimbra rising scenically from the Rio Mondego. Coimbra is an animated city steeped in history - and the country’s former capital, home to a preserved medieval old town and the historic University of Coimbra. Built on the grounds of a former palace, the university is famed for its baroque library, the Biblioteca Joanina, and its 18th-century bell tower.
Close to Lisbon, but proximate to the country’s most famous surf beach reserve in Ericeira is your home for the last two nights – the newest concept hotel whose designers have blended Ericeira’s natural beauty with spaces that feel modern, intimate and warm.

Taylor's, considered by many connoisseurs of the wine world as the best producer of Port wine, has its famous port wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia where you will visit this afternoon for tastings.

Option this morning to visit the Palace and Royal Convent of Mafra is the most monumental Baroque and Neoclassical palace-monastery constructed under King John V of Portugal between 1717 and 1755, the magnificence of which was only possible due to the Brazilian gold that poured into the country, allowing the King to carry out his patronage of the arts and the strengthening of royal authority.
The afternoon, at leisure at the hotel - A perfect haven to relax before your onward travels and to consolidate the memory of a magical journey.
This evening enjoy a farewell seafood-focused dinner on the coast.

This morning you will be transferred to the airport for onward flights.

“Portuguese is cheerful and sweet, like a language of birds.” – Paulo Rónai, Brazilian philosopher and critic.

“Wet or fine, the air of Portugal has a natural happiness in it, and the people of the country should be as happy and prosperous as any people in the world.” – H.G. Wells, English writer.