Day 1
Arrive Lisbon | Alfama District | Miradouro da Graca | Fado Dinner
Arrive at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport and transfer to your hotel in the historic centre. Afternoon walk up through the Alfama, the oldest neighbourhood in Lisbon, a labyrinth of cobbled lanes, tiled houses, and laundry lines descending from the castle hill. Climb to the Miradouro da Graca, the best viewpoint in the city, for a panorama over the terracotta rooftops and the Tagus River at golden hour. Dinner at a fado restaurant in the Alfama for the live melancholic Portuguese folk music that UNESCO has declared an intangible cultural heritage. Overnight Lisbon.
💡 Tip: Fado restaurants in the Alfama require reservations and usually require a minimum food spend. Book in advance and arrive hungry. The music starts late, typically after 9 PM.
Day 2
Lisbon | Belem Tower | Jeronimos Monastery | LX Factory | Pasteis de Belem
Morning tram to Belem, the riverside quarter five kilometres west of the centre, for the UNESCO Manueline masterpieces. Visit the Jeronimos Monastery, built to celebrate Vasco da Gama's return from India with extraordinary stone carvings of ropes, armillary spheres, and sea creatures on every surface. Stop at the Pasteis de Belem bakery, open since 1837 and the original producer of the Portuguese custard tart. Afternoon at LX Factory, a creative hub in a former industrial complex with design shops, food stalls, and the best bookshop in Lisbon in a repurposed textile factory. Overnight Lisbon.
💡 Tip: The queue at Pasteis de Belem moves quickly. Eat the custard tarts fresh from the oven inside the cafe rather than taking them away. They are significantly better warm and dusted with cinnamon.
Day 3
Sintra Day Trip | Pena Palace | Moorish Castle | Quinta da Regaleira
45-minute train from Lisbon to Sintra, the forested royal retreat in the hills above the Atlantic coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape. Morning at Pena Palace, the extraordinary Romantic-era royal residence painted in vivid yellow and red and perched on a granite crag above the forest. Walk the stone ramparts of the ruined Moorish Castle above the palace. Afternoon at Quinta da Regaleira, a neo-Gothic estate with mysterious initiation wells spiralling down into the earth, secret tunnels, and symbolic gardens. Overnight Lisbon.
💡 Tip: Sintra gets very crowded between 10 AM and 4 PM in summer. Take the first train of the day around 7:30 AM and head directly to Pena Palace before the tour buses arrive.
Day 4
Obidos Medieval Village | Drive to Porto | Ribeira Waterfront
Drive north from Lisbon with a stop at Obidos, a perfectly preserved medieval walled village whose entire historic centre is enclosed by 13th-century battlements. Walk the village walls and drink ginjinha, the local sour cherry liqueur, from a chocolate cup. Continue three hours to Porto, check in to your hotel, and spend the evening walking the Ribeira waterfront along the Douro River lined with colourful houses and port wine warehouse facades. Overnight Porto.
💡 Tip: Obidos is compact and most enjoyable in the morning before day trippers arrive. The village walls can be walked in both directions in about 30 minutes and give excellent views over the surrounding countryside.
Day 5
Porto | Sao Bento Station | Clery dos Clerigos | Vila Nova de Gaia Port Cellars
Morning at the Sao Bento railway station, covered floor to ceiling with 20,000 hand-painted azulejo tiles depicting scenes from Portuguese history, the most beautiful train station interior in Europe. Climb the Clerigos Tower for the best view over the city's church-dense skyline. Afternoon walk across the Luis I Bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia for guided port wine cellar tours and tastings at Taylor's, Graham's, or Sandeman. Evening dinner at a taberna in the Bonfim neighbourhood. Overnight Porto.
💡 Tip: Vila Nova de Gaia port wine cellars are mostly free to enter with a tasting included. The premium cellars like Taylor's and Ramos Pinto have better collections but charge for the best tastings.
Day 6
Douro Valley Day Trip | Wine Quintas | Boat on the River | Village Lunch
Two-hour drive along the Douro River into the Douro Valley, the world's oldest demarcated wine region, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its extraordinary terraced hillside vineyards carved from schist rock. Visit two wine quintas for tastings of local reds and the dessert wine that made the region famous. Lunch at a quinta restaurant overlooking the valley. Optional boat trip or kayak on the river. Return to Porto for a final evening. Overnight Porto.
💡 Tip: The Douro Valley is most spectacular in October during the harvest season when the hillsides turn red and gold and the quintas are in full production.
Day 7
Porto Final Morning | Mercado do Bolhao | Flight Back to Lisbon | Departure
Final morning at the newly restored Mercado do Bolhao, Porto's magnificent 1914 iron-and-stone market with two floors of food vendors, cheese, fish, and local produce. Pick up Serra da Estrela cheese, regional wine, and traditional embroidered linen as gifts. Flight or train back to Lisbon for your international departure. End of tour.
💡 Tip: Porto to Lisbon by high-speed Alfa Pendular train takes under three hours and offers better city-centre-to-city-centre access than flying. Book online at cp.pt for the best fares.
