All posts tagged: "Tours"

Are you planning your next vacation and haven’t decided yet where to go? We have plenty of suggestions for you! Portugal’s mild weather is a plus when choosing your location. Read this article and get to know the many tours we have to offer you for your holidays in February!

Here are the tours to choose from:

• Serra da Estrela Tour
• Évora Tour
• Lisbon Tour
• Sintra Tour
• Porto tour
• Algarve Tour
• Fátima Tour

Serra da Estrela Tour

If you’re a fan of Winter Sports, then Serra da Estrela is the right choice for your February vacation. Go skiing, snowboarding, and sledding on the number one mountain in Portugal. Be prepared to see a landscape covered in snow!

Apart from the magnificent view, you’ll visit the Bread Museum and Cheese Museum, two spots destined to preserve the history of the region’s specialties: bread and cheese.

The tour will be complete with a visit to nearby towns: Covilhã, a bigger and more urban town, still manages to maintain its rural character, as the high mountains never leave your sight.

Visit the University of Beira Interior or take a stroll through the Festival of Street Art and admire the work of many visual and graffiti artists, who have painted massive walls of abandoned city buildings; known for its delicious food, Seia is another example of Nature’s majestic beauty, especially during the Winter, when the land is covered in snow.

Try out the sausage meats, cheeses and honey; finally, take a hike through Manteigas and don’t forget to stop by a local café for a cheese sandwich accompanied by a bowl of hot soup and a glass of wine to keep you warm!

Climb the Tower – Serra da Estrela’s highest point- or relax at a spa! These are the ideal vacation for a Sports fan who’s also a Nature Lover!

Évora Tour

Évora is located in Alentejo, one of the country’s hottest regions during the Summer. If you choose to visit in February, you’re going to enjoy the winter breeze. The tour to this town on the south of Portugal will give you the peacefulness you’ve dreamt of while planning your vacation.

Évora is a much quieter town than Lisbon and Porto, for example, and has beautiful landscapes and monuments for you to visit. This is an excellent pick if you want to have a calming and relaxing holiday!

The weather will be more relaxed, but the drive will help to keep you warm. You’ll visit some of the town’s most important elements, such as The Roman Temple of Évora, at Largo Conde de Vila Flor, the town’s historical center, The Cathedral of Évora, The Museum of Évora, The Centro de Arte e Cultura Eugénio de Almeida or the Public Library.

Be prepared to wander the charming streets and squares of Évora, like Giraldo’s Square. You’ll walk on the famous Portuguese sidewalk all the while admiring the beautiful façades of the surrounding buildings.

You should hold your breath and enjoy the unusual sight while visiting The Bone Chapel, which walls are covered in human skulls and bones “…the ones who lay here, wait for yours”, as you can read at the entry of the chapel.

As you can see this is a very different tour, which will be complete with a visit to Fábrica de Cortiça – Cork Factory- and the Fundação Eugénio de Almeida for a wine tasting. This will be a chill journey, and the weather won’t be an obstacle for you to enjoy the wonders of Alentejo! You’ll always have a glass of wine to keep you warm!

Lisbon Tour

This Lisbon tour will astound you and make you fall in love with Portugal’s capital. February will be an excellent month for you to visit, as there’ll be less fellow tourists. Therefore you’ll enjoy a much more peaceful stay. Dress warmly and hop on the tour bus that will show you the gorgeous Lisboa!

Parque das Nações is one of the places you’ll be visiting. The acclaimed Expo ‘98 took place in this Park. This great exhibition consisted of a homage that marked the 500 years since the Portuguese made the Great Discoveries. While you’re in there hop on a cable car ride and soak up the sun and the clear sky- this is a frequent scenery despite the current cold weather.

Other tourist attractions include the Downtown Historic Center, known as the Baixa Pombalina. It was rebuilt after an earthquake destroyed the city center, in 1755. The reconstruction was conducted by Marquês de Pombal, an important Marquis who lent his name to the Downtown Historic Center.

Continue touring, and you’ll arrive at Parque Eduardo VII, a pop of nature in the city, which enables you to go on a hike and relax or find a bench for you to sit on and chill.

You’ll stumble upon many essential features of the country’s History, for example, Tower of Belém. A symbol for the Portuguese heritage, as well as the world heritage, this once protective element during war times is currently a reminder of Portugal’s important role on the business world for many years during the great discoveries.

The Cristo-Rei statue, in Almada, is also an example of the historical nature of the city. The figure draws inspiration from the Christ Redeemer statue in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Hundreds of people visit this site every day to get an extraordinary view of Lisbon’s north and south banks, which are united by the 25 de Abril Bridge.

Lastly wander through Chiado and Alfama, two historic neighborhoods that are well representative of Lisbon’s charm and traditional aura. The weather here is pretty mild, so this won’t get in the way of you having a marvelous adventure!

Sintra Tour

Sintra’s cinematic look makes it hard to believe that this is a real place, but we can guarantee this is the truth. Sintra’s mountains are the ground upon which the village’s located. Visiting this site in the Winter has its mystique, as the mist in the hills makes you look at them differently. Pena National Palace, Pena’s Park, The Regaleira Villa and Palace of Queluz, these are some of the fantastic buildings you’ll be visiting.

The current season can change one’s view of the site and turn it into a whole new adventure. For example, February in the Sintra mountains is different from August in the same place. Those experiences are both unique, and you have to see it for yourself, to figure out what’s the best time of the year for you to be vacationing in the mountains.

You can seize the lovely day in many astonishing spots in the village: The Pena Palace – built on the steep ground, atop a rock, has a dense forest in the surroundings. From here you’ll get a beautiful view of the sea and all of the landscape, which by now will be sprinkled with a winter glow. While you’re there don’t forget to visit the museum that is home to countless objects of Portugal History.

This tour includes stops at some of the prettiest buildings in the village. The Regaleira Villa is one of those. The Villa is intended to be a representation of one man’s idea of a microcosmos on earth, in this particular case on Serra de Sintra. The cold mist contributes to a certain mystique in the place. Come and find out for yourself, the lavish gardens are waiting for you!

And for yet another grand monument of nature, you have the westernmost point of continental Europe: Cape of Roca -Cabo da Roca. Enjoy a full view of the Mountains in Sintra you’ve just visited and got a glimpse of the amazing coast.

Porto Tour

The town of Porto was built along the hillsides and overlooked the Douro River. If you book this tour to Porto, these are the magnificent places you’ll be visiting: the great Tower of Clérigos and the Carmo Church; Aliados, the renowned avenue where people come to celebrate many essential events in town; Mercado do Bolhão, one of the most iconic markets in Portugal.

Lello Bookstore, the famous bookstore that has inspired JK Rowling; Santa Catarina Street, in which you can find the acclaimed Majestic Café, and which is also the heart of the local commerce; the São Bento Railway Station and the twenty thousand tiles that cover its walls; and a town on the southern bank of the mouth of Douro river, Vila Nova de Gaia, where many of the Porto Wine Cellars are located.

In February the weather is much better as in January, so you’ll have it much easier if you book the tour for this date!

Algarve Tour

This tour begins in Lisbon and heads to Algarve, a region best known as a summer destination. Every Summer many Portuguese and foreigners come to Algarve to (sun)bathe in its magnificent beaches.

If you choose to visit it during the winter, you’ll be avoiding all the chaos of the summer. You’ll get to take a stroll by the beach and breathe in the fresh air of this (currently) still place.

Before the arrival in a bathing town in the Algarve region, Albufeira, you’ll make a stop at Évora, a village in the Alentejo region. One of the town’s symbols is The Roman Temple, which still has the complete podium.

Have you seen articles on the Portuguese sidewalk and have been curious ever since to see it in real life? This is a typical pavement here, and you’ll be able to walk on it and to admire the surrounding buildings as well.

A visit to the Cork Factory and a wine tasting at Fundação Eugénio de Almeida represent an excellent opportunity for you to get in touch with the Portuguese culture.

The mild weather will make it easier for you to enjoy your stay. Just put on your jacket and your hiking shoes and get going!

Fátima Tour

Fátima is known for its Shrine and as the most famous pilgrimage place in Portugal. In 1907, three little shepherds claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary in this town in the center of Portugal. Fátima became the go-to pilgrimage place ever since.

But besides that, you’ll be surprised to find other enjoyable locations near the Shrine, namely the Vila Medieval de Ourém, the city’s medieval village, the Ourém Castle or The Nascente do Agroal, Spring of Agroal.

This is a speck of peacefulness amidst one’s routine. Visit the caves – the Portuguese call them grutas- Grutas de Mira d’ Aire, Grutas de Santo António and Grutas de Alvados. Don’t be discouraged by the weather, as there’ll be clear skies up above and a pleasant temperature!