Portugal is home to culturally rich cities influenced by its leading role in the Age of Discovery, as well as an abiding Catholic faith that it shares with nearby Spain. Unveil where you can hear the melancholy fado music in Lisbon, taste the delicious port wine and other incredible wines in Porto and the Douro Valley, and sample the traditional regional delicacies of each region.
So start planning your Portugal trip for 2021 where you can explore the country’s complex history while developing your knowledge of wine. Visit Moorish alleyways in Évora, Roman ruins, the place where Henry the Navigator launched Portugal’s great nautical age, the storybook gardens and palaces of Sintra, or find the least-crowded beaches in the sunny Algarve, all filled with unique wine and food experiences.
In the north of Portugal, Porto and Douro are two complementary destinations, having in common the charm and delight of fantastic hidden gems, like the old part of the city of Porto, where you can admire the typical housing and the granite monuments. Take the tram towards the beaches, the ride along the river is quite romantic and an alternative to the famous boat rides under the bridges. Starting with Porto, it is an old city, filled with heritage value everywhere, while at the same time it is interesting to discover its urban personality and its very unique human character. Moreover, the Douro River, in a certain way offers an architectural complex of extraordinary value, to this city that is an attractive historical center, classified as World Heritage since 1996, and a downtown area with businesses set up by new entrepreneurs, and very interesting life. Every experience will offer you a different perspective of the city that you need to mix with wine and food experiences.
After visiting the second city of Portugal, go and relax in the Douro Vinhateiro. In the first demarcated region in the world, the centuries-old wine tradition has produced a remarkably beautiful cultural landscape. Enjoy the richness of the surrounding landscape of the river Douro, with its slopes covered in vineyards, savor the delicious wines in some of the most awarded estates in the world due to its wine and vineyards, go for a relaxing cruise and indulge the incredible food of this region that is fresh and from local producers. As you see, in the Douro you will enjoy nature at its hights splendor, what it can give, and a sense of peace and privacy.
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and definitely a multifaceted region that appeals to different tastes and senses. In a city that has been receiving many different cultures from far away over time, you will see this through walking the streets of Baixa Pombalina that opens to the Tagus in the Praça do Comércio. Furthermore, if you follow the river, you will find the most beautiful places in the city, like World Heritage monuments, medieval neighborhoods, and also more recent or contemporary leisure areas. By the side road, you will discover another Lisbon, you will discover the incredible beaches and seaside resorts that combine villas and hotels from the beginning of the 20th century with marinas, esplanades, and modern sports facilities, with particular emphasis on golf and recreational boating. Following the coast, we will find surf spots of world renown, but also the palaces scattered throughout the cultural landscape of Sintra, World Heritage. Besides this and while exploring Lisbon by the side of the road and while feeling the fresh sea breezes, you will be surprised the Vinho Regional Lisboa area (which was known as Vinho Regional Estremadura until the 2008 vintage) that has more DOCs than any other Vinho Regional area of Portugal: a total of nine, of which one is for aguardente (brandy) rather than wine. Many excellent wines are here, in a number of private wine estates, in which some small-scale producers deliver their grapes to large co-operatives. The region makes a lot of inexpensive quaffing wine, that will make you happy tasting it while pairing with the regional delicacies.
The plains to lose sight of begin to unfold near the Tagus, if to the north the rhythm is marked by the green of the meadow, further south the landscape combines with sun, heat and a rhythm compassed. It is the alluring Alentejo. The vast interior is covered the immense flatness, blondes waving in the wind; on the coast wild beaches of wild and unexplored beauty, that in a certain can be a secret beach while exploring this unique region. The amplitude of the landscape is crossed by cork oaks or olive trees that resist the time, and the antiquity of some spots that reminding the magic of this place, that will stand out in your memory for a long time. In the hills, you will see white and earthy houses crown small elevations, the castles evoke fights and conquests, and the courtyards and gardens attest to Arab influences that have shaped people and nature. Furthermore, this unique land is the soul food of Portugal and is here that besides unique flavors and scents that you will find in the food you will also taste some of the most awarded wines of the world, and of course, the unique experiences where you can learn some of Portugal's unique arts. Be prepare to be blown away by the region.
It was here, in Algarve, that the Portuguese set out to meet other peoples and cultures in the 15th century. This region offers a great climate, mild and very sunny all year round, and of course beaches of excellent quality. Sands to lose sight of, limited by golden cliffs, almost deserted islands that mark the border between Ria Formosa and the sea, or small bays, cozy by the rocks. The ocean in all shades of blue, almost always calm and warm, invites to long baths and the practice of nautical sports. You will notice while visiting the region that the local people live in harmony with Nature and maintain traditions they like to share. There is also preserves traces of the Arab past and Lakes from the time of the Discoveries. In another way, there is also a more cosmopolitan in which some cities live day and night full of animation. Besides, there is also incredible food and like Lisbon that many don't know great wine too, with unique estates that are must-visit in which some mix the pleasure of creating a wine with architecture. This is why Algarve is one of the most popular regions of the country and the getaway of holidays for so many.
Why book now your 2020 or 2021 tour? Because by booking all your tours with us you will have flexibility in the future, plus all the COVID-19 Health & Safety Guidlines. Through these unique times, we are available to plan, reschedule, and move your trip around your needs, as always. If your new dates may no longer work with your initial travel plan, a dedicated consultant will be available to tailor and reschedule your time in Portugal according to your needs and preferences, and to assure you that you will have the best and most memorable experiences.