"Typical North" Group tour

August 1-9 , 2011
November 7-15, 2011

1621 Euros per person
Land Only - Based on Double Occupancy
336 Euros - Single Supplement

TOUR ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrive Lisbon

Welcome to Lisbon! You'll have wheelchair accessible transportation waiting for you at Lisbon Airport to take you to the hotel. (all included in the price). Free time to explore Lisbon, depending on your arrival time. Accommodation in Lisbon.

Day 2: Lisbon

In this tour, you will discover what's essential in Lisbon, the city of the seven hills and center of the maritime discoveries in the XV and XVI centuries, eternalized in the architecture of the Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery (world heritage Site by UNESCO).

Most of Lisbon's charm resides in the strong links it shares with its past, its palaces, grandiose churches and an imposing castle that rests on the top of the city's largest hill. Lisbon's cultural and artistic richness mirrors the modern world where several cultures influence and are influenced by Portugal.

We will discover Lisbon's Downtown, an area rebuilt after the renowned earthquake of 1755. We will also visit Belém and Parque das Nações, the venue where Expo98 was held.

Accommodation in Lisbon.

Day 3: Lisbon, Sintra, C.Roca, Estoril´s Coast

Breakfast at the hotel.

We will begin the 3rd day of your accessible vacation with a visit to Sintra. This village is one of the several ex-líbris of Portugal and strongly recommended to be explored if you come to visit Lisbon. While Sintra is very inaccessible for wheelchairs, we have selected the best wheelchair accessible places for you to visit in its small downtown. You will easily understand why Sintra is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Its entire natural wrapped landscape seems to have stopped in time decades ago. Besides the lush green of the vegetation, the vivid blue of the sea will catch your eye.

After exiting Sintra, we will proceed towards the westernmost point of Europe, Cabo da Roca, where the land ends and the sea begins…

When returning to Lisbon, it will be possible to see Guincho beach, one of the most famous beaches for the practice of windsurf, known to hold several international championships. From here you can admire the wonderful and natural landscape of the Sintra-Cascais natural park, inserted in this marvelous scenery. Then we'll visit Cascais with it's very typical downtown and Costa do Estoril where we will admire the gardens of the Estoril Casino and then drive along the Estoril coastline, one of the most scenic and attractive routes of Lisbon.

Return to the hotel.

Day 4: Lisbon, Óbidos, Coimbra, Oporto  

Breakfast at the hotel.

We will leave Lisbon and travel by the west region of Portugal to start the day with a visit to Óbidos, a spectacular medieval village encased inside the strong walls of a very well conserved castle and protecting a heritage of narrow streets, having the whitewashed houses covered with flowers and iron windows. The shops are piled high with local handicrafts and we can walk around the village's typical streets, visit its churches with more than 500 years old, taste the famous “Ginginha” (typical alcoholic drink) or even buy some souvenirs.

Our next stop of the day will be Coimbra. The city is undoubtedly connected to the first king of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques, who was born in 1109 and died in 1185. At the Monastery of Santa Cruz, you may visit the tomb of this glorious king and that of his son, King D. Sancho I. Throughout the Portuguese historical records, Comibra - the first capital of what once was the Kingdom of Portugal - has always played the role of an important landmark for the Portuguese people due to its historical centre and its University, one of the most ancient educational edifices in the world. Originally built in 1290, in Lisbon, and transferred to Coimbra in 1308, the University is still an iternational reference and its library contains one of the most remarkable collections of the world.

Our last stop of the day will take us to Oporto.

Accommodation in Oporto.

Day 5: Oporto  

Breakfast at the hotel.

Oporto, the second largest Portuguese city and the urban centre of the northern region, plays a very important role in the economy of our country. It's the city of granite, that is also known for its fascinating bridges and for its world renowned Vinho do Porto, a liquorish alcoholic drink typical of the region. All these features create an undeniable charm in a city whose growth was witnessed by the mighty river Douro.

Considered to be a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the area surrounding the river is embellished by a sometimes confusing map of medieval streets framed by the ancient doors of past fortifications and Roman arches. UNESCO, having been quite impressed with Oporto's relevant artistic and cultural patrimony, affirmed that this city's historical centre, built along the slopes that rest on the estuary of the River Douro, draws a very interesting urban pattern of exceptional characteristics with over than two thousand years of history. Its growth is testified by its monuments such as the Roman cathedral or the neoclassical Stock Exchange Palace.

We will also take a stroll through the area of the Ribeira de Gaia. Passing by the imponent bridge D. Luís I, we will make a stop at Oporto's wine cellars to a wine-tasting session.

Accommodation in Oporto.

Day 6: Oporto, Braga, Amarante 

Breakfast at the hotel.

We will leave Oporto in the morning and visit the historic town of Braga. The ancient city of Braga has always been an important centre for culture, commerce and religion and is also known as the "Portuguese Rome" due to its concentration of religious architecture. The Romans dedicated it to their Emperor and called it Bracara Augusta, making it their Galician head-quarters in 216 BC.

Once in Braga, we will visit not only its historical centre but also the religious sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte. At the top of a great pilgrims' stairway, which enacts the Via-Sacra, stands an impressive church from where visitors can enjoy spectacular, unique views of this city's panoramic beauty.

We will arrive to Amarante at the end of the day, where we will stay in an incredible chateau hotel, right in the city's historical centre.

Accommodation in Amarante.

Day 7: Amarante, Pinhão, Foz Côa, Rapa  

Breakfast at the hotel.

Situated 56 km east of Oporto, the pretty town of Amarante is set immaculately along the banks of the River Tâmega. Taking place on the first Saturday and Sunday of June, the annual São Gonçalo's feast is among the most colourful and typical fairs in Portugal. According to tradition, it is the time for unmarried people to exchange phallus-shaped cakes as tokens of their love.

We will then continue our visit trough the beautiful roads across the Douro valley until we get to Pinhão, where you can see many kilometers of cultivated wine everywhere you look. Wine has been produced by traditional landholders in the Alto Douro region for some 2,000 years. Since the XVIII century, its main product, Porto wine, has been worldly famous for its quality. Spectacularly located at the confluence of the Douro and Pinhão rivers, 22 km upstream from Peso da Régua, the small town of Pinhão is the epicenter of the Port winemaking area and a place where the soil and climatic conditions are considered to be at their very best.

Afterwards and still in the Douro Valley we will dive into history a little deeper and travel 24,000 years in time to admire an unique natural museum of ancient art in Vila Nova do Foz Côa. This exceptional concentration of rock carvings from the High Palaeolithic (22,000–10,000 B.C.) is the most outstanding example of early human artistic activity in this form anywhere in the world. The Côa Valley rock art throws light on the social, economic, and spiritual life of the early ancestor of humankind in a wholly exceptional manner.

We will leave Foz Côa and proceed towards Rapa for accommodation.

Day 8: Rapa, Marvão, Lisbon  

Breakfast at the hotel.

We will probably wake up in this last day surrounded with snow in Rapa. We will then visit one of the most traditional villages of Portugal: Marvão, the nest of the eagles!

Lying on the east of Portugal, close to the Spanish border, Marvão is one of the oldest and the most eccentric of all the villages of Portugal. Stretching around 400 feet up an extremely steep hill and built between huge granite boulders, the historical village is one of the most remarkable in the whole of Europe, encaged inside the walls of a medieval castle. The village houses are somehow built inside, around and beneath the boulders. These fascinating houses are decorated with hanging baskets and earthenware bowls of bright flowers and cooking herbs. At the top of the hill you can see stunning views of the surrounding countryside. After Marvão, we will begin our trip back to Lisbon.

Accommodation in Lisbon.

Day 9: Free day and departure Home

Transfer back to Lisbon Airport with wonderful lifelong memories!