Grand Road Trip of Portugal

You’ll arrive in Porto and pick up your car at the airport. You’ll then drive to the hotel and check in for a 3-night stay in Porto. There will be plenty of time to discover the second largest city in Portugal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its breathtaking Baroque architecture, cultural richness and famous port wines.

Explore this beautiful city on the Douro riverbanks. Visit the superb Porto Cathedral, the neoclassical Stock Exchange Palace and the São Bento train station. Continue through the historic centre, with narrow streets and squares, and admire the incredible Art Nouveau and Gothic Lello bookshop. Visit a Port wine cellar and sample some rich wine flavours (suggested).

Stay overnight in Porto.

After breakfast, spend some more time exploring Porto, perhaps visiting the Portuguese  Manueline-style Church of Santa Clara. Lunch is at your leisure. Proceed to Guimarães, a beautiful northern city with a historic district filled with well-preserved medieval buildings.

You’ll continue on to Braga, one of the oldest religious cities in the world. Visit the sanctuaries that constitute the faith triangle: the Braga Cathedral and the Sanctuaries of Our Lady of Sameiro and Bom Jesus do Monte. From here, you’ll drive to Barcelos to visit the town that was the first county in Portugal and return to Porto along the coast, passing the municipality of Vila do Conde. 

Stay overnight in Porto.

(Approximately 166 km)

After breakfast, drive to the Douro Valley, known as the first demarcated wine region in the world and the birthplace of the well-known Port wine, with stunning green and golden slopes covered with vineyards. Make a stop in Peso Da Régua and visit the Douro Museum. Continue to Pinhão to see the historical train station and experience a small boat tour. Drive on to Vila Real for a visit to Casa de Mateus, an exquisite 18th-century Baroque manor house. Head west to the Romanesque town of Amarante on the Tâmega River, where St. Gonçalo arrived in the 12th century. It was here that locals rebuilt the flooded Sau Gonçalo Bridge in 1763, later known as the site where they fought Napoleon’s invasion and saved Amarante.

Return to Porto and enjoy an overnight.

(Approximately 264 km)

After breakfast, depart from Porto and head to Aveiro to visit the “Portuguese Venice,” a stunning city of river channels. While there, see the 15th-century Cathedral and the Convento de Jesus. Enjoy lunch at your leisure at a local restaurant in the centre of Aveiro.

Proceed travelling south to Coimbra, home to one of Europe’s oldest universities, founded in 1290. See its legendary buildings–including a Baroque clock tower, a tile-covered chapel and the breathtaking, gilded Joanine Library–that dominate the town’s hilltop. The ancient city centre is home to Roman ruins, Romanesque cathedrals, the old maze-like streets of the Moorish Quarter and the Monastery of the Holy Cross, where the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, is buried in an elaborate tomb.

Stay overnight in Coimbra.

(Approximately 143 km)

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and leave Coimbra. Stop at the Batalha Monastery, a 15th-century masterpiece of Portuguese Gothic “Manueline” architecture and UNESCO World Heritage site. Continue to Fátima, one of the Catholic world’s greatest pilgrimage sites, drawing hundreds of thousands of followers each year. Then, drive to Tomar to visit its castle with its imposing bulwark, known as the Convent of Christ–originally the Templar Order’s own headquarters.

Proceed to Castelo de Vide to visit the surrounding quarter of the castle and the Synagogue before setting off to Marvão, a small medieval town on a mountaintop with beautiful views over the Alentejo region. Finally, head to Estremoz, famous for its original ceramic handicrafts and the medieval castle, before continuing on to Évora.

Stay overnight in Évora.

(Approximately 325 km)

After breakfast, it’s time to visit Évora, considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk along the narrow streets lined with white-washed houses and visit these suggested monuments: the Roman Temple, the Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral, Saint Francis Church with its “Bones Chapel,” and the University of Évora. During your visit, you can also admire the diversity and authenticity of local cork, ceramic and copper handicrafts.

Travel south through the beautiful Alentejo region and stop at Beja. Walk around the town and visit the Santiago Church, the Cathedral of Beja and the Castle Keep, known as “Torre de Menagem”. Pause to admire the countryside views before driving south towards the Algarve.

Stay overnight in Algarve.

(Approximately 243 km)

After breakfast, you can spend some time visiting the west of Algarve. Drive to Lagos, a beautiful and ancient city, where in the 15th century, Prince Henry the Navigator led the Portuguese into the Age of Discovery. Stroll through the narrow streets and the historic centre. See the square of Infante Dom Henrique, where the first slave market was held in Europe. Visit the Church of Santo António and the Museum, which has an interesting collection of archaeology and sacred art.

Drive to Ponta da Piedade, a group of golden-hued rock formations, to admire the magnificent views of the Atlantic before continuing on to Sagres and Cape St. Vincent, the most western point of Europe. Admire the unspoiled coastline, with its dramatic horizons of cliffs where the sea is a constant presence and where nature combines with history to create an awe-inspiring region.

Continue exploring the Algarve and drive to Silves, a pretty, historical town once the capital of the ancient Arab Kingdom of Algarve. Take a walk through small streets up to the Castle of Silves, considered one of the most beautiful military monument from Islamic Portugal. See the Silves Cathedral, once an ancient great Mosque, with Gothic and Baroque influences.

Stay overnight in Algarve.

Take the day to visit eastern Algarve. Travel to Olhão, a lovely town with houses built in the shape of white cubes, reminiscent of North African-style houses. See the lively fish and vegetable market. Continue to Tavira and walk around one of the most picturesque towns in the Algarve, set along the River Gilão, with refreshing gardens and open-air cafes. While here, take in some panoramic views from the Castle of Tavira walls, as well as the Church of Misericórdia and its Renaissance doorway and intricate tiles, among a multitude of churches spread throughout the town.

Visit the small village of Cacela Velha with white-washed single-storey houses and admire the magnificent views over the sea and the vast dunes of Ria Formosa Natural Park.

Stay overnight in Algarve.

After breakfast, take some time to visit Faro, the capital of the Algarve, a fortified city set along the Ria Formosa estuary. Walk to the old town crossing the ’Arco da Vila’ and see the Bishops’ Palace buildings in the Largo da Sé square, as well as the 13th-century Cathedral, erected in 1251 after the Christian reconquest on the site formerly occupied by a mosque. Continue on to the 16th-century Convent of Nossa Senhora da Assunção and the Church of São Francisco with its beautiful gilt carvings and tiles. Nearby lies the two watchtowers that protected the Arco do Repouso (historical arch). According to the story, it was here that King Afonso III rested during the conquest of Faro. In the afternoon, leave the Algarve and head towards Portugal’s capital.

Stay overnight in Lisbon.

(Approximately 280 km)

After breakfast, explore the vibrant city of Lisbon, known as the “City of Seven Hills”. Explore some of the typical Lisbon quarters like Bairro Alto, Chiado and Alfama. Continue to the Belém Tower, the Monument of the Discoveries and Jerónimos Monastery. Stop for a coffee and try the famous “pasteis de nata,” a delicious custard tart with cinnamon topping. In the afternoon, drive to the charming village of Sintra (UNESCO World Heritage Site), which enchanted kings and inspired poets. Walk through the narrow streets and appreciate the several handicraft shops. Stop at a tea room to taste the delicious local sweets. Drive up to see the majestic Pena Palace, an astonishing fairytale castle located on one of the highest peaks of the Sintra Mountains. Continue to Cabo da Roca, the most western point in Europe and enjoy the unique scenery of the Atlantic Ocean. Return to Lisbon, passing Cascais and Estoril. 

Stay overnight in Lisbon.

(Approximately 93 km)

Leave your hotel and drive to Obidos, an authentic medieval village surrounded by high walls and winding streets with white-washed buildings.

Continue to Nazaré, an attractive and picturesque fishing village with busy narrow streets where you can find fishermen and women wearing traditional multicoloured costumes. Drive up to the headland called Sítio, from where you can observe one of the most beautiful views of the Portuguese coast. Visit the Nossa Senhora da Nazaré Sanctuary. Walk down to the lighthouse overlooking Praia do Norte, the Nazaré Canyon, famous for the giant waves, where Garrett McNamara won the first record surfing the biggest beach-breaking wave in the world in 2011. Continue to Alcobaça to see its 12th-century Alcobaça Monastery, one of the most beautiful Cistercian Abbeys, dating from the Middle Ages.

Stay overnight in Lisbon.

(Approximately 258 km)

After checking out of your hotel, drive to Lisbon Airport and drop off your car.