Highlights
- Learn about Lisbon on a fun food excursion around the city
- Visit Lisbon's market, then prepare your ingredients in a cooking class
- Take a day trip to a trio of gorgeous towns and UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Enjoy a private tour of Évora's treasures and local sweets
- Relax in the laid-back Alentejo with a wine-tasting
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Lisbon, Culinary Excursion | Lisbon |
| Day 2 | Guided Tour of Lisbon, Evening of Fado | Lisbon |
| Day 3 | Taste of Portugal Cooking Class & Market Visit | Lisbon |
| Day 4 | Day Trip to Sintra, Cascais & Estoril | Lisbon |
| Day 5 | Transfer to Évora, Private Tour | Évora |
| Day 6 | Explore Évora & the Alentejo Region | Évora |
| Day 7 | Évora Tasting Tour, Transfer to Lisbon & Depart |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Lisbon, Culinary Excursion
Olá, and welcome to Portugal! Upon arrival at Lisbon's airport, you'll be met by a driver who will transfer you to your hotel. Once you've checked in, use the rest of the day to explore at your pace. The afternoon is the perfect time to see the LX Factory, one of Lisbon's coolest destinations. A former cloth and textile factory has been transformed into a buzzing district filled with small shops, restaurants, and bars.
But don't linger too long. When evening hits, you'll join a gourmet food tour and get to know the rich flavors of Portuguese food. Follow your English-speaking guide through winding alleys to explore Portuguese gastronomy in the local neighborhood of Campo de Ourique. Over four hours, you'll visit seven spots that brilliantly link tradition with modernity. Experience ways that locals have reinvented restaurant concepts, including a market and hotel school, while getting a taste of culinary recipes that have become world-famous.
Day 2: Guided Tour of Lisbon, Evening of Fado
Today you'll discover Lisbon on a half-day tour that explores key sites and well-kept secrets, exposing the city's unique atmosphere and authenticity. This will be a fun adventure combining walking and the city's famous yellow trams. You'll visit Praça do Comércio, Lisbon's largest plaza; the "new city" of Baixa, built after the devastating 1755 earthquake; Praça da Figueira, Lisbon's traditional market square; and Rossio, the heart of downtown. Enjoy stellar 360-degree views over downtown from the top of the Santa Justa lift and from the lookout at Portas do Sol over Alfama.
Your guide will also take you to sights like Largo do Carmo—the setting for the democratic revolution of 1974—and the Baroque extravaganza of St. Roque Church. Keep an eye out for funky finds in the Bairro Alto, the lively bohemian district, or lean into high roller status with an investment piece in Chiado, the city's most elegant shopping area. This evening, you'll dine at one of the best fado restaurants in Lisbon, enjoying a sumptuous meal of traditional Portuguese cuisine interspersed with authentic singing and music.
Day 3: Taste of Portugal Cooking Class & Market Visit
After a few days in Portugal, you'll be familiar with the local cuisine—and now it's time to master the classics! Bring your appetite and your curiosity for today's cooking class and market excursion. You'll meet a local chef who will serve as your guide, leading you through the local market, explaining seasonal ingredients, and pointing out vendors hawking fantastic produce and specialty products. After the fun and interactive market visit, you'll return to the chef's kitchen to learn how to weave those fresh ingredients together for a delicious Portuguese meal.
Whether you're an experienced or novice cook, you'll find value in this hands-on class as your chef-teacher guides you through new techniques. You'll learn to cook a traditional Portuguese meal with a fish dish, a meat dish, and a dessert. At the end of your class, sit down with your new foodie friends to enjoy the food paired with excellent Portuguese wines (of course). After class, you'll receive recipes so you can recreate your culinary achievement in your own kitchen and impress your family and friends! The rest of the afternoon and evening is yours to explore Lisbon how you wish.
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
Day 4: Day Trip to Sintra, Cascais & Estoril
Today you'll be transported to another world: Sintra. Just half an hour from the city, this village is packed with history and fantasy, described as a "glorious Eden" by the British poet Lord Byron in the 18th century. Explore palaces and enjoy free time for lunch before swapping the mountain for the coast. Pull up at Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of Portugal and mainland Europe. Enjoy gorgeous views across the Atlantic Ocean as waves crash onto the shore before winding along coastal roads to Cascais, the former summer residence of the Portuguese royals.
Continue along the coast, back to Lisbon, passing by upmarket Estoril, known for its casino (the largest in Europe), seaside mansions, and attractive gardens. Once you return to Lisbon, you'll have the remainder of the day to enjoy the city in any way you like!
Day 5: Transfer to Évora, Private Tour
Today you're destined for Évora, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the cultural and gastronomic capital of the Alentejo region. After breakfast at your hotel, you'll be picked up for the 90-minute private transfer. After a hearty lunch in town, feasting on the rich, local cuisine, you'll join a private guided tour and wander the compact, historic center and explore a city founded 2,000 years ago.
Discover the most impressive treasures, including Roman ruins, medieval churches, and the chilling 17th-century bone chapel, Capela dos Ossos. Your guide will cover Évora's main monuments, including those pertaining to the golden age of Portuguese maritime discoveries, while answering questions along the way. This tour is especially ideal for visitors wishing to get an overview of the city's major events, which have always been linked to the most significant moments in Portugal's history. In the evening, you'll have the free time to explore Évora on your own.
Day 6: Explore Évora & the Alentejo Region
Today you'll have a full-day excursion of Évora and the Alentejo region, where the pace of life slows amid the area's iconic golden plains. This sparsely populated yet vast swath of land between the Algarve region and Lisbon offers scenic rolling hills, olive groves, vineyards, and charming fortified towns with a number of walking trails, Neolithic monuments, rustic wineries, and cork production facilities.
Enjoy the slower rhythm here; residents in the Alentejo region are more traditional than in other parts of Portugal, something you'll see reflected in their home-cooked cuisine and beautiful handicrafts. Get to know the locals and their cultures today as you visit medieval villages, a cork forest, a winery, and prehistoric monuments. You'll also tuck into a delectable lunch at a traditional Alentejo cuisine restaurant before you return to Évora for the rest of the day.
Day 7: Évora Tasting Tour, Transfer to Lisbon & Depart
On your final morning in Portugal, embark on a delicious exploration of Évora's traditional treats and local wine. Your private tour begins with a deep dive into the city's beloved convent sweets and their centenarian secrets. Hear the origin stories and taste the famous baked goods as you wander the cobblestone streets. Next, you'll sip Alentejo wines. In this warm, dry region, the vines were first planted by the mysterious Tartessians civilization some 3,000 years ago. Here in the Alentejo, locals have continued the ancient Roman practice of fermenting wine in huge clay pots.
Continue the foodie adventure with a tasting of traditional smoked meats and cheeses from Évora with Alentejo bread, and conclude with an olive oil tasting. Finally, it's time to wave goodbye and take a 90-minute transfer to Lisbon airport for your departing flight home or onward. Safe travels!
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