Day 1. (Thursday) LISBON

Olá! Bem Vindo a Portugal! Welcome to Europe! You’ll have the entire day at your disposal to get acquainted with this cosmopolitan city, the capital and largest city of Portugal. Please check the informative panels in the hotel reception area for the welcome meeting with your guide and fellow travellers, and to receive information about the circuit. We recommend you to leave your luggages at the hotel and start exploring at your own pace this magnificent city. As you’ll enjoy a complete sightseeing tour of Lisbon on the next day of the tour, we recommend you to get away from the touristic routes and experience, feel and taste the genuine Lisbon. It’s worth going for the tram ride! These vintage restored streetcars, wooden and painted yellow, are a throwback to another era. That retro feel, perched on a bench as the tram clatters its way through the city’s narrow streets and blares its horn, is priceless. You should taste the pastel de nata (cinnamon-dusted egg custard tart), Portugal’s signature confection any of the pastry shops in Lisbon. And then, feast your eyes on displays of tiles spanning 500 years of feverish creativity at the Museu do Azulejo, housed in convent cloisters. And finally, from imposing São Jorge Castle, take a memorable picture of the old city’s pastel-colored buildings, Tagus Estuary and Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge. Accommodation in hotel.

Day 2. (Friday) LISBON

Breakfast at the hotel. We’ll have a full day to explore each corner of Lisbon. We’ll start the day with an in-depth sightseeing tour of Lisbon. We’ll visit Lisbon’s traditional neighbourhoods, which take us into the Belem district, on the northern bank of the Tagus River estuary, the birthplace of many great Portuguese navigators who sailed the oceans in the Fifteenth Century to explore and trade with India and the Orient. We will walk around the Monument of the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos), a monument that celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery, we’ll see the Belem Tower, a medieval defensive fortification and a prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline style. We will finally see the beautiful gothic style Jeronimos Monastery, Vasco da Gama’s resting place, classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the nearby Tower of Belen. Enjoy some free time at leisure to explore Lisbon at your own pace, to discover the nostalgic corners of the Barrio de Alfama, the old city grouped next to its Castle with its old buildings in narrow and twisted “ruas” full of colour and housing the genuine “taverns” where Fado music sounds like a lost past. Late in the afternoon, we’ll include a transfer to the Restauradores Square, a public square with lots of restaurants. We suggest you to take the Elevador Da Gloria, a cable-car that climb the steep hill into the Bairro Alto district, from the viewpoint of San Pedro you can enjoy the best views over Lisbon. Return to the hotel.

Day 3. (Saturday) LISBON – FATIMA – PORTO

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure northbound to Fatima. We will visit this important sacred center of the Christendom, known worldwide for its sanctuary, a place of Christian pilgrimage since the beginning of the 20^th century. We continue our route through the green lands of the center regions of Portugal. Arrival in Porto, the second-largest city of Portugal. You’ll enjoy some free time for lunch and then we’ll board a rabelo boat, a typical Portuguese vessel on the Douro River, which traditionally transported barrels of port wine from the vineyards in the Alto Douro to the port wine cellars. We’ll enjoy a unique experience, a boat trip along the Douro River, viewing the city at sunset from the river. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure, exploring the historical and nostalgic atmosphere of this port city, with its elegant neighborhoods and stately villas contrasting with the narrow streets and old alleys. You can visit the Sé Cathedral, Porto’s most important religious monument, as well as the Stock Exchange Palace, one of Porto’s most beautiful buildings. Stroll along the Ribeira de Porto on the banks of the Douro River and admire the Dom Luis I Bridge, Porto’s most famous bridge. Climb the Clérigos Tower, the best viewpoint in Porto, from where you’ll have fabulous panoramic views of the city’s historic center. Hotel accommodation.

Day 4. (Sunday) PORTO – BOM JESUS SANCTUARY – CAMBADOS – SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

After breakfast, we start our trip to the northern Portugal. We travel among beautiful landscapes. At Braga, we go up in the oldest funicular in the world, an impressive piece of 19^th century engineering, to discover the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, from where we will appreciate beautiful views of the city of Braga. We suggest walking down to admire its beautiful Stairway of the Five Senses, a monumental Baroque stairway of 381 feet. We continue our trip to Galicia, with its landscapes of lush valleys and stunning beaches, spectacular cliffs, charming fishing villages and incredible cities. At Rias Bajas (Lower Estuaries of Galicia) we will stop in the historic city of Cambados, and we will board for a glass bottom boat trip in which we will explain how mussels and oysters are produced, with a wine and mussels tasting included. After lunchtime, we arrive at Santiago de Compostela, whose old town is a World Heritage Site, one of the most important monumental centres of Spain, one of the sacred cities of Christendom and end of the Way of Saint James pilgrimage route. Upon arrival, we’ll enjoy a city tour visiting among others, the Plaza del Obradoiro, the point at which all roads into the city converge, where we can find Santiago’s Highlight, the Cathedral dedicated to the Apostle James the Elder, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ and brother of John, the Evangelist. Arrival at the hotel and accommodation. We recommend you to take a night walk to discover at your pace this historic city, its university atmosphere of joy and vitality, try the delicious cuisine that Galician tradition has preserved and its regional products, especially seafood, fish and beef.

Day 5. (Monday) SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA – LUGO – O CEBREIRO – LEON – OVIEDO

Breakfast. We travel along the Saint James Route towards Castilla. We stop in Lugo (Lucus Augusti during the Roman Period) to get to know its historic center, an urban network of quiet pedestrian streets and the grand Roman walls encircling old Lugo, considered the best preserved of their kind in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We continue our route in Galicia travelling through O Cebreiro, a small Galician stone village and Leon, a historic enclave on the Pilgrim’s Road to Santiago de Compostela. Free time to visit some of the most emblematic buildings such as the Gothic cathedral, with the most beautiful stained-glass windows in Europe, the Collegiate Church of San Isidoro and the facade of the San Marcos Hostel in Plateresque style. Later we will cross the Cantabrian Mountains traveling to Asturias. Arrival in Oviedo, a city of an unquestionable medieval flavour. Lead by a licensed local guide, we’ll do an in-depth city tour of Oviedo to discover its beautiful 9^th century cathedral, the Calatrava Palace, the Campoamor theater, the Rua street. After the visit, we’ll enjoy a traditional dinner, where we can taste the authentic Asturian cider. Arrival at the hotel and accommodation.

Day 6. (Tuesday) OVIEDO – COVADONGA – SANTILLANA – SANTANDER

After breakfast, we travel to the Picos de Europa National Park & UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Driving a twisty road that will slowly reveal a beautiful countryside made up of calm waters, unimaginable green carpets and mountain peaks which all seem to be almost within reach, we will arrive to Covadonga, where you will have free time to visit the Shrine, a place of worship and pilgrimage for the people of Asturias, where you will see the Patroness of Asturias our Lady of Covadonga. We continue the route towards Santillana del Mar, one of the most important historical artistic towns in Spain. It contains architectural treasures such as the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, a Jewel of the Romanesque Architecture in Cantabria. We will visit the Museum of the Caves of Altamira, that will give us a closer look at the prehistoric era of the Iberian Peninsula. Later we travel to Santander, capital of Cantabria Region, one of the most elegant and beautiful cities of the North Coast of Spain. Santander is a port city located between the sea and the mountains, well known for its Sardinero Beach, one of the best-known beaches in Spain. With a local guide, we’ll do a sightseeing tour of Santander to discover the highlights of this elegant coastal city and its beautiful bay. Arrival at the hotel and accommodation. Note: From July to mid-October, due to high occupancy, some groups will be accommodated in Bilbao.

Day 7. (Wednesday) SANTANDER – BILBAO – MADRID

Breakfast. Following the highway along the Cantabrian Coast, with beautiful landscapes between the mountains and the sea, we arrive to Bilbao, capital of the province of Vizcaya, and the largest city of the Basque Country. Accompanied by an expert local guide, we will visit Bilbao, where design and architecture permeate this entire city: the avant-garde building of the Guggenheim Museum, the old town of Bilbao, the Cathedral … Then you will have free time to take some “pintxos” – bite-sized pieces, miniature culinary works of art. In the afternoon, we continue to Madrid. Arrival at the hotel and accommodation. Note: Depending on the number of passengers, the Bilbao / Madrid route may be made by regular-line coach or by train.

Day 8. (Thursday) MADRID – LISBON

Breakfast at the hotel. Free time at your disposal to explore Madrid at your own pace, diplomatic capital, economic centre and most populous city in Spain, headquarters of the Spanish government and city where the Spanish monarchy resides. You can take a walk through the courtly Madrid de los Austrias Neighborhood with its Renaissance and Baroque buildings in Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and Plaza de la Villa, continue to the Royal Palace located in the elegant Plaza de Oriente, get to know the Cibeles Fountain, Fountain of Neptune, Puerta de Alcala, Gran Vía or Paseo de la Castellana. At the indicated time, transfer on you own to the bus station to take the regular bus service Madrid to Lisbon (ticket included). Pleasant journey to Portugal, crossing the Region of Extremadura, land of the best cured ham, good wines and tasty cheeses and travelling along large meadows of evergreen oaks and cork oaks groves where the Iberian pig roams freely. Arrival at Lisbon and end of the services.