Hidden Portugal

Arrive in Oporto, meet your tour manager and board the coach for the short transfer to your chosen hotel.

Our first included excursion, taken in the company of your tour manager, is a full-day visit to Portugal’s second city, Oporto. The city that gave its name to the country is ancient, time-weathered, and clings haphazardly to the hillside above the beautiful River Douro. During the day, you will also visit one of the city’s many famous port wine lodges, and have the chance to enjoy lunch in a riverside restaurant. An optional boat trip on the Douro will also be available (payable locally).

You’ll return to Póvoa for dinner.

Rest and relax in Póvoa and its surroundings, or join our first optional excursion - a guided introduction to the beautiful, wine-producing Douro Valley. Travel through the romantic Amarante area and wonderfully scenic Mesao Frio en route to the small port of Régua, the home of port wine. Here, you'll visit a working quinta, and have the opportunity to stroll through the estate’s vineyards as the history of port production is explained.

Spend another relaxed day in your hotel and its surroundings, or join your tour manager for a leisurely stroll along the seafront promenade and a light-hearted guided walking tour of Póvoa de Varzim. Take in the beautiful beach and the Atlantic views, and discover the tiny port, where the local fishermen land their catch in traditional fashion. A selection of shops, bars, cafés and restaurants – most serving freshly caught seafood – as well as the well-known Monumental Casino ensure Póvoa’s reputation as a pleasant holiday resort.

Guests staying at the Estalagem Santo André can take the public bus back to the hotel (payable locally), or make their way back along the promenade.

Today’s full-day optional tour takes in Barcelos, home to Europe’s largest open-air market – a colourful, bustling hive of activity offering a huge range of locally produced goods.

From here you’ll continue to Braga, the former Catholic capital of Portugal. Set in the heart of the verdant Minho region, this ancient university seat is one of the country’s oldest settlements. See its great cathedral, and explore the verdant acres of Bom Jesus park and the Escadaria (Baroque staircases) which climbs through it, past chapels, fountains and statues, to the hill-top church.

The last of our optional excursions crosses the Spanish border and heads to historic Santiago de Compostela, one of Spain’s most beautiful cities. Famous as the end of the 1000-year-old Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail, the city's heart is the (marvellously preserved) Romanesque cathedral - possibly one of the world's earliest tourist destinations - to which medieval pilgrims once flocked in their thousands.

Your final included tour takes in the beautiful coastal region of the Minho. Your first stop will be the typical seaside town of Viana do Castelo, on the northern bank of the estuary of the River Lima. One of the town's highlights is the Basilica de Santa Lucia, which has wonderful views over the surrounding area.

You'll also head further inland, through the Vinho Verde vineyards, to the historic market town of Ponte de Lima, famous for its 18th-century fountain and Roman bridge.

Bid “Adeus” to this delightful region of Portugal, and head back to the airport to check in for your flight home, at the end of a hugely enjoyable holiday.