THE BEST OF PORTUGAL in 11 days
My Best of Portugal Tour provides a laid-back and worry-free experience while connecting the major destinations and landmarks in Portugal. There is a lot to see and do, but the travel distances are not far, the people are friendly, and the culture and ambiance are unmatched anywhere in Europe. We will visit the capital of Lisbon and connect its history with great explorers and navigators. Then we will get out into the countryside and seaside to learn about Portugal, its people, and its rich history that transformed the ancient world into the new world.
Your Adventure Starts Here!
| PRICE FROM | DATES | |
|---|---|---|
| $4589 + air | Apr 3-13, 2026 |  |
| $4689 + air | Sep 27-Oct 7, 2026 | |
| $4689 + air | Apr 9-19, 2027 | |
| $4689 + air | May 11-21, 2027 | |
| $4789 + air | June 18-28, 2027 | |
| $4789 + air | Sept 26-Oct 6, 2027 | |
Lisbon – 3 nights
Nazaré – 2 nights
Coimbra – 2 night
Duoro Valley – 1 night
Porto – 2 nights
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Single Room Additional Cost ~$910
ITINERARY
DAY 1: LISBON – Let’s meet at our hotel at 4:00 p.m. for greetings and introductions. A local guide will get you oriented with a walk around Lisbon’s Alfama and historic city center. Then let’s have dinner together. Sleep for 3 nights in Lisbon. Walking: Strenuous. Dinner.
DAY 2: LISBON & BELÉM –After breakfast, join your local guide for a visit to the Belém harborside neighborhood. Belém holds a few essential sights from Portugal’s dynamic “Age of Discovery.” Enjoy a waterfront stroll past the gigantic Monument of Discoveries, constructed in 1960 to commemorate Portugal’s famous explorer, Prince Henry the Navigator. Nearby, the Belém Tower stands all bright and white, still welcoming sailors to the harbor as it has done for 600 years. Across the street, we will take a look at the impressive Monastery of Jerónimos, built by King Manuel in the 1500s to commemorate Portugal’s early explorers. Don’t forget to pop into a nearby bakery to sample the famous pastries of Belém. Enjoy the afternoon and evening on your own, back in the heart of Lisbon. Walking: Moderate.
DAY 3: SINTRA & CABO DA ROCA – Today, we will take a driving tour west toward the Atlantic Ocean. Enjoy Sintra by discovering mountaintop medieval fortifications, vibrant fairytale castles, lush forests, eccentric labyrinthine gardens, and the Sintra city palace. Later, we will see the cliffs of Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of the European continent. Then enjoy Cascais, a traditional fishing port and beach area. Returning to Lisbon, you’ll have the evening to explore independently.
DAY 4: MAFRA, ÓBIDOS, and FATIMA – Leaving the city, we will head to the countryside. In Mafra, we will visit the quirky village museum of José Franco and get our hands dusty making traditional chorizo bread. Then it’s on to Óbidos, a medieval walled town. Here you’ll find a well-preserved castle and a labyrinth of streets and houses, flowery windows, and small squares inside the walls. Later, we’ll head to Fátima, a pilgrimage site, and learn how three children shared a vision of the Virgin Mary in May 1917, calling for the end of WWI and world peace. Sleep for 2 nights in Fatima. Dinner.
DAY 5: CHÃS, OLIVE OIL, and LUNCH – Visit the salt pans of Rio Maior, where, for 900 years, the locals have extracted salt from the river. Then, tour a local olive oil producer and sample the products. Then, prepare for an amazing lunch in a small village with panoramic views of the mountains and countryside. Back in Fatima, you’ll have the evening to experience more of the town. Lunch.
DAY 6: COIMBRA AND AVEIRO – Join a walk this morning to Coimbra’s old university, which has been sitting here for over 700 years. The university library houses 30,000 books from the 18th century! Enjoy the afternoon and evening on your own. We’ll meet for an aperitif and fado performance in a unique style known only to Coimbra. Aveiro is a coastal town with a rich fishing history. Enjoy a floating tour in the typical multi-colored fishing boats known as Moliceiros. Tonight, you are free to wander the narrow lanes and cobbled squares in search of dinner and entertainment. Sleep for 1 night in Aveiro.
DAY 7: WINE AND THE DOURO VALLEY – We will drive to Portugal’s famous winemaking region and learn about the art of making wine. In Regua, you’ll have a chance to visit an old family estate, learn about growing vines, making wine, and taste it, too! Later, we will arrive at our hotel to enjoy dinner together. Sleep 2 nights in the Duoro Valley. Dinner.
DAY 8: LAMEGO and the DUORO VALLEY – Lamego is one of Portugal’s most historic and elegant towns, beautifully set in the heart of the Douro region. Enjoy a stroll through the charming old town, where graceful squares, baroque architecture, and traditional tiled façades reflect centuries of history and culture. The Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios is perched atop a hill and adorned with fountains, statues, and azulejos. Later, we will learn about and sample the famous sparkling wines of Lemego and the savory pastry, Bôla de Lamego.
DAY 9: AMARANTE and PORTO – We will travel through the lush, terraced wine country to Amarante. Nestled on the banks of the Tâmega River, you’ll stroll through its picturesque historic center, where elegant granite houses with wooden balconies overlook the river. Later, in Porto, enjoy a visit to a local Port wine cellar for a tour and tasting. After setting up at our hotel, you’ll have the afternoon and evening free. Sleep in Porto for 2 nights.
DAY 10: PORTO – Porto, the second largest city in Portugal, has a unique charm, with morning fog and beautiful sunsets on the banks of the Douro. Its colorful streets and tiled houses delight any walk through the historic center. See the Cathedral of Porto as we walk on Santa Catarina, one of the busiest streets in Porto. Enjoy the hustle and bustle of Bolhão, the city’s marketplace. After a free afternoon, let’s meet for a grand farewell dinner to celebrate your tour in Portugal. Dinner.
DAY 11: TOUR OVER AFTER BREAKFAST – Your tour guide will be happy to assist in making transportation connections to the airport or train station. Enjoy your journey, wherever it takes you!
Itinerary specifics are subject to change.
INCLUSIONS
Transportation by coach and/or minibus from your first hotel in Lisbon to your final hotel in Porto.
10 nights’ accommodation in traditional hotels, guesthouses, and B&Bs. All rooms have private en-suite baths.
All tips and gratuities to guides, drivers, restaurants, and hotel staff.
A guaranteed Small Group consisting of 6-18 participants.
All breakfasts and five other meals.
Traditional dining experiences at some of David’s personal favorite restaurants. Eating well is a priority and you’ll enjoy fine regional fare featuring the best the locale has to offer.
Water is included with all meals. Soda, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, and tea are your responsibility.
All tours and admissions at no extra cost: Comprehensive walking tour in Lisbon, a Fado music experience, Belém walking tour, Fátima orientation walk, Coimbra orientation walk and entrances, Duoro Wine Valley driving tour, several wine tastings, Porto walking tour, and much more!
A full-time Exploring Europe guide and local experts dedicated to bringing to life the art, history, and culture of the tour destinations.
David’s tour handouts are delivered electronically and detail each day’s historical and cultural experiences.
Free luggage tags and David’s custom-designed drawstring backpacks.
Our Unconditional Tour Price Guarantee, once locked in, will never change.
$50 Tour Alumni discount for each David McGuffin tour you’ve taken prior to this travel year.
EXCLUSIONS
Comprehensive Trip insurance. We strongly recommend comprehensive insurance for tour.
Fee for passports.
Beer, wine, spirits, and soda during the tour.
Laundry, phone, internet, and personal items
Extras and optional activities.
Anything not mentioned in the itinerary.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
CANCELLATION POLICY
CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS:
Deposits- Deposits for tours are fully refundable for 30 days from your initial application and deposit date, unless otherwise noted. If you book a tour less than 90 days before its departure date, full payment is due immediately, and the entire tour cost becomes non-refundable after seven days. After these dates, deposits are not refundable and will be forfeited if you cancel your tour reservation.
Payments- Tour payments are due in full 90 days before your tour departure date. If you find you must cancel between 90-0 days before your tour departure, please contact us immediately. We will work with you to transfer your payments to another tour departing within 18 months. We strongly recommend that everyone purchase comprehensive travel insurance that covers tour cancellations, emergency medical, and other unexpected events.
Cancellations will be effective when the written notification is received at David McGuffin›s Exploring Europe by mail, e-mail, or fax.
SIGN UP BY EMAIL OR POST
If you do not want to sign up online:
You may download a tour application and send it to us with payment.
-OR-
You may return it by:
- FAX 1-800-570-1351
- Email – info@davidmcguffin.com
- email – take a photo of the form with your smartphone and attach it to an email
- TXT – take a photo with your smartphone and TXT to 904-612-8149
KEY TO WALKING & ACTIVITY
Walking and Physical Activity: We have planned this trip to provide maximum tour experiences. The basic nature of Europe does require some degree of physical activity to get out and see the sights, especially in the big cities. To help you plan, we’ve included a daily projection of physical activity. Here is the key for our walking activity ratings:
Light – Walking done on level surfaces with some hills and elevation gains. Two miles or less of required walking during the day.
Moderate – Walking done on paved and gravel paths and cobbled city sidewalks. To enjoy the full tour experience, some uphill and downhill walking is expected, as is standing while viewing sights or museums. Four to six miles of walking per day.
Strenuous – Walking done on rugged and rocky paths and city-cobbled sidewalks. There will be steps and stairs. Up to three hours standing in museums or experience sites. Up to eight miles of walking per day.
Your Choice – No matter what your walking ability, we will help you find alternative ways to enjoy and experience all Europe has to offer. To get the most out of our tours, you should be able to operate at the light level every day with spurts of moderate and strenuous.
PRE-TOUR RESOURCES
Now that you’ve decided to join this tour, we are sure you’ll have some questions. Don’t worry. We are here to help you through each aspect of your tour from start to finish.
DAVID’S 60 SECONDS DESTINATION VIDEOS
Join David as he shares impromptu moments from his travels in the United Kingdom. Watching these short 60-second segments are a great way to experience David’s travel style and adventures. Watch David Explores France here.
David’s TRAVEL TALK TUESDAY almost-weekly broadcast and Video Series Blog.
Every week, when David is not traveling in Europe, he presents a LIVE broadcast on Zoom and Facebook. Check it out on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM Eastern Time.
Each Travel Talk Tuesday session is recorded. Watch them here.
DAVID’S BLOG ARTICLES
David and his team have answered many travel-related questions, and they are all tucked away on his blog. But, no need to go there. Just type in a keyword in the search box at the top or bottom of this page (it’s the gray rectangle with a small magnifying glass icon), and you will get results for your query.
PLEASE SEND US AN EMAIL OR GIVE US A CALL.
We are happy to answer your travel questions and give advice and suggestions. tours@davidmcguffin.com or 800-570-1351.
Testimonials & Reviews of our Tours
Thank you so much for such a lovely trip! I certainly enjoyed your guidance and care. The manner of care that you and Charlotte gave us was outstanding in every way. I, especially, appreciated your patience in my being so slow and tiring easily. After having fallen the week before the trip, I was so nervous that I would fall again.
The tours on our day trips to Florence and the other small towns gave such a wonderful insight into the history and culture of Italy.
My favorite place was Marcampo and meeting Claudia and her mom. The cooking class and the evening wine sharing were a highlight. Volterra had so much history I've never heard before. The views were so dramatic. Your selection of good restaurants took the worry out of finding a decent place to eat which all of my meals were excellent.
Your sharing somewhere special to you made the whole experience a lifetime event for me. I felt like family. You both are so very special in just being you!! Thanking you again for such a unique experience!
First, I would like to say that the Best of Ireland 12-day tour we took from October 12-24, 2025, was really fantastic. The itinerary was perfect for the opportunity to see all the “must see” sights in Ireland. The start of the tour in Belfast is a wise choice; it gave us the opportunity to end the trip in Dublin after seeing to country which gave a better perspective of the history of the island.
The hotels were perfect in that they were located in the cities which made it possible to explore around the towns then have dinner and drinks.
Finally, and most important, our tour guide and driver, David Grey, was absolutely wonderful.
I cannot say enough kind words and accolades about David. The tour would not have been as memorable without his sense of humor, great insights and his general caring of us as guests in his country. It was an honor and a privilege to get to know David. David took the time to get to know all his guests and would ask us what our interests and needs were.
David also stopped at a few places not on the itinerary which allowed us a better insight into the country. It was great to see the bridge from the John Wayne movie, The Quiet Man, and visiting St. Brigid’s Well in Liscannor was memorable.
I mentioned to David in passing how I would like to try some poteen after having a drink in Kilkenny. David went out of his way to obtain some local poteen for all the tour guests to have a toast after our memorable Italian dinner. It was one of the highlights of our trip.
It was our great pleasure to travel with David & Charlotte for the 3rd time. Our tour which began in Budapest, Hungary ended in Dubrovnik, Croatia. This tour was atypical as we began w a bus and boarded a yacht halfway through. Budapest was nice, but the Croatian island ports were stunning. Plitvice National Park and the tour with a ranger was a highlight as well. We absorbed a remarkable amount of history and saw vineyards, a century's old winery and midieval villages. We traveled with a group of 8 friends and family which was an added bonus! It was also wonderful to be hosted on this tour by our new Croatian friends, Kruno & Suzanna! Thanks again, David!
My husband and I toured southern Ireland and Scotland. It was a celebration of our 30th anniversary. I know many have mentioned David Grey but he was amazing His flexbility , knowledge and overall character made the trip. We also enjoyed the Scotland driver- Ian who had a wonderful personality . The group dinner selections did not disappoint. Amazing food . We felt like we saw so much of both countries and enjoyed having it all planned where to go .
This was my first tour with David, likely not my last. We traversed incredible sites in Sicily. David made it easy, with informative dialogue and guides, and an outstanding driver, Paolo.
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