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 | |
|---|---|---|
| $4289 + air | Sep 26-Oct 6, 2025 |  |
| $4289 + air | Oct 7-17, 2025 | |
| $4289 + air | Sep 26-Oct 6, 2025 | |
| $4289 + air | Oct 7-17, 2025 | |
| $4289 + air | Apr 3-13, 2026 | |
| $4289 + air | Apr 14-24, 2026 | |
| $4289 + air | May 1-11, 2026 | |
| $4289 + air | May 12-22, 2026 | |
| $4289 + air | May 29-Jun 6, 2026 | |
| $4289 + air | Jun 9-19, 2026 | |
| $4289 + air | Sep 25-Oct 5, 2026 | |
| $4289 + air | Oct 6-16, 2026 | |
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 – We will get together in our hotel at 4:00 p.m. for greetings and introductions. Then, let’s get oriented with a walk around our neighborhood, followed by dinner together. Walking: moderate. Sleep for 3 nights in Lisbon. Dinner.
DAY 2: LISBON – After breakfast, join an extensive walking tour visiting three of Lisbon’s neighborhoods, including a jaw-dropping panoramic view from the Castle Sãn Jorge. You’ll have some time this afternoon to poke around on your own. Later, we will cap off our day with dinner and a performance of fado, the soulful traditional singing of ancient Portugal. Walking: strenuous. Dinner.
DAY 3: LISBON AND BELÉM – Just three miles from Lisbon, 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, constructed by King Manuel in the 1500s commemorating Portugal’s early explorers. Then, for a sweet treat, we will pop into a nearby bakery to sample the famous pastries of Belém. Returning to Lisbon, you’ll have the remainder of the day and evening to explore more on your own. Walking: moderate.
DAY 4: NAZARÉ AND FÁTIMA – Leaving the city, we will head to the countryside to visit Fátima and laid-back Nazaré. In Fátima, a pilgrimage site, we will learn how three children shared a vision of the Virgin Mary in May 1917, calling for the end of WWI and world peace. Then we will head up the coast to the delightful seaside town of Nazaré where after a little orientation, you’ll have a chance to explore the city. We will meet tonight for dinner. Driving: 3 hours. Walking: moderate. Sleep for 2 nights in Nazaré. Dinner.
DAY 5: NAZARÉ – You’ll have the entire day to enjoy seaside Nazaré and Sitio, its hilltop neighbor. This is the perfect day to bask in the sun, enjoy a relaxed lunch and dinner and slow down and enjoy! Walking: your choice.
DAY 6: COIMBRA – Coimbra is a fun town loaded with a maze of cobbled streets, a 700-year-old university, and a famous library dating from the 18th century. We will begin with an orientation walking tour of the town, and then you’ll be cut loose to enjoy dinner and make more discoveries on your own. Sleep for 2 nights in Coimbra.
DAY 7: COIMBRA – Join a walk this morning to Coimbra’s old university, which has been sitting here for more than 700 years. The university library house 30,000 books from the 18th century! Enjoy the afternoon and evening on your own. We’ll meet late this evening for a fado performance in a unique style known only to Coimbra.
DAY 8: WINE AND THE DUORO VALLEY – We will drive to Portugal’s famous winemaking region and learn about the art of making port, the famous after-dinner wine from this region. You’ll have a chance to visit an old family estate, learn about growing vines and making port, and get to taste it, too! Later, we will arrive at our hotel to enjoy dinner together. Driving: 2 hours. Walking: moderate. Sleep 1 night in the Duoro Valley region. Dinner.
DAY 9: PORTO – After a lazy morning, we will travel through the lush terraced wine country to the rough and rugged port town of Porto. We will tour several neighborhoods, including the port and downtown. After setting up at our hotel, you’ll have the evening free on your own. Driving: 1 hour. Walking: moderate. Sleep in Porto for 2 nights.
DAY 10: PORTO – Enjoy a scenic cruise on the Duoro River this morning. After lunch, we will take a walk around the riverfront district, including a look at the Stock Exchange Palace and the Church of Santa Clara. We will meet tonight for a grand farewell feast, capped off with a bit of Port. Walking: light. 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!
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 of your dinners.
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, two Fado music experiences, Belém walking tour, Monastery of Jerónimos entrance, Fátima orientation walk, Nazaré orientation walk, Coimbra orientation walk, Duoro Wine Valley driving tour, Wine tasting, Porto walking tour, Duoro River cruise, 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
My wife and I had travelled with David in Italy twice before doing the Budapest and Croatia Land and Sea tour in September/October 2024. This tour was so much fun because it included a mix of famous destinations (like Budapest and Dubrovnik) with less well known places. For example, if we had tried to explore Croatia independently, we would never have found the historical grain boat ride on the Kupa River. The ride was relaxing, our hosts were entertaining and hospitable, and the meat and cheese boards (served with Croatian wine) were excellent.
Spending a week on land followed by a week traveling by boat offered a pleasant variety to the trip. Also, the people of Croatia are warm and welcoming. Dinner in the countryside with David's Croatian friends was unforgettable!
David, love you man, your the best. Can't wait for the next one.
We left Thanksgiving day for what has become our annual Christmas Markets Tour Vacation with David and Charlotte and a group of friends we have met through out our many trips with EE.
We flew into Munich a couple of days early to get adjusted to the time difference, we love this city and all it has to offer from the beer gardens to the fabulous markets set up throughout the city. Transportation is a breeze using the subway.
We traveled by train to Nurnberg to visit the oldest and most famous Christmas Market, enjoying a tradition german group dinner before heading to Prague. On our way to Prague in our van we stoped at a couple of local markets and had lunch. Once in Prague we were greeted with great weather for our walking tour of the old historic town. Dinner was delicious with authentic pub food in the Jakubsky Obvod area. The next day we walked along the Vltava river bridge after visiting the ST Vitus Cathedral, The Royal Palace an ST George Basilica while the sunshine was a perfect picture day. Now on to my favorite time of our tour VIENNA AUSTRIA! This was by far my favorite place to visit. The autobahn, the city full of beautiful people, Cathedrals, Hofburg Palace, Imperial Apartments, Royal Treasury, Christmas Markets (the food and champagne to die for) cafes, shopping (I bought beautiful fabric to have curtains made) & the restaurants etc....Vienna, I will see you again. Long Live SISI
Final stop was in Budapest and the majestic Danube River. Our night time cruise down the river with its glowing city lights illuminating the Parliament Building is a must see when you visit. Saffron risotto with squid was my favorite meal we had while there too. Thank you David! They have a huge Christmas Market too with different homemade crafts and ornaments to bring home.
My advice is bring a nylon duffle to put all your goodies in to bring back home or you can purchase an extra suitcase like I did, not kidding.
I alway say this but it's true, if you can't have fun with David and Charlotte you're not trying, they are a blast!
My best friend and I just returned from the Best of Greece + Santorini tour in October 2024. First, it was the perfect time to go--much less crowed and we had perfect weather! Charlotte, our guide, was so kind and fun to travel with. We loved all the historical sites (and the site licensed guides were all phenomenal! We learned so much and they told great stories), and all the beaches/towns we went to were gorgeous. Delphi was unbelievable, I never would have thought to go to Nafplio on my own but it was a gem, and Hydra was adorable. The catamaran trip at the end in Santorini had to be postponed one day due to winds but when we went the next day, it was an unforgettable experience. From the local places for dinners to cute hotels, we wouldn't have wanted to travel any other way!
Best of Italy 15 days for our 50th wedding anniversary ! Our first McGuffin tour. More to plan next trip. ! We were well taken care of and teamed up with 5 folks from the Denver area, Great small group.
Our guide Ilaria was excellent, well organized and detailed. Great personality and took extra good care of us by avoiding the tourist traps, selecting great restaurants off the beaten path.
Rome was overwhelming and breathtaking, hard to comprehend the history, we were glad to get out of the city and tour the smaller towns.
The hotels were first class and close enough to transportation but off the beaten path. Group dining was fun and educational as Ilaria explained the local cuisine and customs.
The wow moment was the Vatican and Basilica and seeing The David. So much to take in.
David's tour information prepared us well and by the time we departed we felt confident and well informed. We also had many daily PDF downloads to brief us on the days activities.
It was a lot of walking but we came home in great shape, exhausted but in a good way. Did not get to hear a lot of music which we wanted , there were opportunities on our free days but i did not plan ahead well for that,. We did find a couple of laundries which helped.
All in all we would go again in a heartbeat ! The preparation, the planning, guides, hotels, were well worth the cost and a trip of a lifetime. Booking and finding the flights was a bit challenging but we minimized our hops and traveled well with Delta. Security lines and checkpoints were numerous and lengthy at times.
One night we were booked into a penthouse suite in the LIDO ! overlooking Venice ! Many thanks for a wonderful trip and making new friends along the way. Thank you David,. ! Germany is next !
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