Bed down in the Pousada Mosteiro Guimarães
Birthplace of the nation
Nowhere could be more appropriate to start than Minho, the birthplace of the nation. Fly into Porto and head north to Portugal’s greenest regions where tradition dominates everyday life, visible in its feast days, folk costume, and street markets.
In its south, Guimarães, chosen by King Afonso Henriques in 1139 as the first capital of Portugal, has a well-preserved medieval centre which is easy to explore on foot. The cobbled Rua de Santa Maria, lined with old townhouses, leads from the Largo da Oliveira, the main square, past the 15th-century Paco dos Duques (pacodosduques.gov.pt), whose small museum is worth dipping into, up to the Guimarães Castle, whose imposing battlements appear on the Portuguese flag (castelo-de-guimaraes).
Guimarães is a wonderful city to explore on foot
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Lunch at Restaurant A Cozinha (restauranteacozinha.pt), the first restaurant in Europe to be certified as zero waste in 2023. Try the very Portuguese cozido, a meat stew which is as interwoven in the culinary heritage of the nation as this city is in its history.
Bed down in the imposing 12th-century Augustinian monastery, now home to Pousada Mosteiro Guimarães (pousadas.pt).
The Roman bridge at Ponte de Lima
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Portugal’s prettiest town
On the second day, would-be archaeologists will want to head off to the Iron Age settlement of Citania de Briteiros, one of Portugal’s most impressive ancient sites. Or else continue to Braga, the country’s most important religious city. Holy Week here is celebrated with solemn processions while the feast of St. John in June sees dancing, fairs and fireworks. Filled with churches and grand 18th-century houses, Braga is a delight to walk around. Pop into the cathedral, begun in the 12th century, and the nearby gardens (jardim-de-santa-barbara) but save time for Portugal’s most spectacular religious sanctuary, Santuário do Bom Jesus do Monte, on a forested slope east of town. The granite staircase that leads to the church represents an upward spiritual journey, punctuated by side chapels, stations of the cross and fountains. For a walking or cycling tour in the countryside, look at the many options the excellent We Love Small Hotels offers (welovesmallhotels.com).
The charming Carmo’s Boutique Hotel
Base yourself for the next two nights at the charming Carmo’s Boutique Hotel (carmosboutiquehotel.com), which sits in countryside above Ponte de Lima, considered Portugal’s prettiest town, with a wide river crossed by a Roman bridge (five arches are original, the remaining were restored in the 14th and 15th centuries). In one direction lies the rugged Peneda-Gerês National Park, famous for its granite granaries, perched on stilts and home to wild horses, wolves and curly-horned cattle. In the other, it is an easy 30 minutes’ drive to attractive Viana do Castelo, home to the fascinating Costume Museum, which has a collection of the colourful traditional clothing still worn on occasion.
In Ponte de Lima, don’t miss a meal at Petiscas (restaurantepetiscas.pt), where you should try the local version of bacalhau (dried cod) with cornbread. Be sure to also visit the wonderful family-owned winery of Soalheio (soalheiro.com). Mainly using the alvarinho grape, they produce some excellent whites. You can book in for a tasting or lunch, where local cheeses and cuts from their Bisaro pigs, home-smoked, accompany the wines.
A growing number of tourists are discovering riverside Porto
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A city that works
There is an old Portuguese saying: “In Porto, they work; in Braga, they pray; in Coimbra, they study; and in Lisbon, they play.” And indeed, Porto has long been considered the most industrious city. Right now cranes punctuate the skyline, signs of the explosion of new hotels and restaurants which are bringing ever-increasing numbers of visitors.
Make the one-hour journey by car, and stay at The Largo Hotel (thelargo.com) if you want to be in the thick of the action as it sits at the end of Porto’s oldest street, Rua das Flores, right in the heart of the city. If you prefer to be away from the crowds, book into The Yeatman Hotel (the-yeatman-hotel.com), which offers views across the River Douro (and its decanter-shaped swimming pool) to the jumble of colourful medieval houses on Porto’s riverside.
Grab a cocktail at trendy Flor
Tick off the must-see sights on your first day in Porto: the century-old São Bento railway station, with its incredible tiled interiors, the gilded Arabian Room in the Bolsa Palace, inspired by Granada’s Alhambra, and the astonishingly rich interior of the São Francisco church. Don’t miss the 18th-century Clérigos Church, built by Nicolau Nasoni. Its soaring tower is a landmark in the city and worth a climb for the wonderful views. Finish the day with a cocktail at nearby Flor (florporto.com), before heading to dinner next door at Cozinha das Flores (cozinhadasflores.com), where chef Nuno Mendes delights with his take on northern Portuguese fare. Don’t miss his innovative pastel de nata (custard tart).
On your second day, book a tasting and tour at one of the port cellars across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia. Taylor’s does a very good one with an informative audio guide (taylor.pt). Next door is the impressive World of Wine Museum (wow.pt), which not only gives a great overview of Portuguese wines, but also cork, drinking vessels and even chocolate. It deserves most of the day but reward yourself with dinner at Mira Mira, housed in the museum and with superb views across the river. Here chef Ricardo Costa, whose restaurant in The Yeatman has two Michelin stars, delivers traditional food with a contemporary twist.
Winding roads reveal magnificent views in the Douro Valley
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Raise a glass
I’d advise staying in a couple of different places in the beautiful Douro to shorten the long, winding drives between wineries. Views are magnificent everywhere but especially from Quinta Nova (quintanova.com), a beautiful 18th-century house with a pool tucked underneath, a tiny chapel and a winery and wine museum next door. Book in for a tasting but at dinner make sure to try their Mirabilis wine for a little slice of paradise.
On your way there from Porto, stop at Peso da Regua to visit the Museu do Douro (museudodouro.pt), which will give you a good understanding of how the port wine industry moulded this region. Have lunch afterwards in excellent Castas & Pratos (castasepratos.com), housed in an old train station warehouse.
A winding but scenic 45-minute drive will bring you to your next abode, Quinta Da Côrte (quintadacorte.com), a winery with rooms beautifully designed in traditional materials of tiles, schist and wood by French interior designer Pierre Yovanovitch. Stop on the way in Pinhão to visit Symington’s impressive Bomfim winery and enjoy lunch at Bomfim 1896 with Pedro Lemos (symington.com).
One-time capital Coimbra
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A perfect pair
Stretching from the Spanish border to the sea, the Beiras divide the cool green north from the parched south, encompassing Aveiro, known for its canals, and one-time capital Coimbra.
It takes around two hours to reach the beautiful Serra da Estrela mountains, the highest range in mainland Portugal, famous for its unctuous cheese made from the milk of the ewes you will see grazing everywhere. Visit the fascinating Burel Factory (burelfactory.com) to see how the wool from these sheep is used in colourful and contemporary ways.
Brightly painted houses in Aveiro
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Overnight at the cosy mountain lodge of Casa de São Lourenço (casadesaolourenco.pt), with sweeping views from its rooms.
The following day, visit the Museum of Bread (museudopao.pt) near Seia before heading on to Coimbra, a journey of 90 minutes. Go straight to the university, founded in 1290. Its highlight is the gilded library, housing over 300,000 books.
Lunch on bacalhau at Restaurante Solar do Bacalhau (facebook.com/solardobacalhau) before heading down to Obidos for the night. One of the seven wonders of Portugal, the pretty, white-washed, town is enclosed in 14th-century castellated walls. Stay in the castle, now a Pousada (pousadas.pt) and try the local drink, ginja, a kind of cherry liqueur, best drunk out of a chocolate cup.
Lisbon has a marvellous setting
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Capital gains
A one-hour drive will deliver you to the Portuguese capital. Book a room at Palácio Príncipe Real (palacioprincipereal.com) a tranquil oasis in the heart of the city, with a leafy flower-filled garden and welcoming pool. Unpack your flat shoes and start exploring – this is a city which needs to be walked.
Start in the magnificent Praça do Comércio, where dignitaries used to alight from their boats to be received by the King. Walk under (or climb) the Arco da Rua Augusta and continue up to Alfama, the city’s oldest district, which survived the devastating earthquake of 1755. Still Moorish in feel with its kasbah-like streets, it is crowned by Castelo de São Jorge (castelodesaojorge.pt), which became a residence of the Kings after Lisbon was recaptured from the Moors in 1147.
A five-minute walk will bring you to PRADO Restaurant (pradorestaurante.com) and its delicious mushroom and caramel ice-cream.
Torre de Belém
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Head out to Belem (under €10 in a taxi), inextricably linked to Portugal’s Golden Age of Discovery. At the mouth of the Tagus River, this is where the caravels would set sail, marked by the Torre de Belém, returning with riches which resulted in the imposing Manueline Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
The next day, drive 40 minutes out to Sintra, described by Lord Byron as a “glorious Eden”. Visit the Disneyesque Palácio Nacional da Pena and the National Palace, the best preserved royal residence, before exploring the wild and wonderful Park and Palace of Monserrate (parquesdesintra.pt).
Feast on the bounty from the Atlantic, which pounds the rocks beneath you at Restaurante Azenhas do Mar (azenhasdomar.com), and buy a bottle from the Colares winery, just down the road.
Treat yourself to dinner at Cura (fourseasons.com) Michelin-starred restaurant where Chef Pedro Pena Bastos delivers the culinary soul of Portugal on the plate.
Expect to see storks nesting across the Alentejo
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Unhurried and underrated
Head inland 90 minutes or so to the walled city of Évora, capital of the unhurried and underrated Alentejo region and a Unesco World Heritage Site. Admire the impressive Roman temple and walk along Rua 5 de Outubro, where little artisan shops sell local pottery, traditional painted wooden chairs and tables and wonderful clay nativity scenes.
Lunch at Restaurante Fialho (restaurantefialho.pt), a culinary landmark in the city for its scrambled eggs with wild asparagus and more.
The Roman temple in Evora
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Another 30-minute drive westwards will bring you to Estremoz and your hotel for the night, Dá Licença (dalicenca.pt), a beautifully restored country house with just nine suites, two with private pools, and bathrooms carved from the local marble.
Explore the medieval upper town of Estremoz, dominated by a 13th-century keep, before stopping for lunch at Gadanha (merceariagadanha.pt), which offers the best of Alentejano fare. Finally, drive 20 minutes to the town of Vila Viçosa, a vision in the local white marble and seat of the Dukes of Bragança. The ducal palace (fcbraganca.pt) is well worth a visit.
Finish your journey on the sunny Algarve
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Surf’s up
Instead of visiting the more built-up central Algarve, concentrate on the less inhabited east and west of the region. The wild and windy western Algarve – around a three-hour drive from Estremoz – is a favourite for surfing, with the Atlantic Ocean at its pounding best. There are endless golden beaches such as beautiful Praia da Amoreira, which sits in the Costa Vicentina Natural Park, or nearby Praia da Arrifana, where Praia (restaurantepraiaarrifana.com), a little white-washed restaurant which hangs over the beach, makes a good place to stop for lunch. Try their twist on a hot dog, which comes with cod, piri-piri and pork belly. Fall asleep to the sound of the sea at Memmo Baleeira, in the town of Sagres (memmohotels.com), which makes an excellent base.
Pretty Tavira
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The following day, dolphin lovers or birdwatchers should go out in a RIB with the marine biologists from Mar Ilimitado (marilimitado.com); tours depart from the little harbour beneath the hotel. Then drive across the Algarve, stopping in Silves to visit the remains of the castle, one of the best-preserved Moorish fortifications in the country (cm-silves.pt). Have lunch under a 2,000-year-old olive tree at one of the region’s nicest wineries, Morgado do Quintão (morgadodoquintao.pt).
Carry on towards Spain for a final night at Casas de Quintao de Cima (casasdaquintadecima.com), where nine farmworker’s cottages have been lovingly converted into suites, surrounded by 15,000 orange and lemon trees and within sight of the sea.
On your last day, explore Tavira, considered the most attractive town in the Algarve, and home to Roman ruins and many churches. Then head to Faro for your flight home, confident that you have seen many, but definitely not all, of Portugal’s wonders.
The walled town of Obidos
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When to go
May and September are my favourite months. Warm rather than hot and not yet busy with tourists. August sees a packed Algarve but an emptier Lisbon. In winter you might get snow in the Serra de Estrela while the south has temperatures at midday of 25c.
For those who would rather book a package, Scott Dunn offers a luxurious take on Lisbon, Porto and the Douro Valley (scottdunn.com) taking nine nights and priced from £6,517 per person.
Alternatively, Inntravel (inntravel.co.uk) has seven-night walking holidays starting at £965 where you can choose to concentrate on the Manor Houses of the Minho, Peneda-Gerês National Park or the Douro Valley.
Bring flat shoes to negotiate Lisbon’s seven hills and cobbled streets.
Bring mosquito repellent or buy PreVipiq in pharmacies in Portugal, and pack sun cream.
Linens, pottery, filigree jewellery, wine and olive oil are some of the best Portuguese products to take home.
Recommended reading includes Queen of the Sea: A History of Lisbon by Barry Hatton, Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier, The First Global Village: How Portugal Changed the World by Martin Page, Antonio Tabucchi’s Pereira Maintains, The Return by Dulce Maria Cardoso and Portuguese literary great Ferdinand Pessoa’s Book of Disquiet.
Try the traditional carob bread and the Portuguese classics like bacalhau (dried cod) cataplana (a kind of seafood and pork stew cooked in a copper-domed pot) and clams Bulhão Pato, named after a 19th-century Lisbon poet who described how his cook made then in one of his books.
Driving on the motorways in Portugal is excellent as, due to tolls, they are mostly empty. However, watch out for aggressive tailgating from the ones that are using it.
Find more inspiration for the perfect holiday in Portugal, including the best restaurants and beaches, with our guide to Lisbon, guide to Porto and guide to the Algarve.
Source link : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/tours/ultimate-itineraries/portugal-best-holiday-tour/
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Publish date : 2024-06-24 10:00:00
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