Hamilton & Chase Tours
Best of Portugal — Private Package 8-day Portugal tour: Lisbon, Sintra, Coimbra, Porto & the Douro Valley

8-Day Private Package Journey

Best of Portugal

Lisbon, Sintra, Coimbra, Porto & the Douro Valley

Available as Private Semi-Private Self-Guided
From €2,920 per person 8 days / 7 nights
View Itinerary

Tour Overview

8 days across Portugal.

Eight days is enough to understand Portugal — to feel the way the country tilts between its Atlantic edge and its cultivated interior, between the grand history of Lisbon and the living wine culture of the Douro. This private journey covers the essential arc: Lisbon's miradouros and Moorish lanes, the fairy-tale palaces of Sintra and the cliff at Cabo da Roca, the medieval university city of Coimbra, Porto's copper-coloured riverfront, and a full day given entirely to the Douro Valley — the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. Every detail is arranged for your group alone, every guide a specialist in their city, every hotel chosen for character and position.

Detailed Itinerary

Your journey, day by day.

Every day is designed with breathing room. Sleep in, take a detour, linger at lunch — the itinerary flexes around you, not the other way around.

Day 1 — Arrival in Lisbon
Day 1
1

Day 1

Arrival in Lisbon

The city that tilts toward the sea.

Your private driver meets you at Humberto Delgado Airport and carries you into Lisbon — a city that has stood at the edge of the known world for five centuries, and carries that awareness lightly, like a well-worn coat. After checking into your hotel in the historic centre, the afternoon is yours. Wander down through Chiado — the literary quarter of bookshops and elegant cafés where Fernando Pessoa used to sit — to the Praça do Comércio and the broad silver Tagus. The Alfama neighbourhood, spreading uphill above the river, is best explored in the early evening when the light is amber and the trams are still running: narrow lanes, tiled facades, and the occasional thread of fado from a restaurant that has been in the same family for three generations. Find a table tonight at a tasca in the Bairro Alto and order caldo verde soup and a glass of Alentejo red.

  • Private airport transfer into Lisbon
  • Chiado and the Tagus waterfront at leisure
  • First evening in the Alfama
4★ boutique hotel, Lisbon historic centre
Day 2 — Lisbon Highlights
Day 2
2

Day 2

Lisbon Highlights

Moorish ramparts, baroque churches, and a city that rebuilt itself.

Your private guide leads you through Lisbon's historic layers with the precision of someone who has been reading these streets for years. The morning begins in the Alfama — Portugal's oldest urban district, where the Moors lived before the Reconquista and where the architecture still carries the shape of their streets and water channels. Climb to the castle for a panorama of the city, the Tagus, and on clear days the mountains of Sintra. From the castle, the route descends through Baixa — the elegant Pombaline grid designed after the 1755 earthquake obliterated the medieval city — to the triumphal arch and the river. The afternoon takes you to Belém, the maritime district from which Vasco da Gama departed in 1497: Jerónimos Monastery, whose carved Manueline stone is one of the greatest decorative achievements in European architecture, and the Tower of Belém standing in the river mouth where the ocean begins. End with a pastéis de nata at Pastéis de Belém, where the recipe has not changed in 187 years.

  • Alfama quarter private walking tour
  • São Jorge Castle and city panorama
  • Jerónimos Monastery in Belém
  • Belém Tower on the Tagus
Meals: Breakfast 4★ boutique hotel, Lisbon historic centre
Day 3 — Sintra & Cabo da Roca
Day 3
3

Day 3

Sintra & Cabo da Roca

Palaces in the clouds, then the end of the continent.

The Serra de Sintra rises from the Atlantic plain forty minutes west of Lisbon — a granite ridge of ancient forest, mist, and palaces built by kings who wanted to live inside a dream. Your guide meets you at Pena Palace, the most extravagant of Sintra's royal confections: canary-yellow walls, Moorish towers, Gothic battlements, and a terrace from which the Atlantic is visible on clear mornings. The palace grounds and the town below — its lanes full of quintas, convents, and pastry shops selling travesseiros — take up the morning comfortably. After lunch, your driver continues west to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe: a stark headland above 140-metre cliffs, a lighthouse, and an ocean view that extends to the horizon with nothing between you and North America. The Portuguese poet Luís de Camões called this place the point where the land ends and the sea begins — you'll understand why the moment you step out of the car.

  • Pena Palace — Sintra's royal fantasy in the clouds
  • Sintra town's medieval lanes and gardens
  • Cabo da Roca — westernmost point of mainland Europe
  • Atlantic clifftop views
Meals: Breakfast 4★ boutique hotel, Lisbon historic centre
Day 4 — Lisbon to Coimbra
Day 4
4

Day 4

Lisbon to Coimbra

One of Europe's oldest universities, on a hilltop above the Mondego.

After breakfast, your private vehicle heads north through the Ribatejo — flat plains of cork oak, olive groves, and the long bends of the Tagus — before the landscape greens into the Mondego valley and Coimbra appears on its hill above the river. Founded in 1290, the University of Coimbra is one of the oldest in Europe, and it still sets the tempo for the city: students in black capes drift through the streets, the bells of the old church mark the hours, and the coffee bars in the student quarter are open from before dawn. Your guide — a former academic who knows these lanes with the ease of someone who spent years in them — leads you up through the Almedina gate into the upper town and to the crown jewel: the Biblioteca Joanina, a baroque library whose gilded shelves rise three storeys in a room saturated with the smell of old books and history, its resident bats protecting the collection from insects every night since 1728. The evening brings a walk along the Mondego and dinner at a restaurant where the river catches the last of the light.

  • Biblioteca Joanina — one of the world's great baroque libraries
  • University of Coimbra and the old town
  • Mondego River views
  • Coimbra student quarter atmosphere
Meals: Breakfast 4★ centrally located hotel, Coimbra
Day 5 — Coimbra to Porto
Day 5
5

Day 5

Coimbra to Porto

North along the Atlantic coast, toward the city of wine and granite.

After a final coffee in Coimbra — perhaps at the Café Santa Cruz, a former chapel whose vaulted ceiling and stained glass have been watching students come and go for five centuries — your private vehicle heads north. The A1 runs close to the coast here, and on clear days the Atlantic is visible between dunes and pine forest. Porto arrives as the road crosses the high-level Arrábida Bridge and the city's granite silhouette appears below: church towers, tiled facades, and the Dom Luís I bridge arcing across the Douro. Check into your hotel in the historic centre, then let Porto do what Porto does best: stand in front of some view — any view — and be astonished. The Ribeira waterfront, the bridge at sunset, the tiled alley at the end of the street that you didn't notice until you turned the corner. Tonight, the city is yours.

  • Private drive north through coastal Portugal
  • Dom Luís I Bridge and Douro panorama on arrival
  • Ribeira waterfront at leisure
  • Porto's historic lanes at dusk
Meals: Breakfast 4★ boutique hotel, Porto historic centre
Day 6 — Porto Highlights & Port Wine
Day 6
6

Day 6

Porto Highlights & Port Wine

The city that invented port wine and never quite got over it.

Your Porto guide — a native of the city who studied its architecture and history before becoming one of its best interpreters — meets you after breakfast. The morning tour begins at São Bento Station, whose entrance hall is lined with 20,000 azulejo tiles depicting Portuguese history in sweeping panoramic scenes, and continues through the Clérigos quarter, past the baroque belltower that has guided sailors inland from the Atlantic for three centuries, to the Cathedral terrace where the whole copper-coloured city spreads below. A walk downhill through the medieval tangle of Rua dos Mercadores brings you to the river and the Dom Luís I Bridge. In the afternoon, your driver crosses to Vila Nova de Gaia — technically a separate city, but emotionally inseparable from Porto — where the great port wine lodges have been maturing their barrels in cool, river-scented cellars since the seventeenth century. A private tasting at a family-owned lodge works through the styles: pale dry white, the young ruby, the aged tawny with twenty years of Douro inside every glass.

  • São Bento Station's 20,000 azulejo tile hall
  • Porto Cathedral and Clérigos Tower
  • Private port wine tasting in a historic Gaia lodge
  • Dom Luís I Bridge views
Meals: Breakfast 4★ boutique hotel, Porto historic centre
Day 7 — Douro Valley — Full Day
Day 7
7

Day 7

Douro Valley — Full Day

Terraced vines, river light, and the oldest wine in the world.

Today belongs entirely to the Douro Valley — a full day in one of Europe's most extraordinary landscapes, unhurried and unscheduled in the best possible way. Your driver heads east from Porto along the Douro, the road rising as the city falls away and the valley opens into the terraced vineyards that gave port wine to the world. UNESCO inscribed this landscape for good reason: every hillside has been sculpted over centuries into stone-walled terraces that function like a living agricultural museum, each one maintained by the families who have been farming this valley for generations. At a family-owned quinta deep in the valley, a wine-maker leads you through the winery — the stone lagares where grapes are trodden by foot in September, the dark barrel rooms where the wine sleeps for years — before pouring a series of wines that tell the story of the Douro from grape to glass. The afternoon continues to Pinhão, the valley's most picturesque village, where the tiny railway station is a mosaic of azulejo tiles depicting harvest scenes. The drive back along the river at golden hour, the terraces catching the last sun, is a visual memory that stays.

  • Douro Valley UNESCO World Heritage vineyard landscapes
  • Private quinta wine-making tour and tasting
  • Pinhão village and its azulejo station
  • Terraced river valley at golden hour
Meals: Breakfast 4★ boutique hotel, Porto historic centre
Day 8 — Departure
Day 8
8

Day 8

Departure

Portugal stays with you — in the wine, the light, the tiles.

Your last Portuguese morning. Perhaps one final coffee at a pastelaria on a sunny square, a walk to the Foz do Douro neighbourhood where the river meets the Atlantic, or a quiet hour on the hotel terrace watching Porto's rooftops in the morning light. At the agreed time, your private driver transfers you to Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport — or to Lisbon by vehicle if your departure is from the south. Your travel specialist remains available until you're home, and we'll be in touch a few days later to hear which moment from the eight days is still following you.

  • Final morning at leisure in Porto
  • Private transfer to airport
Meals: Breakfast

Where You'll Stay

Hand-picked hotels, every night.

We choose properties for character, location, and the kind of service that makes you feel looked after — not just checked in. Every hotel can be swapped for an alternative if you prefer.

4★ boutique hotel, Lisbon

Lisbon

3 nights

4★ boutique hotel

Historic centre

Walking distance to Alfama, Chiado, and the Tagus waterfront — the ideal base for Lisbon and the Sintra day trip

4★ centrally located hotel, Coimbra

Coimbra

1 night

4★ centrally located hotel

City centre

Steps from the university hill and the Mondego River

4★ boutique hotel, Porto

Porto

3 nights

4★ boutique hotel

Historic centre

Moments from the Ribeira waterfront, São Bento Station, and the city's best wine bars — ideal base for Porto and the Douro Valley day

Hotels shown are indicative of the standard we book. Upon request, we will provide a detailed itinerary with specific hotel options tailored to your preferences and budget.

What's in the Price

Included

  • 7 nights in 4★ boutique hotels (double occupancy)
  • Daily breakfast at each hotel
  • Private airport transfers in Lisbon and Porto
  • All inter-city transfers in private vehicles
  • Private expert guides in Lisbon, Sintra, Coimbra, and Porto
  • Private port wine tasting at a Vila Nova de Gaia lodge
  • Private wine tasting and quinta tour in the Douro Valley
  • Skip-the-line access at all major sites
  • All entrance fees included in guided visits
  • 24/7 travel specialist support throughout your trip
  • Hamilton & Chase digital travel booklet with restaurant and local recommendations

Not Included

  • International flights to Lisbon / from Porto
  • Travel insurance (required — we can arrange coverage on request)
  • Meals not mentioned in the itinerary
  • Personal expenses (shopping, additional drinks, spa treatments)
  • Gratuities for guides and drivers (optional but appreciated)
  • City tax (collected directly by hotels, typically €1–2 per person per night)

Good to Know

  • This itinerary is a starting point — every day, hotel, and experience can be adjusted to match your preferences and pace.
  • Hotels are confirmed at booking based on your travel dates. Upgrades to five-star properties are available in all cities.
  • All guides and experiences are arranged exclusively for your group — never shared with other travellers.
  • Comfortable walking shoes are essential — Lisbon and Sintra involve hills, cobblestones, and uneven medieval lanes.
  • Flexible booking: adjust or postpone your dates up to 60 days before departure at no charge.

Make It Yours

Optional add-ons & upgrades.

Every trip is different. These extras can be woven into your itinerary — just let your travel specialist know what catches your eye.

Fado dinner in Lisbon's Alfama

A traditional dinner at a historic tasca with live fado performance — authentic, intimate, and the definitive Lisbon evening

From €95 pp

Douro River cruise

A rabelo boat journey through the heart of the wine valley, passing quintas and medieval villages — pairs perfectly with the Douro day

From €110 pp

Sintra quinta private lunch

Lunch at a historic estate in Sintra's forest, with wine from the property's own vines and views over the palace terraces

From €130 pp

Porto culinary tour

A guided tasting walk through Porto's markets, tascas, and wine bars — tripas à moda do Porto, francesinha, and everything in between

From €120 pp

Private Lello Bookshop visit

Early-morning private access to Porto's famous neo-gothic bookshop before the crowds arrive

From €45 pp

Professional photo session

A portrait session at iconic Lisbon or Porto locations with a local photographer — the best possible way to remember the trip

From €350

"Eight days, five cities, zero stress. The Douro Valley day was unlike anything we'd experienced — those terraced vineyards in the evening light, a glass of twenty-year tawny in hand. Hamilton & Chase arranged everything beautifully."

Rachel & Michael B.

New York, NY · Best of Portugal, May 2025

Common Questions

Questions about this trip.

Can I fly into Lisbon and out of Porto?

Yes, and this is exactly how most guests book it — an open-jaw routing that follows the natural direction of the itinerary and avoids any backtracking. TAP Portugal and most European carriers offer this option at reasonable fares. We'll plan everything around your flights.

Is the Coimbra stop worthwhile?

Almost universally, guests who were uncertain about Coimbra leave saying it was a highlight. The Biblioteca Joanina alone — one of the most beautiful rooms in Europe — justifies the stop. That said, if you'd prefer an extra night in Lisbon or Porto, we can adapt the itinerary.

Private Package Journey

Best of Portugal

8 days / 7 nights

From €2,920

per person

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