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How would you like to travel in Portugal?

" I'd love to travel in a relaxedimprovisedplannedway! "

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TRAVELING IN PORTUGAL

What are our travel programs?

We would like to be your partner in planning your next trip to Portugal, sharing our knowledge as locals, making it easier to organize and fulfill your wishes.

We can make a Travel Program including:
  • Organization of private guided tours in our 7-seater van;
  • Book activities of your choice or prepare a suitable program if you are traveling with your family and children;
  • Give travel advice in Lisbon and other places of Portugal;
  • Advise you on the most suitable places to stay depending on what you want to do during your stay;
  • Advise you on the best means of transport for each tour or activity that you do by your own;
  • Design itineraries in a rent-a-car to visit points of scenic or historical interest;
  • Deliver a PDF itinerary of each tour with a brief description of its points of interest and its historical significance;
  • Offer discount codes for booking hotels and activities;
  • Take care of your travel insurance;
  • Provide a global cost estimate.

Get some inspiration in our Instagram Ideas and don't hesitate to contact us.

Views of Alfama

TOURS & ACTIVITIES IN PORTUGAL

In Portugal, particularly in the big cities of Lisbon and Porto as well as in all the tourist area of the Algarve in the South, the traveler has a large and varied offer of tourist experiences, from tours, to nautical, sports, wine, nature activities, etc. Choosing what best fits their tastes and interests without disappointing the expectations of quality and comfort and above all, to know what it is worth or not, is a difficult task for those who do not know the destination where they will travel.

Alfama viewpoint

What to do in Lisbon?

Depending on the length of your stay in Lisbon, this is how we can recommend the activities you should consider doing. If you have children in the group there are options that will please them a lot. For a short stay of two or three days we recommend a tight time management in the planning of activities, so that you can have a stay full of memories.

If you are planning to spend a week or more in your trip to Lisbon and want to know what you can't miss within a 150 kms radius, take this advice, don't book your hotel all the time in Lisbon, enjoy the trip, the stay and the multiple activities along the itinerary.

Lisbon castle

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST SPOTS TO STAY IN LISBON?

Accommodations in Cascais

Where to stay in Lisbon?

In Lisbon and the surrounding Cascais Coast there are numerous accommodation options to suit all tastes and pockets. It is hard to choose really!

Accommodations in Cascais

Want some advice?

First think about these questions: how long will you stay, what are you planning to do during your stay, do you prefer tranquility or busy life, proximity to the beach or to the historical center?

In Lisbon and the surrounding Cascais Coast there are numerous accommodation options for all tastes and pockets.

It is really hard to choose!

Want some advice? Think about these questions first: how long will you stay, what do you plan to do during your stay, do you prefer tranquility or busy life,proximity to the beach or the historic center?

Pros & Cons

Many people choose to stay in the historic center of Lisbon because they can visit all the surrounding attractions on foot. That is true. But it's also true that after two days of walking back and forth you yearn to move on to new experiences that involve leaving Lisbon and end up using public transportation and wasting a lot of time in the city traffic.

The Metro is the fastest transportation so staying close to a Metro station is always a good option.

However, visiting Lisbon without going beyond the city is a waste of time and money. If within a 50km radius you can visit wonderful places like Sintra, Cascais, Cabo da Roca, Ericeira, Setúbal, Sesimbra and other attractions not to be missed, within a 130km radius you can still get away from the big tourist concentrations and visit several UNESCO Heritage sites, natural beauty and places of great historical interest such as the monumental city of Évora, sumptuous medieval monasteries and convents as in Tomar, Alcobaça and Batalha, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, the magnificent surfing beach of Nazaré or the medieval town of Óbidos.

Accommodations in Cascais

If you are really attracted by these tours by car I would recommend you do not to stay in the center of Lisbon. In this situation and to avoid the hustle and bustle of the city traffic jams you make a better choice by opting for a hotel or other type of accommodation in East Lisbon, in or around the modern Lisbon neighborhood of Parque das Nações, with easy access to the center of Lisbon by Metro but with immediate access to Lisbon's main road exits, the airport and the train.

QUICK GUIDE OF THE PORTUGUESE HISTORY

For who visits Portugal today must have in mind the main moments of the history of the country, so that he can understand and interpret what he sees and registers in the photos and in his memory. Many of the so-called places of interest should be mapped to the respective historical moments referred to here:

Tomar Knights Templar Castle

1 - The origin of the nation comes from the movement of the Christian Reconquest during the 12th century;

2 - The wars for Portugal's independence from Spain in the late 14th century;

3 - The expansion of Portugal in North Africa in the 15th century and the consequent origin and realization of the epic of the Discoveries in the 16th century;

4 - The 60-year period called the Iberian Union from 1580 to 1640 in which Portugal was ruled by the King of Spain. After a revolution in 1640 a new Portuguese king John IV was acclaimed. The Spanish crown reacted and a war ensued between the two countries that lasted 28 years. It was called the War of the Restoration of Independence.

5 - The period of pomp and opulence of King John V, who benefited from the discovery of large deposits of gold and precious stones in the then colony of Brazil during the first half of the 18th century;

6 - The great earthquake of Lisbon in 1755 and the consequent reconstruction of Lisbon by the reformist dictatorship of the Marquis of Pombal;

7 - The dramatic 19th century, in which Portugal was left without a king since 1807, because the royal family and the court fled to Brazil when the Napoleonic Invasions began, causing great suffering and misery throughout the country. And as if this were not enough, two decades later a bloody and fratricidal civil war broke out between two princes and two radically different visions of power, the Liberal and the Absolutist. If in the first half of the century the monarchy lost its absolutist character, in the second half the constant disputes, often armed, between the radical and moderate parties wore down the monarchy, which became increasingly unpopular. The way was open for the establishment of the republic in 1910 with the prior assassination of the King and his heir son two years earlier;

8 - In the hopeful, newly created republic, turmoil and crises followed each other in quick succession and the dream of the Portuguese to live in freedom and democracy was postponed in 1926 by the establishment of a long dictatorship, which only ended on April 25, 1974;

9 - With the Carnation Revolution of April 1974 Freedom arose and the way was open for democracy in Portugal and for the emancipation and independence of the peoples of the former Portuguese colonies;

10 - Since the 1st of January 1986 Portugal integrated the community of countries that today is the European Union.

TRANSPORTATION - GUIDED TOURS OR ON YOUR OWN?

Once you have obtained the information on what is worth visiting, the most convenient way to enjoy an itinerary is by taking a guided tour, whether private or group. On a guided tour you are not only observing or being impressed by what you see, but also gaining knowledge, learning historical facts, realizing the historical and artistic relevance of the object of your visit. You can also interact with the guide, asking for clarifications and more information of your interest. On the other hand to make an itinerary it is essential to have transportation and in a guided tour this is guaranteed, usually in comfortable vans of seven or more seats.

Tomar Knights Templar Castle

You can do an itinerary on your own. So that you do not waste the time and budget of the trip, it is advisable to prepare yourself to become a kind of guide for your group. Look for the necessary information online on websites and in specialized groups on social networks. Dealing with the most suitable and realistic transport options is sometimes not easy for those who do not know the places to be visited, but renting a car is always the most sensible option.

Using public transportation in Portugal

Expecting to get to know Portugal and its most beautiful and interesting places using mostly public transport is a real fantasy. For short journeys in big cities or places with intense tourism, Uber or Bolt are sensible options because they are economical and you can check the price of the service in advance. In Lisbon and Porto, the Subway (Metro) and the Bus are good options, because the network of places served is large and the tickets are not expensive. For journeys between the big cities, it's recommended the train or the Express Bus depending on the towns involved.

Things to avoid

Staying in places with difficult access to major roads in and out of main cities can consume a significant amount of your tour time in lengthy traffic jams.

Also opting for bus or minibus tours that pick up and drop off passengers at various hotels in the city is a very tedious experience with long delays.