DAY 01 – LISBOA
Arrival at Lisbon airport. Assistance and private transfer from airport to hotel Olissippo Oriente. Check in to rest from the travel and overnight stay.
DIA 02 – LISBOA/SÃO PEDRO DO SUL / AROUCA
Breakfast. Departure from Lisbon towards S. Pedro do Sul, a town in the Beira region, located in the Lafões Valley. Lunch at Adega do Ti Joaquim. S. Pedro do Sul is renowned for being the biggest thermal spa in the Iberian Peninsula. We organize a thermal circuit with massages for the whole group. The tour procedes to the town of Arouca. Dinner and accommodation at the São Pedro hotel.
DAY 03 – PAIVA WALKWAYS
Breakfast and departure to tour the masterpiece that lies within the Arouca Geopark, on the left bank of the river: the Paiva walkways. The trail crosses two riverside beaches: Areinho and Espiunca. Lunch in Arouca at the Tasquinha da Quinta restaurant. Dinner in Arouca at the restaurant Pedestre 142. Overnight stay at the hotel.
DAY 04 – AROUCA/LINHARES/ FOLGOSINHO/ SERRA DA ESTRELA
Breakfast. Departure to Linhares, a medieval and historical village in the western slope of Serra da Estrela. Linhares is proud of its imposing military architecture. The tour procedes to Folgosinho, the birthplace of the great Lusitanian warrior: Viriato. Lunch at the Albertino restaurant. After the meal, departure towards the top of the Serra da Estrela. Overnight at the hotel Luna dos Carqueijais. Dinner at the Cova da Beira restaurant.
DAY 05 – SERRA DA ESTRELA NATURE RESERVE
Breakfast. Full day tour in 4×4 off-road Jeeps: Torre, Penhas Douradas, Louriga and Manteigas. Lunch at Olival (or Berne) restaurant. Tour of the “Bread Museum” in Seia, where dinner will be served. Return to the hotel and accommodation.
DAY 06 – SERRA DA ESTRELA/ COVILHÃ/BELMONTE
Breakfast. Departure to the city of Covilhã and arrival to Belmonte, birthplace of Pedro Álvaro Cabral. This town is a very important site for the Jewish community which managed, despite the pressure and persecution it suffered throughout the ages, to preserve its traditions and rituals in secret. Tour of the Jewish Museum. Lunch at the Taberna do Fio de Azeite. Tour of the Museum of the Discoveries located in the Cabrais Manor House, the former residence of the Cabral family. Dinner at the O Brasão restaurant. Overnight stay at the Pousada do Convento.
DAY 07– BELMONTE/PIÓDÃO/ BENFEITA/LOUSÃ
Breakfast. Departure for a walking tour of the historical village of Piódão, “the place where the world ends”, and which is nicknamed by many as “the nativity village”. The trip procedes to Benfeita. Lunch at the Curral da Mula restaurant. Arrival in Lousã. Accommodation at Palácio da Lousã Boutique Hotel. Time to rest. Dinner at the restaurant ” O Burgo “. Return to the hotel and overnight stay.
DAY 08 – LOUSÃ/AIGRA NOVA/LOUSÃ
Breakfast. Another tour in 4×4 off-road jeeps: tour to the village of Aigra Nova, which is over 1,400 years old. Guided tour of the Interpretative Nuclei ( which are like an interactive museum): Núcleo Asinino (a donkey sanctuary), Maternidade das Árvores ( a tree nursery), Courela das Agostinhas.
Experience a different lunch in a village environment, cooked and served by the local people in one of the village’s typical buildings. Afterwards, time to learn about the production of cheese and “broa” (cornbread) at the Atelier da Broa e do Queijo. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay at Palácio Boutique Hotel.
DAY 09 – LOUSÃ / SANGALHOS / LISBOA
Breakfast. Departure to Sangalhos and tour to the Aliança Cellars Underground Museum, with a wine tasting included. The trip procedes to Mealhada, where you will have a typical lunch of roasted suckling pig “Bairrada” style in Meta dos Leitões. Return trip to the hotel in Lisbon. Overnight stay.
DAY 10 – LISBOA
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer time to Lisbon airport to be announced.