Lisbon & Porto: A Portugal City Break

About the Trip

Trip Highlights

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• Luminous Lisbon, with its trams, viewpoints and fado, is the beautiful heart of this city break. Lisbon is one of Europe's most captivating cities, spread over seven hills above the wide Tagus estuary, bathed in golden light and full of atmosphere and colour. You ride the historic Tram 28 as it clatters through steep, narrow lanes, wander the tangled medieval streets of the Alfama, the old Moorish quarter echoing with fado and draped with washing, climb to cliff-top miradouros that gaze over a sea of terracotta rooftops and the shining river, and explore the grand squares and mosaic pavements of the Baixa.
• The great monuments and pastel de nata of Belem are a rich, delicious highlight of this city break. In riverside Belem, the launch point of Portugal's Age of Discoveries, you explore some of the country's greatest monuments. You visit the magnificent Jeronimos Monastery, a masterpiece of the ornate Manueline style, its vast church and carved cloisters among the finest in Europe, and the elegant Belem Tower, a fairytale fortress rising from the Tagus. You stand before the soaring Monument to the Discoveries, and, unmissably, join the queue at the famous Pasteis de Belem to taste the original pastel de nata, warm from the oven and dusted with cinnamon.
• Soulful Porto, with its Ribeira and iron bridge, is a beautiful highlight of this city break. Porto, Portugal's proud second city, tumbles down granite hills to the Douro river in a glorious jumble of ochre and terracotta, its riverside Ribeira district a UNESCO-listed maze of tall houses, arcades and lanes. You wander the atmospheric Ribeira quayside, alive with cafes and colour, and cross the mighty double-decked Dom Luis I iron bridge, designed by a disciple of Eiffel, for sweeping views over the river and the port lodges. You admire the blue azulejo tiles of Sao Bento station and the baroque churches.
• Touring the historic port wine lodges of Gaia is a delicious, atmospheric highlight of this city break. Across the Douro from Porto, in Vila Nova de Gaia, the historic port wine lodges line the riverbank, their cool, dim cellars filled with the aroma of ageing wine. You tour a famous lodge, learning how port is made from Douro grapes, fortified and slowly aged, and how the great barrels rest for years or decades, before tasting ruby, tawny, white and perhaps vintage ports, looking out over the river to the Ribeira. You might watch a traditional rabelo boat drift past, once used to carry the wine downriver.
• Portuguese cuisine, old cafes and an unhurried pace make this an easy, delightful city break. Beyond the sights, Lisbon and Porto reward slow, sensory wandering. You savour Portugal's delicious cuisine, from fresh grilled sardines and bacalhau (salt cod) to hearty francesinha sandwiches, seafood and, of course, pastel de nata; you linger in grand old cafes over a bica coffee, browse historic shops and markets, and drift through beautiful squares and riverside quarters at a relaxed, unhurried pace. The famous Portuguese warmth makes every encounter a pleasure. The cuisine, cafes and gentle pace are delightful.
• Above all, this city break offers the best of urban Portugal, elegant, easy and deeply enjoyable. Lisbon and Porto are among the most captivating cities in Europe, and this relaxed break immerses you in both, linked by a fast, scenic train. Over six days you ride the trams and hear the fado of Lisbon, taste the pastel de nata of Belem, wander the Ribeira and cross the iron bridge of Porto, and tour the port wine lodges of Gaia, with plenty of time to relax, wander and savour Portuguese cuisine and cafe life.

Day by Day

A detailed day-by-day plan for this 6-day journey.

Where You Will Travel

Frequently Asked Questions