Food & Wine of Portugal

(8 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Douro Valley, Porto, Lisbon, Sintra, Alentejo & Evora

This private luxury tour features the best food and wine experiences in Portugal and private touring of the country’s cultural highlights. Enjoy a cooking class, private wine tasting at top wine estates and cellars, meals featuring local food specialties, market visits, and much more.

Begin with a stay at an exclusive resort and private wine estate in the beautiful Douro Valley, Portugal’s best-known wine region, where terraced vineyards tumble down to the banks of the Douro River. Enjoy tours of some of the area’s best wineries and wine tasting with enologists and other wine professionals. One day, take an exclusive private cruise on the Douro River aboard a rabelo, the traditional wooden boat for transporting port wine.

Continue to Porto, the capital of port wine and a fascinating mix of Baroque and modern art and architecture. Enjoy a personalized tour of the city’s cultural highlights, and stroll the narrow streets of the UNESCO-listed historic center. Also, visit one of the top wine cellars in Porto for a chocolate and wine tasting led by a local professional.

Next, transfer to Lisbon. En route, stop in the Alenquer wine region for a private visit to a family-owned wine estate and a lunch of local specialties paired with some of the estate’s finest wines. Continue to Lisbon, a city with a rich culture and history, excellent food and wine, and beautiful cityscapes. During private touring, experience the Portuguese capital like an insider. See highlights such as beautiful Moorish architecture, the old Alfama district, the sophisticated Bairro Alto and Lapa districts, and important museums in Belem and elsewhere. Also, visit select shops specializing in high-quality local products such as gold, tile, antiques, linens, needlepoint rugs, Indo-Portuguese furniture and more. Upon request, reservations will be made for you at Lisbon’s best restaurants each night. One night, enjoy a memorable performance of fado, traditional Portuguese music, at a local club.

With Lisbon as a base, enjoy private day tours to the most interesting towns and sites in the surrounding region. One day, venture to the charming coastal resort town of Cascais. With your private chef, visit the local market, then learn to prepare traditional Portuguese dishes in a manor house overlooking the ocean. After you finish cooking, enjoy your dishes for lunch accompanied by a selection of fine wines. Next, take a private excursion to the aristocratic town of Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the hills with castles, manors and gardens that feature Portuguese architecture, design and history at its finest. Also, enjoy a tasting of regional cheese, homemade sausages and wines in a local wine bar.

Spend a day exploring the highlights of the rural Alentejo region, known for its olive oil, wine, cheese and cork production. Taste wines at one of the leading estates in the area, and enjoy a private olive oil tasting and gourmet lunch of local specialties. Also, tour fascinating Evora, a former royal town and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Explore the narrow streets lined with whitewashed houses and see the ancient Roman ruins and Moorish architecture. Alternatively, spend the day in the mountains near Setubal at a private, family-owned cheese-producing farm. Enjoy a tasting of Azeitao, the most famous cheese of the region, learn about the cheese-making process, and enjoy a delicious lunch hosted by the family in their home.