From the moment I discovered that our hotel in Lisbon was located near Araujo Street (the correct spelling of my last name is Araujo), I knew I was going to have a fantastic experience in Portugal.  And I was not disappointed!  Portugal is a land where Americans, whether they are of Portuguese descent or not, can truly feel at home in the hospitality of a people marked by their openness and eagerness to distinguish themselves from the more temperamental Spaniards.  All too often, foreigners visit Spain as their primary travel destination and either treat Portugal as an afterthought or ignore it altogether.  What a mistake!  In Portugal you will experience remarkable monuments to the Age of Discovery, spectacular coastal and inland scenery, impressive historical architecture, a coffee culture that puts Starbucks forever to shame (coffee shops in Lisbon are hundreds of years old), the BEST fish in the world, delicious Porto wine,  expressive Faro dancing and an economy that still presents itself as a bargain to the beleaguered American greenback.  In short, Portugal has everything that makes for an amazing European vacation--often without the crowds of other parts of the Continent.  

The Best of Portugal tour is a package designed to appeal BOTH to first-time visitors of Portugal and to those who visited Portugal in the past and want to see a different part of the country this time around.  We will begin our tour with four nights in Lisbon, the historic capital of Portugal, where we will explore the city and enjoy some of the nightlife in the form of a Faro show. We will then spend a night on the Estoril Coast in the popular seaside resort of Cascais. Cascais is extremely charming and is loaded with cafes and restaurants serving delightful Portuguese food (try to the Piri Piri chicken!). Our stay in Cascais will be followed by three nights in Northern Portugal in the city of Oporto. Situated on the Douro river, Oporto (or simply Porto) is Portugal’s second largest city and its historic center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.  Lastly,  we will board a plane and take the two hour flight to the magical island of Madeira off the coast of the Atlantic, where we will continue our tour with three more  nights of rest and relaxation in an atmosphere of lush beauty.  Our accommodations will be in Funchal, the capital of Madeira Island, which we will use as our base to explore this fertile volcanic mass.  Perhaps along the way, we will run into some Britons, who for a long time now have understood and appreciated this "secret" of the Atlantic.  If you are tired of the typical Paris, London or Rome tours (not to discredit them, for these locations have their own merits), then I highly recommend that you join us on this rather special spring vacation.  I am confident that like me and many others, you will come to be impressed by the loveliness of the Portuguese way of life.

TOUR FEATURES: The above description lists the major stops that this tour will make, including Lisbon, Cascais, Oporto and Madeira Island. There will also of course be sightseeing in or from each location, which will be incorporated into the itinerary and which we will share with you once we have all of the details worked out.