4* Lisbon Art & Cultural Tour: five-day tour

• 4* Lisbon hotel
• Welcome dinner included
• All excursions & guided tours included
• Direct scheduled flights to Lisbon
• Return UK airport coach transfers
• Professional local guide in Lisbon
• Executive coach throughout

Our itinerary

Day 1:  We meet at our designated pick up points and transfer by coach to Liverpool Airport for our direct scheduled Easyjet flight to Lisbon. On arrival in Lisbon we are met by our professional local guide who will accompany us on all transfers and included daily excursions. Flight times permitting, we visit the Sant’ Anna Ceramic Factory, established in 1741. During our guided tour we see how the tiles and ceramics are produced. Today, all of the products are still crafted and painted by hand, using traditional techniques dating back to 1741. We continue to the 4* Skyna Hotel at Lisbon for a four night stay. A three course set welcome dinner is served in our hotel this evening, and the remaining three nights are on bed and breakfast basis.

Day 2:  Our full day in Lisbon begins with a guided city tour taking in sights such as the Belem Tower, Pedro Square, the Medieval Quarter of Alfama and the Hieronymite Cathedral. During our tour we visit the beautiful 16th century Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, the most impressive symbol of Portugal’s power and wealth during the Age of Discovery which was constructed in 1502 to commemorate Vasco da Gama’s voyage to India. We then visit the Palácio dos Marqueses de Fronteira, one of the most beautiful residences in Lisbon, and its Room of the Battles is adorned with glazed tiles representing scenes of the Portuguese Restoration War while the stunning gardens boast some of the country’s finest tiles depicting hunting, battles and religious scenes. We finally visit the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, housing works by artists such as Hans Memling, Raphael and Tintoretto, and its chapel is a fine example of 18th century Portuguese Baroque art and architecture.

Day 3:  Palácio Nacional de Queluz is our destination this morning. Commissioned in 1747, the architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira transformed Prince Dom Pedro’s occasional hunting lodge into a special summer palace now known as the ‘Portuguese Versailles’. Travelling along the picturesque Atlantic coastline and passing the cosmopolitan village of Estoril, we stop at the fishing village of Cascais before heading inland to the idyllic mountain town of Sintra, adored by artists and writers from all over the world, where we have time at leisure for lunch. This afternoon we visit the UNESCO listed Palácio Nacional da Pena at Sintra, one of the best examples of 19th century Romanticism in the world.

Day 4:  Our first stop this morning is Sesimbra, a picturesque fishing village once occupied by the Romans and later the Moors until King Sancho II conquered its heavily defended forts in 1236. Here we visit the Moorish castle, offering wonderful panoramic views from the ramparts. We continue to the small hill town of Palmela where you have time at leisure to explore sights such as the Church of São Pedro with its 18th century tiles depicting scenes from the life of St Peter. We return to Lisbon this afternoon via the scenic Parque Natural da Arrábida, established to protect the wild, beautiful landscape.

For further information please contact our tour organiser Nigel Bramley-Haworth; Tel: 01254 888423; email: Bramleyhaworth@aol.com; 25 Ash Lane, Great Harwood, Blackburn BB6 7NU.