Sip & Cycle in Portugal

E-Bike Tour to Belem

Make your way to a central meeting point where you will be greeted by the local bike team. After introductions, together set out on a private E-bike tour of Lisbon. During the 2-hour visit, you will pass by the riverside and typical quarters of Lisbon on the way to the UNESCO area of Belém to visit the Jeronimos Monastery church and surrounding area, a mix of historical buildings and vanguard new architectural buildings such as the MAAT.

Here, learn about the importance of this location to the Portuguese people and have the opportunity to taste the famous “Pastel de Belém”, a delicious custard tart and an essential Portuguese treat.

You'll be back to Lisbon for an afternoon at leisure.

Fado Show with Traditional Dinner

This evening, make your way to a special dinner with Fado show in the historic neighborhood of Alfama.

A symbol of identity, Fado music is widely sung in Lisbon and represents a distinctly Portuguese multicultural synthesis of Afro-Brazilian music, local genres of song and dance, rural music, and urban song patterns of the early nineteenth century. Fado is typically performed by a solo male or female singer, accompanied by an acoustic guitar and the Portuguese guitarra, a pear-shaped twelve-stringed lute. It is performed professionally and informally in grass-root associations and often transmitted over successive generations within the same families. Fado is inscribed by Unesco as a cultural intangible heritage since 2011.

Your special dinner will include a traditional menu with house wines from the restaurant, all while you attend to a very intimate Fado performance from well-known local artists.

Return at leisure to your hotel this evening.

Lisbon to Dão

After checking out, join your guide this morning and set out towards Dão. Along the way you will enjoy a tasting in the Ribatejo wine region.

Start the day with a private visit and tasting at a wine estate such as Quinta de São Sebastião in the Ribatejo wine region. Here you’ll have the chance to learn about the estate’s history, and embark on a trip through time to appreciate the architecture of the 18th century building. Visit the chapel, the cellar, the vineyard, discover the mine and the horseriding ring. Following the visit, sample some of winemaker Antonio Parente’s four ranges, Grande Escolha, Reserva, Vinho Branco and Mina Velha.

Lunch will be enjoyed at the Lagoalva Wine Estate, a working farmhouse.

After lunch, continue on the scenic route north, where your guide will bring you to your accommodation in the Dão.

Transfer to Duoro Valley

This morning, after checking out of your hotel, your private guide will pick you up for your journey towards the Douro Valley. En route, you’ll visit one final winery here in the Dão Wine region.

Your first destination today is the Quinta do Soito Wine Estate where you’ll be treated to a privately guided visit with premium wine tasting and picnic lunch overlooking the vineyards. Soito Wines, created in 2013, is one of Dão’s youngest and most promising projects. At Quinta do Soito, with an already long wine tradition, two teachers gave wings to the dream of transforming the family farm into a reference producer, with wines of exceptional quality.

Departing the estate, you’ll continue to the Douro Valley, where you’ll check into your hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure.

Douro Valley Exploration

After breakfast this morning, you’ll be rejoined by your private guide as we set out for a charming day in the vineyards and rolling hills of the Douro Valley.

Begin the day with an active start with a private E-bike ride through the Douro Valley. On this 25km bike ride (2hrs30mins) along the back roads of the Douro, amongst vineyards and small villages, take in the beautiful views and the river as your backdrop on the way down the valley hills.

Next, you will be welcomed at Quinta do Crasto wine estate, considered to be one of the top wine producers in Portugal.

A member of the famous Quinta do Crasto will be pleased to receive you for a visit to the vineyards and wine cellars, followed by a taste of its red Douro wines and Ports (Late Bottle Vintage and Vintage). This ancestral Quinta with 130 hectares is located in the Cima Corgo area of the Demarcated Region of Douro in the right bank of the Douro River. It is planted with 60 hectares of excellent vineyards, some almost eighty years old. This special visit will allow you to discover one of the mythical wine estates of the Douro Valley, considered to be one of the 3 top Portuguese wine producers.

A private lunch will be set outside by their house and vineyards, with an astonishing view of the river and valley. The main dish is the famous country duck rice with Crasto wines.

Continue with a transfer in a classic Bedford farm truck from the estate, down to the river dock. On arrival, embark on a private cruise on the Douro river aboard a typical “Rabelo” boat (50min). One of the most interesting ways to discover the Douro Valley is in an enchanting cruise. The boat is a replica of a traditional Rabelo boat that, for centuries, carried casks of young wine from the Douro Valley downriver to the lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia.

Disembarking from your cruise, you will be have some time to explore the charming village of Pinhão and its historical train station. The Pinhão train station dates back to the early 20th century, a time when the Douro railway was used in good part to transport wines down to Porto, and no longer by river boats. It is craftfully decorated with Portuguese Azulejo tiles, in total 3047 tiles compose 24 panels that illustrate “Scenes of life in the Douro”.

After the visit, your guide will return you to the hotel.

Evening Cooking Class

This evening, walk to a neighboring wine estate where you'll enjoy a private cooking lesson with the estate's owner. You'll enjoy the fruits of your labor for dinner this evening, along with some of the estate's delectable wines. Afterwards, return at leisure to your hotel.

Douro Valley to Porto

This morning, after checking out, transfer with your driver guide towards Porto.

Arriving in Porto mid-morning, meet your local guide in Porto's UNESCO listed city center for a walking tour of Porto and its delightful squares, monuments and traditional shops. During this tour, enjoy stopping to taste the delicious local produce on offer including gourmet canned fish, Portuguese sparkling wine, bread, cheese, olives, cured meats and red wine from the local markets in town.

As the tour comes to an end, you'll reach your hotel for check-in and lunch and most of the afternoon at leisure.

This evening, around 5pm, make your way to the other side of the Douro River, to the town of Gaia and its Port Wine Cellars District. Here, enjoy a small-group visit of Graham's Port Wine Cellar, a local institution, for a tasting of three of their Premium Tawny Ports. Following this tasting, you'll be treated to a delicious three course meal and wine at their Vinum Restaurant before returning to your hotel at leisure after dinner.

Porto

Capital and gateway to the North of Portugal, Porto is both the city that provided a nation with a name and a fortified wine famous world-wide: Port Wine. With its splendid geographical location on the mouth of the river Douro and an architectural heritage of exceptional quality, the historic centre of Porto is a World Heritage Property declared by UNESCO. Its hard-working inhabitants are noted for their commercial enterprise, always standing firm against outside impositions and foreign invaders, which explains why Porto has become known as the “unvanquished” city. When discovering Porto, you will find a traditional welcoming and conservative environment, but also a contemporary and artistic city. This is shown in the streets, in the architecture, monuments and museums, and in the lively terraces, restaurants and leisure areas.

Porto at Leisure

The day is yours to discover at your own pace. We suggest visiting the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art and their current exhibits.
Alternatively, venture to the nearby fishing town of Matosinhos and visit the local market in the morning, followed by a fresh seafood lunch.

The beach of Porto and the extensive boardwalks also make for an enjoyable and calm day. Rental bikes can be arranged from many shops around town should you wish to set out on two wheels.

Your driver will meet you at your accommodation and bring you to Porto airport for your onward flight. Obrigado!