PORTUGAL
ITENRARY
J U N E 19 T H - 2 5 T H 2 018
2018
PORTUGAL PORTO BRAGA VILA NOVA
“TRAVELING LEAVES YOU SPEECHLESS, THEN TURNS YOU INTO A STORYTELLER.” – Ibn Battuta
Portugal has become one of the hottest travel destinations of the year. With its pristine beaches, and local night life in Algarve to the north with its beautiful rivers, enchanting cities, and delicious vineyards how could you not fall in love with Portugal! I can honestly say that our group trip to Portugal has been one of my favorite! We had a fantastic group of ladies that were ready to dive into the culture, learn the history, and find an adventure and I can say we did all the above and more. Porto has a way of taking your breath away when you arrive in its beautiful city. The homes are exquisite with colors and painted tile throughout, no two looking the same. The river sparkling under the bridge, you cannot help but feel awakened. We drove down the cobblestone streets to our luxury Descobertas Boutique Hotel located in the heart of Porto. With their friendly service, gorgeous rooms and delicious spread of breakfast treats we were in heaven ! We were surrounded by quaint local shops, coffee houses, bars and the river just a few steps away. We pride ourselves in immersing culture and history in our
tours, we feel by allowing people to understand the history of each country we go to allows them to connect on another level. The top 3 sites that I enjoyed, and believe me I struggled to narrow it down were: 1. The history walking tour with Blue Dragon Tours. We had a witty tour guide that was engaging and fun! He provided interesting facts while keeping it light and engaging for the group. After all the pastries for breakfast we all enjoyed the walk ! My favorite site of the tour was the Se de Porto
Cathedral. This structure was absolutely breath taking, you could feel time stand still. Definitely a must see in Porto!
ME!
2. Sailing away down the Douro River cannot be put into words the magnitude and beauty of this natural landscape! The hills, vineyards and variety of landscape were mesmerizing. Not to mention the food, wine and music were an extra perk! 6 hours on the Douro River is just not enough! 3. I will say with complete conviction Santuario do Sameiro in Braga was my absolute favorite place. I remember standing at the highest point looking out and for the first time my mind and heart were completely still. I took it all in and was thankful for that moment for that silence for that peace. Portugal will always have a special place in my heart and for our group we had so many adventures and memories together that we will forever be connected! Letsgoto.world is not just about the vacation, we are about the experience and memories and friendships we will create for a lifetime! We fell in love with Portugal and we cannot wait to share this beautiful country with you!
Thank You for choosing our Travel Services for your ultimate world travel experience. I personally like to thank you and look forward to traveling with you. ELIZABETH DEANGELO
Get to Know your
Trip Leader
and itinerary creator for
Portugal Portugal is my second home. Once you experience this beautiful country, you’re left with an imprint on your heart and soul forever. I visit often and have gratefully seen over 40 cities and small towns throughout Portugal although I am forever adding to my wish list. From the North Region to the South. When I mention this to the locals, of all the cities I have visited they are shocked as they had not the chance to see so much! My fiancé resides and lives in Portugal in between visiting I put on my explorer, curious and photography eye and we together wander through Portugal. I am so grateful and thrilled to share my experiences shown to me by my fiancé and share some of them with you. I customized and created this tour in mind for what were the most magical points of Portugal people to see. Don’t Miss it! The Hammer Party is the Best! Have questions? Chat with me paulina.fadrowska@gmail.com
PAULINA FADROWSKA
Insider advice for the Trip. PAULINA FADROWSKA
Po r t o O f f e r s F r e e W i fi Throughout The City.
Portugal’s Currency: Euro.
Wear Comfortable Shoes.
However, I highly suggest that if you have an unlocked carrier phone, to purchase a 1 time sim card from Vodaphone for $30 to stay connected throughout your trip! Easy to buy and hasslefree.
Before your trip call your bank/CC and let them know you are traveling. Ask them about fees they take when you use or withdraw through ATM while you are on vacation. I noticed for me what worked best, is making a withdraw that I would get c harged an ATM (Multibanco) fee of about $3. For me that worked best. As always check any machine and make sure it has not been tampered with.
I cannot stress this enough. Portugal in general has a lot of hills and cobble roads which can really be uncomfortable if you’re not wearing the right shoe.
General Information:
Best Gifts to bring Back
Visa Requirements Coming from the United States you are not required. All you need is an up to date USA Passport.
1. Porto Wine 2. Cork wallet, purse, bag, hat, etc….. (Portugal is one of the biggest producers ) 3. Rooster of Barcelos 4. Portugal Gold Heart Necklace 5. Portuguese hand painted Tile 6. Handmade Jewelry 7. Fado music or art 8. Portuguese Artwork 9. Portugal branded merchandise
Learn Portugal’s Language: Portuguese Hi Ola Good Morning Bom Dia Good Afternoon Boa Tarde Good Night Boa Noite No Nao Yes Sim Thank You Obrigado Bye Tchau
Legal Drinking Age in Portugal 18 years Tipping is highly recommended
Do bring: Sandals, Sneakers, Slip-ons Your most comfortable pair.
Portugal is the 5th most peaceful country in the world! A Top Destination in Europe!
8 DAYS TO LOVE PORTUGAL GROUP TOUR Beautiful landscapes, scenery people, music and rich in culture this is the Must go to Destination for 2017.
Our Hotel
MORNING AGENDA
Why Porto? From across the Rio Douro at sunset, romantic Porto, the country’s second-largest city, l o o k s l i ke a p o p - u p t ow n . A c o l o u r f u l tumbledown dream with medieval relics, soaring bell towers, extravagant baroque churches and stately beaux-arts buildings piled on top of one another, illuminated by streaming shafts of sun. If you squint you might be able to make out the open windows, the narrow lanes and staircases zigzagging to nowhere. Porto’s historic centre is the Ribeira district, a Unesco World Heritage Site where tripeiros (Porto residents) mingle before old storefronts, on village-style plazas and in the old houses of commerce where Roman ruins lurk beneath the foundations. On the downside, here and in other parts of the city centre stand many dilapidated early-20th-century town houses, left to crumble as the young and moneyed flee to the sprawling suburbs by the sea. Culturally, Porto holds its own against much larger global cities. The birthplace of port, it’s a long-running mecca for wine aficionados. Riverside wine caves jockey for attention in nearby Vila Nova de Gaia, with scores of cellars open for tastings.
OUR GROUP TRIP ITINERARY
PORTUGAL
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DAY 1
3PM Check-In at
AFTERNOON AGENDA
Descobertas Boutique hotel.
6PM meet in lobby check-in with our group tour and friendly greet and meet.
7PM leave for welcome dinner. If you arrive late,
HOTEL CHECK-IN
services at the hotel will provide you information for our welcome dinner at RIB beef.
We have a wonderful relationship with Porto's Top Descobertas Boutique Hotel just steps away from all the action, a perfect chance for you to enjoy Porto every morning and night on the Ribeira Square. Fresh Breakfast Served Daily. Descobertas Boutique Hotel is located at the heart of Ribeira do Porto, offering you a modern and comfortable accommodation with free Wi-Fi throughout the building. Rooms are decorated with the Portuguese Discoveries theme and offer a flat-screen cable TV, a minibar, a safety deposit box and a private bathroom with hairdryer and free toiletries.
Descobertas Boutique
-22,, R. da Fonte Taurina 14, Porto, Portugal
+351 22 201 1473
Hotel Website
PORTUGAL
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DAY 1 EVENING AGENDA
7PM We toast to the trip ahead and begin the dining experience! WHY RIB BEEF? We loved the pampering we received after a long flight in, service, food, ambiance is impeccable.
WELCOME DINNER AT RIB BEEF
9PM Dining Ends. You may decide to join the group for a local walk or explore on your own.
Overlooking the river RIB BEEF & WINE Restaurant’s trendy, cosmopolitan-style hotspot is known for national and international DOP meat, Chef Rui Martins’ menu focuses on Tomahawk Irish Black Angus and Rib Eye and home to a Mixology Bar and DJ Hub
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DAY 2 MORNING AGENDA
9:30AM Sightseeing of beautiful Porto. For Tuesday we will focus on seeing the historic and most iconic sights to see of Porto. Discover this city that “perches over the river, made of old houses that seem to huddle each other and that prolongs from the river quay till the sea”. Enjoy the old palaces, the robust churches, the most emblematic neighborhoods, the people of Porto and the most picturesque corners that the city has to offer.
PORTO CITY TOUR
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DAY 2 AFTERNOON AGENDA
3PM After our incredible walk through Porto, what better way to enjoy the rest of the afternoon in one of Porto’s most beautiful pools centered on the beach onlooking the ocean. Grab a book, your glasses, towel and enjoy the rest of the afternoon with us. 7PM Stomach should be rumbling we’ll walk to the corner to try Porto’s most famous sandwich known as
ENJOY THE BEACH
the “Francesinha”
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DAY 3 PERSONAL DAY
Today is your personal day. We will provide you with a yellow bus voucher to tour the city by bus. go shopping, visit areas of interest, or see Porto from unique heights! You may get on and off any stop along the bus route. As a bonus you will have a ticket entry into Calem Winery to take a tour and
ENJOY YOUR PERSONAL DAY.
try a glass of Port Wine. You may enjoy Day 3 how ever you like.
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DAY 3 PERSONAL DAY
ENJOY YOUR PERSONAL DAY.
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DAY 4 MORNING AGENDA 7am-7:30am Breakfast in Hotel
8am Arrival at São Bento Station and depart at Train to Régua. 10:15am Arrival in Régua.
TRAIN TO REGUA
10:20am until 11:20am Free Time for Exploring and Coffee break before we depart down the Douro River views.
The cruises of the Barcadouro are always memorable revelations for the tourists, national and foreign, that we receive on board our four boats . We became accomplices of the river, terraces and geios, farms and vineyards and three sites classified by UNESCO as world heritage: Historic Center of Oporto, Art Cave of the Coa Valley and Alto Douro Vinhateiro.
PORTUGAL
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DAY 4 AFTERNOON AGENDA
11:30am Depart to Porto from Regua and begin to board boat. Lunch will be served. 6:30pm Arrival in Villa Nova de Gaia
6 HRS CRUISING THE DOURO RIVER
7:30pm Dinner
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DAY 5 MORNING AGENDA
BRAGA’S SPIRITUAL HEIGHTS
8AM at São Bento Station and depart at 8:45am Train to Braga. 10AM Arrival in Braga. We’ll Depart to Bom Jesus do Monte, Lunch at Panoramic Restaurant and lastly view incredible heights at Our Lady of Sameiro. 2:30PM Depart to Braga Center
PORTUGAL
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DAY 5 AFTERNOON AGENDA
BRAGA’S HISTORIC VIEWS
3PM Arrival in Braga City Center. We’ll take a Coffee at one of the oldest cafes, Cafe Vianna (1871) and chat on locations to see in the center. 3 hours free time to explore, shop and sightsee in Braga. 6PM Meet for Dinner. 8PM Depart back to Porto
Braga is one of the five largest cities of Portugal, situated in the Minho region in the North of the country. It is known for its abundance of churches and thus called the "city of archbishops". Apart from its rich and long ecclesiastical history and numerous churches, the city also boasts beautiful views from the hills surrounding it, a sizeable old town full of historic buildings and a heritage dating back to Roman times, when it was known as Bracara Augusta.
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DAY 6 MORNING AGENDA
10AM Meet in Lobby to provide you with information for the São João Festival and activities to do and see during this time. In the morning you have to the option to tour with us as a group or discover on your own.
HAMMER TIME. SÃO JOÃO
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DAY 6 PERSONAL AFTERNOON
12AM The display of fireworks on Luis do Monte Bridge begin a display of incredible arrangement to the sound of music chosen for that year. The best seats are caught early, begin to make your way towards the
FIREWORKS, MUSIC, DANCING SÃO JOÃO WATCH LAST YEAR’S SÃO JOÃO
CLICK HERE
View from our Hotel!
bridge and get comfortable roughly at 10pm to 10:30pm because in no time there will be masses of crowds surrounding you.
1AM After the fireworks don’t move, the crowd will be very dense. Please relax where you are for at least 15-20 minutes. Then after you have 3 Options: Party with the locals, Go relax at the hotel or do the traditional walk from the bridge to Foz (the beach or even further north to Matosinhos)
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DAY 7 PERSONAL DAY
By now you have learned how to get around and made a list of places you would like to go see or re-visit again today would be the perfect day.
ENJOY YOUR PERSONAL DAY.
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DAY 7 PERSONAL DAY
ENJOY YOUR PERSONAL DAY.
7PM Meet in the Lobby to walk to our Farewell Dinner.
PORTUGAL
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DAY 8 FAREWELL
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON OUR 8 DAYS TO LOVE PORTUGAL GROUP TRIP
Vamos! JOIN US ON THIS P O R T U GA L T O U R . * $ 10 0 O F F BY BOOKING BEFORE 12 / 2 9 I N Q U I R E T O DAY
(312) 878-6110 C O N TAC T @ L E T S G O T O . WO R L D
Ola
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