Private tours in Lisbon & surroundings
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Program
We leave Lisbon passing by the scenic harbour and the estuary of the river and its seashore.
The Estoril coast, incorporating holiday hotspots offers great beaches and a choice of historic sights.
Cosmopolitan seaside town of Carcavelos is popular for its long stretch of sandy beach and its XVII century fortress - the
biggest in Tagus river.
Other beaches on Estoril's include Parede. Waters here are rich in iodine and have therapeutic qualities. Around Sao Pedro, Sao
Joao and Santo Antonio do Estoril the beach scene gets more cliff like, but there are small beach bays with aristocratic palaces,
manor houses and deluxe villas, a safe haven of exiled kings and politicians.
The cosmopolitan casino town of Estoril boats pretty Tamariz beach which is good for bathing and the biggest casino in Europe,
its gardens, cafes and esplanade.
Cascais fishing port swiftly expanded to an elegant, cosmopolitan, coastal resort. Once stop of navigators like Columbus and
Vasco da Gama. From the harbor there’s a nice view of Estoril bay and one can watch the typical fishing boats unloading the
catch, a flash marina and a castle.
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Continue by the seaside with rocky and sandy beaches and the picturesque cliff - the Mouth of Hell - where high waves crash into gigantic caves carved out
of the rock by the sea.
Next is Guincho beach, backed by dunes and with some of the best rollers in Europe, it is a true paradise for surfers.
Go up the mountain by twisted roads with breathtaking views of the coastline and arrive to Cabo da Roca - the westernmost point of continental Europe, a
promontory of Sintra Mountain, a granite cliff, 472 feet (144 m) high - for a fantastic view of the seaside.
Drive across the luxuriant Sintra Mountain and its gardens - "The Glorious Eden" - by twisted roads bordered by several plants, its mystical hills dotted
with fairytale palaces and extravagant villas that have bewitched visitors for centuries. Pass by Colares, famous for its "Ramisco" vines, some of the oldest
in Portugal and belonging to a demarcated area of wine. Colares is a deep colored, full bodied red wine.
Sintra’s historical town centre is a listed UNESCO world heritage site. It is made up of a charming maze of steep, narrow streets lined with fine examples
of old palatial homes hiding behind lichen-covered walls, while local pastry shops provide the famous Sintra ‘queijadas’ (cheese pastries), ‘travesseiros’
(egg and almond pastries) and local wine. The town is also full of shops that carry many of the local crafts like pottery, ceramics and lace. Abounding in
history this village is dominated by the two conical chimneys of the Palácio Nacional da Vila, dating from the XIV century; this is the oldest royal palace in
Portugal, where sea conquerors planned their trips and navigators where welcomed by the king, like Columbus and Vasco da Gama.
Go up to one of the highest peaks of the mountain through a narrow and crooked road crossing Sintra forest, passing by the mysterious Moorish castle.
Fairy tale Pena palace and its surrounding park are billed as "a consummate specimen of Portuguese romantic architecture", with a profusion of eclectic
styles, 500 meters above sea level, on a rocky promontory that looks purpose-built for a castle. The delightful Parque da Pena offers walking paths,
fountains, lakes, follies, belvederes, exotic trees and other specimens. From the palace, one has a spectacular outlook onto the mountain and its
surroundings.
On the way back to Lisbon, we pass by the XVIII century Queluz palace, reminiscent of Versailles.
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... Described by Lord Byron as “Glorious Eden,” Sintra’s charms have long been celebrated. Once the summer residence of the
kings and Moorish lords, today Sintra is a romantic getaway for people from all around the world. Inhabited since the pre-
history period and by Celts and the Romans who called this area “The Mountain of the Moon”. In the 8th to 9th century,
Muslims built a castle here. During Medieval times, the Portuguese royal family, overflowing with the pomp and riches from
their colonial triumphs abroad, first came here to escape the heat (and stench) of the summer in Lisbon. Beginning in the 14th
century, the Portuguese aristocrats followed the royals to Sintra, a dwelling place for hunting and relaxing. Stormy and
mysterious, the mountain is covered by more than 1000 different species of plants. Several artists from different countries came
here to work, inspired in the beauty of this place, extolling its beauty: “The Garden of Paradise”, “Garden of Europe”,
“Glorious Eden”…
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...One of the most beautiful parts of the Estoril Coast is a succession of hills dotted with pine trees and houses, sweeping down
to the sea and the local villages with their typical houses and the old palatial villas along the sea front. Villas from the Roman
period have been excavated and inscriptions found of family names, names of the Gods they worshipped and names chosen
for their sons. Cascais became a lookout for Lisbon in the great maritime era of discovering new worlds. It was the first place
the navigators saw when they returned from long and adventurous voyages seeking their homeland. It was in Cascais during
the latter part of the XIX century, that the Royal Family first began to bathe. It was a custom which was becoming popular in
Europe and Cascais was an ideal place owing to its mild climate. Over the years, many important families have made Cascais
into a cosmopolitan town...
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