Private tours in Oporto & surroundings
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Program
Arrive to Fatima - the center of Christian faith and a local of world's pilgrimage. See the chapel on the place where Our Lady
appeared to the shepherds, the Basilica and the vast square where people crawl on their knees towards the heart of the shrine, in a
impressive sign of faith and devotion, lightning a candle, praying and making a vow to Our Lady or fulfilling a promise. Religious
services can be attended. Visit also Aljustrel with the humble houses where the shepherds lived.
Continue to XIV century Batalha Monastery, the supreme achievement of gothic architecture in Portugal. Manueline additions in
the 15th and 16th centuries, gave the monastery it's finer detail. Here you can admire the highest church in Portugal.
You should not miss the Royal Pantheon with the tombs of the Portuguese “Conquerors of the Sea” – the so-called “Magnificent
generation”, the remarkable Manueline cloister, the chapter house with guards keeping watch by the tombs of two unknown soldiers
and the Unfinished Chapels with an incomparable Manueline portal.
Next is Nazare, the most colourful of Portuguese fishing villages and the richest fishing region in Portugal. Narrow streets with
white-washed houses where one can still see fishermen and their wives wearing traditional clothes, brightly painted boats, with their
high pointed prows, and its sizable beach with locals drying the fish on wire racks. This seaside resort is also famous for its
beautiful handicraft, made by fishermen’s wives while the husband is at sea, fishing.
After lunch, go up to the cliff called Sitio. Located on a rocky promontory over 100m above the main part of the town, Sitio
provides wonderful views over the bay and beach of Nazaré.
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We step back in time when we arrive at the stunning and very ancient walled town called Obidos. A medieval city surrounded by the walls of the castle
with picturesque narrow streets, whitewashed houses, iron balconies, flower pots in every window.
Inhabited by Romans and Arabs, this was the dwelling place of the Portuguese court for more than 500 years. We’ll walk through the feudal streets up to
the main square close to the highest castle-tower, from where you can enjoy a nice view over the countryside and Obidos. Walking the ramparts, visitors
can enjoy views of windmills, vineyards and surrounding farmlands.
Time to visit the many handicraft shops and wine taverns with the local liqueur “Ginginha”. Just walk around and let the streets lead you into the steep
alleyways with colourfully framed houses.
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...The Catholic Church regards the three parts of the Fatima Secret and the total Fatima message to be important and of
great value to the spiritual lives of its people. It consists only of prophecies about the new condition of the Church in the
world.... Fatima and its Secret do present us with something deeply serious, for they bring us face to face with the mysteries
of eternal life. Fatima is undoubtedly the most prophetic of modern apparitions. Faith and prayer are forces which can
influence history and that in the end prayer is more powerful than bullets and faith more powerful than armies...
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...In the XIV century, king Ferdinand died without a male heir to the throne; this originated the most significant civil war in Portugal,
involving England and Spain. The winner, king John I, ordered the construction of this Monastery in homage to his victory and to be
his Royal Pantheon. In fact, he started also what would become known as the “Magnificent Generation”, those Monarchs who gave
the impulse and consolidated the gigantic Portuguese Empire. The Monastery was to be the Portuguese monarchy's main building
project for the next two centuries. Here a highly original, national Gothic style evolved, profoundly influenced by Manueline art...
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…Possibly the most famous fishing town in Portugal, Nazaré is unique in many ways. It has an atmosphere of times gone by,
contentment and traditions, which continue to thrive, which make it a special place to visit. Along the seafront of Nazaré,
people still dry their catch of fish in the sun and mend their boats alongside sunbathing holidaymakers. A throng of craft
shops and cafes stretches the length of the Avenida Marginal, as well as restaurants serving a great variety of the local
speciality, which is of course fish. Until not too long ago, fishermen were still seen using oxen to pull their brightly painted
boats from the ocean and even today many locals still wear their characteristic traditional costumes: the fishermen have
check shirts and trousers, and the women wear several layers of petticoats. The fishing boats are Phoenician in design with
bright colours and eyes painted on the vessels, supposedly with the magical power to avert storms…
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...Perched on a hill rising out of an agricultural plain, Óbidos is one of Portugal’s picturesque gems. From its lofty centre one gazes
upon expanses of vineyards speckled with whirling windmills and terracotta-roofed homesteads. Nearer, narrow cobbled streets,
lined typically with whitewashed, bougainvillaea-draped houses, wind up to the walled interior. The region was the westernmost limit
of the Roman Empire. Under Portuguese rule, Obidos flourished into a major trading port. Every Portuguese queen was given
Obidos as a wedding present. Obidos continues to be a popular destination during the summer, when tourists jam the streets to
explore the city’s medieval charm....
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