PORTUGAL

SEPTEMBER 26 – OCTOBER 9, 2019 TOUR LEADER: DR JENI RYDE

PORTUGAL Overview

Tour dates: September 26 – October 9, 2019 Portugal’s status as a minor European power today belies its former greatness as the administrator of a huge empire, stretching from Brazil to Tour leader: Dr Jeni Ryde Macau. Gaining independence from Spain in 1139, this outward-looking kingdom fomented the Age of Discovery; its fleets discovering the New World under Christopher Columbus in 1498 and legendary explorer Vasco Tour Price: $8,860 per person, twin share da Gama completing a circumnavigation of the globe in 1522. The legacy of the knowledge and wealth gained through the voyages and territories it Single Supplement: $1,670 for sole use of occupied is visible in the art, architecture and cuisine of its beautiful cities double room and towns. With 15 UNESCO World Heritage sites for the traveller to explore, Portugal is a compelling destination. Booking deposit: $500 per person Our 14-day tour spans the country’s ancient past, with visits to prehistoric Recommended airline: Emirates at Almendres Cromlech and Paleolithic rock art in the Côa Valley, to superb Roman remains in Évora and Conimbriga. It covers the influence of the Moorish invasion of the peninsula through the Maximum places: 20 headquarters of the Knights Templar in Tomar and in medieval Coimbra. In Lisbon, we witness the triumph of the Golden Age of Exploration Itinerary: Lisbon (4 nights), Évora (3 nights), through Manueline architecture, a style rich with nautical motifs, and the Coimbra (2 nights), Pinhão (2 nights), Porto (2 lively azulejos (decorative tiles), with Moorish roots and influences from nights) their discoveries. We enjoy spectacular coastlines at Cabo Espichel and lush river valleys with terraced vineyards on our private cruise of the Date published: February 4, 2019 Douro from rural Pinhão to Porto on the coast. Portugal gives great importance to its cultural heritage, through its melancholy music called fado and its traditional fine port wines, but also celebrates the new in an outstanding contemporary art scene in both Lisbon and Porto.

Your tour leader

Dr Jeni Ryde is a former senior lecturer at the University of Western Sydney, where she completed her PhD focusing on the Renaissance, heritage tourism and museology. She has a wide-ranging knowledge of European history, art and architecture, and speaks fluent Spanish and Italian. Jeni has travelled extensively throughout the and this will be her seventh tour for Academy which includes Portugal as a destination.

Spending time with travellers in the wonderful cities of Lisbon and Porto made me realise there is a strong desire to get beyond these cultural hubs and out into the smaller towns and picturesque countryside of this Enquiries and fascinating and rich country. This tour germinated from my passion for bookings losing the tourist crowds and cruise ships and for sampling fine food and wine along the way! For further information and to secure a place on this tour Feedback from Northern Spain and Portugal tour, April 2016:

please contact Jemma York at “Dr Jeni Ryde we found to be an exceptional tour leader – Academy Travel on 9235 0023 knowledgeable, enthusiastic and patient!” or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email “Jeni was a great leader – very impressive Spanish language [email protected] skills – energetic and enthusiastic. A fantastic asset to Academy Travel.”

Tour Highlights

LISBON: AGE OF DISCOVERY Relive the wonder of the Golden Age of Exploration on a walking tour of Lisbon’s borough of Belém: stopping at the Belém tower, the Discovery Monument and the exceptional Jeronimos Monastery with its nautically themed Manueline cloisters. On the way, we find time for a strong coffee and the finest Portugese tart in town!

PORTO: CITY OF BRIDGES Unlike Lisbon, much of which was destroyed in the earthquake of 1755, Porto’s historic centre retains buildings adorned with exquisite azulejos, including the train station and the beautiful Carmo church. The city is a warren of steep streets set in the valley of the Douro and spanned by no less than 6 bridges, including one designed by Gustave Eiffel.

SINTRA AND GRAND PALACES Spend a day exploring the palaces that were the summer retreats and hunting residences of the Portugese nobility. We visit the Palácio Nacional de Queluz with its outstanding gardens and tiles and the Palácio Nacional de Sintra, which combines Manueline, Gothic and Moorish architectural styles with magnificent azulejos (decorative tiles).

CRUISE THROUGH THE DOURO VALLEY Pack your bags for our private cruise along the Douro taking us from rural Pinhão to Porto, City of Bridges. We enjoy lunch and a port tasting on board while admiring the countryside of this region: terraced vineyards, woodlands and hills topped with grand farmhouses, or quintas; built with the wealth of the port industry in the eighteenth century.

ANCIENT HISTORY & NATURAL BEAUTY Outside the cities we view fascinating ancient history in spectacular settings: dinosaur footprints spanning 50 million years on the headland of the wild and barren Cabo Espichel, a circle of 95 granite monoliths set amongst cork forests outside Evora and a 4WD trip to view Paleolithic rock art in the Côa valley near Pinhão.

Detailed itinerary

Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D.

Tour start & finish time The tour starts on Thursday 26 September at the Bessahotel Liberdade in Lisbon, at 6.00pm.

The tour ends on Wednesday 9 October at the Hotel Pestana Vintage in Porto, after breakfast.

Thursday 26 September Arrival in Lisbon Passengers arrive and check-in at leisure. Our tour starts with a welcome drink in the hotel, followed by dinner in a popular restaurant nearby. Overnight Lisbon (D)

Friday 27 September alfama and belem After an introductory talk in the hotel we head up to the castle of São Jorge to enjoy its outstanding views of the city. From here Above: Belém Tower stands guard at the entrance to Lisbon Harbour we meander down through the labyrinthine Moorish bairro of Alfama, a truly emblematic part of the city. Alfama was largely spared in the earthquake of 1755 and is still a maze of narrow Below: Portuguese tarts waiting to be eaten at the famous Pasteis de streets, steep steps, flower-laden iron balconies and small Belem; and the Palácio Queluz, one of the fabulous palaces of Sintra squares. After a break for lunch we pay homage to the Golden Age of Discovery and explore the bairro (borough) of Belém. Our touring commences at Belém Tower, a 16th century fortification commissioned by King John II at the mouth of the Tagus River, which formed a vital part of Lisbon’s defences. We continue up the river to the Discovery Monument, celebrating the location where explorers departed to the Far East to open important trade routes. After a coffee break and a Portugese tart at a celebrated café, we move on to the Jerónimos Monastery with its superb Manueline cloisters. Here seafarers came to pray before leaving port. Overnight Lisbon (B)

Saturday 28 September Sintra and surrounds On our full day trip, we first visit the eighteenth century Palácio Queluz with acres of manicured gardens and palatial architecture influenced by the baroque, rococo and neoclassicism and superb azulejos or tiles, followed by the Palácio Nacional de Sintra, in Sintra itself. Sintra is a unique combination of natural mountain beauty and fairytale palaces, and the National Palace is easily distinguished by its two large conical chimneys and architecture which combines Manueline, Gothic and Moorish styles. Inside, a series of interconnecting courtyards, galleries and corridors join a cohesive set of rooms decorated with magnificent tiles. On our way back to the capital we visit the Convent of the Capuchos: a stark contrast to the palaces, this austere Franciscan Monastery seems to emerge from the surrounding woodland, setting off the decorative simplicity of the tiny cells carved out of the rock with interiors covered in cork. We journey back to Lisbon along the coast via the seaside town of Cascais. Overnight Lisbon (B).

Sunday 29 September Art and music Our first visit today is to one of Europe’s great unsung treasure houses, the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, a fine private art collection featuring works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Monet, Van Dyke and Renoir. In the afternoon we make an excursion to the National Tile Museum to view its exquisite collection of azulejos, dating from the 15th century. The museum is housed in the monastic buildings of the Madre de Deus Convent whose interiors are amongst the most magnificent in the city. This evening we enjoy dinner and a fado performance at a local restaurant. Fado is a distinctly Portugese musical style, usually with a melancholy theme. The importance of fado to the Portugese is illustrated by the death of the most famous fadista, Amália Rodrigues in 1999, when the nation stopped for a state funeral and a period of national mourning. Overnight Lisbon (B, D)

Monday 30 September Setúbal Peninsula and the Alentejo region Departing Lisbon, we travel south to the dramatic Setúbal peninsula. At Cabo Espichel we witness the ferocity of the Atlantic Ocean beating against towering cliffs. In this magnificently isolated spot with its barren outlook, it is possible to view two different, well preserved sets of dinosaur footprints, dating over 50 million years apart. We stop for lunch in Sesimbra, one of Portugal’s finest beach towns, where we suggest partaking of the local seafood. Our drive continues through the Arrábida National Park, before heading to Évora, capital of the Alentejo region. The Alentejo is famed for its wine Above: the iconic yellow trams of the Alfama, Lisbon; and the as well as the cork oak forests, wheat fields and olive tree towering cliffs of Cabo Espichel plantations which cover its rolling hills. Dinner tonight is in the restaurant of our hotel, in the centre of the World Heritage listed Below: the ancient Roman Temple of Évora, also called the Temple city of Évora. Overnight Évora (B, D) of Diana

Tuesday 1 October Évora We take a guided walk around the historic centre of Évora, starting with the city’s most iconic site, the Roman Temple, dating from the 1st century CE. This temple is one of the best preserved on the Iberian Peninsula; its base of huge granite blocks is still intact despite having been put to a variety of uses over the years, including as a slaughterhouse! Other highlights of our walk are the Igreja (church) de São João and attached Lóios convent (part of our hotel) dating from the 15th century and built over the top of Évora’s Moorish castle. We also visit the Igreja de São Francisco (Church of St Francis), best known for its lugubrious Chapel of The Bones, where a Franciscan monk decorated the walls with skulls during the Counter-Reformation era. After a break for lunch we take a ride through the semi-arid

Alentejo countryside to the surrounding hill towns. We stop in Estremoz which rises like a pyramid from the plain and was

fortified against Spanish invasions in the 13th century. The town is most famous for its marble, which rivals that of Carrara in Italy, and a striking 30 metre tower built entirely of the stone stands at its centre. Overnight Évora (B)

Wednesday 2 October Monoliths and wine tasting Our destination today is the unique site of Chromeleques dos Almendres, a megalithic pre-dating . The 96 standing stones, some of which are engraved, are in a spectacular hillside location among olive and cork trees, with views down to Évora. The exact use of this site is unknown but it has always been considered sacred. We continue on to a local Above: the unique site of Chromeleques dos Almendres, a megalithic winery for a tour, tasting and light lunch. The afternoon is free stone circle pre-dating Stonehenge for sightseeing in Évora. Overnight Évora (B, L) Below: the Convento de Cristo in Tomar is a magnificent castle overlooking the river Nabão, built in 1160 as a headquarters for the Thursday 3 October Knights Templar; and magnificent mosaics from the House of the Fountains at the Roman site of Conimbriga Tomar Heading north, our coach stops in the Templar city of Tomar. This settlement grew from a site granted to the Knights Templar for a monastery, after they assisted with the reconquest of the region from the Moors in 1159. The Templar Convento de Cristo is a historical jewel. The oldest part is the 16-sided Templar church, or Charola which, like the castle, dates from the 12th Century. This church was then converted to a Chancel under Manuel I in the 16th century, turning it into one of the finest works of the Portugese Renaissance and giving it the World Heritage status it enjoys today. After our guided tour and time for lunch, we continue our journey to Coimbra, via a viewing of the 180 arches of the nearby Acueduto de los Pegões. Designed by a distinguished architect in the 17th century to provide water to the Convento de Cristo from nearby springs, it is nearly 6 kilometres long and 30 metres high. We arrive in Coimbra in the late afternoon and enjoy dinner in our hotel, the 18th century palace, Quinta das Lágrimas. Overnight Coimbra (B, D)

Friday 4 october Coimbra In medieval times, the river-front city of Coimbra was the capital of Portugal. Declining in importance in the Late Middle Ages, the city remained a major cultural hub and still boasts the country’s finest university; one of the longest continuously operating in the world. Our walking tour covers the well preserved medieval core of the city, with the Old University and the pearl at its heart, the Juanina Library which was a gift from King John V and is adorned with ebony, jacaranda and rosewood tables and ceilings painted with frescoes. We see the well preserved Sé Velha, the best example of a Romanesque cathedral in the country, and at the heart of the city, the Praça do Comércio, or Commercial Square. In the afternoon we take the short trip out to Conimbriga to an outstanding Roman site from the 1st century CE, with a magnificent set of mosaic floors representing hunting scenes, monsters, birds and animals. This evening we meet for a talk in the hotel before free time for dinner. Overnight Coimbra (B)

Saturday 5 October North to Pinhão Today we leave the centre of Portugal and head north to Pinhão with stops to punctuate our route. We take time for lunch in Viseu where we can meander the cobbled streets and have lunch with a glass of some of Portugal’s finest red wines from the Dão region. Before arriving at our destination, we stop at São João de Tarouca to view the church and monastery. Founded in 1139, this was the first monastery to be erected by the Cistercian order on the Iberian Peninsula and has recently been carefully restored. The three-nave church is lavishly decorated in gilt, with carved wood and tiles from the 17th and 18th centuries. Dinner tonight will be in our hotel. Overnight Pinhão (B, D)

Sunday 6 October Paleolithic rock art Today we drive to Vila Nova de Foz Côa to visit the World Heritage listed Côa Valley Archaeological Park. Here we are treated to a guided tour in 4WD vehicles to view the best of the 5000 or so examples of rock art and engravings, dating from the end of the Paleolithic era (22,000 years ago) to 8000 BCE. This extraordinary site, in a rural and isolated spot, along with its outstanding museum where we have lunch, gives us an excellent window into the life of primitive man on the Iberian Peninsula. This evening we meet in the hotel for a talk prior to free time for dinner. Overnight Pinhão (B, L)

Monday 7 October Douro cruise Leaving the roads behind, we pack our bags and embark on a full day private cruise downstream along the Douro river to Above: the Monastery of São João de Tarouca, the first Cistercian Porto, the City of Bridges. As we navigate the various dams and monastery built in Portugal; and a paleolithic engraving in the Côa locks of this stretch of river, which once transported port grapes Valley Archaeological Park to the coast, we enjoy lunch and a port aperitif. The views of the Below: the steep terraced hills of the Douro valley vineyards, dotted Douro valley are of steep terraced vineyards dotted with wine with quintas producing farmhouses or quintas, built with the wealth from the deal with British traders for port export in the 18th century and many now transformed into luxury hotels. Disembarking in Porto we settle into our final hotel and have dinner at a restaurant close by. Overnight Porto (B, L, D)

Tuesday 8 October Porto We discover Porto’s historic centre on foot, climbing the narrow streets behind the hotel where buildings are adorned with colourful tiles and stopping at the famous cathedral cloisters which have a superb tile collection. Moving on to the World Heritage listed Palácio da Bolsa, or Stock Exchange building, we take a tour of the interior and the celebrated Arabian hall before finishing at the train station with its vast display of over 20,000 tiles, representing battles and the history of transport in Portugal. We save the afternoon for contemporary Porto with a look at modern architecture like the Casa da Música, designed by controversial Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. Overnight Porto (B)

Wednesday 9 October Departure The tour concludes today after breakfast. Emirates flights do not leave Lisbon until the evening so there is time for some sightseeing and shopping in Porto before catching a TAP air Portugal flight to Lisbon to make the connection. We recommend a visit to the beautiful Lello bookshop which is too small to visit easily as a group. Airport transfers are included for anyone booking their flights through Academy Travel. (B)

Extend your Stay on the Iberian Peninsula

You may also like to connect this tour with our Grand Tour of Spain, also led by Dr Jeni Ryde, commencing on October 13 in Granada and finishing on October 29 in Barcelona. Please talk to your tour consultant Jemma York for further details.

Hotels

Hotels have been selected principally for their central location. All hotels are a comfortable four-star standard or higher.

 Lisbon, Bessahotel Liberdade (4 nights) An Academy favourite, well placed for exploring the capital. www.lisbon.bessahotel.com/en-gb/hotel-liberdade.aspx

 Evora, M’Ar de Ar Aqueduto (3 nights) A stylish 5* conversion of a historic 15th century Palace, Above: the cathedral cloisters in Porto with their splendid tiles, and the right in the heart of historic Evora. colourful houses of the Ribeira district. www.mardearhotels.com/en/mar-de-ar-aqueduto/ Below: the Vintage House hotel in Pinhão, where we stay two nights  Coimbra, Hotel Quinta das Lágrimas (2 nights) A member of the Small Luxury Hotel group, in an 18th- century castle. www.quintadaslagrimas.pt/en/

 Pinhão, Vintage House Hotel (2 nights) An old wine estate converted into a 5* hotel with a tranquil riverside location on the Douro river. www.vintagehousehotel.com/en/

 Porto, Hotel Pestana Vintage (2 nights) Academy tried and tested. A stylish quirky hotel on the river in Porto, in the historic Ribeira district. www.pestanaporto.com/

Tour Price Fitness Requirements

The tour price is $8,860 per person, twin share (land content of THIS tour only). The supplement for a single room is $1,670 per person. A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is GRADE TWO required to secure a place on the tour. It is important both for you and for your fellow travellers that you are fit enough to be able to enjoy all the activities on this Tour Inclusions tour. To give you an indication of the level of physical fitness required to participate on our tours, we have given them a Included in the tour price star grading. Academy Travel’s tours tend to feature  13 nights' accommodation in selected 4-5-star hotels extended walking tours and site visits, which require greater  All breakfasts, plus selected lunches and dinners as fitness than coach touring. We ask you to carefully consider stated in the itinerary your ability to meet the physical demands of the tour.  Land travel by air-conditioned coach  Private cruise of the Douro river and 4WD excursion to Participation criteria for this tour an archaeological site This Grade Two tour is designed for people who lead active  Extensive background notes and lectures on tour lives and can comfortably participate in up to five hours of  Services of a qualified and experienced tour leader physical activity per day on most days, including longer  All entrance fees to sites mentioned on the itinerary walking tours, challenging archaeological sites, climbing  Qualified local guides where appropriate stairs, embarking and disembarking trains and/or boats, and  Tips for all services included in the itinerary a more demanding tour schedule with one-night stops or Not included several internal flights.  International air fares, taxes and surcharges (see below) You should be able to:  Travel insurance  keep up with the group at all times  Meals not mentioned in itinerary  walk for 4-5 kilometres at a moderate pace with only  Expenses of a personal nature short breaks  stand for a reasonable length of time in galleries and museums Air travel OPTIONS  tolerate uncomfortable climatic conditions such as cold, humidity and heat The tour price quoted is for land content only. For this tour  walk up and down slopes we recommend Emirates who offer flights into and out of  negotiate steps and slopes on archaeological sites, Lisbon from most Australian cities. A connecting flight from which are often uneven and unstable Porto to Lisbon is needed at the end of the tour with TAP Air  get on and off a large coach with steep stairs, train or Portugal. Please contact us for further information on boat unassisted, possibly with luggage competitive Economy, Business and First Class airfares.  move your luggage a short distance if required Transfers between airport and hotel are included for all passengers booking their flights through Academy Travel. A note for older travellers These may be group or individual transfers. If you are more than 80 years old, or have restricted mobility, it is highly likely that you will find this itinerary challenging. Enquiries & bookings You will have to miss several activities and will not get the full value of the tour. Your booking will not be accepted until For further information and to secure a place on this tour after you have contacted Academy Travel to discuss your please contact Jemma York at Academy Travel on situation and the exact physical requirements of this tour. 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email While we will do our best to reasonably accommodate the [email protected] physical needs of all group members, we reserve the right to refuse bookings if we feel that the requirements of the tour Weather on Tour are too demanding for you and/or if local conditions mean we cannot reasonably accommodate your condition. September/ October are perfect months for touring in Portugal. The harsh heat of the summer should be over and we expect daily temperatures of around 20-26 degrees, down to around 15 at night. There will be some showers, so come equipped, but not enough to disrupt activities.