Day 1 UK-Guimarães

Fly to Guimarães in northern Portugal and transfer to the 4-star Pousada de Guimarães (4Q) for a four-night stay. D

Day 2 Guimarães

Embark on a morning tour of the city. Explore the medieval centre’s warren of narrow lanes, and learn about the history of Guimarães, long associated with the 12th-century emergence of Portuguese national identity. During your city tour, you will visit the Ducal Palace.

In the afternoon, an optional tour to Ponte de Lima for afternoon tea. B,  D

Day 3 Guimarães

Begin your day with a tour of Porto, accompanied by a local guide. The city is located on the Douro estuary and is synonymous with the fortified wine produced upstream on the vine-clad banks of the river. Highlights include the neoclassical Stock Exchange Palace, the Gothic church of São Francisco, the iconic Dom Luis I bridge and 12th-century cathedral. What better way to spend your afternoon than on an optional excursion to a port wine cellar for a tasting discovery.

Alternatively, you can explore Porto independently. B , D

Day 4 Guimarães

Join a full day guided tour of the Peneda-Gerês National Park. The oldest and biggest national park in Portugal, Gerês was established in 1971 to preserve the natural resources of the region, and is home to wolves, wild boar, otters and wild horses. B, D

Day 5 Guimarães-Viseu

Head south for Viseu, via Amarante (111 miles, two hours and 30 minutes).

Stay three nights at the 4-star Pousada de Viseu (4Q). B, D

Day 6 Viseu

Experience the medieval ambience of hill-top Viseu, set on a plateau in a respected wine-growing region, on an orientation tour.

This afternoon, an optional excursion visits Santar. B, D

Day 7 Viseu

Today, take a morning trip to the nearby riverside city of Coimbra. Featuring dark cobbled lanes and a monumental cathedral, Coimbra is also home to the country’s oldest and most prestigious university.

Spend the afternoon at leisure or join an optional excursion to Coimbra University. B, D

Day 8 Viseu-Alcácer do Sol

Your journey to Alcácer do Sal is via one of Iberia’s finest monasteries (212 miles, four hours).

The Monastery of Alcobaca is praised as a masterpiece of Cistercian Gothic art. Its Baroque facade welcomes you through a forest of 12th-century archways and into a religious house in which 999 monks held mass in non-stop shifts. Despite its devout purpose, travellers passing through during the 18th century were shocked to see the decadence that the monks enjoyed; the grand kitchen was described as ‘the most distinguished temple of gluttony in all of Europe,’ and featured a water channel that diverted wild fish right into the kitchen! An optional excursions visits the Monastery of Batalha.

Continue to Alcácer do Sal for a three-night stay at the 4-star Pousada de Alcácer do Sal (4Q). B, D

Day 9 Lisbon

Just an hour’s drive from Alcácer do Sol is Lisbon, the city that legend suggests was founded by Ulysses. Enjoy an included morning city tour. Spend the afternoon at leisure. B, D

Day 10 Alcácer do Sol

Your final full day is spent at leisure, during which you can take the optional excursion to Evora. B, D

Day 11 Alcacer do Sol-UK

Transfer from your hotel to Lisbon airport for your flight back to the UK. B