Toasting & Coasting: Portugal & Spain By Design

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9 days from Lisbon to Lisbon
Personally escorted by Meredith Carrell, September 25th - October 3rd 2022

Vacation overview

Catamaran off the Portuguese coast or carafe some Spanish sherry? Marvel at high-stepping horses or step-into history in marvelous piazzas? Glimpse the Rock of Gibraltar or glide into rhythm with Flamenco? Cruise coastal highways or sail scenic byways? With complimentary YourChoice Excursions, this 9-day celebration of Portugal and Spain will dance its way into your heart!

Why This Tour Will Castanet: 

• A joyful journey through Portugal and Spain.

• A flexible itinerary that offers colorful culture, picturesque plazas, Spanish stallions and fiery Flamenco!

• Included YourChoice Excursions in Algarve and Jerez.

• Olé! On Overload

Itinerary: 

Day 1   ARRIVE IN LISBON

Welcome to Lisbon! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 2   LISBON–EXCURSION TO CASCAIS, CABO DA ROCA & QUELUZ

LISBON Guided sightseeing includes a photo stop at Belem Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries.
CASCAIS Free time to browse and for lunch, followed by a scenic drive along the coast.
CABO DA ROCA See breathtaking views from the westernmost point of continental Europe.
QUELUZ Visit the Palace of Queluz. 

Day 3   LISBON–EVORA–ALGARVE

EVORA Guided sightseeing includes Sao Francisco Church and the Ossuary Chapel.

Day 4   ALGARVE

ALGARVE YourChoice Excursions include one of the following activities of your choice:

GAZE: On Top of the Algarve

Discover highlights along the West Algarve's coast with a guided tour of Cape St. Vincent, Lagos, and Sagres. See historic artifacts, monuments, and churches, and drive through traditional fishing villages that line the coast. Top it off with a picture-perfect viewpoint atop a Sagres cliffside.

PEDAL: Algarve On Two Wheels

Explore the culture and history of the Algarve with a leisurely bike ride through its ancient and winding streets. Ride through its medieval center and discover breathtaking scenery and lesser-known, hidden local gems

FLOAT: Coves, Caves & Cliffs

Along the scenic route between Marina Portimao to Benagil, enjoy the beautiful seascapes of the Algarve coast. Explore its coves and caves with a 2-hour catamaran cruise. You'll be awed by the sight of spectacular rock formations, dramatic coastal cliffs, and mysterious caves on this comfortable Algarve sail.

Day 5   ALGARVE–SEVILLE–JEREZ

SEVILLE Orientation walk and free time.
JEREZ Dinner at local restaurant with Flamenco show. 

Day 6   JEREZ

JEREZ Orientation tour. YourChoice Excursions include one of the following activities of your choice:

DELVE: Horse Around

Enjoy a two-hour visit to the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. Observe training sessions in the indoor arena and visit the Royal School facilities, Saddlery, Palace State Rooms, Gardens, Museum of Equestrian Art, and Carriage Museum. Take a guided tour of the Stables and Tack Room for insight into this historic facility preserving the world's ancient Spanish lineage of the magnificent Andalusian Cartujano horse.

STROLL: Palms & Pastel Plazas

Take a panoramic drive from Jerez to Cadiz, the oldest city in Western Europe. Walk from Caleta Beach to the Old Quarter en route to the Gardens of the Genoves. Witness the elegant, pastel-colored homes with Mirador windows, plazas decorated with palm trees, promenades, and a cathedral by the sea. See hundreds of city towers protruding from the cobbled streets, which have been flooded by the sparkling light for centuries. Here, the sea rarely out of view.

PLAY: Greens & Dreams

Enjoy a round on a beautifully designed 18-hole golf course with expansive fairways and generous greens. Explore the Andalusian ambience of the 1,800-square-meter clubhouse offering every comfort in this dream setting. Your round of golf includes green fees, buggy, and club rental.

Day 7   JEREZ

MOVE: Flamenco Like No One's Watching

Put on your dancing shoes and castanets for a lesson in the expressive and passionate art of flamenco. Add in the rhythmic and percussive footwork of the Zapateado for a true Spanish dance experience. It is all about rhythm. Olé!

TASTE: Pour & Pair

A walking tour of the streets of Jerez features a stop at a famous local winery. Take in the city monuments, plazas, and architecture, including St. Miguel Quarter, and St. Miguel Church with sights of the Alcazar and the Cathedral. Learn how wine and sherry are produced here, and taste some of Spain's renowned wine and sherry paired with traditional tapas.

GAZE: Rock Out on the Barbary Coast

Visit the Rock of Gibraltar, one of Europe's most famous landmarks, on this discovery tour. Looming large between two seas and two continents, the towering 1,397-foot (426-meter) limestone promontory majestically reigns above the Iberian Peninsula. Join an expert Local Guide and visit breathtaking St. Michael's Cave; view ruins of the Moorish Castle, a reminder of the 700 years of Moorish rule; and stop for an up-close encounter with the colony of mischievous Barbary macaques.

Day 8   JEREZ–REGUENGOS DE MONSARAZ–LISBON

REGUENGOS DE MONSARAZ Free time to explore.
LISBON Farewell dinner at the hotel. 

Day 9   LISBON

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.