Portugal Itinerary

SUNDAY/July 25 Departure
Depart on our overnight flight to Lisbon, Portugal

Read Stuart Katz’s blog post “Lisbon, Portugal Is a Delight to All the Senses”

MONDAY/July 26 Full day in Lisbon
After being met by our DELUXE KOSHER TOURS ground personnel we begin our tour of Lisbon, the capital and largest city in Portugal, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the mouth of the Tagus River. Lisbon is the city of the Fado, of the palaces covered by the azulejos (the characteristic painted tiles) and of the winding alleys crossed by tram.

Our visit starts with a visit to the Lisbon synagogue. With its hidden façade (because of the strict rules that were imposed on the Jewish buildings in the past) it still is the meeting point of the Jewish community of Lisbon. After our guided visit to the synagogue we will start the visit of the Portuguese capital.

This first day allows us to discover Lisbon colonized by many civilizations along the centuries: Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Moors and finally the Portuguese after 1147. We will visit St. George Castle, including its surrounding quarter, and Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest quarter.

Close to Alfama we will also visit the Judiaria (Jewish Quarter) of Lisbon with its narrow streets and small houses where the Jewish population used to live.  In the central area of the city we will also find the Jewish presence in the Commerce Square, where thousands of Jews were baptized against their own will.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel

TUESDAY/July 27 Departure to Óbidos, Batalha, Tomar and overnight in Lousã
Today we will head to the north of the country and our first stop is a visit in Óbidos. This medieval town still preserves the atmosphere of the centuries that passed by it. The old castle walls that enclose the white washed houses are a symbol that the past is still present on the daily life of the city.

A short walk on the narrow cobbled streets, where small shops offer the “Ginjinha” (cherry liquor), will be the perfect beginning of the day. After leaving Óbidos behind the next stop is Batalha, considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site, mainly because of its Gothic monastery. Once we’re inside we’ll enter the Founder’s Chapel, where some of the most important Portuguese kings are buried: John I, Alfonso V, John II and the famous prince Henry the Navigator, who hired the best Jewish cartographers, geographers and mathematicians of the 1400′s to initiate the Portuguese Golden Age of the Discoveries.

The afternoon will be spent in the city of Tomar, where one of the most important synagogues of Portugal is located. Inside the Jewish Museum Abraham Zacuto will explain to us the importance of the Jewish population in this city. On the top of the hill is located the Convent of Christ, World Heritage by UNESCO, which is the bastion of one of the most important religious orders in Portugal: the Order of Christ.

At the end of the day we will go all the way to Lousã, where we spend the night.

WEDNESDAY/July 28 Visit to Coimbra and Buçaco and departure to Amarante
Today we journey to the city of the students: Coimbra. With one of oldest universities in Europe, Coimbra has stood out as a center of knowledge and Portuguese culture in the past seven centuries. A visit to the Old University (still functioning) will give us a general perspective of the educational system in Portugal as well as an insightful approach to the influence that the Jewish population had in the Portuguese educational system.

The lunch break will be one of the highlights of the day since it will be held in the Buçaco Palace Hotel, a former monastery, in the middle of the exuberant forest of Buçaco. After lunch and a short walk in the forest, we will head to Amarante, on the north of Portugal.

The arrival at Amarante, still with daylight, will allow us to go for a walk in the historical center of this charming town before retiring for a relaxing evening in our hotel.

Read Stuart Katz’s blog post “The Art of Port in Portugal”

THURSDAY/July 29 Visit of Porto and return to Amarante
Today will be spent in the capital of the North, Porto, whose historical center is considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. After a short panoramic tour of Porto, we walk down to the Judiaria (Jewry) of Porto, discovering the secret past of the Jewish community of this city, including a visit to the synagogue of Porto.

This pathway will lead us to Ribeira, the waterfront and most characteristic neighborhood of Porto, where the old houses with their colorful façades still remind us of the poor fishermen and sailors that once lived there.

In the afternoon we are awaited at the Taylor’s wine cellar (www.taylor.pt) for a visit of their amazing wine aging facilities and a taste of a kosher port wine, the only one made in the world! After the visit it is time return to Amarante for dinner.

Stuart Katz writes about “The Secret Jews of Belmonte, Portugal”

FRIDAY/July 30 Departure to Vila Real, Régua (Port Wine), Viseu, Guarda and overnight in Belmonte
This morning we will visit one of the most wonderful baroque palaces in Portugal, the Mateus Manor House, whose façade was immortalized by the label of one of the most famous Portuguese wines: the Mateus Rose.

The day will continue towards the town of Régua, where you will have the opportunity to taste the worldwide famous port wine and see how it’s produced nowadays. The day will continue towards the south but first we should not miss Viseu with its cathedral and medieval neighborhood.

Enroute to Belmonte we will visit the highest city in Portugal: Guarda with its Gothic cathedral and well-preserved Judiaria. We arrive Belmonte on Erev Shabbat allowing us to enjoy this special day in the most active Jewish community of Portugal.

SATURDAY/July 31 Belmonte (Sabbath) and Sortelha
On Shabbat we will have the opportunity to relax or participate in some of the religious activities that always take place in Belmonte or just enjoy the silence of the mountains that once inspired thousands of Jews that decided to settle in this region. Belmonte is in fact one of the best places in Portugal to understand the secrets and mysteries of a Jewish community that had to live in secret for centuries.

This small Jewish community is the most active Jewish center of Portugal and still preserves some of the old traditions that allowed them to practice the Jewish religion in secret. Dinner at our hotel.

SUNDAY/August 1 Castelo de Vide, Marvão, Évora and return to Lisbon
After a relaxing day in Belmonte it is time to explore thesSouth of Portugal: the Alentejo. Leaving Belmonte early in the morning we will stop for a visit in Castelo de Vide. Located on the top of the São Mamede Mountain, Castelo de Vide still preserves its old castle, Judiaria and one of oldest and most important synagogues of Portugal.

Just a few minutes away from Castelo de Vide we find the imposing Marvão Castle that in the past bravely defended the Portuguese independence from the Spanish invaders.

This afternoon we depart to Évora, the most important and monumental city of the Alentejo region, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Évora is the perfect opportunity to understand how Moorish influence is still present in the daily life in Alentejo.

Besides that, the Chapel of the Bone’s, the Giraldo Square , the Roman temple and the university are just some of the places that we will visit in Évora. Don’t forget to try some of the Alentejo gastronomy, which is based on bread, olive oil and aromatic herbs, but still one of the most delicious in the country. At the end of the day we return to Lisbon where we enjoy our final day before our flight back home.

MONDAY/August 2 Lisbon
We started in Lisbon and so we shall conclude our tour there as well. Lisbon is also linked with the heroic deeds of the Portuguese maritime exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries. This was the Age of Discoveries and the Golden Era of Portugal, transforming Lisbon into the opulent center of a vast empire.

Part of the wealth from these expeditions was used to build magnificent monuments in a unique Portuguese style: the extravagant Manueline architectural style, best typified in Jerónimos Monastery. Some of these monuments can still be seen, especially in the area of Belém.

After visiting the part of Lisbon connected with the Golden Era we will visit the Parque das Nações – the newest neighbourhood of Lisbon where in 1998 the World Exposition dedicated to the theme “The Oceans – An Heritage to the Future” with its Vasco da Gama Bridge – the longest in Europe – and the Vasco da Gama Tower took place.

We visit Oceanarium (the largest in Europe); the most ambitious construction ever attempted of the different ocean regions of the planet (North Atlantic, Pacific, Antarctic and Indian Oceans, all positioned around a gigantic central tank – 25,000 fish, birds and mammals are on view) and at the end take the cable car to the other side of Nation Park. Have a farewell dinner at our hotel.

TUESDAY/ August 3 Departure
Hotel check-out and transfer to the airport for our return flight

COST PER PERSON
$6,295 based on double occupancy (two to a room)
Includes air fare from: New York
LAND ONLY (no air fare included) – $5,295

ADDITIONAL COSTS
• Visa fees for non-US citizens (if applicable)
• Snacks or items of a personal nature
• Single Supplement – $995

HOTELS
Lisbon Hotel Altis (www.altishotels.com)
Lousã Meliá Palácio da Lousã Boutique Hotel (www.palaciodalousa.com)
Amarante Casa da Calçada Relais & Châteaux (www.casadacalcada.com)
Belmonte Pousada Convento de Belmonte (www.pousadas.pt / www.conventodebelmonte.pt)

ITINERARY & HOTELS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
RATES MAY BE ADJUSTED IF THERE’S A FLUCTUATION IN CURRENCY OF MORE THAN 4% FROM JANUARY 1, 2010
RATES MAY BE ADJUSTED IN THE EVENT OF AN INCREASE IN AIRLINE FUEL CHARGES

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