Arrive in Lisbon on suggested flights and make your way to the hotel. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including travel insurance (a condition of travel), private hotel transfer, accommodation before or after the tour and a room category upgrade.

At 18:00, join your tour leader Genevieve Jacobs and fellow travellers for a welcome briefing at the hotel, followed by dinner.

(D)

This morning, enjoy a guided orientation coach tour of Lisbon, including the historic riverside district of Belém. Once the departure point for many of Portugal’s great maritime expeditions during the Age of Discovery, Belém is home to some of the country’s most important monuments, including the Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries.

Return to the hotel and enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure.

This evening, dine at the atmospheric Casa do Alentejo, housed within an atmospheric early 20th-century palace whose richly decorated interiors reflect both Moorish and Portuguese influences.

(BD)

Today, travel to Sintra, where palaces, villas and luxuriant gardens emerge from the wooded slopes of the Serra de Sintra. Begin in the gardens surrounding the colourful Pena Palace. Commissioned by King Ferdinand II during the 19th century, the park extends across more than 80 hectares and contains an exceptional collection of exotic trees and plants gathered from around the world, interspersed with lakes and ornamental buildings.

Continue to Biester Palace for a private, guided visit. Completed in 1891, this richly decorated residence is set within an extensive Romantic garden featuring mature specimen trees, artificial grottoes, streams and bridges.

After lunch, continue to Quinta da Regaleira. Created in the early 20th century for António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro, the estate is celebrated for its elaborate symbolic landscape, combining ornamental gardens with lakes, grottoes, towers and fountains.

Return to Lisbon in the late afternoon for an evening at leisure.

(BL)

The morning is at leisure to relax or to explore Lisbon at your own pace.

In the early afternoon, travel to the National Palace of Queluz for a guided tour of the palace and gardens. Built as an 18th-century royal retreat, Queluz is one of Portugal’s finest examples of Rococo architecture and landscape design. The beautifully preserved gardens combine formal parterres, tree-lined avenues, sculptural fountains, ornamental canals and elaborate statuary, creating one of the country’s most important historic garden ensembles.

This evening, experience one of Portugal’s most distinctive musical traditions over dinner and a performance of fado, the deeply expressive song form closely associated with Lisbon.

(BD)

This morning, check out of the hotel and enjoy a private, guided tour of Lisbon’s National Tile Museum. Discover the history and artistry of the azulejo, the painted ceramic tile that has become one of the most recognisable features of Portuguese architecture. Housed in the former Convent of Madre de Deus, the museum traces the development of tile-making from the 15th century to the present day.

Continue north to Coimbra, arriving in the late afternoon. Check in to the historic Quinta das Lágrimas, an 18th-century palace surrounded by extensive historic gardens and parkland and enjoy some time at leisure before dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.

(BD)

Begin the day with a private, guided tour of the gardens of Quinta das Lágrimas. Closely associated with the tragic medieval love story of Prince Pedro and Inês de Castro, the estate is set amongst mature woodland and historic gardens fed by natural springs.

Continue to the historic University of Coimbra, one of Europe’s oldest universities, for a private, guided visit of the historic Joanina Library. Completed in the early 18th century during the reign of King João V, it is regarded as one of Europe’s finest Baroque libraries, with gilded interiors, painted ceilings and richly carved hardwood bookshelves preserving an exceptional collection of rare books.

Walk through the university precinct towards the Botanical Garden, which was established in the 18th century for the study of medicine and natural history. Enjoy a light lunch before continuing north to the city of Porto.

Arrive in Porto in the mid-afternoon and check in to the hotel. This evening, dinner is at a nearby restaurant.

(BLD)

This morning, explore some of the architectural and cultural highlights of Porto, beginning with a private, guided visit of the Palácio da Bolsa, the city’s grand 19th-century former stock exchange.

Continue to the Serralves Foundation. Enjoy a private, guided tour of its 18-hectare park and gardens, designed in the 1930s to complement the elegant Art Deco villa. Created by French landscape architect Jacques Gréber, the park combines formal parterres, rose gardens, reflecting pools, woodland, orchards and tree-lined avenues, creating one of Portugal’s finest examples of early 20th-century landscape design.

Return to the hotel in the early afternoon and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

(B)

Today, visit Quinta de Villar d’Allen, one of Porto’s finest surviving historic private estates. Established in the mid-19th century by the Allen family, whose Irish ancestors settled in Porto through the port wine trade, the estate has remained in family ownership for generations.

Enjoy a private, guided tour with the owner through its beautifully preserved Romantic gardens, where winding avenues, ornamental lakes, follies, grottoes and mature specimen trees are complemented by one of Portugal’s most important collections of camellias.

Enjoy a light lunch at the estate accompanied by a tasting of port wine before returning to the hotel. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure.

This evening, walk to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

(BLD)

Today, journey into the historic Minho region of northern Portugal.

Begin in Guimarães, the birthplace of the Portuguese nation. Visit the Palace of the Dukes of Bragança, an imposing 15th-century residence inspired by the great manor houses of northern Europe. Afterwards, enjoy some time at leisure in the beautifully preserved medieval Old Town.

Continue to Braga, one of Portugal’s oldest cities and the historic ecclesiastical capital. Following a brief orientation tour by coach of the city centre, visit the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed pilgrimage site set high above the city. Stroll through the beautifully landscaped terraced gardens, where tree-lined avenues, fountains, ornamental lakes and geometric parterres frame the celebrated Baroque staircase, creating one of Portugal’s most accomplished historic landscape designs.

Enjoy lunch at a restaurant on the sanctuary grounds before returning to Porto in the late afternoon. The evening is at leisure.

(BL)

This morning, travel into the heart of the Vinho Verde wine region to visit Quinta da Aveleda, a historic wine estate that has remained in the hands of the Guedes family for more than 150 years. Best known for its Vinho Verde (green) wines, the estate is also home to one of Portugal’s finest historic gardens.

During a private, guided tour, explore the estate’s richly planted landscape of rare specimen trees, lakes, cedar-lined avenues and ornamental follies, including the picturesque Tea House and Goat Tower. Created over successive generations, the gardens combine Romantic and Victorian influences with an outstanding botanical collection.

Then, enjoy a tasting of the estate’s wines before lunch overlooking the vineyards. Return to Porto in the mid-afternoon, with the remainder of the afternoon and evening at leisure.

(BL)

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and travel north across the border into Spain.

Stop in the historic town of Pontevedra. One of Galicia’s oldest cities, Pontevedra flourished as an important medieval port and today is renowned for its beautifully preserved historic centre, elegant granite squares and arcaded streets.

Continue through Galicia’s lush landscape to Santiago de Compostela. Arrive in the mid-afternoon and check in to the hotel, with time to relax before dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.

(BD)

This morning, enjoy a leisurely walk through Alameda Park. Established in the 16th century, it is home to century-old trees, shaded promenades and panoramic views of the city’s historic centre. Continue into the heart of Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia and one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval cities. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Santiago has flourished for centuries as a centre of learning, culture and pilgrimage, with granite streets, elegant squares and monumental architecture reflecting its rich history.

Enjoy a guided tour of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the traditional destination of the Camino and one of Spain’s most important Romanesque monuments.

Afterwards, continue to the Mercado de Abastos, Santiago’s bustling food market and the culinary heart of the city, before a traditional lunch at a local restaurant.

The remainder of the afternoon and evening is at leisure.

(BL)

Today, explore the historic estates and vineyards of the Rías Baixas, Galicia’s celebrated Albariño wine region. Characterised by a mild Atlantic climate, fertile river valleys and coastal inlets, the region has long supported both viticulture and the creation of magnificent country estates known as pazos.

Begin with a private, guided visit of the Palácio de Fefiñanes, one of Galicia’s finest Renaissance manor houses, overlooking the main square of Cambados. Built in the early 17th century, the palace has been closely associated with the production of Albariño wine for generations and remains one of the region’s most distinguished historic estates.

Continue to Pazo de Rubianes, an elegant 15th-century manor surrounded by vineyards and one of Galicia’s largest private camellia collections. Explore the beautifully maintained gardens before enjoying lunch accompanied by a tasting of the estate’s wines.

Return to Santiago driving along the scenic, rugged coastline, arriving at the hotel in the late afternoon. The evening is at leisure.

(BL)

This morning, enjoy a private, guided tour of Pazo de Santa Cruz de Ribadulla, an elegant country estate whose origins date to the 15th century. Renowned for its extensive tree collections, the gardens feature towering camellias, ancient magnolias, avenues of century-old olive trees, tranquil ponds and a picturesque riverside setting that reflects Galicia’s mild Atlantic climate.

Continue to Pazo de Oca, often referred to as the “Versailles of Galicia”. Surrounded by formal gardens, ornamental ponds, canals and stone bridges, the estate combines Renaissance and Baroque design with productive orchards and ancient woodlands, creating one of Spain’s most remarkable historic garden landscapes. Enjoy a light lunch before returning to Santiago.

In the early evening, experience a symbolic conclusion to the tour by walking the final few hundred metres of the Camino de Santiago into the historic heart of the city. Then, celebrate the conclusion of the tour with a special farewell dinner with Genevieve and fellow travellers at a nearby restaurant before returning to the hotel.

(BLD)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast.

For those returning home today, make your way to Santiago de Compostela Airport for suggested flights to Australia. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour, private airport transfers and travel insurance (a condition of travel).

(B)

Note: At time of publication (July 2026), most but not all garden visits were confirmed. Private owners, in particular, are reluctant to commit more than two to three months prior to the visit. Therefore, while we undertake to operate the tour as published, there may be some changes to the itinerary.