Private tours in Lisbon & surroundings
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Setubal, Evora, Vila Viçosa, Estremoz - full day
Personalized booking
Program
Cross the bridge “25 Abril” over Tagus river, and have a superb view of Lisbon.
Stop at Setubal, an important fishing harbour, where once again we can admire
the typical Portuguese fishing boats.
Drive across the largest cork region in the world for an exciting journey into the past.
In Evora, capital of Alentejo, called the “town museum”, stop at Saint Francis church
where you can see the “chapel of the bones”, made with thousands of human
skeletons.
A walk along its streets will help you enjoy this typical town considered World
Heritage by UNESCO, with narrow streets decorated with manors, white washed
houses and antique palaces and churches.
Stop at the Diana Temple, the best well preserved Roman temple in Portugal and
time to see the Romanesque Gothic Cathedral, the biggest in Portugal.
Not far, the centenary University, where you can mingle with students and admire this
superb XVI century building.
Proceed to Vila Viçosa, inhabited by the Romans, Visigoths and Moors. In the early
14th century, King Dinis I built a castle in the village and in 1502 began the building
of the Ducal Palace, remodelled between the 16th and 17th centuries in a sober late
Renaissance style. Free time to see the palace.
On the way back to Lisbon, we stop at Estremoz. The region has been inhabited
since pre-historic times. King Dinis rebuilt the castle as a Royal Palace, turning the
village into an important political centre. Estremoz is internationally known for its fine
to medium-grained marble that occurs in several colours. There is so much marble
around Estremoz that it is used everywhere; even the doorsteps, pavements and the
cobble stones are made out of marble.
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...With a beautifully untouched provincial atmosphere, fascinating whitewashed old town, Evora
has been a cultural oasis for 2,000 years.
Part of the town is enclosed by ancient walls and has been preserved in its original state, as well
as its monuments dating from various historical periods. It was known by the Romans and
vestiges from this period still remain. Évora was wrested from the moors by a Christian Knight
and flourished as one of the most dynamic cities in the Kingdom of Portugal during Middle Ages.
The court was resident here for long spells and Évora became the scene where many important
decisions were made. During the XIV, XV and XVI centuries, it was formerly a major center for
the humanities.
The university was founded in 1551, and it was here that great European Masters passed on their
knowledge. The many monuments erected by the major artists of each period now testify to
Évora's lively cultural, artistic and historical past. The variety of architectural styles (roman,
gothic, manueline, mannerist, baroque), the palaces and even the squares and narrow streets are
all part of the rich heritage of this museum-city...
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