It opened my eyes to this little corner of Europe. Porto is my favorite city and I would return there for another vacation. "My favorite moment of this trip was traveling by bus through Portugal and watching green mountains. Harvesting cork, olives, grapes, pine nuts on the Garcia estate was wonderful. 9 Day Tour Lisbon to Lisbon ACTIVE PACE . Accommodations were wonderful with character and charm. The cities were fun but we also enjoyed the country side as well.
A perfect experienceThis was one of the best Rick Steve's tours we have ever taken. We loved the whole experience. I couldn't have asked for anything better. We found our fellow travelers compatible, friendly, interested and interesting. We had so much fun with all my fellow tour travelers! Learned a lot about the culture and history. It was well done and very educational. Loved the night Fátima surprised us with a party on the terrace including live music, dancing and dinner.
It turned out to e a very memorable trip. Partaking in the grape smashing ritual as well as the delectable meal prepared for us were also magical moments. It absolutely lived up to my expectations. "My 1st guided tour & definitely the way to go. Francis. I really liked the cork farm and winery tours. Beautiful, and a wonderful presentation of the underlying agronomy and management. Highlights were the cork farm experience, the winery and the food tour we took in Porto. The hotels and meals we had were excellent (as was the wine and port we had with meals!) Seeing how the products were made made me appreciate products which I then purchased and love. Excellent people skills and organizational talent. the 2 Fado performances, the visit to the cork farm, and the food tour to mention just a few. It was so rich and filled with hope and faith and awe. On a Globus tour of Portugal, you might stroll through medieval Obidos, visit the tomb of explorer Vasco da Gama at Lisbon’s Jeronimos Monastery, marvel at Conimbriga’s Roman ruins, or tour Henry the Navigator's Promontory of Sagres near Cape St. Vincent. She did an excellent job of integrating the history, culture, food, wine and music into our stops. "The winery visit was a highlight. "Wow 1- The Douro Valley is the most stunning wine region I have ever visited and no pictures can do it justice. They are friendly, helpful and heartwarming. Her reputation for being a super tour guide is very well deserved. "Maria knows Portugal & showed us her beautiful country and the people. I enjoyed the culture of the country and the complex history. "I will try to explain this. Experiencing the Roman ruins in Conimbriga and seeing the floor tile mosaics with Raphael setting the scene was fantastic...and I've seen a lot of Roman ruins all over Europe! The group of travelers was exceptionally compatible. Because the country is smaller than other trips the the time in the bus appeared to be much less than other trips. A great exposure to Portugal culture, history, landscape, and people. It was an edifying experience. So much to see. AND another great lunch! The tour was capped off with a lovely meal. The wine tour was also excellent. I am not Catholic, nor did I have any knowledge of the story behind Fatima, but this was a very moving, special experience. My only issue was that we began the day too early for me. "Group size was TOO LARGE. "My "wow" moments were Rafael's passionate, eyes-closed renditions of poems about Portugal and what it means to be Portuguese. We also found the cork farm to be very interesting, and we really enjoyed the lunch there. I was TOTALLY impressed and it ended up with Porto being my favorite city we toured. "As with all of the RS tours there is always more than one"wow"moment.For this tour,the Monastery of Santa Maria in the town of Batalha was filled with beauty-from its exterior to the magnificent unfinished chapel with the light from the sky shining through.The second "wow" moment was the Douro Valley-driving through the valley with our smiling bus driver Ricardo,who did a fantastic job.Seeing the valley & staying at the magnificent Vintage House Hotel-Ohhh such beauty and memorable times.WOW!!!