Portugal by Rail Tour
 May
10-24, 2008
Tour from $3649.00
TOUR SOLD-OUT, but other dates may be available. Ask us for
details.
Join us in spring for this wonderful tour, operated
jointly by Rail Travel Center and our English partners, PTG Tours, a
long-time specialist for train travel in Portugal. This fully-escorted
tour showcases the historic cities of
Lisbon and
Porto; the beautiful Douro River Valley; and the stunningly beautiful hill towns of
Sintra, Amarante, Villa Real and
Mirandela. We tour royal palaces and
chateaus, taste fine wines, and cruise the Douro River on this
excellent tour, escorted by Graham Garnell. Graham is a full-time
English resident of Portugal, an expert in its culture and traditions,
and a specialist in Portugal’s unique railway heritage. Four and
five-star hotels are used throughout the tour, all with private bath.
Only four hotels are used during the tour, with three hotels enjoyed
for relaxing four-night stays. There are no one night stays!
 As always, train travel is central to the tour. We
ride the historic trams (street car lines) of Lisbon, Sintra and Porto
and travel on three different narrow-gauge railways in the Douro River
country, including a very scenic journey to Villa Real behind an
operating steam locomotive. Main line journeys are unusually
comfortable in Portugal, as the long-distance lines were built to a
spacious 5-foot, 6-inch broad gauge. We also ride the high-speed “Alfa Pendolino” tilt trains from Lisbon to Porto and the slower, scenic
lines through the Douro Valley and to the northern coast. A special
steam trip along one of the wildest stretches of the Douro River line
is a tour highlight.
Rail Travel Center Vice President/General Manager
Carl Fowler experienced a PTG tour of Portugal in June 2004 and was
very impressed with the excellent combination of classic sightseeing
and unique train and tram touring. We look forward to sharing this
wonderful country with our clients. Portugal is clean, friendly,
highly historic and hauntingly beautiful. Once this tiny country ruled
an empire encompassing a third of the known world. Come explore its
treasures! Complete details follow. All aboard!
 Day One, Saturday, May 10 (D)
Arrive in
Lisbon, Portugal. Today is a free day for
your own exploration or just to relax around the hotel. We have an
evening welcome dinner in a typical Portuguese restaurant. Our hotel
is the Tivoli Tejo, where we stay the next four nights.
Day Two, Sunday, May 11 (B)
Tram to Belem; National Palace of Ajuda; Botanical
Gardens; Castelo de Sao Jorge.
A short metro journey from the hotel takes us to the
start of tram route 15 for a journey along the waterfront to the area
of Belém. Here we visit the 16th-century
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, the
Tomb of Vasco da Gama, the Cloisters, and the tiled Refectory. A short
walk from the monastery is the tropical garden, a peaceful park with
ponds and waterfowl containing many rare tropical trees and plants.
After time for lunch in one of the local restaurants, we take another
vintage tramcar to the area of Ajuda. Here we visit the Neo-Classical
19th-century
National Palace of Ajuda. No expense was spared on this
former royal residence, including the extraordinary Saxe Room in which
every piece of furniture is decorated with Meissen porcelain. We also
have time to relax in the nearby Botanical Gardens. These were laid
out on two levels in 1768 and include a 400-year-old dragon tree and
geometrical box hedged gardens. Rejoining the vintage tram, we travel
across the city to the Moorish
Castelo de São Jorge. This castle,
which dominates the city skyline, offers the best views of the city.
There are also pleasant gardens within the walls and a 12th-century
church. We return to our hotel in early evening.
Day Three, Monday, May 12 (B)
Train to Benfica; Palacio Fronteira; Palacio de
Queluz; National Tile Museum. We travel by local train to the suburb
of Benfica. A short walk brings us to the 17th-century
Palácio
Fronteira. This delightful country manor house was built as a hunting
pavilion for João de Mascarenhas in 1640. Even today it occupies a
quiet rural spot. The palace is still occupied by the 12th Marquis,
and both the house and gardens have excellent azulejo (tile)
decorations. Here we can see the library, several living rooms and the
16th-century chapel, as well as the formal gardens. After a break, we
continue on to the
Palácio de Queluz. This former hunting lodge was
converted into a summer palace in 1747. Highlights include the Sala
dos Embaixadores (ambassador’s room) with its gold painted walls and
ceiling, the royal family living rooms, Throne Room, royal bedroom and
the hanging gardens. Also in the grounds is the unique azulejo (tile)
lined canal.
From Queluz our coach takes us across the city to
the Convento da Madre. The cloisters of this 16th-century convent now
provide a stunning setting for the
National Tile Museum. Tile panels
are displayed throughout the convent and date back to the Moorish
occupation of the 15th-century. Here we also can see the 16th-century
church of Madre de Deus with its ornate decoration. We return to our
hotel in early evening.
 Day Four, Tuesday, May 13 (B)
Train to Sintra; Palacio Nacional de Sintra; Palacio
da Pena; Palace of Monserrate; Sintra tramway. Again with our own
private VIP railcar, we visit the stunning Serra setting of
Sintra,
described by Lord Byron in 1809: ''Lo! Sintra's glorious Eden
intervenes in variegated maze of mount and glen''. This National Park
and World Heritage Site is an area of wooded ravines and fresh water
springs and was a favorite summer retreat for the former kings of
Portugal.
We take a local train from Oriente station for our
one-hour journey to Sintra. Here we have a pleasant walk down through
the woods to the cobbled streets of the old town and the
Palácio
Nacional de Sintra. This royal palace was built by João I in the late
14th century and became the favorite summer retreat for the royal
court, continuing as a residence until the 1880s. The plain façade is
dominated by the giant conical chimneys above the former kitchens. We
see the magnificent Sala dos Cisnes banqueting hall, chapel, kitchens
and the majestic Sala dos Brasões with its domed ceiling and tiled
walls.
After time for lunch in one of the many restaurants
in the town, we are taken by road to the Pena Palace. The
Palácio da
Pena stands on one of the highest peaks of the Serra de Sintra and
looks like something out of a fairy tale. It was built in the
19th-century for the young Queen Maria II, in an eclectic medley of
architectural styles. With the declaration of the Republic in 1910,
the palace became a museum, preserved as it was when the royal family
lived here. Among the many areas we visit are the Arab Room, chapel,
cloisters, Manual II’s bedroom, ballroom and kitchens. Surrounding the
palace is a huge park with hidden gazebos, follies and fountains. From
the Pena Palace, our coach takes us a short distance to the third of
the great palaces of Sintra, the
Palace of Monserrate. The highlight
here is the wild and romantic garden of this once magnificent estate.
This fantastic Moorish style palace was abandoned in 1856 and now
stands eerily empty. We have free time here to explore the gardens at
our own pace.
Returning to Sintra we have a special trip on the
restored
Sintra Tramway. This tramway was opened in 1904 and
originally ran the 16km (approximately 10 miles) from the town of Sintra down to the coastal resort of Praia das Maças (Apple Beach). In
recent years the tramway has been restored, and the original tramcars
now once again operate virtually the whole of the original route. Our
tramcar will take us down through the pine trees of this upper class
residential area to the beach and back before our coach returns us to
our hotel in Lisbon.
Day Five, Wednesday, May 14 (B,D)
Train to Porto. Leaving Lisbon, we travel north by
modern inter-city train to the fine city of Oporto (Porto). Here we
are met by our luxury coach, which takes us to the 4-star
Estalagem
Porto Antigo for a two-night stay. Our hotel is on the banks of the Douro River at Mosteiro in a setting reminiscent of an Alpine lake.
There also is the option of making the journey from Porto by rail
while our coach takes our luggage on to the hotel. In the evening,
dinner is included in the hotel restaurant.
Day Six, Thursday, May 15 (B)
Train up Tamega River to Amarante; vineyards visit.
This morning we ride the train a short distance to the lovely country
station of Livracao. Here we transfer to the metre- gauge Tamega line
for a journey up the Tamega River. Our destination is the pretty
riverside town of Amarante, one of the gems of northern Portugal.
Here, rows of 17th-century mansions with brightly painted balconies
line the narrow streets. There is time to visit the Monastery and
other sites during our guided walk around town. We then board our
coach for a short journey to the vineyards at
Quinta da Aveleda, one
of the region’s top Vinho Verde estates. Our coach takes us back to
Penafiel station for our rail journey back to Mosteiro, where we
arrive in early evening.
Day Seven, Friday, May 16 (B,D)
Vintage rail ride; Casa de Mateus; vineyard tour and
dinner. Today’s special train ride is on the wonderful "Corgo" narrow
gauge line. It winds its way up the Corgo River valley from Regua to
the provincial capital of Vila Real, including a famous horseshoe bend
where the railway doubles back on itself. This is definitely one of
the great railway journeys of the world. We have our own special
vintage train. Depending on the fire risk situation, this train will
be hauled by a vintage steam or diesel locomotive. At the end of this
breathtaking journey, we travel a short distance by road to the Casa
de Mateus for a visit to the splendid manor house and gardens.
Returning to Vila Real, we have free time in town to visit the shops.
A pleasant ten-minute stroll takes us back to the station, where our
vintage train waits to take us back down the valley to Regua. This
evening we visit the wonderful Quinta da Casa Amarela vineyard for a
guided tour and dinner. We stay at the four star
Regua Douro Hotel on
the banks of the river for four nights.
Day Eight, Saturday, May 17 (B)
Vintage rail ride. This morning is free. In the
afternoon we ride another steam-hauled vintage train. This restored
vintage train is formed of 2-8-4T locomotive 0186 built in 1925 and
five wooden-bodied carriages of a similar age. We travel up the river
through breathtaking scenery of terraced vineyards and olive trees to
the riverside station at Tua (about a 90 minute run). En route we stop
for water at the picturesque riverside town of Pinhao. Many of the
most famous names in port wine production have quintas close to the
railway station, which is decorated with dazzling tile panels
depicting scenes from bygone days of port production. On board, we are
treated to traditional singing and served local delicacies and port
wine. We then return on the steam hauled special to Regua.
 Day
Nine, Sunday, May 18 (B,L)
River cruise on the Douro River; train back to Regua.
This morning we board our river cruiser at the dock by our hotel.
Travelling up-river, we pass through three of the dams built in the
1970s to tame this once-wild river. One of the locks we pass through
is 32 metres deep (approximately 100 feet) and is an unforgettable
experience. This is a stunning valley of steep terraced vineyards and
dramatic rock cliffs. A full three-course included lunch with wine is
served on board. At Pocinho, we leave the boat and return to Regua by
train.
Day Ten, Monday, May 19 (B)
Train ride on the Tua Valley Line. We depart from
Regua and journey back up the Douro to Tua. Here we join our train on
the metre-gauge
"Tua Valley" line. This is the most spectacular line
in Portugal, as our train hugs the side of the rocky ravine and climbs
for over an hour-and-a-half through a wild and unspoiled area of tiny
isolated villages. We arrive at the important town of Mirandela, which
has a restored Roman bridge. There is free time here for our own
exploration and lunch. In early afternoon we return to Regua by
motorcoach. The late afternoon and evening are at leisure.
Day Eleven, Tuesday, May 20 (B,L)
Cruise to Porto. In late morning we join our river
cruiser and go down river through the picturesque port wine area of
steep terraced vineyards which stretch down to the water,s edge. A
full three-course lunch is served on board before we pass through the
famous
Carrapatelo dam. At 35 metres deep (about 115 feet), this is
one of the deepest navigable dams in the world, an experience not to
be missed. We continue down river and pass through the smaller
Crestuma Dam. We are now in an area of woodlands, small vineyards and
river beaches. In late afternoon we arrive in the fine city of Porto
and see this ancient city from the river. Porto has a fine collection
of bridges, two of which were built by Eiffel. We overnight in Porto
at the
Dom Henrique Hotel for the next four nights.
Day Twelve, Wednesday, May 21 (B)
Leaving the hotel in mid-morning, we have a
leisurely walk down through the historic medieval quarter of the city
to the Ribeira district, where we join our vintage tram for a trip on
the remaining route along the waterfront to the tramway museum. After
time for lunch, we visit Taylor’s port lodge for a port tasting. The
afternoon is free for exploration of the city.
Day Thirteen, Thursday, May 22 (B) Tour Porto
Free day in Porto or train trip to Viana do Castelo.
Today is unstructured for our own exploration of Porto. Alternatively,
we can go by rail to visit the important city of
Viana do Castelo in
the Minho region. There is time to explore this unspoiled city (lined
with Manueline, Renaissance and Baroque mansions) and to enjoy an
independent lunch
in one of the many excellent restaurants here. We return to Porto in
early evening.
Day Fourteen, Friday, May 23 (B,D)
Narrow gauge railway museum; Guimaraes. Our first
stop this morning is Lousado where we have a visit to the narrow gauge
railway museum before we continue on to Linha de Guimarães, a pleasant
45-minute journey along the Vizela river. At Guimarães, there is time
to explore this well-preserved medieval town famed as the birthplace
of the nation. We also visit the superbly preserved 10th-century
castle and the palace of Paço dos Duques before returning to Porto.
This evening our Farewell Dinner will be at a popular local restaurant
near the hotel.
Day Fifteen, Saturday, May 24 (B)
Tour ends; depart from Porto. Our coach returns us
to the Porto airport for our morning flights.
 TOUR PRICES include all rail, tram, coach, and boat
fares; meals and admissions noted as included above; all hotels;
transfers beginning with arrival at the airport in Lisbon (before
noon) to the Porto airport on Day 15; escort services; and luggage
handling. Please note checked baggage service is not offered on the
train between Lisbon and Porto. You must be able to handle your own
bags on and off this train. Luggage carts are available, and the
escort can help. All other bag transfers done by bus. Not included are
such personal items as alcoholic beverages and souvenirs. Lisbon-Porto
travel is in First Class, but the narrow gauge lines offer only Second
Class seating.
$3649.00 per person, double occupancy
$4449.00 single occupancy
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