Portugal Family Journey: Porto, Nazare and Lisbon
Itinerary
Welcome to Porto–your arrival transfer to the hotel is included. Check in and get excited to meet your fellow travellers during a welcome meeting this evening where all families can bond before the Journey ahead. We recommend arriving a day or two early to fully explore this lively city. There are no planned activities until an evening welcome meeting.
- Arrival Transfer: You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.
- Welcome Moment - Meet Your Expedition Leader and Group: Your opportunity to meet your National Geographic Expedition Leader and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Kick off your adventure on an orientation walk led by your National Geographic Expedition Leader, following winding lanes past Porto's historic landmarks and granite architecture. The afternoon is yours to explore at your family's own pace, browsing atmospheric bookstores together or zipping through the city's hilly streets on an optional tuk-tuk ride. Later, head to the World of Wine cultural space for a hands-on workshop where kids and parents join forces to craft chocolate cake-pops together.
- Orientation Walk With National Geographic Expedition Leader: Set out on an exciting orientation walk through Porto alongside your Expedition Leader! Together, your family will get your bearings in this vibrant city while learning how to explore like true adventurers. As you wander down historic cobblestone streets your Expedition Leader will point out colorful tiled buildings, share stories about local traditions, and point out great family-friendly spots to return to later.
- Free Time: Enjoy the remainder of the afternoon and evening free to do as you please with your family. Explore more of Porto together or choose to partake in some of the locally offered optional activities.
- WOW (The World of Wine) Visit: WOW is famous for celebrating Portugal's heritage and wine regions, it is also home to The Chocolate Story museum. Here, a family-friendly workshop invites children and adults to work directly with chocolate. Guided by expert chocolatiers, participants engage their senses, learn fun culinary techniques, create custom treats, and take home their delicious homemade creations.
Head south to Aveiro, Portugal's coastal town woven with waterways, for a cruise aboard a colourful, traditional moliceiro boat. Taste local pastries and sip refreshing drinks as you drift past brightly painted waterfront houses. Afterwards, take a short walk through town with your Expedition Leader and sit down for a fresh local lunch. Continue your journey to the coastal town of Nazaré, then ride the historic funicular railway up to the cliffside Sítio neighbourhood for vast ocean views before heading to your hotel for an evening at your leisure.
- Aveiro Moliceiro Boat Ride: Gliding through the urban canals of Aveiro—often called the "Venice of Portugal"—aboard a traditional moliceiro boat offers a scenic view of the city's heritage. Originally built with low hulls and flat bottoms to harvest moliço (lagoon seaweed) for agricultural fertiliser, these wooden vessels are famous for their vibrant colors and hand-painted bow decorations featuring local humor, folk art, and satire.
- Orientation Walk With National Geographic Expedition Leader: Nazaré is a coastal village famous for its dramatic seaside cliffs, rich fishing traditions, and the legendary underwater canyon that creates some of the largest surfable waves in the world at Praia do Norte. An orientation walk with your Expedition Leader connects the historic hilltop district of Sítio with the vibrant beach promenade below, offering families an engaging mix of local culture and coastal geography.
This morning, meet a local big wave surfer to hear stories about riding Nazaré's giant ocean waves. Next, head into a protected bay for a surf or stand-up paddleboard lesson tailored to the day's conditions. Enjoy free time for lunch at a beachside café, stroll the sand, or visit the cliffside surf museum. Tonight, kids paint traditional Portuguese blue-and-white azulejo tiles while parents settle in for a relaxing dinner nearby.
- Meet a Big Wave Surfer with Surfing Lesson: Step face-to-face with a real-life ocean adventurer in Nazaré, home to some of the largest surfable waves on Planet Earth! During this interactive family encounter, your family will meet an active big-wave surfer to discover what it takes to ride giant swells. Hear first-hand stories of courage, rigorous physical training, and ocean safety, then ask your own questions about specialised equipment and the mental focus needed to tackle nature's giants. After hearing from a big-wave legend, it's time for your family to hit the water! Head to a protected, beginner-friendly beach nearby, gear up in wetsuits, and join certified local instructors for a hands-on surfing lesson tailored to all skill levels.
- Free Time: Enjoy free time-beach time in the surf capital of the world.
- Azulejo Tile Painting & Dinner: While parents unwind over a quiet, relaxing dinner at the hotel, young travelers head off for a hands-on cultural and culinary adventure of their own. Drawing inspiration from Portugal's iconic blue-and-white azulejo tiles seen throughout the journey, kids step into an interactive tile-painting workshop. Using Nazaré’s towering ocean waves, maritime legends, and rich fishing heritage as their muse, each young artist paints a custom ceramic tile to bring home as a cherished souvenir. Afterward, the group sits down together to share a delicious, traditional Portuguese dinner featuring fresh local fish and fries.
Travel toward Lisbon, stopping along the way in Óbidos. Walk along ancient castle ramparts and stone towers in this fully intact medieval town before continuing to the capital. Enjoy a relaxed lunch together before climbing aboard the HippoTrip amphibious bus. Tour Lisbon's historic streets listening to local legends that reveal the city's highlights and hidden gems along the way. Then, hold on as your bus transforms into a boat and plunges directly into the Tagus River. Spend the evening exploring the city's neighbourhoods at your own pace.
- Orientation Walk With National Geographic Expedition Leader: Step back into the Middle Ages as your family explores the enchanting walled town of Óbidos alongside your National Geographic Expedition Leader! Together, get your bearings while navigating a maze of picturesque cobblestone streets framed by whitewashed houses and vibrant bougainvillea. Your Expedition Leader will point out historic details hidden in plain sight—from ancient stone archways to traditional craft shops—and share captivating stories about the medieval monarchs who once gifted this romantic town to their queens.
- Lunch at Mezze Restaurant: Mezze in Lisbon empowers immigrant and refugee communities through culinary job training while serving guests a family-style feast of authentic regional specialties, fresh flatbreads, and traditional flavorful dips.
- Hippo Trip Lisbon: Climb aboard the HippoTrip, an amphibious vehicle that turns from a city bus into a riverboat! For 90 action-packed minutes, your family will travel past historic monuments before making a splash directly into the Tagus River for 25 minutes of water-bound exploration. Guided by energetic animators, this tour trades traditional lectures for interactive myths, local legends, and lively humor that will have the whole family cheering.
- Free Time: Enjoy a free evening in Lisbon.
Drive to the coastal town of Cascais for free time to walk its seaside boardwalks and feel the ocean spray. Continue along the coast to Cabo da Roca, stopping at its historic lighthouse to take in sweeping views from the westernmost edge of continental Europe. In the afternoon, take a guided family tour through the colourful, fairytale-like towers of Pena Palace in Sintra before returning to Lisbon for a relaxed evening.
- Orientation Walk With National Geographic Expedition Leader: Set out on an engaging coastal orientation walk through Cascais alongside your Expedition Leader! Together, your family will get your bearings in this seaside town, stepping from historic cobblestone streets onto scenic Atlantic promenades. As you wander past grand 19th-century mansions and traditional mosaic-tiled plazas, your Expedition Leader will share stories of how Cascais evolved from a quiet fishing village into a royal summer retreat.
- Cabo da Roca: Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point of continental Europe, where dramatic 140-meter-high granite cliffs plunge into the churning Atlantic Ocean. Famous for its sweeping coastal vistas, historic red-and-white lighthouse, and stone monument inscribed with the words of poet Luís de Camões (“where the land ends and the sea begins”), it is a striking place where geography and story meet.
- Pena Palace and Park Guided Visit: Situated in the hills of Sintra, Pena Palace and its surrounding park are one of the greatest expressions of 19th-century romanticism in Portugal. With clear Manueline influence and Moorish architectural styles, the palace is built in a such a way as to be visible from any point in the park. Tour the Palace and park and learn about the Palace's origins and influences throughout Portuguese history.
Team up for an interactive scavenger hunt through Alfama, Lisbon's oldest neighbourhood. Solve riddles together as you navigate Praça do Comércio, Carmo Convent, and the Fantastic World of Portuguese Sardines. Rest up at the hotel before gathering with your fellow travelling families for a final dinner together.
- Lisbon Scavenger Hunt: Embark on a fun scavenger hunt through Lisbon! Follow clues to find famous locations like Praça do Comércio and the Rua Augusta Arch. Your journey will take you to a square that feels like a fairy tale. You'll hunt for a quirky shop dedicated to sardines, a historic church, and a beautiful, mysterious ruined church.
- Free Time: Enjoy your last afternoon in Lisbon.
Depart at any time.
Trip Inclusions
- Explore Porto.
- Nazare and Lisbon.
- Enjoy a traditional moliceiro boat ride in Averio.
- Walk along ancient castle ramparts in Obidos.
- Take a HippoTrip amphibious bus.
- Sintra's storybook Pena palace on a guided tour.
- Visit Cascais.
- Paint traditional Portuguese blue-and-white azulejo tiles.
- Your G for Good Moment: Lunch at Mezze Restaurant, Lisbon
- Your Welcome Moment: Meet Your Expedition Leader and Group Made Together Moment: WOW (The World of Wine) Visit, Porto
- Your Family Journeys Moment: Meet a Big Wave Surfer with Surfing Lesson, Nazaré Junior Explorer's Night: Azulejo Tile Painting & Dinner, Nazaré
- Your Family Journeys Moment: Lisbon Scavenger Hunt, Lisbon
- Arrival Transfer
- Expedition Leader led orientation walks of Porto, Aveiro, Obidos, Nazare, Lisbon
- Traditional moliceiro boat cruise
- Hop on a Hippo Trip amphibious bus and tour Lisbon's historic streets listening to local legends that reveal the city's highlights and hidden gems
- Cascais and its seaside boardwalks
- All transport to/from included activities
- Private vehicle, boat, walking
- Two National Geographic Expedition Leaders throughout
- Hotels – 7 nts
- 7 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners
- Accommodation, itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
- Price is for land, cruise and internal flights as specified. Flights not specified are not included.
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Dates & Pricing
The Great Adventurers Club
GJ Loyalty Discount
A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you Enquire. Additional savings may apply. T&C’s apply.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by G Adventures. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
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