Lisbon Obidos Alcobaca Batalha Bu aco We drive to Obidos, the whitewashed medieval town many consider Portugal s most beautiful, then visit the mighty Abbey of Alcobaca, the largest church in the country, and the 14th-century Abbey of Batalha. Tonight we stay at the extravagantly decorated Palace Hotel, a 19th century hunting palace set in the heart of the woodland. Oporto is set on the banks of the River Douro. Here we visit the opulent 19th-century Stock Exchange, and the dazzling Church of San Francisco with its rich giltwork and enjoy lunch in one of the famous Port houses. Then a drive into the glorious Douro River Valley to check into our lovely hotel lying on the banks of the river.
Dinner is la carte at the hotel.
The Douro River Valley A gloriously relaxed day, with an opportunity to visit the nearby Solar de Mateus, an 18th-century house of exquisite beauty. We take a short river cruise to enjoy a vineyard lunch in the private surroundings of a Quinta winery. This evening dinner is la carte. Spain Drive to Braga to see the splendid baroque staircase at Bom Jesus, which climbs the thickly-wooded hill in a series of terraced zigzags of white plaster. Then into Spanish Galicia, a province of wild Atlantic coastlines and rich rolling forests and fields.