Art & Design of Portugal

(8 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Lisbon & Sintra, Porto

This exclusive private Portugal tour features in-depth touring of Portugal's wonderful art and design—from the traditional to the cutting-edge—in Lisbon, Sintra and Porto. It includes private touring of cultural highlights, leading museums and fascinating architecture that reflects the country's complex history, as well as private visits to crafts workshops, azulejo tile factories and upscale boutiques offering the finest work by Portuguese craftspeople. The tour also features the best of Portuguese food and wine, including private wine tasting in the Douro Valley, and accommodation at the country's top hotels.

Experience Lisbon as an insider during private touring with an expert local guide. Tour the historic Alfama district, the sophisticated Bairro Alto and Lapa districts and the riverside Belem district. See St. George’s Castle, Mosteiro dos Jeronimos monastery, Belem Tower and other impressive monuments of Moorish and Manueline architecture. Browse select shops offering Portuguese specialties such as azulejo tiles, embroidered linens, Indo-Portuguese furniture, gold jewelry, Portuguese design products and antiques. Sample local food specialties such as pasteis de nata custard tarts. Also tour museums according to your interests, including options such as the National Tile Museum, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, the National Coach Museum and the Museum of Folk Art. Other touring options include vibrant food markets, botanical gardens, scenic viewpoints overlooking the city and a private appointment to visit the Ricardo do Espirito Santo Silva Foundation, which is dedicated to the preservation and reproduction of traditional Portuguese design and decorative art. Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can arrange dinner reservations at Lisbon's best restaurants or a memorable fado music performance at a local club.

One day, enjoy a private excursion to Sintra, an aristocratic town of fairy-tale palaces and gardens among forested hills. During private touring in this UNESCO World Heritage Site, visit highlights including the romantic National Palace of Pena, the spectacular National Palace of Sintra and the narrow streets in the historic center of the town, including the former Jewish quarter. Also visit other beautiful palaces and gardens in and around Sintra.

Next, you will be privately transferred to Porto. En route, stop at favorite locations along Portugal’s Porcelain Route, including picturesque villages with buildings covered in colorful tiles.

Continue to Porto, the capital of Port wine and a city with a fascinating mix of architectural styles, including Roman, medieval, Baroque and contemporary. Stay in a luxurious hotel on a hillside overlooking wine cellars and the Douro River. During private touring, explore the historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See highlights such as the Palacio da Bolsa (Stock Exchange), the Se do Porto (Porto Cathedral), palaces and gardens, attractions covered with beautiful tiles, and the Livraria Lello, a historic bookstore with ornate woodwork. Browse specialty shops selling porcelain and Portuguese design products and local crafts. Also see interesting contemporary architecture such as the Serralves Museum by Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza and Casa da Musica by Rem Koolhaas. Artisans of Leisure will also arrange a private tour and Port tasting at one of the city’s most renowned cellars.

This tour can easily be extended to include time at a luxury beach resort in the Algarve, or with cultural touring in nearby Spain or Morocco.