Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Portugal: Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais and the Arrábida Coast
7 days in one central Lisbon hotel: Belém and Alfama, Sintra at opening, the Tile Museum and a fado night, the Arrábida coast and a Setúbal dolphin boat, and the walk from Cascais to Guincho.
7 days · Round trip from Lisbon · up to 12 guests
Lisbon from the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Lisbon_from_S%C3%A3o_Pedro_de_Alc%C3%A2ntara,_20250604_1609_9354.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Lisbon
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 2.5 h on day 5No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Moderate
City walking on hills, stairs and polished cobbles: about 5 to 8 km on the Lisbon and Sintra days, and an optional 8 to 9 km flat seafront walk from Cascais to Guincho. Our vehicle drops us at the top of the steepest hills, so most of Alfama is walked downhill, and every demanding stretch can be ridden, shortened or sat out in a café.
- Meals included
- 6 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 690 (estimated price)
- Season
- All year; best March to June and September to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Jerónimos Monastery at opening, then a warm custard tart in Belém
- Tram 28 up to the castle and the walk down through Alfama
- Pena Palace at the first entry, then Quinta da Regaleira and the gardens of Monserrate
- Five centuries of tiles at the Tile Museum, and a fado dinner that evening
- The Arrábida ridge road above the sea, lunch in Setúbal and a boat out to the Sado dolphins
- The seafront walk from Cascais past Boca do Inferno to Guincho beach, then the cliffs of Cabo da Roca
- One hotel for six nights, with free evenings and a free afternoon
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 690 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 2.5 h, on day 5.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Lisbon
Lisbon Airport to your hotel in central Lisbon
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Lisbon
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), about 7 km north of the centre, where a driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the short ride to the hotel that is your base for all six nights.
Afternoon
Check-in is from mid-afternoon, so if you land early, leave your bags and walk down the Rua Augusta to the river at Praça do Comércio, the great square rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake. At 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the week: which mornings start early to beat the queues, how the out-of-town days work, and what the streets are like underfoot, since Lisbon's polished limestone paving, the calçada, is slippery in the wet.
Evening
You collect your earpiece, and we walk to a small restaurant nearby for a welcome dinner of Portuguese dishes. Plan to land by about 3 pm to reach the briefing comfortably; if you arrive later, your guide meets you at breakfast.
Included
- Pick-up at Lisbon Airport (LIS)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner near the hotel
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Belém at opening, Alfama by tram and on foot
Lisbon to Belém, then Tram 28 to São Jorge Castle and down through Alfama
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Lisbon
- Drive about 45 min
We are at the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém when it opens, ahead of the tour coaches, to walk the two-storey cloister of carved Manueline limestone, begun in 1501 with money from the spice trade, and to see Vasco da Gama's tomb in the church. The monastery and the Belém Tower were listed together by UNESCO in 1983, and we follow the river path past the Monument to the Discoveries for the view of the tower from the water's edge.
Afternoon
A warm custard tart from the Belém bakery that has baked them since 1837 comes next, then a sit-down lunch. In the afternoon we board Tram 28, the old wooden yellow tram, at its Martim Moniz terminus; the afternoon queue there can be long, so your guide holds our place while you wait nearby, and the tram grinds up through the narrow streets of Graça to the castle hill. From the walls of São Jorge Castle you see the whole city and the Tagus, then we walk downhill through Alfama's stairs and lanes to the Sé cathedral.
Evening
The evening is yours.
Included
- Jerónimos Monastery at opening, with the cloister and the church
- The Belém riverfront: the Monument to the Discoveries and the Belém Tower from outside
- A custard tart in Belém
- Sit-down lunch
- Tram 28 ride to the castle hill
- São Jorge Castle
- Guided walk down through Alfama to the Sé cathedral
Easier option: Our vehicle takes you from the castle to the Sé and the Baixa instead of the Alfama stairs.
More active option: Walk up to the castle from the Baixa instead of riding the tram, a steep 20 to 30 minutes on stairs and cobbles.
Free time: Evening free
Activity: Jerónimos is closed on Mondays, so this day never falls on a Monday. Tram 28 is busiest in the afternoon; we board at the terminus and your guide queues for the group. About 6 km on foot, mostly downhill.
Sintra at opening
Lisbon to Sintra: Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira and Monserrate, then back to Lisbon
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Lisbon
- Drive about 1.5 h
We leave at 8:15 for Sintra, about 40 minutes west, to be on the shuttle when Pena's park opens at 9:00 and inside the palace on the first timed entry at 9:30, before the hill fills with coaches. Tour vehicles cannot drive into Sintra's historic centre, so we ride the last stretch up by local shuttle.
Morning
Pena, built in the mid-19th century for King Ferdinand II on a rocky summit, is all yellow and red towers, with the Atlantic in view on a clear morning; the whole Sintra landscape has been on the UNESCO list since 1995. Next is Quinta da Regaleira, an early 20th-century estate of grottoes, tunnels and towers whose Initiation Well spirals down about 27 metres.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Sintra town, with a queijada or travesseiro pastry to follow. In the quieter afternoon we drive a few minutes west to Monserrate, a 19th-century palace in a garden of plants gathered from around the world, and are back in Lisbon by late afternoon.
Included
- Pena Palace and its park at the first entry, with the shuttle up the hill
- Quinta da Regaleira and the Initiation Well
- Sit-down lunch in Sintra
- Monserrate palace and gardens
Easier option: Skip the tunnels and stairs at Quinta da Regaleira and wait in a café in Sintra town, or stay on the flat paths near Monserrate's palace.
More active option: Walk down from Pena to Sintra town on the woodland path past the Moorish Castle walls, about 3 km and steep, instead of the shuttle.
Free time: Evening free in Lisbon
Activity: Pena's timed palace slots have no late entry, so we book the 9:30 slot and leave Lisbon at 8:15. About 7 km on foot with steep paths and stairs in Pena's park and at Regaleira.
Tiles in the morning, fado at night
The National Tile Museum, then a free afternoon in Lisbon, then a fado dinner
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Lisbon
- Drive about 30 min
A slower day in the middle of the week.
Morning
Mid-morning our vehicle takes us east along the river to the National Tile Museum, the Museu Nacional do Azulejo, housed in the Madre de Deus convent founded in 1509. Your guide walks you through five centuries of Portuguese tiles, from Moorish-style geometric patterns to blue-and-white Baroque panels and 20th-century designs, and the convent church, lined with gilded wood and tiles. The highlight is a panorama of Lisbon in blue and white, more than 20 metres long, showing the waterfront as it looked before the 1755 earthquake.
Afternoon
Back in the centre by lunchtime, the rest of the day is free: the Gulbenkian Museum's collection from Egypt to Lalique, the LX Factory market, a long lunch or a nap.
Evening
In the evening we meet again for dinner at a fado house in Alfama, where the city's own song, listed by UNESCO in 2011, is sung between courses.
Included
- National Tile Museum with your guide
- Fado dinner in Alfama
Optional experiences
- The Gulbenkian Museum
- The LX Factory market
- A tile-painting class
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: The Tile Museum is closed on Mondays, so this day never falls on a Monday.
The Arrábida coast and Setúbal by boat
Lisbon over the 25 de Abril Bridge to the Serra da Arrábida, then Setúbal and a boat on the Sado estuary
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Lisbon
- Drive about 2.5 h
We leave at 8:30 and cross the Tagus on the 25 de Abril Bridge, opened in 1966, and drive south to the Serra da Arrábida, a limestone ridge that drops straight into a clear green sea, protected as a natural park since 1976.
Morning
The ridge road runs high above the coast, past the white Arrábida Convent on the slope, and we stop at the viewpoints in the clear morning light, then go down to Portinho da Arrábida, a small cove with a fishing quay.
Afternoon
We reach Setúbal by about 11:00, while its Livramento market is still busy (most stalls wind down around midday), a a long hall lined with tile panels and full of fish, Azeitão cheese and fruit. Lunch is a sit-down meal of choco frito, the town's fried cuttlefish, with a glass of Moscatel de Setúbal. In the afternoon we board a boat on the Sado estuary to look for its resident bottlenose dolphins, out towards the Tróia sand spit, and are back on the quay by about 4:30, before the hour's drive back to Lisbon.
Included
- The Arrábida ridge road and viewpoints
- Portinho da Arrábida
- Setúbal's Livramento market with your guide
- Sit-down lunch in Setúbal with a glass of Moscatel
- Dolphin-watching boat trip on the Sado estuary, about 2.5 hours
Easier option: Skip the boat and spend the afternoon in Setúbal's old town and cafés; the vehicle collects you on the quay.
More active option: Walk a stretch of the ridge path between two Arrábida viewpoints, about 3 km with short climbs, and meet the vehicle at the next stop.
Free time: Evening free
Activity: The market is open Tuesday to Sunday in the morning, so we are there by about 11:00 and this day never falls on a Monday. This is the longest day: about 2.25 hours of driving in three legs and a 2.5-hour boat trip from about 2 pm, back on the quay before the winter sunset. In high summer private traffic is restricted on the coast road to Portinho, and we use the ridge road and the local shuttle. In winter the boat sails only in fair weather; if it cannot, we visit a Moscatel wine house in Azeitão instead. Dolphin sightings are likely but never certain.
Cascais to Guincho on foot, and Cabo da Roca
Lisbon to Cascais, the seafront path past Boca do Inferno to Guincho, then Cabo da Roca and back to Cascais
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Lisbon
- Drive about 2 h
We drive about 40 minutes west along the coast road to Cascais, the fishing town that became the royal family's summer resort in the 1870s, and start walking from the harbour. The path follows the shore past the citadel and the marina to Boca do Inferno, where the sea surges into a collapsed cave in the cliffs, then runs on a flat paved seafront track beside the Guincho road, with dunes and rocky coves on one side and the hills of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park on the other.
Afternoon
After about 8 to 9 km and two and a half to three hours of easy walking you reach Guincho, a long Atlantic beach known for its wind and kitesurfers, and a sit-down lunch of grilled fish. Our vehicle then climbs to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe, where cliffs drop about 140 metres to the sea.
Evening
The late afternoon is free in Cascais, and we drive back to Lisbon in the early evening.
Included
- Guided walk from Cascais past Boca do Inferno to Guincho beach
- Sit-down lunch at Guincho
- Cabo da Roca
- Free time in Cascais
Easier option: Walk only from Cascais to Boca do Inferno, about 2 km, and ride the rest of the way to Guincho with the vehicle.
More active option: Stay on in Cascais for dinner and take the coastal train back to Cais do Sodré in Lisbon, about 40 minutes, at your own cost.
Free time: Late afternoon free in Cascais
Activity: About 8 to 9 km on a flat paved path (we confirm the exact distance), exposed to wind and sun with little shade.
Lisbon to the airport, or on to Porto
Your hotel in central Lisbon to Lisbon Airport, or Santa Apolónia station
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
The morning is yours for a last walk: coffee and a pastry at a counter in the Baixa, a ride on the Santa Justa lift, or a final look over the city from the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint, which is lovely in the clear early light.
Afternoon
Check-out is late morning, and our vehicle takes the group to Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), about 20 minutes away, arriving around midday, in time for flights from about 2:30 pm.
Evening
Your guide checks your flight details the evening before and sees you to the terminal. If you want more of Portugal, this week works as the start of a longer trip: our Lisbon, Porto and Douro Valley route heads north, and our Alentejo and Algarve walking trip heads south, and we can drop you at Santa Apolónia station for the train or add hotel nights in between. Earlier flights need a separate transfer, which we arrange at cost.
Included
- Drop-off at Lisbon Airport (LIS) or Santa Apolónia station
Free time: Morning free
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 2:30 pm.
- Lisbon6 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Spring and autumn are mild and the best months for walking. July and August are hot and busy in Sintra and Belém, so we start early. Winter, from November to February, is mild but wetter, with short days and quiet sights: the plan stays the same, Sintra closes earlier, and the Sado boat sails only in fair weather, with a Moscatel wine house in Azeitão instead if it cannot. The Sado estuary has a resident group of bottlenose dolphins seen through the year, though sightings are never certain.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want one hotel for the week and a city they can walk out of every evening
- First-time visitors to Lisbon who want Sintra, Cascais and the Arrábida coast without hiring a car
- Solo travellers and couples who want a small group with free time built in
- A short winter break in mild weather with quiet sights
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: Lisbon, Alfama and Sintra are steep, with stairs and cobbles
- Travellers who want to see Porto, the Douro or the Algarve on one trip; see our Lisbon to Porto and Alentejo trips instead
- A beach holiday; the beaches here are visited, not stayed at
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
6 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Lisbon6 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 6 nights in one central Lisbon hotel of at least 3-star-plus standard, walkable to the Baixa and Chiado
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Lisbon Airport (LIS)
- A private air-conditioned vehicle and driver for the group on touring days
- A Tram 28 ride to the castle hill
- The shuttle up to Pena Palace in Sintra
- Dolphin-watching boat trip on the Sado estuary from Setúbal
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip, with site guides where a site requires its own
- Personal earpieces so you can hear the guide in busy places
Activities
- Lisbon: Jerónimos Monastery, the Belém riverfront, São Jorge Castle, the Alfama walk and the National Tile Museum
- A fado dinner in Alfama
- Sintra: Pena Palace and park, Quinta da Regaleira, Monserrate palace and gardens
- Arrábida: the ridge road and Portinho da Arrábida
- Setúbal: the Livramento market and the Sado dolphin boat
- The guided walk from Cascais to Guincho, and Cabo da Roca
Meals
- Breakfast daily (6)
- 4 sit-down lunches, in Belém, Sintra, Setúbal and Guincho
- Welcome dinner
- Fado dinner
Not included
- International flights to and from Lisbon
- Travel insurance
- Visa or travel authorisation fees, if they apply to you
- Lunches on days 1, 4 and 7, and dinners other than the two listed
- Drinks other than the Moscatel in Setúbal and those served with the included dinners
- Tips
- Optional activities, such as the Gulbenkian Museum or a tile-painting class
- The Cascais train if you choose to stay on there
- Personal expenses
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trip
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 690 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Six nights in one central Lisbon hotel, breakfast daily, four sit-down lunches, a welcome dinner and a fado dinner, airport transfers, a private vehicle and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every entry in the day plan: Jerónimos, São Jorge Castle, Tram 28, Pena Palace, Regaleira, Monserrate, the Tile Museum and the Sado dolphin boat.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. Everyone fits around one table at lunch and in one vehicle, and personal earpieces mean you can hear the guide in busy places such as Sintra and Alfama, where larger groups struggle.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the first evening briefing to the airport drop-off. Where a site runs its own guided tours, a site guide joins us. We name your guide when we confirm your departure.
How fit do I need to be for Lisbon and Sintra?
Moderately fit. Expect 5 to 8 km a day on hills, stairs and cobbles that are slippery when wet, plus an optional 8 to 9 km flat walk from Cascais to Guincho. Our vehicle drops us at the top of the steepest hills, and on each demanding day you can ride part of the way or wait in a café.
I am travelling solo. What does a room of my own cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 690 more on the small-group trip, and that figure is shown before you request to book, with no surprise at checkout. Solo travellers join every meal and activity on the same terms as everyone else, and free evenings are easy to share with the group if you want company.
When is the best time to go, and does it run in winter?
It runs all year. March to June and September to October are mild and the best for walking. July and August are hot and busy. From November to February the days are short and wetter but the sights are quiet; the plan stays the same, and if the Sado boat cannot sail we visit a Moscatel wine house instead.
How does booking work?
Choose a date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. The price is per person sharing a room, taxes included, from CAD 3,945 for the small group.
Can we travel privately, on our own dates, or stay in Cascais?
Yes. The trip also runs as a private trip for your party only, with your own guide and vehicle, on a date you choose, and a private trip can be based in Cascais by the sea instead of Lisbon. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same plan without a guide.
Do I need a visa for Portugal?
Canadian, US, UK and Australian citizens do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen area. Your fingerprints and photo are recorded at the border under the EU's Entry/Exit System, and we tell you when you book if the new ETIAS authorisation applies.
Will we see dolphins in Setúbal?
Very likely, but not certainly. The Sado estuary has a small resident group of bottlenose dolphins, one of the few in Europe, and the boat goes out to where they usually feed between Setúbal and the Tróia peninsula. The boat trip is worth it for the estuary and the Arrábida hills from the water even on a day they stay hidden.
Is there a free day, and can I add Porto?
Day 4 afternoon is free, as are most evenings and the last morning. For a full free day, add a night before or after the trip at the same hotel. To continue north, our Lisbon, Porto and Douro Valley trip starts in Lisbon; we can drop you at the station or link the two with an extra night.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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