Portugal for three generations: Lisbon, Porto and the Douro Valley

1. Day 1: Arrive in Lisbon

   Lisbon Airport to your hotel in central Lisbon

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Early welcome dinner
   • Stay in Lisbon
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), about 7 km north of the centre, where a driver meets your family in the arrivals hall for the short ride to the hotel. Family and connecting rooms are requested for every party when we confirm your dates. Check-in is from mid-afternoon, so if you land early, leave your bags and walk down to the river at Praça do Comércio, the great arcaded square that opens onto the Tagus, or watch the yellow trams grind up the hills of the old quarters. At about 5:30 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets everyone, grandparents and children included, for a short briefing: how the days are paced, which mornings start early to beat the queues, and why shoes with grip matter on Lisbon's polished stone paving. Then we walk a few minutes to an early welcome dinner of Portuguese dishes, with simple grilled chicken or fish for children who want it, and everyone is back at the hotel by about 8 pm.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Lisbon Airport (LIS)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Early welcome dinner

   Free time: Free until the early-evening briefing

   Activity: Plan to land by about 3 pm to reach the briefing; the exact time comes with your final itinerary.

   

2. Day 2: Belém at opening, then the Oceanário

   Lisbon to Belém, then the Oceanário in Parque das Nações, and back via the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Lisbon
   Day 2 details

   Our vehicle has us at the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém when it opens, ahead of the tour coaches. The two-storey cloister of carved limestone, begun in 1501 with money from the spice trade, is full of carved ropes, sea creatures and faces for children to find, and Vasco da Gama's tomb lies in the church. The monastery and the Belém Tower were listed together by UNESCO in 1983; we walk the flat river path past the Monument to the Discoveries to see the tower from the water's edge. A warm custard tart from the Belém bakery that has made them since 1837 comes next. Late morning, as the day heats up, we drive about 25 minutes to the indoor, air-conditioned Oceanário de Lisboa, where one huge central tank holds sharks, rays and shoals of fish; sea otters and penguins have long been part of the exhibits, and we reconfirm what is on show when we book. Lunch is a sit-down meal in Parque das Nações. On the way back the vehicle stops briefly at the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint, and we are at the hotel by about 3 pm. The afternoon and evening are free.

   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
   • The Oceanário de Lisboa
   • Sit-down lunch in Parque das Nações
   • A short stop at the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint

   Optional experiences

   • São Jorge Castle
   • The cable car along the river in Parque das Nações

   Easier option: Skip the riverfront walk and wait at a café in Belém; the Oceanário has benches in front of the main tank, and the afternoon is a rest at the hotel.

   More active option: Walk the riverside promenade from the Oceanário towards the Vasco da Gama Bridge while others sit in the shade.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free from about 3 pm

   Activity: Jerónimos is closed on Mondays, so this day never falls on a Monday. About 4 km on foot, all of it flat, and the Oceanário is indoors. Sea otter and penguin exhibits are reconfirmed at booking.

   

3. Day 3: Sintra's palaces and a Cascais beach

   Lisbon to Sintra, then Cascais, and back to Lisbon along the coast

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Lisbon
   Day 3 details

   We leave at 8:45 for Sintra, about 40 minutes west, to be at Pena Palace for the first entry of the day. Tour vehicles cannot drive into Sintra's historic centre, so we ride the last stretch up the hill by local shuttle. Pena, built in the mid-19th century for King Ferdinand II on a rocky summit, looks like a storybook castle in yellow and red, with the Atlantic in view on a clear morning; the Sintra landscape has been on the UNESCO list since 1995. Next is Quinta da Regaleira, an early 20th-century estate of grottoes, tunnels and stepping stones whose Initiation Well spirals down about 27 metres, the place children talk about afterwards; anyone who has walked enough waits in a café in town. Lunch is a sit-down meal in Sintra, with a queijada pastry to follow. Then we drive about 30 minutes straight down to Cascais for an unhurried beach afternoon on one of its small sandy bays in town, with ice cream on the promenade, before the coast road back to Lisbon.

   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
   • A beach afternoon in Cascais

   Optional experiences

   • Sunbed and umbrella hire in Cascais
   • Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe, as a private add-on stop

   Easier option: Pena and Cascais only: after the palace terraces, skip Quinta da Regaleira and wait in a café near the lunch stop in Sintra town, then spend the afternoon on a sunbed in the shade at Cascais. The shuttle saves the climb up to Pena.

   More active option: In Cascais, walk the coastal path to the Boca do Inferno sea cliffs, about 2 km each way, and meet the vehicle there.

   Free time: Afternoon on the beach and the evening free in Lisbon

   Activity: About 5 km on foot, with steep paths and stairs in Pena's park and at Regaleira; the easy option is about 2 km. The longest drive leg is about 40 minutes. The Atlantic is cool, so most children paddle rather than swim.

4. Day 4: Fast train to Coimbra, then on to Porto

   Lisbon to Coimbra by fast train, then Coimbra to Porto by road

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Porto
   Day 4 details

   Your bags leave the hotel after breakfast in our vehicle, so the family travels with day bags only. A short transfer takes us to Lisbon Oriente station, and the Alfa Pendular fast train reaches Coimbra-B in about 1 hour 45, with reserved seats together. Our vehicle, already waiting with the bags, drives us up to the old university on its hill, so nobody climbs. The University of Coimbra, founded in 1290 and settled here in 1537, was listed by UNESCO in 2013. Inside, the Joanina Library is a baroque hall of gilded shelves built in the early 18th century, and children like to hear that a small colony of bats lives among the books and eats the insects that would harm them; visits are short and timed, so ops books our slot. After the great ceremonial hall and the view over the Mondego River, lunch is a sit-down meal in the old town. At about 3 pm we drive about 1 hour 20 north to Porto, check in, and the evening is free.

   Included

   • Your bags taken by road from your Lisbon hotel to Porto
   • Reserved Alfa Pendular train from Lisbon to Coimbra
   • The University of Coimbra and the Joanina Library on a reserved slot
   • Sit-down lunch in Coimbra
   • Drive from Coimbra to your Porto hotel

   Easier option: Stay in the vehicle's air-conditioning or a café below the university square while others see the ceremonial hall.

   More active option: Walk down from the university through the steep lanes of the old town to the lunch stop instead of riding.

   Free time: Evening free in Porto

   Activity: About 1 hour 45 on the train and 1 hour 20 on the road, with lunch between. The university courtyard is cobbled and the library visit is short and standing.

5. Day 5: Porto's bookshop, tiles and the Ribeira

   Livraria Lello and São Bento station, then the cathedral terrace and down to the Ribeira

   • Drive about 15 min
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Porto
   Day 5 details

   We are at Livraria Lello for its first timed entry of the morning, before the queue reaches round the corner. The bookshop, in this building since 1906, is known for its carved wood, stained-glass ceiling and red forked staircase, and the ticket, which we buy, counts towards a book if you choose one, so each child can pick something to take home. A few minutes' walk away, São Bento station's entrance hall is lined with about 20,000 blue-and-white tiles by Jorge Colaço showing battles, royal arrivals and country life; your guide sets the children a hunt for a horse, a ship and a procession. Our vehicle takes the group up to the cathedral terrace for the view over the roofs to the port lodges across the river, then we walk downhill through the lanes to the Ribeira, the riverfront listed by UNESCO in 1996. Lunch is on your own by the water, and the afternoon is free for a rest at the hotel or the old tram along the river.

   Included

   • Livraria Lello at the first timed entry
   • São Bento station's tile hall
   • The Sé cathedral terrace, by vehicle
   • Guided walk down to the Ribeira

   Optional experiences

   • The Clérigos Tower climb
   • The old tram along the river to Foz do Douro
   • The Serralves museum and gardens

   Easier option: Ride from São Bento to the Ribeira in our vehicle instead of walking the steep lanes.

   More active option: Climb the Clérigos Tower, more than 200 steps, for the view over the city before lunch.

   Free time: Lunch, afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 3 km on foot, almost all downhill, on uneven granite paving.

6. Day 6: Six bridges, a cable car and the Atlantic

   A Douro cruise from the Ribeira, Vila Nova de Gaia, then the beach at Foz do Douro

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Porto
   Day 6 details

   The river is calm in the morning, so we start on the water with a cruise of about 50 minutes from the Ribeira under Porto's six bridges, from the iron Dom Luís I, opened in 1886, to the Arrábida near the sea. Back on land we walk across the bridge's flat lower deck into Vila Nova de Gaia, where port has been aged in riverside lodges for centuries. A cellar visit shows the great casks and how ruby, tawny and white port differ; adults taste and children have juice. Lunch is a sit-down meal on the Gaia quays. Then the Gaia cable car lifts everyone above the lodge roofs to the garden at the top, a few minutes with the whole city in view, and our vehicle waits there. Mid-afternoon we drive about 25 minutes to Foz do Douro, where the river meets the Atlantic, for a late afternoon on the beach and the promenade, with sand, rock pools and ice cream, before we head back for a free evening.

   Included

   • Six-bridges cruise on the Douro, about 50 minutes
   • The lower deck of the Dom Luís I Bridge on foot
   • Port lodge cellar visit in Vila Nova de Gaia, with a tasting for adults
   • Sit-down lunch in Gaia
   • The Gaia cable car
   • A beach afternoon at Foz do Douro

   Easier option: Skip the bridge walk and ride across to Gaia in our vehicle, and rest at the hotel instead of going to the beach.

   More active option: Walk the riverside promenade from the Ribeira to Foz do Douro, about 5 km and flat, and meet the group on the beach.

   Free time: Evening free

   Activity: About 3 km on foot, all of it flat. The Atlantic at Foz is cool and lively; children paddle with an adult beside them.

   

7. Day 7: Amarante and a quinta lunch in the Douro

   Porto to Amarante, then Peso da Régua and Pinhão

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Douro Valley
   Day 7 details

   We leave Porto at about 9:30 and drive about 50 minutes east to Amarante on the Tâmega River. Cross the granite São Gonçalo bridge to the church and monastery, then sit down for coffee or hot chocolate and one of the town's egg-yolk convent sweets. From Amarante the motorway tunnels under the Serra do Marão and drops to Peso da Régua, and the last half hour follows the N222 along the Douro to Pinhão, past the terraces of the Alto Douro Wine Region, first demarcated in 1756 and listed by UNESCO in 2001. Lunch is at a family quinta: a short walk through the vineyard to see the granite tanks where grapes are still trodden by foot, a tasting of Douro wines and port for the adults, grape juice for the children, and a long table lunch. In the harvest, from about mid-September to early October, you may see the grapes come in. We check in to our valley hotel, which we choose for its pool, by mid-afternoon, and the rest of the day is for the water.

   Included

   • Amarante and the São Gonçalo bridge, with coffee and a convent sweet
   • The N222 river road from Peso da Régua to Pinhão
   • Quinta visit with a vineyard walk, a tasting for adults and lunch

   Easier option: Stay at the quinta table while others walk the terraces.

   Free time: Mid-afternoon at the hotel pool and the evening free

   Activity: About 2 hours 30 of driving, 150 km, in two legs of about 50 minutes and 1 hour 30 with coffee and lunch between. The quinta paths can be steep and uneven between the terraces.

   

8. Day 8: A boat on the Douro and a pool afternoon

   Pinhão by boat, then the Casal de Loivos viewpoint

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Douro Valley
   Day 8 details

   The river is calm and the light soft in the morning, so we start on the water: a boat trip of about an hour from the quay at Pinhão, along the Douro between terraced slopes and white quinta houses, with seats in the shade and plenty of room for children to look out. Back on land, Pinhão's small railway station is decorated with blue tile panels of Douro landscapes and the harvest, and the children can spot the ox carts and the grape baskets in them. Then our vehicle climbs the narrow road to the Casal de Loivos viewpoint, high above a long bend of the river, for the view many photographs of the valley are taken from. Lunch is a sit-down meal in the valley, and the afternoon is free at the hotel pool, among the vines or with a book in the shade. At about 6:30 pm we meet for an early farewell dinner of Douro food, with the region's wine for the adults, and everyone is in bed in good time for the drive tomorrow.

   Included

   • Douro River boat trip from Pinhão, about 1 hour
   • Pinhão railway station and its tile panels
   • The Casal de Loivos viewpoint
   • Sit-down lunch in the valley
   • Early farewell dinner

   Optional experiences

   • A second quinta tasting in the afternoon, at your own cost

   Easier option: Stay at the hotel after the boat and rejoin the group for lunch.

   More active option: Walk back down from Casal de Loivos to Pinhão through the vineyards, about an hour on a steep track, and meet the group for lunch.

   Free time: Afternoon free at the hotel pool

   Activity: Very little walking. In winter some boat operators sail less often, and we confirm the boat for each departure.

9. Day 9: Douro Valley to Porto Airport

   Pinhão to Porto Airport, or central Porto

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast
   Day 9 details

   After breakfast we leave the valley at about 9 am and drive about two hours west to Porto Airport (OPO), back along the river to Peso da Régua, then on the motorway through the Marão tunnel and down towards the coast, with a short stop on the way for anyone who needs one. You reach the airport by about 11 am, in time for flights from about 2 pm, which also leaves an unhurried morning for the children. Allow time at the airport for flights leaving the Schengen area. If you are staying on in Porto, we drop you in the city centre instead, about 20 minutes further, and your guide can suggest a hotel near the Ribeira or by the sea in Foz for extra nights. Families who add a day or two often choose the beaches north of Porto or a day in Guimarães, the small walled town with a castle children can climb. Your guide checks everyone's flight details the evening before and sees the group to the terminal.

   Included

   • Drop-off at Porto Airport (OPO) or in central Porto

   Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 2 pm, or tell us your time and we arrange an earlier transfer at cost.

Wildlife and weather: Late May, June and September suit a family trip best: warm enough for the beach and the Douro pool, with lighter crowds than July and August. The Atlantic stays cool, around 17°C to 20°C in summer, so most children paddle rather than swim. July and August bring heat that can pass 35°C to 40°C in the Douro and crowds in Lisbon and Sintra, so we sightsee early and rest at midday. The Douro harvest runs from about mid-September to early October. From October to April the beach afternoons become a walk on the promenade, the pool is not promised and boats sail less often.

• Lisbon3 nights
• Porto3 nights
• Douro Valley2 nights