Portugal Real Food Adventure, featuring Galicia
Experience Overview
Uncover the flavours of Galicia and Portugal on this eight-day adventure full of culinary delights, local wines and European hotspots. Take a tour of the central markets of Santiago de Compostela and enjoy a francesinha dinner in Porto. Discover how centuries of invasion and trade have given Portuguese cuisine a mixture of Mediterranean, African and Middle Eastern influences. Sip port and local wines among the terraced vineyards of the Douro Valley and roll up your sleeves for dinner at an Alentejo farm stay. Explore coastal Lisbon, rubbing shoulders with locals at a canned fish hotspot and tuck into a glass (or two) of ginjinha (wild cherry liqueur) and the famed Portuguese tarts.
Highlights
- Explore the Coa Valley, the centre of a rewilding project, and enjoy a night in a gorgeous historical guesthouse where you’ll join your hosts for a home-cooked meal of fresh, local produce.
- Learn how to make the iconic Portuguese tart (pasteis de nata) with a cooking class in the Belem area of Lisbon, after visiting one of the most popular bakeries and enjoying your fill of this delicious sweet treat.
- Meet local producers along the way, including an olive oil producer where you can taste-test everybody’s favourite cooking staple. Sample Douro Valley wines and Porto’s fortified namesake.
- Take in the renowned riverside district in Porto, the colourful coastal hotspot of Lisbon and the rolling hills of the lush Douro Valley on the quintessential tour of Portugal.
- Sample iconic foods of the region – francesinha, cured meats, cheese, pasteis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts) and canned fish – with local producers and a local leader who knows all the best spots.
Trip Details
Product Code: 3293
Tour Type: Small Group
Accommodation: Moderate
Transport: Private Vehicle, Public bus, Metro, Tram
Guide Language: English
Tour Operator:
Intrepid Travel
Supplier Code: ZMZP
Starts: Porto, Portugal
Finishes: Lisbon, Portugal
Duration: 8 days
Departures: Not Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Light
Includes
Meals: Breakfasts (7), Lunch (2), Dinner (3)Accommodation: Hotel (5 nights), Guesthouse (1 night), Farmstay (1 night)
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $4480 ($560 /day)
Itinerary
Ola! Welcome to Portugal. Your adventure starts in Porto – a coastal city known for its medieval riverside district, azulejo tile-covered buildings and, of course, fortified port wine. You have a welcome meeting at 6 pm where you’ll meet your local leader and fellow travellers. After, get to know each other over an included dinner of one of Porto’s (and Portugal’s) favourite dishes – the francesinha. Although technically a sandwich, it’s most definitely a meal – and one you’ll need a knife and fork for! After, you could take an evening stroll along the river or grab a drink at one of the city’s many wine cellars.
Included Activities:
- Porto - Francesinha dinner
Accommodation:
- Hotel (Number of Nights: 1)
Taste your way around Porto today while exploring the city’s old bridges, cobbled streets, merchants’ houses and cafes. Led by a local guide, you’ll start with coffee and pastel de nata (the famed Portuguese custard tart). Continue through the Ribeira District, sampling local specialties like bolinho de bacalhau (salted cod fritters) and a glass of wine, then pop into a classic tasco (bar) for a cachorrinho (Porto’s mini version of the hot dog) and a cold beer. Finish the tour at a traditional mercearia (family-run grocer) with a charcuterie board and a glass of port wine. You have free time for the rest of the day – maybe pull up a chair in a taverna and order another glass of port.
Included Activities:
- Porto - Food tour inc Pastel de Nata, Tasco, Cachorrinho & Mercearia
Accommodation:
- Hotel (Number of Nights: 1)
Take a scenic morning drive through the Douro Valley. Your first stop of the day is Quinta da Pacheca (winegrowers since 1738) for a guided tour, picnic lunch and wine tasting. Over a couple of glasses of local wine (and a port, of course), you’ll share an assortment of olives, sausages, fruits, salads, regional cheeses and more. Then continue to the Coa Valley – known for the combined efforts of passionate locals to rewild the area, starting with the reintroduction of ancient cow breeds. Your accommodation tonight is a homestay in the historic village of Castelo Rodrigo. Take some time to enjoy the views of the surrounding hills, then regroup for a home-cooked dinner showcasing local produce. You could also check out some of the Coa Valley’s open-air paleolithic rock art paintings nearby.
Included Activities:
- Douro valley - Guided Tour, picnic lunch & wine tasting at Quinta da Pacheca
- Coa valley - homecooked dinner with locally sourced produce
Accommodation:
- Homestay (Number of Nights: 1)
Say ciao to the Coa Valley and drive south to the medieval village of Marvao in the Alentejo region. Have lunch at a farm on arrival, then visit a local olive oil producer – this part of Portugal is known for its centuries-old olive groves. Walk around the factory and learn how this liquid gold is made before enjoying a tasting (a bottle of this stuff makes an excellent souvenir!). To round off the tour, you’ll plant an olive tree. Then continue the drive to your hotel in Castelo de Vide – considered one of Portugal’s best-preserved medieval towns. Relax or take some time to stroll the cobbled streets of the old Jewish quarter before enjoying an included dinner at the hotel.
Included Activities:
- Alentejo - Farm visit and dinner
- Alentejo - Olive Oil farm visit with tasting & Olive tree planting
Accommodation:
- Farmstay (Number of Nights: 1)
Drive further south to Evora today. Evora is the capital of Alentejo and is steeped in history – as seen in the centrally located Roman Temple. Check out the highlights on an orientation walk with your leader, then enjoy free time for lunch. The city is famous for bread soup and pork clam stew – but just ask your leader if you need recommendations. Then it’s time to hit the road to Lisbon, arriving in the late afternoon. Take some time to freshen up, then regroup for an orientation walk of Portugal’s capital. Along the way, you’ll get to try ginjinha, a sweet cherry liqueur from Lisbon. The rest of the evening is free. Maybe ask your leader for authentic dinner options or check out a live fado show – a genre of Portuguese soul music that originated in Africa and has evolved to suit the streets of Lisbon.
Included Activities:
- Lisbon - Orientation walk - Leader led
- Evora - Orientation walk Leader led
- Lisbon - Ginginha Tasting
Accommodation:
- Hotel (Number of Nights: 1)
Spend the morning exploring Mercado da Ribeira (aka Time Out Market) – a historic market with stalls selling fresh produce and artisanal goods, bars and even a cooking school. Then make a detour to Loja das Conservas – a quirky deco store selling canned fish from 17 different national canned fish outlets – for a tasting. You’ll then head to the Belem neighbourhood for a pastel de nata cooking class. First made in the 16th century by nuns, the mixture of crispy pastry and creamy egg custard filling is Portugal’s best-known dessert. If you have time, you might also want to stroll past the pastel-coloured buildings up to the Sao Jorge Castle – one of the city’s best views. As it’s your last night together as a group, you could head out for farewell dinner together and raise a toast to a brilliant week eating your way around Portugal.
Included Activities:
- Lisbon - Pasteis de Nata tasting and cooking class in Belem
- Lisbon - Mercado da Ribeira Visit
- Lisbon - Canned fish tasting at Loja das Conservas
Accommodation:
- Hotel (Number of Nights: 1)
With no activities planned, your trip comes to an end after breakfast. If you’d like to spend more time in Lisbon, just speak to your booking agent.
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Tour Operator
Intrepid Travel
Intrepid Travel is a global adventure travel company, dedicated to providing sustainable, experience-rich travel opportunities. They’ve been the leader in ethical, small-group travel since 1989 - taking people around the world for more than 30 years. They’re the world’s largest travel B Corporation - dedicated to being the best travel company for the world. In 2002, they established The Intrepid Foundation so their travellers could make a lasting impact on the communities they had visited. Although Intrepid Travel absorbs all administrative costs of The Intrepid Foundation, they are separate legal entities, allowing The Intrepid Foundation to grow independently. Intrepid Travel is made up of a collection of tour operator brands and 28 destination management companies all united by one vision: To change the way we all see the world.
In Business Since 1989
Reviews
Rich - Traveled, October 2023
We had an amazing trip with great people, Loved the cooking class and the Douro Valley tour. Our leader Adrian was superb at offering great insights and options. We recommend this trip to anyone wishing to learn more about the Portugal and Galicia.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/05/2023
Kim - Traveled, October 2023
The Portugal Real Food Adventure featuring Galicia with Elena was great fun. Good food and wine along with many belly laughs. What more can you ask for?
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/20/2023
Jean - Traveled, September 2023
Highly recommend this trip. Portugal is lovely and Daniel is a wonderful leader.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/12/2023
Cait - Traveled, July 2023
Portugal food tour trip was great fun! Our tour leader made the trip stress-free as he navigated a cancelled train and connections, had an immense knowledge of history of the places we visited, and was a lovely soul to travel with. The itinerary was full and fast paced but we did have a couple downtime afternoons like jumping into a cool pool at our farmstay and having time to resupply at a supermarket one day
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/20/2023
Gail - Traveled, June 2023
Have just had the best time on this Intrepid trip with a group who’d never met becoming good friends. Our leader Maria Craveiro was exceptional in her knowledge and enthusiasm for providing us with a memorable experience by being very organised and a lot of fun.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/20/2023
Jane - Traveled, September 2023
There were 7 of us taking this tour. The leader was professional and cared about our needs very well. History of Portugal was communicated well. Loved every minute of this trip!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/03/2023
Chris - Traveled, September 2023
Excellent tour! Got to see a lot of Portugal and its lovely food cuisine. Meet some lovely people and we will all keep in contact which is awesome. Highly recommend this tour
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/03/2023
Janet - Traveled, September 2023
If you want to visit a country with a leader who knows the country, and it feels like you are really visiting friends instead of being on a tour, I wholeheartedly recommend the Portugal Real Food Tour. I fell in love with the pastries, the wine, the port and the entire food experience on this trip.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/02/2023
Jane - Traveled, September 2023
There were 7 of us taking this tour. The leader was professional and cared about our needs very well. History of Portugal was communicated well. Loved every minute of this trip!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/03/2023
Olivia - Traveled, August 2023
We couldn’t have asked for a more incredible tour! The food, the sights, and our amazing guide Daniel made this a truly unforgettable experience. We can’t wait to go back to Portugal!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/13/2023
Davinia Elizabeth - Traveled, August 2023
A fantastic trip! Highly recommend. We saw so many places, tasted the freshest Galacian / Portugese produce, learned to cook it from local experts & walked it all off on the charming (& hilly) streets of Portugal's beautiful towns & cities. Our small group size & and leaders' insights meant we experienced Portugal more like a local. Was wonderful.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/15/2023
Vanessa - Traveled, July 2023
What a great way to experience a new culture and landscape! We were a small group of fellow travellers and laughed so much. Beautiful nature, friendly locals, great food and wine plus lovely walks every day. What is not to like?
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/26/2023
Nicole - Traveled, July 2023
We had a wonderful trip to Galicia and Portugal. Sergi was an excellent group leader. Intrepid chose amazing local guides in all of the locations. We really enjoyed the variety of food inclusions. The cooking class near Vigo was a highlight. I would recommend staying an extra night in Santiago de Compostela. Remember to bring good walking shoes as there are many hills to climb during the trip.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/29/2023
Aris - Traveled, June 2023
Maria Craveiro, our group leader was a charming, knowledgeable and delightful companion to our small group of four. She managed to keep us oldies under control and added enormously to the pleasure of our trip with good recommendations on restaurants and sites to visit.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/23/2023
Gail - Traveled, June 2023
Maria Craveiro was an exceptional leader of our tour, having a wealth of knowledge about Portugal and a personal style to easily communicate with all of us. Nothing was ever a problem and she went over and above to provide suggestions for activities in our free time.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/22/2023
Mick - Traveled, May 2023
None of the accommodation on the Portugal Tour was considered satisfactory for a whole range of reasons - I thought that in Portugal as opposed to previous days on the Spanish tour leg that accommodation would be more affordable and therefore at a better level (or at least satisfactory )- at times either/ or dirty, small , poorly located , amenities sub par , hard beds , noisy locations including wafer thin walls etc etc
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/23/2023
Jill - Traveled, May 2023
With a thoughtful itinerary, a wonderful group leader (Isabel), a strong group of day-guides and the fun-loving people who joined this tour date, I can easily say this was one of my favorite Intrepid Travel trips so far. I greatly enjoyed this tour and happily ate too much!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/16/2023
Jeanne - Traveled, May 2023
Take the time to arrive in Santiago de Compostela, one day early to enjoy this beautiful town. The local food markets are a short distance ( up the ramp) from the accommodation. Well worth the visit. I also did the local free city tour before the intrepid tour commenced. All tours accomodation was central, with lifts, clean, easy access. Cooking class, Douro valley vineyards and country stay enjoyable. All aspects of the tour outstanding. Tour leader and guides experienced, knowledgeable and passionate. Excellent tour for sole travellers as group was small and fun. Thank you Isabel for everything.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/19/2023
Jason - Traveled, October 2022
Well-organised trip that gave a really enjoyable taste of what Spain and Portugal had to offer
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/29/2022
Meagan - Traveled, July 2022
I loved this trip! Our tour guide (Ana) was amazing and made sure everyone was included and having fun.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/14/2022
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