* Portugal - coach tour

Arrive in the Burgos region. Dinner and overnight.

Burgos and a guided tour of its impressive Cathedral, a gem of gothic architecture. Then on to the Valley of the Douro, home of Porto wine. Lunch en route. Overnight in the Douro Valley.

We head towards Porto, stopping at a cellar to taste some of the sweet Porto wine. After lunch we take a guided tour of Porto itself, capital of the north : the old town centre, the quays lined with "barcos rabelos", traditional flat-bottomed boats, and their barrel loads of Porto destined for the town. On then to Coimbra. Dinner and overnight in the Coimbra region.

Guided tour of Coimbra and the monumental buildings and delicate stonework that make up the university, one of Europe's oldest. On to the town of Fatima, made famous when three local girls had visions of the Virgin Mary. After lunch we have a guided tour of the Sanctuary with its various chapels and buildings. On to Batalha where we visit the monastery of Santa Maria da Vitoria. We continue as far as Lisbon for dinner and overnight in the region.
 

Portugal's capital with some majestic buildings which we discover on our guided tour : the Belem Tower, the Carriage Museum, the Monastery of the Hieronymites, the Tagus and its splendid bridge. Lunch followed by free time to explore.  A boat trip on the river Tagus or an excursion to visit the Cristo Rei, a giant statue of Christ, are optional extras. Dinner and overnight.

We journey to Sintra via the grand seaside resorts of Estoril and Cascais, with a halt at Cabo da Roca, continental Europe's most westerly point.  Lunch at Sintra then free time to explore the old town. On to Evora and a visit to the old town with its scores of historic buildings, a Unesco World heritage site. Dinner and overnight.

We leave for Caceres where we have a guided tour of this remarkably preserved historic town, with its varied styles of architecture, classified by Unesco. Lunch then on to Salamanca. Dinner and overnight in the region of Salamanca.

Guided tour of Salamanca, a town rich in history and famed for its University, one of Europe's oldest. On to Valladolid. Lunch then we continue to San Sebastian. Dinner and overnight in the region.

Breakfast.