Portugal stands somewhat alone in Europe separated from everyone by its border with Spain. It‘s a small country, but it offer so much: a spectacular Atlantic coastline, dotted with classic and historic fishing villages such as Nazare; majestic mountain ranges and dense forests; and vineyards as far as the eye can see alongside quaint, picturesque hamlets in the Doro Valley.
READ MOREHistory, monumental architecture, religious and secular art, all finds expression in churches and monasteries both ancient and modern. Combine all this with an entire population that is discovering its Jewish roots, and renewing Jewish life in this beautiful land. Then add warm hospitality, fine wine and great food – and you‘ll discover a Portugal you never knew existed.
Close thisWe will meet at the airport to begin our tour at about Noon with sightseeing in beautiful Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, and one of the oldest cities in Europe. We will visit the Belem district to see the Monument of the Discoveries, which commemorates Portugal’s role in discovering the “New World.” We will walk in the old Jewish neighborhood and visit Sha’arei Tikva Synagogue.
After breakfast we leave Lisbon and travel to Evora, a medieval walled city that is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to the Jewish past of this city, we will also see the Roman quarter. We will continue to Castelo de Vide bordering Spain. Most of its fame comes from the most impressive Judaria – Jewish Quarter and museum.
READ MOREThe town is still home to the “New Christians” who are descendants of the Marranos. Found in it is the oldest synagogue which was restored. The synagogue/museum has a display showing the integration of Jews into the town’s famous textile industry, and various other industries. Here, the President of Portugal, Mr. Mario Suarez, chose to apologize to the Jewish people for the terrible injustice and murder committed by his people, in the presence of the Israeli Ambassador to Portugal at the time, Ms. Colette Avital. We continue to Marvao Castle which had changes and extensions made in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Today, it is considered a medieval national monument in Portugal. We continue to Castelo Branco.
Close thisAfter breakfast we visit the Bishop’s Palace Gardens, a major attraction in Castelo Branco. The Garden of the Bishop’s Palace in Castelo Branco is one of the most original examples of the Baroque in Portugal ! It was the Bishop of Guarda, D. João de Mendonça (1711-1736) who commissioned the work and probably led the works in the garden.
READ MOREWe continue to Belmonte, built around a fortress from the 13th century. The town preserves the history of the Jews very well, and there lives a community of Bnei Annsuim who decided, after 500 years of keeping Jewish tradition in secret, to return openly to Judaism in the 90s of the 20th century. We will tour the city and visit the Jewish Museum, which presents a wonderful display of Jewish life during the Inquisition and of Jewish tradition. We will also visit the local synagogue, Beit Eliyahu. We continue to Guarda, the highest city in Europe. We will visit the Jewish quarters, and be impressed by the engravings of various shapes on the walls of the houses. We continue to Trancoso, which was an important and noble Jewish center in the Middle Ages, we will visit the synagogue and Isaac Cardoso Center of Jewish Culture – the Jewish Museum. We continue to Porto.
Close thisAfter breakfast we will take a tour of the city. We will see the old train station, the town hall, the stock exchange. In the Jewish part of the tour we will visit the Jewish Museum. We will see the synagogue named after the well-known philanthropist Kadori, here a small community of Jews operates alongside many Bnei Annusim who have begun to return to Judaism. We will take a cruise on an “antique” riverboat under the bridges. Preparations for Shabbat.
After prayers with the local community in the beautiful synagogue and lunch – time to relax.
After breakfast we will drive to the Bussaco forest, a nature reserve near Coimbra that is mostly a wild forest. The royal family of Portugal had built a summer palace here that still exists today. We will visit Coimbra, a beautiful city built on a cliff and surrounded by a river.
READ MOREWe will visit the local university, the oldest in Portugal, King Joao’s library, built in the Baroque style and containing about 300,000 ancient books. Next we will drive to the old town of Tomar. We will see the ancient synagogue built in 1430 and named after Rabbi Avraham Zacuto, an astronomer and mathematician, after whom a crater on the moon was named. We will walk the streets of the quiet town, among ancient houses.
Close thisAfter breakfast we will drive to the fishing town of Nazaré. We will have a wonderful view over the cliff overlooking the city, and tour the local market. We continue to Alcobaca, here the UNESCO-recognized centerpiece of the 12th-century Alcobaça Monastery was one of Portugal’s first Gothic buildings. We will tell the story of the Jewish queen of Portugal.
READ MOREWe will continue to the charming town of Óbidos. given as a wedding gift by the king of Portugal to his beloved queen since the 15th century. We will tour the fortress city between the walls and gates where the special and authentic character of a fortress town in Portugal is preserved. In 1951 the castle and the entire village were classified as national monuments and, in 2007, it was voted one of the seven wonders of Portugal. We continue to Lisbon.
Close thisToday we will travel to Sintra, the resort town of the kings of Portugal, located in the heart of green hills with magnificent mansions and palaces between them. We will visit the National palace of the kings of Portugal in the heart of the town that will illustrate to us the splendor in which the rulers and nobles of the kingdom lived in the past.
READ MOREFrom there we will continue to the most western point of Portugal and the European continent – “Cabo da Roca”. A great view of the Atlantic Ocean, from the East side. We will continue and stop at Boca de Inferno – “Devil’s Mouth” near the sea. We will end with a visit to Cascais – the famous fishing town, and drive through Estroil on our way back to Lisbon. After dinner we will go to a Fado show.
Close thisIn the morning – weather permitting – we will walk along Avenida da Liberdade from Edward VII Park, Lisbon’s 5th Ave. We will spend time visiting the famous Museu Calouste Gulbenkian – an art museum that houses a significant private art collection.
READ MOREThe collection spans from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century, including works from the Islamic World, China, Japan, and major European painters. The museum is named after Calouste Gulbenkian, whose collection forms its core. It’s set within a large garden in central Lisbon. Our fascinating trip to Portugal is coming to its end. We will go to the Lisbon airport to fly back home.
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* Price per person in USD double or twin room
** Supplement Price for single room
First class and 5* hotels on b/b basis (Kosher products)
Entrance fees as per the itinerary
Comfortable air-conditioned touring coach
Kosher supplies for making sandwiches for lunch
Kosher dinners at local Kosher restaurants. Kosher vegetarian fish dinners at hotels.
Tips for local service providers
Professional, experienced English-speaking guide
International flights and taxes
Travel & Health Insurance
Personal expenses
Tip for our Tour Guide (Recommended: $7-$5 per person per day)
There may be changes to the order of places visited. We will make every effort to visit every place mentioned in the itinerary.
The tour organizers have no control over airline services such as seating, special meal requests, changes in departure times or delays. These remain the sole responsibility of the airline company.
Only strictly kosher food is provided to our travelers on all our tours. On some of our tours we are able to provide glatt meals. Kashrut is of utmost importance to us and we take special measures to ensure that everything served is kosher.
Breakfast is prepared using our utensils. We use local fresh fruits and vegetables, and we use milk products when they are permitted. We use kosher cereals, and bread. We usually serve hard boiled eggs and sometimes scrambled eggs or omelets. At breakfast, we prepare our lunches so that people have their choice as to what they eat for lunch. We bring food from Israel to supplement what is served in the hotel such as cheeses, peanut butter, tuna, etc.
For dinners, we serve either fish or meat (usually chicken) as our main course. In areas where meat is not available nor readily acquired, we will have fish. When possible, we acquire the meat locally from Chabad or other reliable kosher source, and in some cases we fly the meat in from Israel. We try to provide as many meat meals as possible. The main course at dinner is preceded by soup and salad and accompanied by freshly prepared vegetables. Dessert typically consists of fresh fruits.
We do not guarantee Pat Israel and Chalav Israel for all destinations.
In many destinations we have our own dishes and silverware. Where we don’t, we provide disposables at the meals. When we cook in hotel kitchens, we use our own knives, cutting boards, pots and pans, cooking implements and disposable metal trays. All food preparation is done on covered surfaces under the strict supervision of our trained staff/guides who function as our mashgichim.
We make great efforts to assure that our travelers will experience local foods first-hand, while maintaining stringent observance of Kashrut laws on all occasions.
On most of our tours, you will be accompanied by two of our staff members- one a guide for the tour who is knowledgeable about the places you are visiting and will accompany you throughout the day and the second, a person who will deal with the logistics of the tour and provide kashrut supervision in the kitchen.
It is our aim to provide the finest hotel possible in each area we visit. We require our hotels to allow us to work in the kitchen and to supervise the cooking and there are many hotels that are not willing to cooperate. They simply have no desire for us to be “meddling” in their cooking process nor are they happy about our bringing our equipment into their kitchens. We work very hard to find the best hotel in the area that will meet our requirements. Because we are not ready to compromise on kashrut, we may not always be able to use a five star hotel.
A $500 USD Deposit per person must be received at the time of booking, to confirm your reservation. Payment in full is due 60 days before departure. A minimum number of participants are required to operate tour dates. If a minimum number has not been reached prior to tour departure and the tour is cancelled, you will receive a FULL refund.
• 60 working days before departure, bookings are refundable less a $100 administration fee
• 30-59 working days prior to departure 25% of total per passenger
• 15-29 working days prior to departure: 50% of total per passenger
• Less than 14 working days prior to departure: 100% of total – no refund
* Working days (based in Israel working days): Sunday – Thursday (not including Jewish holidays)
