Azulejo tiles, Portugal
WESTERN EUROPE
Temple of Diana, Evora, Portugal Andalucia, Spain
ITINERARY
DAY 1 • Depart U. S. Depart today on your overnight flight from the U. S. to Lisbon, Portugal.
DAY 2 • Lisbon, Portugal Arrive at the airport in Lisbon, where an O. A. T. representative will greet you. We’ ll also meet those who traveled on our optional Northern Portugal: Porto & the Douro Valley pre-trip extension.
Hotel Marquês de Pombal or similar
DAY 3 • Lisbon Explore Lisbon on a walking tour through the Alfama District, one of Lisbon’ s oldest neighborhoods. Later, we explore another popular Lisbon neighborhood, Bairro Alto, followed by a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant.
Meals: B, D | Hotel Marquês de Pombal or similar
DAY 4 • Sintra National Palace • Home- Hosted Dinner
Leave the city to visit Sintra and explore Sintra National Palace, a 15th-century palace where the royal family resided until the 1800s. After, we’ ll return to Lisbon, stopping along the way to see the Tower of Belém and the Discoveries Monument. Later, enjoy a Home- Hosted Dinner in Lisbon.
Meals: B, L, D | Hotel Marquês de Pombal or similar
DAY 5 • Rural Portugal • Évora Learn about azulejos, the ceramic tiles used to decorate church walls, palaces, and the façades of homes. We’ ll also try painting some of these tiles. Then, visit a traditional artisanal cheese producer before transferring to Évora.
Meals: B, L, D | Pousada de Évora or similar
DAY 6 • Évora • Visit local winery Enjoy a walking tour of Évora, an ancient hilltop town, where we’ ll see the Roman ruins of the Temple of Diana. Next, enjoy a visit at Adega da Talha winery, where wines are fermented in clay pots called talhas.
Meals: B, L | Pousada de Évora or similar
DAY 7 • Roman ruins of Mérida • Carmona, Spain Head to Extremadura, Spain, an autonomous Spanish province known as the homeland of conquistadores Pizarro and Cortés. Stop in Mérida, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to some of Europe’ s bestpreserved Roman ruins, including a 6,000-seat Roman theater and amphitheater.
Meals: B, D | Parador de Carmona or similar
DAY 8 • Carmona • Optional Seville tour Explore Carmona on your own, or join an optional tour to Seville, the Spanish city renowned for bullfighting, flamenco, and Don Juan. During the optional tour, we’ ll discover Seville’ s whitewashed homes, 2,000-year-old plazas, cobblestone streets, and the massive Seville Cathedral.
Meals: B, D | Parador de Carmona or similar
DAY 9 • Ronda • Controversial Topic: Bullfighting Journey to Ronda, admiring views of Andalusia’ s“ white villages.” Stop at La Cobatilla, a bull ranch, and tour the grounds before enjoying lunch on the property. Then, we’ ll join the ranch owner for a conversation about a Controversial Topic: bullfighting in Spain. Bullfighting is a tradition, but the country’ s younger generation views it as animal cruelty.
Meals: B, L | Parador de Ronda or similar
ADVENTURE HIGHLIGHT
Spend 2 nights at Pousada de Évora, a former monastery founded in 1487 over the ruins of an ancient castle.
Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www. oattravel. com / wps 161