Sephardic heritage in Portugal
The tour through Sephardic Portugal begins and ends in Lisbon. East of the capital lies the Alentejo Region, with rolling wheat fields, silver olive trees, stony outcrops crowned by ancient castles, and white-washed villages like Castelo de Vide, that once sheltered Jewish communities.
Turning north, the tour continues into the Beiras Region, which stretches from the Spanish border to the Atlantic. The Serra daEstrela Mountains dominate the eastern Beiras with glacier-cut valleys, mountain rivers, and landlocked villages like Linhares that are living museums; the mountainous area is known for its woolens and cheeses.
 The tour turns south and crosses Extremadura and the Ribatejo Region, its rolling hills dropping to the Tagus alluvial plain fanning out to sandy beaches. In the 12th century, the Templars founded the Convento de Cristo here, at Tomar where a Jewish community prospered.
Continuing to Lisbon, the tour stops at Óbidos, a walled medieval village draped in bougainvillea, its blue-trimmed white dwellings housing art galleries and craft shops. The tour ends in Lisbon with a farewell dinner and fado.
Day 1: Lisbon • Estoril
Arrive Lisbon airport and transfer to your hotel on the Estoril Gold Coast. Estoril has been home to numerous European royal exiles and international playboys and is a resort community with cafés and shops, beaches and nightclubs, and the Casino. Relax before an afternoon tour to Lord Byron’s glorious Sintra. Evening Welcome Dinner.
Overnight: Hotel Atlântico
Day 2: Estoril • Évora • Alpalhão • Marvão
Morning tour of Évora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the tour includes the Jewish Quarter, Diana’s Temple, and the High Studies Institute, where the Inquisition operated. We continue north, through a land of marble and sweet chestnut trees, griffon vultures and wild boar, to the town of Alpalhão. Across the border lies the hilltop town of Valênca de Alcântara, surrounded by megalithic sites. Overnight in a white-washed village house in a medieval hamlet enclosed by 13th century walls.
Overnight: Pousada Santa Maria
Day 3: Marvão • Castelo de Vide • Covilhã • Belmonte • Manteigas
Castelo de Vide’s narrow cobbled streets lead through the Judería to a tiny synagogue, where we learn about the Jewish presence in the borderlands. At Covilhã, we’ll visit the Woolen Fabric Museum, a rich part of the region’s history. After a regional lunch, we continue to Belmonte, to meet at the synagogue with local people. Manteigas lies in the heart of the Serra da Estrela Mountains, renowned for cold winters and fine butter and cheeses.
Overnight: Pousada São Lourenço
Day 4: Manteigas • Guarda • Trancoso • Celorico da Beira • Castelo Rodrigo • Manteigas
Today's route takes us to Guarda, a 12th century town in the border lands; once home to a thriving Jewish community, Guarda set the scene for the love story between a king and a Jewish shoemaker’s daughter, whose descendant would take the throne as João IV. Trancoso too had a large Jewish population, with curiosities still visible in the Judaría; it was home also to the celebrated poet Bandarra.
Celorico is renowned for its cheese market and dramatic ruins. The palace of Castelo Rodrigo, shrouded in poppies, is a reminder of the fate of a Spanish sympathizer in the 17th century.
Overnight: Pousada São Lourenço
Day 5: Manteigas • Linhares • Viseu • Tomar
Viseu is the capital of the Dão Wine Region and a major northern crossroads since Roman times. The graceful old town blends Romanesque and Baroque, Italianate façades and Portuguese azulejos, and the wealth from the New World. A prosperous Jewish community lived and worshipped here. After a visit to the synagogue, we’ll continue to the Grão Vasco Museum, named for the favorite son, Vasco Fernandes, the Renaissance painter associated with the Viseu School of naturalist painting.
To the south lies Tomar, with its 15th century synagogue housing the Museum Luso-Hebraico. Enjoy a free afternoon exploring this lovely town dominated by the 12th century castle where the Templars once ruled.
Overnight: Pousada São Pedro
Day 6: Tomar • Óbidos • Lisbon • Estoril
After breakfast, we'll visit the extraordinary complex of the Convento de Cristo, headquarters of the monk/knights from the 12th century. Then we'll continue to Óbidos, a medieval white-washed walled town sheltering a synagogue. The main street is filled with galleries and craft shops offering quality regional ceramics, linens, and paintings. Back in the Lisbon area, we'll visit the synagogue before returning to our Estoril hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Atlântico.
Day 7: Estoril • Lisbon • Estoril
Lisbon is an 18th century conurbation of grand squares and steep cobble-stoned streets, ancient monuments and modern museums, cafés and street markets. Our morning city tour explores the Castelo São Jorge and the Alfama in old Lisbon, before continuing along the river to Belém, from where the caravels set sail during the Age of Discovery. We’ll continue to Palmela in the Arrábida hills, an area of limestone mountains covered in aromatic shrubs and once a place of prayer/arrábida for its Moorish occupants.Returning to Estoril, enjoy a free afternoon before our evening farewell in a fado restaurant.
Overnight: Hotel Atlântico
Day 8: Estoril • Lisbon
After breakfast, transfer to Lisbon airport.
Included:
• Hotels with breakfast
• Meals per itinerary
• English-speaking guide
• All land transport
• Entrances per itinerary
By arrangement. Contact us for details.
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