A trip along palaces and pristine beaches

The area around Lisbon is renowned not only for its palaces, but also for its stunning Atlantic coastline, dotted with charming fishing villages. An experience trip that - literally - brings a breath of fresh air to the Caractère catalogue. Your adventure starts immediately in style, with a visit to the Palácio de Queluz, the 'Portuguese Versailles'. This is one of Portugal's most beautiful palaces. Further along the coast you will find Estoril, a popular holiday destination thanks to its hot springs. And Cascais, a fashionable seaside resort with beautiful villas, an elegant marina and plenty of bars and restaurants. You will discover even more beauty in Sintra, a town with unique palaces, ruins and lush gardens that are Unesco World Heritage Sites. The rugged coastal road also takes you past the monumental Mosteiro da Batalha, one of the most beautiful Cistercian abbeys of the Middle Ages. Finish off on the beautiful beaches of the fishing village of Peniche, where you can also take a boat trip to Berlenga Island with its centuries-old fort.

Day 1 : Departure to Lisbon - Costa de Lisboa

You will pick up your rental car at Lisbon airport and depart for Cascais. Here you will stay 3 nights in one of our hotels.

Day 2 : Costa de Lisboa

On the second day of your trip, you will explore the Costa de Lisboa. The Palácio de Queluz, with its pink facade, in Queluz, is one of Portugal's most beautiful rococo-style palaces, also known as the 'Portuguese Versailles'. In summer, the entire royal family stayed in this 'holiday home'. The palace is particularly luminous, hence its name: 'Que luz!'. Estoril was a haunt of millionaires thanks to its hot springs and is still a popular seaside resort with opulent villas. Cascais, traditionally a fishing village, became a fashionable and elegant resort after World War II, and especially with the rise of tourism, with a marina, a 16th-century church and a Museum of the Sea, ex libris of the fishing tradition of the town and its inhabitants. The coastal road along Boca do Inferno and Praia do Guincho is pleasing to the eye.

Day 3 : Sintra

Continue via the Boca do Inferno and the beautiful Guincho beach to Sintra, a town with unique palaces, ruins and lavish gardens that are Unesco World Heritage Sites. This is where the Portuguese monarchs spent their summers. At more than 500 m altitude stands the extravagant fairytale palace Palácio Nacional da Pena, with Moorish influences, Gothic style elements and Renaissance features. On the same mountain, some 100m below, is the Castelo dos Mouros, a defensive fortress from the 8th century, taken by the Portuguese king Afonso Henriques in 1147, and in which he had the first Christian chapel built in the area. In the centre of Sintra, make sure to visit the Palácio Nacional, the Vila Velha and the Old Town too.

Day 4 : Mafra - Obidos - Praia d'El Rey

Next you depart towards Mafra, where a visit to the monastery palace cannot be missing from your programme, follow it along the rugged coastal road towards Óbidos. You will pass the fishing village of Ericeira, known for its restaurants serving seafood specialities. You will stay the next 4 nights at a Caractère Hotel.

Day 5 : Alcobaça and the Mosteiro da Batalha

This monumental abbey is one of the most beautiful Cistercian abbeys of the Middle Ages. With a detour via the traditional fishing town of Nazaré, you continue to Batalha, with its impressive monastery which is also a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Day 6 : Peniche and Ilha de Berlenga

Today you have a whole day to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and lovely beaches. Peniche is also known for its numerous seafood restaurants. Some 12 km off the coast is Berlenga Island, accessible by boat, with a bird colony and an impressive 70-metre-long tunnel close to an old fort.

Day 7 : A day of relaxation

On the second-to-last day of your trip, spend time relaxing by the sea or by the pool. You rest and recharge after all the beauty you have seen in the past few days.