Portugal
Winter in Portugal: Rich History & Culture from Cascais to Lisbon
Program No. 22583RJ
From the beautiful coastal Cascais to the modern city of Lisbon, trace the history of Portugal as you explore castles, walk along farmland and sample local cuisine.
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8 days
7 nights
14 meals
6B 4L 4D
At a Glance
Nestled along the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal is home to historic colorful cities. Discover the coastal area of Lisbon during the quieter winter months, where the weather is mild. Trace the history of Portugal as you explore the city of Lisbon, and learn how the former fishing village of Cascais transformed into a royal residence and popular port. Local experts will introduce you to the very best of traditional cuisine, artworks, historic palaces and much more!
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Up to 3 miles of walking. You will be walking on cobbled streets and uneven city streets.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Explore Lisbon's Gulbenkian Foundation, one of the most exclusive private art collections in Europe. .
- Discover the chic coastal resort of Cascais, a favorite destination of European royalty.
- Learn the history of the Mafra Royal Palace and Monastery, built by King John V in the 18th century and now a national monument.
General Notes
Give us a call to combine this learning adventure with select dates of "Winter in Portugal: The Colorful Island Culture of Madeira" (#23492) for even more learning in Portugal! This program can only be combined in the following order "Winter in Portugal: Rich History & Culture from Cascais to Lisbon" followed by "Winter in Portugal: The Colorful Island Culture of Madeira" (#23492).
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Isabel Neves
Isabel Neves is a certified travel professional and group leader with over 30 years of experience in the educational travel industry. She received her degree in tourism management in 1980 and has since then worked for both national and international companies in the creation and management of land and cruise programs. She has an academic background in medieval art and history, as well as an avid interest in the influence of Judaism in European culture. Isabel is fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Isabel Burnay
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Isabel Burnay is an experienced group leader with more than 25 years in educational travel. In addition to her specialized knowledge leading groups in Portugal and beyond, she is constantly taking culture, history, and other courses to update her knowledge and stay in touch with the latest trends in the educational travel world. Isabel has worked for local as well as international travel companies leading groups from the five continents. She is fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, and Italian.
Paula Bizarro Moreira
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Paula Moreira was born in Portugal and currently lives in Lisbon. She enjoys art, learning about different cultures and cinema. She has taken a variety of different courses ranging from art and image to Judaism and Jewish heritage in Portugal. Paula also speaks four languages. Since 1980, she has been leading groups throughout Europe and has worked as a consultant in tourism product planning, designing and development. Paula studied psychology, tourism and cinema at University in Lisbon, receiving a master’s degree in psychology.
Luisa Maria Gonçalves Gomes
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Luisa Gomes graduated with a degree in Tourism from the Superior School of Tourism of Lisbon and has been working as a National leader since 1992. Her interests range from art history and languages to geography and religious studies. She continues to take many courses at various universities and cultural centers in Lisbon to further her knowledge. Luisa is fluent in French, English, and loves to travel throughout her home country, bringing her course work and expansive knowledge to every program she leads.
Isabel Neves
View biography
Isabel Neves is a certified travel professional and group leader with over 30 years of experience in the educational travel industry. She received her degree in tourism management in 1980 and has since then worked for both national and international companies in the creation and management of land and cruise programs. She has an academic background in medieval art and history, as well as an avid interest in the influence of Judaism in European culture. Isabel is fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.
Isabel Silva
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Isabel Carvalho Correa Da Silva is a post-doctoral researcher, prize-winning author and lecturer, based at Lisbon’s prestigious Institute of Social Sciences at the city’s University. Isabel’s Ph.D. in Portuguese history was cited with distinction, and her publications have covered a wide range of historical topics. Her book on Lisbon’s Belem Palace won the Europa Nostra Heritage Award, and she was awarded the Mario Soares Foundation prize for her doctoral thesis in 2012. In addition to her native Portuguese, Isabel speaks English, French, Spanish, and Italian.
Suggested Reading List
(12 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Winter in Portugal: Rich History & Culture from Cascais to Lisbon
Program Number: 22583
Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empirer
This epic narrative history by bestselling author Roger Crowley (City of Fortune, MED185) chronicles the rise of Portugal as the small nation forged a dominant share in the global spice trade. His cast of characters (the ambitious King Manuel I, marauding governors and intrepid seamen) built a trade monopoly with the ferocity of a holy crusade, forever shifting Europe's center of power from the Mediterranean to Western Europe.
Baltasar and Blimunda
This tale of two unlikely lovers in Inquisition-era Portugal is arguably Saramago's masterwork: a philosophically charged, intellectually rigorous historical drama which is also a captivating read.
Small Memories
In this contemplative memoir, the Portuguese Nobel laureate recalls a childhood both dark and magical, split between the growing city of Lisbon and the tiny village of Azinhaga.
DK Eyewitness Top Ten Lisbon
A compact illustrated guide in the popular series, featuring favorite attractions.
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
This nuanced novel, written in Saramago's smooth style, follows Ricardo Reis, one of the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa's invented characters, around the rainy streets of Lisbon. Pessoa has just died, and Saramago builds his plot around the premise that characters live on nine months after their author's demise
Journey to Portugal, In Pursuit of Portugal's History and Culture
Jose Saramago's richly detailed account of his journey across Portugal in 1979. He combines his vivid impressions of the Portuguese landscape and people with a dose of history, fiction and meditations.
Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light, 1939-1945
Despite Portugal's neutrality during WWII, the city of Lisbon endured untold amounts of pressure, propaganda and espionage from both the Allies and the Axis powers. Lochery's well-researched chronicle is sheathed in a cloak-and-dagger atmosphere as he uncovers sordid and fascinating accounts of the backstage role the Portuguese capital played in the conflict that raged on all sides.
A Traveller's History of Portugal
A lively, admirably concise survey from prehistory to the present, great for travelers to Portugal who would like an overview of the country's history and culture.
Eyewitness Guide Portugal
A compact, visual travel guide to the country featuring hundreds of photographs and drawings, an excellent overview of the culture and history of Portugal and good information about where to go and what to do. With many excellent regional, local and neighborhood maps.
The Book of Disquiet
When the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa died in 1935, he left behind a trunk full of unpublished writings. Culled from those unclassifiable papers, this book is a unique collection of short, aphoristic paragraphs comprising the "autobiography" of Bernardo Soares, one of Pessoa's many alternate selves (he called them "heteronyms"). Part intimate diary, part prose poetry, part descriptive narrative, this melancholic masterpiece is captivatingly translated by Richard Zenith.
Portugal Map
At a scale of 1:400,000, this fully indexed map also includes insets of Madeira and city maps.
Lonely Planet Portuguese Phrasebook
A handy pocket phrasebook for Portuguese basics, covering pronunciation, basic grammar and essential vocabulary for the traveler.