Portugal

Day 1 | Saturday 19 September
Arrival in Guimarães
Our tour begins in northern Portugal with a group transfer from Porto Airport to Guimarães, often described as the cradle of the Portuguese nation. This handsome medieval city, birthplace of Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques, is today
a UNESCO World-Heritage site. After checking into our centrally located boutique hotel, there is time to refresh before we gather for a welcome dinner. Overnight Guimarães (D)

Day 2 | Sunday 20 September
Guimarães
We begin our first morning discovering Guimarães, a town whose cobbled streets, Gothic arches and leafy squares retain their medieval character. Our walking tour includes the 10th-century castle, the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza and the charming Largo da Oliveira. The afternoon is then reserved for plein-air painting in the town’s atmospheric corners, with John on hand to demonstrate techniques. Painters can set up their easels in shaded squares, where tiled façades and flower-bedecked balconies will provide endless inspiration, while non-painters can enjoy time to explore the cafés and artisan shops that line the laneways. Overnight Guimarães (B)

Day 3 | Monday 21 September
Braga, Bom Jesus & Citânia de Briteiros
A short drive this morning brings us to Braga, one of Portugal’s most historic cities and a major ecclesiastical centre. On arrival, we explore its pedestrianised old town, including the 11th-century cathedral, the oldest in Portugal, and the ornate chapels of the Kings. Painters will delight in the cathedral’s Romanesque lines and Baroque embellishments, while non-painters enjoy a guided visit to the Museu Sacra. After free time for lunch, we continue to the sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, famous for its dramatic Baroque stairway flanked by fountains and sculptures – an ideal subject for sketching. Our final stop for the day is the Celtic hill settlement of Citânia de Briteiros, whose stone foundations and sweeping views over the Minho Valley provide a striking contrast of archaeology and landscape – perfect for afternoon of plen air painting. We return to our hotel in the early evening, followed by dinner together in a local restaurant. Overnight Guimarães (B, D)

Day 4 | Tuesday 22 September
Porto
Today we set out on a full-day excursion to Porto, Portugal’s vibrant second city and a UNESCO World-Heritage site. Our walking tour here takes in the colourful Ribeira quarter, where medieval lanes tumble down to the Douro, and the grand 19th-century boulevards lined with cafés and shops. Non-painters may visit the São Bento railway station, decorated with elaborate blue-and-white tiles, while painters sketch the riverfront façades reflected in the water. After pausing for lunch at a much-loved fish restaurant in the riverside fishing village of Afurada, opposite Porto, we enjoy a leisurely cruise beneath Porto’s celebrated bridges followed by a visit to one of the historic port cellars for a tasting of the region’s most famous export. We return to our hotel in the early evening. Overnight Guimarães (B, L)

Day 5 | Wednesday 23 September
The Douro Valley
Departing Guimarães this morning, we continue our journey east into the heart of the Douro Valley, one of Europe’s most beautiful wine regions. Along the way we pause at a vineyard estate to learn about the cultivation of grapes on terraced slopes and enjoy a relaxed picnic lunch with views across the river. Painters may begin sketching among the vines while non-painters sample the estate’s wines. In the late afternoon we continue to our lodgings on the Douro at Samodães, with the remainder of the evening at leisure. Overnight Samodães (B, L)

Day 6 | Thursday 24 September
On the Douro
This morning we transfer to Pinhao to embark on a cruise up the Douro, experiencing landscapes that have inspired artists and poets alike. Painters capture the terraced vineyards, whitewashed quintas and chapels, while others simply enjoy the tranquil scenery from the deck. Returning to Pinhao, the afternoon is flexible – artists may wish to continue painting along the riverfront, or at the tile adorned train station, while non-painters can explore the town. In the late afternoon we transfer back to the hotel, followed by an evening meal together on site. Overnight Samodães (B, D)

Day 7 | Friday 25 September
Belmonte
Leaving the Douro behind, we travel south through mountain landscapes to Belmonte, a town renowned for its Jewish heritage and Roman archaeology. After a break for lunch on arrival, we begin a gentle walking tour of the old quarter, where the medieval castle recalls the town’s strategic importance on the frontier with Spain. At St James’s Chapel, we admire frescoes that once guided pilgrims along the Camino, before continuing through the Jewish quarter, whose narrow streets evoke the lives of Belmonte’s secretive Jewish community, which endured here for centuries. Painters may choose to capture the views from the town walls or sketch the unusual Roman remains at Centum Cellas, a striking three-storey tower whose origins are still debated, while non-painters enjoy further exploration. Dinner this evening is at our pousada, a converted convent with panoramic views of the Serra da Estrela. Overnight Belmonte (B, D) 

Day 8 | Saturday 26 September
Sortelha
One of Portugal’s most beautiful fortified villages, Sortelha is virtually unchanged since the Middle Ages. Encircled by granite walls, its stone houses and hilltop castle create an extraordinary sense of time preserved. Painters enjoy a full day among the ramparts and village squares, with John on hand to demonstrate techniques for capturing stone textures. Non-painters take a guided tour of the castle and ramparts, with time to wander through local artisan shops. We return to Belmonte in the late afternoon. Overnight Belmonte (B)

Day 9 | Sunday 27 September
Covilhã
Today we travel to Covilhã, a town that once prospered as the centre of Portugal’s wool industry and has since reinvented itself through a dynamic tradition of urban art. We begin with a walking tour that weaves together the historic heart of the town – its churches and main square – with the striking murals that now colour its streets, transforming old façades into canvases for contemporary expression. Painters may choose shaded plazas or mural-lined lanes to capture these vibrant contrasts of old and new. Lunch is at leisure, with time to sample local cafés or browse small shops before returning to Belmonte. This evening we reconvene for dinner together in a local restaurant. Overnight Belmonte
(B, D)

Day 10 | Monday 28 September
To the Alentejo
The final leg of our journey takes us into the Alentejo, a region of rolling plains and fortified hilltowns shaped by centuries of conflict and trade. Along the way we pause at Crato to visit its medieval monastery, once a seat of the Knights Hospitaller, before continuing to Estremoz, our base for the final four nights. Here we settle into our pousada, a former royal palace with views across the surrounding countryside, and take an orientation walk through the town, taking in its grand marble-paved square. Overnight Estremoz (B)

Day 11 | Tuesday 29 September
Estremoz
Once an important frontier town in the wars between Portugal and Castile, Estremoz grew wealthy through its marble quarries and strategic hilltop position, leaving a legacy of fine architecture and fortifications. Today is spent exploring this remarkable town, where painters can set up in the grand square to sketch its marble façades and colourful market stalls under John’s guidance, or work from the hotel’s balconies, where sweeping views over the Alentejo plains offer striking subjects. Non-painters may wish to visit the castle tower and local churches or simply unwind by the pousada’s pool. This evening we enjoy dinner together at A Cadeia Quinhentista (The 16th-Century Jail) – a former jailhouse turned restaurant featuing reimagined Alentejo cuisine. Overnight Estremoz (B, D)

Day 12 | Wednesday 30 September
Vila Viçosa
Once the seat of the powerful Dukes of Braganza, Vila Viçosa is celebrated today for its marble quarries, Renaissance palaces and elegant squares, earning it the title ‘Princess of the Alentejo’. Our excursion begins with a visit to a working marble quarry, where painters can capture the dramatic scale of the cut stone while others take a guided tour to learn about this defining local industry. After lunch in the town, painters and sketchers have further time to work in Vila Viçosa, while non-painters enjoy a relaxed afternoon exploring its grand square, Renaissance façades and tree-lined streets before we return to Estremoz. Overnight Estremoz (B)

Day 13 | Thursday 1 October
Estremoz
Our final day in Estremoz includes a workshop to review and complete artworks and also stage an informal display on the pousada’s courtyard for the group. There will also be time to visit the charming Museum of Miniatures or spend time browsing the town’s renowned ceramic workshops and antique shops. The afternoon is left free for shopping or a final stroll through the marble-paved square. In the evening we gather in the pousada’s grand dining hall for a celebratory farewell dinner, sharing memories of our journey through Portugal. Overnight Estremoz (B, D)

Day 14 | Friday 2 October
Depart to Lisbon
Our tour concludes after breakfast, followed by a morning transfer by coach to Lisbon Airport for homeward flights. (B)