26 Apr 2023
We did the 14 day tour of Portugal in April 2023. We were a group of 4, and the vehicle was clean, roomy and reliable. Our driver Rui was friendly and helpful, knowledgeable and passionate about all aspects of Portuguese history and culture.
The tour covers all the main sights of the country, both coasts and the inland. We wanted to see the parts less travelled, and this tour certainly delivers.
If we could fault anything, it's that the itinerary was too full! The days were long to allow us to squeeze in all the sights, but this often meant we arrived at our destination later than we'd prefer, or not have time for lunch (we never did get used to the Portuguese habit of 3pm lunch, and were looking for food much earlier ????).
Many of the town visits also felt rushed, so fortunately Rui was flexible when we requested (or at his suggestion once he knew our preferences), we skip some places to free up time elsewhere (we were "churched out" by half way through).
Our suggestion would be to have a free day in Porto (drop one of the existing planned day itineraries), plus have 2 nights in either Monsanto or Marvao, and 2 nights in one of the Algarve stops. This would allow time to recharge and wander the streets of those beautiful towns. That may mean adding 2 more days to the itinerary, or dropping a night elsewhere (perhaps Fatima, unless that is of particular interest).
Either way, Premiere Tours is highly recommended as your guide around Portugal.