Complimentary breakfast and coffee is served daily at the hotel. 

Morning: Lisbon City Tour. Please be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes! Our first visit is the hilltop fortress, St. George’s Castle, to enjoy stellar views of the city and time to stroll in the beautiful gardens. Continuing downtown we visit Bica and central Baixa districts. Baixa and Chiado are newer parts of the city built after the 1755 earthquake that devastated Lisbon. Here we learn about the city’s rebuilding plan that changed the shape of the new Lisbon city center. Free time to circle the majestic Praça do Comércio before departing for Belém.  

Group lunch at Restaurant 5 Oceanos in Belém. Belém, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located on the shore of the Tagus River at the entrance to the Port of Lisbon. About 4 miles west of the Lisbon city center, many of Portugal’s most famous landmarks are located in this area. After lunch, we visit the Jerónimos Monastery, dating back to the early 1500's and secularized by state decree in 1833. Besides one the best examples of Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline architecture, the Monastery is home to the tomb of the infamous explorer, Vasco de Gama.  Time permitting, we see the Belém Tower, a small fortress island on the banks of the river and part of Lisbon’s Old World defense system. Also on the Belém riverfront we see the massive sculpture Monument to the Discoveries, depicting Henry the Navigator at the helm of a large galleon commemorating the significance of maritime exploration in Portuguese history. 

 AGING AND VIOLENCE IN PORTUGAL This afternoon we visit the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima or “APAV”). We meet with Director João Lázaro and colleagues to learn about the mission of this important organization and its many research initiatives including a study conducted in 2013 on violence against the elderly.  

Alternative for Non-Lawyers: Visit to the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (National Tile Museum).  

Return to hotel. 

Dinner at the Fado Association in the historic Alfama neighborhood. Fado is a distinctly Portuguese musical genre characterized by emotional, passionate and sometimes mournful tunes and lyrics. We enjoy an endless supply of Petiscos (Portuguese Tapas) in an intimate setting accompanied by our very own private Fado demonstration. In 2011, Fado was recognized on the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List.  

We depart for the majestic resort town of Sintra, a longtime royal sanctuary and summer home for Lisbon’s elite. Sintra’s mountains, forested terrain, proximity to the ocean and unique Moorish and Manueline style palaces define Sintra’s breathtaking and one-of-a-kind landscape.

En route to Sintra, we first visit the Queluz Palace. Often overlooked given its relatively small size, this 18th-century palace is one of the last great Late Baroque   buildings designed in Europe, commonly referred to as the Portuguese Versailles. Wide corridors, impressive interiors and far less tourists make this palace an enjoyable first visit.

We continue to the unmatched Pena Palace grounds and gardens. This 19th-century Romanticist castle proudly stands alone as a National Monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pena Palace’s eclectic mix of architectural styles include Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Islamic and Neo-Renaissance, which all contribute to its whimsical and fairy-tale like appearance. After time to explore the Pena Park, we continue to Sintra’s village center. 

Free time to explore the center of town before lunch. 

Group lunch in Old Town Sintra.

Over lunch:
LONG TERM CARE & SUPPORT FOR THE ELDERLY IN PORTUGAL
We visit the National Health Institute for a guided tour and briefing on elder care policies and issues facing Portugal today. In 2006, the Rede Nacional de Cuidados Continuados, RNCCI (National Network for Long-term Integrated Care) was formed as a partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity. In this presentation, we will explore the structure and financing of Portugal’s Long Term Care system and the many challenges facing Portuguese policy makers.

After lunch we visit Cabo de la Roca, Continental Europe’s westernmost point. After taking in the stellar views and dramatic sea cliffs from this picturesque overlook, we return to Lisbon.

Returning to Lisbon, we take the scenic coastal route passing through Cascais.

Return to hotel. 

Group Dinner at Sr. Lisboa restaurant, just a few blocks from our hotel. Creative Portuguese cuisine in a family-style setting.  

Return to hotel. 

Hotel check-out, board bus for our day trip through Central and Northern Portugal. Our first stop is Óbidos, one of Portugal’s best preserved medieval towns. We enjoy 45- 60 minutes of free time to stroll the cobblestoned streets, shop at the local boutiques, and taste the local Ginja – a traditional Portuguese liqueur infusion of sour cherries and spices. Steady walkers will have time to reach the Óbidos Castle. Legend has it that in the year 1148, Dom Afonso Henriques and his troops disguised themselves as cherry trees to capture this Castle from the Moors. Henriques became Portugal’s founding father and first King.   

Depart for Coimbra, one of Portugal’s oldest cities and its former capital during the Middle Ages. We enjoy lunch at Restaurant Republica de Saudade before visiting the University of Coimbra.  

THE STUDY OF LAW AND HIGHER EDUCATION IN PORTUGAL  We tour the historic University campus and Faculty of Law  to learn about Legal Education in Portugal. In existence for over 180 years, the Law School is one of Portugal’s most prestigious.  

Check into the 4 Star Delfim Douro Hotel (or equivalent).  On arrival, we enjoy a welcome tasting of the house wine. 

Group Dinner at our hotel. A plethora of finely prepared Portuguese dishes will satisfy every appetite. 

Breakfast is served daily in our hotel. Depart for our Douro Valley Tour traveling towards Pinhão, enjoying one of the world’s most scenic drives along the Douro River. 

We board a traditional Rabelo style boat for our private river cruise. 

Lunch at DOC by Chef Rui Paula along the Douro riverfront. Winery tour and tasting at the old Franciscan monastery, Quinta de Marrocos.  

In the afternoon, return to our Hotel for R&R. 

Dinner inside the Quinta Hotel.  

Breakfast and coffee served daily in our hotel.  This morning, we visit the nearby Lar Hotel Santa Maria Maior of Almacave Retirement & Nursing Home. (Pending approval/COVID-precautions). On our way to Porto we stop in Régua to enjoy lunch and tasting at Quinta do Vallado winery.  

Arrive Porto, check into the 4 Star Porto Bay Hotel Teatro (or equivalent). 

Group Dinner at Restaurant Raiz,a few blocks from our hotel.   

Breakfast is served daily in our Quinta.  City tour of Porto. Please remember to wear comfortable shoes!  Located along the Douro river, Porto was originally an outpost of the Roman Empire and is today one of the oldest cities in Europe.  Not so coincidentally, one of Portugal’s famous exports, port wine, is named after the city. In 1703, the Methuen Treaty established trade between Portugal and England and the production of port wine gradually fell into the hands of British firms. Even today, the vast majority of port cellars carry their original English names.  

READING BETWEEN THE WINES: An overview of wine laws and regulation in Portugal Presentation at the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro and Porto (IVDP). In this briefing, we will learn some of the technical terms about wine and understand the most important regulations for winemakers and exporters in Portugal.   

 Producers are governed by the IVDP, with specific requirements concerning geographic denomination, aging terms, and labeling codes for varietal vs. blends. 

Topics of intellectual property, consumer protection, export/import, and local real estate law will also be discussed.  11:00 AM (Alternative for Non-Lawyers) Visit to the Palacio da Bolsa, Porto’s old Stock Exchange Palace and Courthouse. Featuring a mixture of architectural styles, the construction of this building began in 1842 and took nearly 70 years to complete.  

Lunch at DOP by star chef Rui Paula. Remainder of afternoon free.  Some may decide to cross the river to the city of Vila Nova de Gaia (or simply ‘Gaia’ for short), to visit the area known for its historic port lodges. 

Porto Farewell Dinner at Graham's Vinum Restaurant preceded by visit to Wine Cellars and tasting in the Vintage room.  

Hotel Check out. Depart for Lisbon with a stop in Fátima. Once a sleepy town dedicated to the production of Olive Oil, today Fátima derives the bulk of its wealth and popularity due to religious pilgrimage.

During our brief visit we learn about this village's unique history and see the Chapel of the Apparitions, Basilica of Our Lady of Fátima, and the modern Trinity Church. 

Lunch in Coimba. 

After lunch we depart for Lisbon and check in to our Hotel. 

Group Farewell Dinner.   

Participants may elect to extend their stay in Europe or Portugal after the trip - please let CLE Abroad if you need  any additional nights at our hotels (group rates extended at cost).